Last week we reported on a Georgia church selling its nearly paid-off property and using the profits to help the needy in its community. This week another local newspaper highlighted a multi-church effort to also invest more in people than in buildings.
In Loveland, Colo., three churches are shutting down their regular Sunday services this week and coming together to serve their community via more than 25 outreach projects. So far more than 800 people have committed to help at such places as a local elementary school, Habitat for Humanity, Interfaith Hospitality Network and several nursing homes.
"For us, we feel like it is putting our love and faith in Christ into action,” said Chris Perciante, director of community outreach at Faith Evangelical Church, one of the three participating churches. “It is important to show our love of Christ by serving in the community. That phrase ‘to not just go to church but be the church’ was a big motivation to us.”
The bigger story, however, isn't that three churches are going outside their walls to serve the community, but that there is a growing trend of this throughout the nation—one that secular media outlets are noticing more.
"If we are going to survive in the future, we are going to understand how people do church in this generation,” said Bryan Fowler, pastor of the Navo Church in Decatur, Ga., which was recently highlighted in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for serving its community by offering not only dance and drumline classes throughout the week, but also a fully equipped recording studio.
Every October, more than 800 churches across the United States participate in "Faith in Action" Sunday, in which congregations take a break from their usual worship services to intentionally go out and serve the community. But the shift that many pastors and church observers currently notice is an increase in churches being more intentional and long-term with their commitment to truly serve their communities.
"It gets our mind off of ourselves,” said Robin Parker, missions pastor for Good Shepherd Church in Loveland. “By helping others, it enriches our own lives. It’s what we are called to do. Jesus Himself came to serve.” [reporterherald.com, 8/3/09; ajc.com, 7/28/09]
Comments
"It is important to show our love of Christ by serving in the community. That
phrase 'to not just go to church but be the church' was a big motivation to
us."
Wow - this is awesome. But please remember that while most churches are
catching onto this concept - The Salvation Army has been "intentionally going
out and serving the community" for 150 years. At most churches you can hear
about being a Christian - at the Salvation Army you get to actually be one.
I know -I talk a lot about the Salvation Army. I found Christ through this
ministry and I think the Salvation Army is a group that is quietly serving
God but gets little attention. The churches in this article are just now
catching on to what The Salvation Army has been doing for ages. Someone
called the Salvation Army "Christianity with its sleeves rolled up." How
perfect? Also the Army reaches out to people that no one else wants to deal
with. That is WWJD!! Quote
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