Warehouse 242

Christian Century, April 4, 2001 by Paul Wilkes

That "living life together" approach is readily apparent at Warehouse. The division between Christian and non-Christian that is obvious and encouraged elsewhere is de-emphasized at Warehouse. Instead of shying away from worldly culture, Warehouse encourages members to live Christian lives within the culture.

The goal is to funnel all members into a C.Pak, but often newcomers are not immediately interested in joining a small group. These people are asked to do something, even if it's standing at the door and greeting people. The church also created "Hands on Warehouse," a group that meets an hour and half before the Sunday service to set tip the chairs and sound equipment--an easy way for people to get involved.

That was the way 20-something "Ned" found his way into Warehouse. Today Ned has a good job in sales, but before he found Warehouse 242, cocaine and crack were his sources of community and satisfaction. "I had run wild long enough, was seeing so many lives go to hell, didn't want mine to go there, but couldn't figure a way out," he tells me as we stand outside the Grady Cole Center. "This girl at work told me she'd visited this great place and I ought to try it. People were friendly, welcoming, none of this hand-you-a-program and give-you-a-smile stuff. They really wanted to know me. I never read the Bible before, now I'm working my way through John. I have friends; I help out here. This is the anchor for my life."

C.Pax are designed for maximum interaction between Christians and non-Christians. Warehouse will even disband a group that doesn't have non-Christians--"normal" people--attending. The purpose of the groups is not to build a Christian stronghold against the world, but to open discussions to non-Christians, who often provide new perspectives, and to build relationships between Christians and non-Christians.

Warehouse also discourages small groups made of similar people, such as an all-singles group or a group based on similar interests. "I think the more similar people in churches and small groups are, the more safe and hunkered-down they become," Pickerell says. "I think one of the strengths of C.Pax is they're diverse. This keeps them on the edge."

The mission of a C.Pak is to "live life" with non-Christians and grow and multiply, thus bringing more people, hopefully non-Christians, into the community. "Every C.Pak should multiply within six months," Pickerell says, "and we won't let a C.Pak just go on and on.... People get really close and it's terrible to break them up, but look at the new people we're bringing in."

As non-Christians find acceptance at Warehouse, they begin asking questions. They tell their often sin-filled life stories to the small group, and are moved when members still want to be their friends. "Postmoderns want to know what they're getting into," Pickerell says. "There's an environment where honest questioning is really the norm and is really OK."

After two months of invitations from a Warehouse 242 member, a man went bowling with Pickerell's C.Pak. He was divorced, depressed and not much interested in the Christian faith. "He had anticipated `bowling for Jesus,'" Pickerell says. "But it was OK to smoke, and people were drinking beer. Two months later he gave his life to Christ."