(Photo by Selma Komisky)

Editor’s Note: November, 2019

By Sarah Komisky

OK, I really love get togethers. I don’t mean the ones with the fine china you only get out once a year. The name cards. The fancy attire. The kind you have to say yes in advance to. Yeah, that’s cool. But my kind of get together is the one that casual, even spontaneous. The kind where you pull out mismatched plates and sit around a table or sit crossed legged on the floor. It’s not gourmet. It’s more comfort food. The kind you fix for a pot luck. Shared favorites. Passing around various bowls. I love seeing familiar faces. Meeting new ones as well. I like the warm greeting of my friends and family in their comfy clothes. I like friends stuffed in a small, crowded apartment. Their kids running to give me a hug. I love laughing so hard my stomach hurts, the smell of a lit candle, helping feed the baby at the table, while mama gets to rest. I love shared stories. Sitting on the couch eating left-overs. I love walking on wooden floors or linoleum with my bare feet. I love when dorms can be converted to spaces of gathering. Most of all, I love the feeling of togetherness.

November is a time in the U.S. that embodies that feeling, but sometimes it can just get lost in an endless to-do list. This month, we at Marked Ministry want to inspire people to get back to that experience of community, of warm connection and hospitality. We want to invite you to come over to our house.

This note is our extended invite to our “In-House” Issue get-together (and you don’t need to RSVP). We’re sharing on the things close to our heart and hope you’ll get to know the team a little bit better. AND in Marked Ministry fashion, we’re bringing in the hospitality and inviting some friends. That means sharing some of our guest writers and partners like REFIT® Revolution, Victor Marx, Fighting for Me Inc. and new collaborations with Jamie Grace and Bethany Cruz.

May you be encouraged with these articles, just for you, on a topic each of our writers chose (think of them as our unique party favors!).

So, let us welcome you into our house! Old friends, new friends. Welcome. We hope this is a super fun housewarming party. One where you feel that you belong. One where you are invited to be yourself. One where you can be present. Laugh. Have conversation. Ultimately, one where you feel at home.

May it inspire you to cultivate your own community throughout the holiday season and beyond.

Many Blessings,

Sarah