I love this church. I love hearing the laughter in the foyer and everyone’s voices joining together singing worship to God on a Sunday morning. I love the way people care, pray, and support one another. I love being a part of a big church family I run into at the grocery store and high school sporting events.
But First Baptist isn’t the only great church in town. In fact, I’m confident your community is filled with wonderful, loving churches who care and support all their members. If you stumble upon this article, please understand I’m not writing this as a plug for MY church (though I would love for you to check us out), but for you to understand the value of being a part of a church YOU love. I want for every person to experience the love, care, and connection that I receive from my church.
If you are part of a local church you love, I am so happy for you. I encourage you to extend a warm welcome to new people who visit your church so they might feel the same love that you do. If you used to be part of a church but something happened, your schedule changed, or your health declined and you no longer attend, my hope is that you would find a way to re-connect with the church you were at or a new church.
Years ago, the only way to connect with a church was to show up at a service, but I have found people are able to connect to a church in all sorts of new ways now. You can find a church to watch on the internet each Sunday morning (most churches in our town stream their services online). If Sundays don’t work for you, you could join a mid-week group, or offer to serve on a ministry team on Wednesday nights. If transportation is your issue, you should call your church and ask if they might be able to pick you up and drop you off. At First Baptist, we have a new passenger van and we pick kids and adults up each Sunday morning and Wednesday evening. We would love to pick you up if that is something you need.
The apostle Paul describes the local church as the family of God. I love that metaphor. Nobody should be an orphan without any family around them to help when times are tough and to celebrate together life’s happy moments. In the same way, nobody should have to follow Jesus sitting at home alone without a church family they love and who loves them. Following Jesus is best done together, as a family of faith.
So I encourage all of you, find that church you love. Don’t give up looking just because you tried a few that didn’t seem to fit. This community has churches of all shapes and sizes, and I’m confident there is one perfect for you. And when you find it, join their mission in loving, supporting, and caring for one another as you pursue Jesus together.
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