The line 'The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is the people.' from a song from childhood comes to mind. I love the people that make up our church.
I love looking out from the front the church and recognizing almost every single person in the church. I not only recognize them and know their names, I know them and I know about their lives. Some people I know better than others, but they are all a part of our church family.
Our greeting time during the service takes a long time because we like to greet as many people as possible. It is more than simply a 'hello.' Hugs abound and people catch up on the details they may have missed in the days since we were last together.
Pastor Dean and Lynne are wonderful. They take the time to be involved in each person's life, they truly care about each of us, and they are very committed to prayer. They are such a blessing to our entire church.
The ladies of our church. We meet for Women's Bible Study one Thursday a month where we pray for each other, share with one another, encourage each other, and genuinely enjoy fellowshipping together. We also have prayer meetings on the last Saturday of each month. The women live life together, willingly opening up to be vulnerable with each other and carrying one another's burdens.
Our worship team is made up of a variety of people who enjoy music and strive for excellence in leading people to easily worship the Lord through music during our service. We work at it, but we also have a lot of fun while practicing. We may not always be as efficient as we could be, but we also build relationships through our time together.
The leaders of our church: pastor, youth leader, elders, deacons, Sunday School teachers, and so many others. These are not just roles, they are real people. Thinking of this I can better understand the lists of names in Paul's letters as he greets different leaders in the church. Our are intent on growing in their individual relationships with God and encouraging others to do the same. They willingly serve, they are scripturally grounded, and they are truly a blessing.
Our marriage study on Sunday afternoons. Each participant not only shares what they have learned from the book we are studying, but willingly shares wisdom gleaned from life experiences.
Wednesday night Bible Study. This is a time of fellowship and digging into scripture. It is also a time to share prayer needs and encourage one another.
First Sunday Luncheon. We have a potluck after church the first Sunday of every month. There are some people who have specific dishes they always bring - some of these are favorites of others. I have been told by different people that I should always bring a certain dish, but the irony is different people tell me to always bring different things, so I do still mix it up. I like to send things home with people afterwards. It is interesting to eat with different people and have conversations that may not have otherwise happened after church on Sunday.
I love that our church looks out for each other, cooking meals for new parents, visiting each other in the hospital, bringing food to someone who just had surgery, making sure people are not alone on the holidays, and generally offering hospitality.
I love sharing meals with people from church: once in a while at my place, but more often elsewhere. People still like to take care of me and send me home with food, even if I wasn't coming over for a meal.
Our church is not overly large. A lot of these activities with people are with many of the same people. We interact not only on Sunday but throughout the week. I love that we are a family of believers and that we live life together. God created us for relationships and he placed us us together not only for our most important relationship with him, but also for relationship with the rest of his family.
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