Todays blog by Pastor Dawn: I attended a workshop with three other leaders from our church over the weekend. The topic was Only Four Things Grow Your Church. We absorbed lots of information about the rapidly changing face of the church in the United States. For instance, here was this strange statistic: the U.S. is in the top four countries in the world to receive missionaries from other parts of the world. Yes, thats right, I said receive, not send, receive. I havent checked out this fact but Ive seen evidence of this. Ive met South Korean students at the seminary where I teach who are coming over to help out the church in the U.S. The Korean church is growing so rapidly that they are coming here to help us catch their Spirit. At the workshop we talked about how mainline denominations in the U.S. probably wont exist in 50 years and how many churches wont either. All of this can make ones head spin a bit. So on Sunday morning, as I sat between two seasoned, older elders at the communion table, I was praying. I was praying for our church and asking God: Can a 135-year old church really thrive in this rapidly changing world? Can we adapt our methods to meet the needs, without adapting the gospel that we seek to share? I was praying, and listening. Then something caught my eye. I looked a little closer and noticed the wheels on our communion table. I dont know when, or who, or how, but someone in infinite wisdom put wheels on our big, heavy, beautiful communion table. (If you know the story of how this happened, Id love to hear it!). There may have been discussion about it, or maybe not. But the decision was made, the wheels were bought, the tools were used, and that table is mobile. It is adaptable. It is flexible. We move it all the time. It can bring the presence of Jesus anywhere! During communion I gazed at those wheels and at the gathered body of Christ. And I heard God give an answer to my questions. I heard God say, or maybe saw God say, yes.
Posted on: Tue, 13 May 2014 14:10:36 +0000
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