A few weeks ago while in Miami, I interviewed some people and asked them a simple question, "What is the church?" The people I happened to interview were mostly men, men whose lives have been so challenging that they are currently homeless. When I interviewed them they were at a Methodist Church, partaking in food & fellowship at this church's weekly dinner. Free of cost, it brings in many people in need who live near the metro-rail right beside the church.
When I was pretty much done with the interviewing, one of the guys who I had spoken to earlier came up to me and asked me what the church meant to me. I hadn't expected anyone to ask me my own question, but ever since he asked that question it's gotten me thinking...
What is the church to me? As a child of a minister, I have spent many, many hours at the church (sometimes willingly, sometimes unwillingly I'll admit). Over the years, the church has always been a second home. It is a safe place, a place where I feel comfortable and can kick off my shoes and relax, just like I do at my house. It's also a place where I can be challenged to grow and think differently than I have before. The church is the place where I go to see my family...my church family. The many hours I've spent there have been with people who care for me and love me and have been mentors for me as I grow in my faith.
The church is a home of fellowship, growth, encouragement, and renewal. It's a place where believers can come together to give all praise and glory to the Lord of heaven and earth; where new life begins through the baptismal waters and one's dedication to a relationship with Christ; where children are nurtured and grow into women and men of faith; where needs are met and relationships formed; where cries of pain and sorrow are heard; where tears are wiped from the eyes of the brokenhearted; where service to 'the least of these' takes place; where gifts are discovered and nurtured.
The church is the house of God. What is the church to you?
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