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Hands raised and loud cheers flooded out of The Edge Church Sunday evening, but instead of the usual cheers for the Lord, the cheers were for football. The church canceled its regular Sunday night service and substituted a community Super Bowl party for the third year in a row.
Two giant projection screens played in each room of the church. Pews and chairs filled with around 165 screaming football fans of all ages, including the youngest guest football onesie-wearing 6-week-old Aiden Owens.
The Edge’s motto—“Where church meets life”—was evident with its open door policy as community members walked off the street to watch the Packers defeat the Steelers, 31-25, and enjoy chicken wings, chili and a keg of root beer.
The church began in Winona three years ago by Minnesota Viking’s jersey-wearing pastors Chuck and Steph Peterson in an attempt to reach new people and minister to community members who no one else was ministering to. According to Steph, the church looks typical from the outside façade, but the stained-glass windows aren’t an accurate representation of the new, trendy coffeehouse feel inside.
Chuck said he follows the saying, “If you want to reach people that nobody is reaching, you have to do things that nobody is doing.”
Currently, the Sunday night congregation includes about 150 people, three quarters of which are college students.
The main college ministry includes Chi Alpha ministry on Thursday nights. Chi Alpha is a Christian campus ministry on universities throughout the United States and around the world. In the past few years, the ministry has continued to grow. The Edge went from one to two services, and has brought in community members outside of the college campus.
Jessica Staloch, 21, a senior at Winona State University, was first introduced to The Edge through the Super Bowl party two years ago. Since then, she has become involved with the church, helping with cooking, and attending gatherings regularly.
“The first time I stepped into The Edge, I was super excited for football,” Staloch said. “It was a very welcoming environment, but something was different about this church. It didn’t feel like any church I’d been to before. Everyone at The Edge felt like family once I walked through the door.”
The building is also open for anyone to use as a study space Monday through Thursdays from 3-9 p.m., just to get community members comfortable and familiar in the building.
Youth Director Levi Sampson helped organize the Super Bowl event this year and was pleased by the number of bodies that filled the space.
“Nothing is more rewarding then getting people to the walk through The Edge’s doors,” Sampson said.
Steph said Sunday night about a quarter of the people in the room were new visitors to the Edge.
The Petersons both said the canceled church service was a good decision because it allowed people to get together and build relationships on a day that many would have skipped service in the first place.
“There are two reasons why I am here tonight, Jesus and food,” said Kayla Brisbin, a freshman at Winona State University.
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ABOUT the AUTHOR
Michelle Kowalewski is a student reporter for Winona360 and a photojournalism student at Winona State University. Kowalewski has an interest in documentary photography and exploring the issues of global poverty and sustainability. She is also involved with Assignment Global a blog on global poverty. Kowalewski has a background in art and has worked in the mediums of painting, drawing, and ceramics. Kowalewski is interested in exploring issues in sustainable agriculture and how it can help in poverty situations. Kowalewski was originally trained in darkroom photography with 35mm and medium format film, but currently is working almost completely digitally.
Comments
Light of the WORLD
I feel the need to address a misunderstanding. Yes, God DOES come first. Just as JESUS did, sometimes the doors need to be opened to the community to share the blessings we have. The bible says that we are the light of the WORLD. A city that is set upon a hill cannot hide. No one would light a candle and hide it under a bowl. That would defeat the purpose! Sometimes the church can be a bowl that Christians hide behind. Under the bowl of the church we have no problem shining brightly for Jesus in praise and worship. It is a safe place, and it should be.
Sometimes, however, there comes a time to open the doors and invite those in who may have never thought about entering a church, or have had some awkward experiences with church before. I was there that night. The pastor did pray before the game. During come commercials there were times where the guests were encouraged to come back and participate in other services.
If we stop a moment and think about that the word MINISTRY means we will see that it has roots in the verb TO SERVE. That is exactly what the Edge did. They ministered in the name of Jesus. They served their community.
Jesus says, " I was hungry and you did not give me anything to eat. I was a stranger and you did not invite me in..." His followers asked, "when did that happen?" Jesus replied, "Whatever you do to the least of these brothers you do unto me." So, please remember that sometimes it is okay to do things a little differently. Check the life of Jesus, he is the most different dude I know. The bible teaches us that is not about the traditions and rituals we do that please the Lord, it is however about the motives of his people. If you didn't catch the motives of this wonderful church (that I am not even a member of, by the way) take a few minutes to check out their website, and re-read the article above with new eyes. See the brief testimonies embedded within, and challenge yourself with the question, "Who am I shining my light to?" Be blessed everyone. ~La
Jesus and the Super Bowl
This is a shame. You have to stand up for what you believe in. God goes before any game. This reveals were these people's heart are really at. I am Athlete and I would never miss my time in Church for the Su[per Bowl. Many of the professional players meet and pray before the game.
Jesus and the super bowl.
I have to disagree about the part saying where our hearts are at.
Many people come to the Edge and appreciate us hosting a christian super bowl party. College students and families know that it
Will be a safe place, and a place free from alcohol and drugs.
Hosting this party is not putting the game first over God. Our plan for hosting
Is to build positive connections with families and college students in order to do discipleship effectively
Its easier with the relationship already set to speak in to some ones life.
Thank you. Gods blessings to you !
That's just it - God does go
That's just it - God does go before any game. His mission was the primary focus of that superbowl party. This church WAS standing up for what they believe in - REACHING PEOPLE. They accomplished this by getting people into a church building they may have never entered for another reason. They're showing that "church people" are just as into "real life" as they are. The Edge is reaching people no one else is reaching by doing things no one else is doing. We can't focus so much on just doing church services with church people - while meeting as a body of Christ is important, this body also needs to be IN the world, DOING life with people. This superbowl party was a great demonstration of how welcoming the body of Christ really needs to be. I hope some of those "unchurched" people who attended that party will now feel more welcome and less inhibited to step through those doors on another Sunday - and maybe (like the girl Jessica in the article), they'll find that Christ is just as loving as His people.
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