Meet-Up FAQ
Maybe you have questions about Meet-ups at Open Life. Here is a list of common questions for hosts and participants.
What are Meet-ups?
Meet-ups are events hosted by people of Open Life that involve interests or passions of the host person. Meet-ups connect people around common interests that exist in our church community. Whether it’s soccer, gardening, hiking, or a special cause—anyone can host or join a Meet-up.
Are Meet-ups planned or supervised by Open Life Church?
Meet-ups are events hosted independently by people that attend Open Life Church. These events are not planned or coordinated by Open Life Church, but rather by the host themselves. Open Life Church only communicates the existence of the Meet-up and encourages participants to RSVP directly with the meet-up host.
Can anyone host a Meet-up?
- If you’re an Open Lifer, Yes.
- The only requirement is that you’ve been attending Open Life for a minimum of 6 months.
- If you’ve not been attending Open Life for 6 months, consider finding a co-host who has been attending Open Life for 6 months.
Is hosting a Meet-up complicated?
No, we’ve made it simple and easy to host a Meet-up. Just visit out Meet-up Hosting Site to find more information and be sure to read the Host Kit on that page to get started. Once we have all of your Meet-up information we’ll have you do a quick background check (if you’ve never completed one with Open Life). We’ll post and communicate all the Meet-up details to the church and you can prepare for hosting your Meet-up.
How will people find out about my Meet-up?
People will find out through all the streams of communication that Open Life utilizes in addition to all of the ways the host creatively communicates their Meet-up. This will include, but not limited to, listing on the Meet-up webpage, announcements on Sundays, direction on openlife.church/next steps, on the Open Life Church App, Next Steps Weekly (e-news), social media, and other forms of communication. We’re always open to other ideas.
What types of Meet-ups are there?
- Interest Based - Meet-up to do something that your passionate and excited about. (hiking, biking, music, sports, etc.)
- Social Gathering - Meet-up to connect with a specific group of people. (host a meal, games, go out for drinks/coffee.)
- Serving - Meet-up to serve our community or beyond. (Backpack program, Beautify Bonney Lake)
- Discussion - Meet-up to discuss a recent Open Life talk series, book, or other specific topics.
Are Meet-ups different or separate from Groups?
Meet-ups and Groups are meant to be complementary and mutually beneficial activities for people within Open Life Church. Whereas groups will usually be a fairly regular activity (weekly or every other week meetings), Meet-ups are one-off events or events with a frequency of once a month or less. Whereas groups will usually have the same participants each time from the startup, Meet-ups are encouraged for anyone to attend each time. If groups form out of Meet-ups, that is terrific. If groups want to host Meet-ups so that more people can be involved, that is wonderful.
What liabilities are involved with hosting a Meet-up?
Meet-ups are events hosted by you, the host, so the liability for Meet-up hosts is equivalent to inviting friends to participate in a private event you’ve organized.
What if my Meet-up has costs or other requirements involved?
This is not a problem as long as you communicate those costs/requirements clearly on the Meet-up host form and in your communication to those participating leading up to the Meet-up how those costs/requirements will be handled (ie. Registrations, Transportation, tickets, etc.)
Can I receive funding for my Meet-up form Open Life Church?
Most often, any costs related to a Meet-up should be handled by the participants of that Meet-up as organized by the host. Open Life Church will consider funding for service related Meet-ups that bring benefit to our community (ie. School Supplies, Tools or Supplies for a renovation, etc.)
What about activities that involve the consumption of alcohol?
Meet-ups communicated by Open Life Church should have a primary activity that is not related to the consumption of Alcohol. Due to the fact that alcohol is heavily abused in our society and we are not able to know or understand things that are going on in any one person’s life, we choose not to promote public invitations to consume alcohol. Hosting an event where alcohol is available is fine (ie. dinner at home or restaurant, trivia night, A meet-up at Post & Pour, etc.), but a Meet-up to “enjoy drinks together” will not be promoted.
What if my Meet-up fills up?
Please notify jadonh@openlifechurch, and we will no longer publicly list your group so that no one else tries to sign up.
What if my Meet-up doesn’t have enough people who signed up?
Don’t fret, you can cancel or postpone your event this time around and reorganize for a future date or with a new idea. Please communicate with jadonh@openlife.church if you make this decision.