HI THERE

I saw you at church today. You must be new because I’ve never seen you before. You were in front of me and it seemed like you were on the brink of walking out every few minutes, just like me the first time I came here.

I just want you to know that the people here are really awesome, and not at all judgemental. Lots of us latecomers struggle with feeling judged and I would guess it’s the biggest reason people like us avoid churches. Not every church is filled with people trying to be more like Jesus but ours is!

Lots of us here have either been hurt by a church in the past, or we’ve never walked through the doors of one and we know nothing about anything. Wherever you fall in between, please know you are where you belong.

You are here because God led you to us, because He wants you to have a church family where you can feel safe. Where someone will come alongside you and help you grow if you allow it. I could even be that person for you!

Our church is growing because most people love it when they come the first time, so they come back and bring others who aren’t fond of church people. If you hadn’t darted out of your seat and up the aisle so fast I would have spoken to you. So I sure hope you come back, and maybe even come to one of our circles.

We have lots of great small groups here that we call circles, because circles are better than rows! Is that corny to you? It’s true, though! You can get lost in a big church. When you get into a smaller circle of people you can be sure to be seen, known, and loved, and not fall through the cracks.

It’s easier to talk and listen in a smaller bunch of people, too. You really get to be like family, only better than blood in so many ways. Besides, some of us don’t have the most supportive family. We are a family who loves and supports you no matter what.

One of the circles I belong to is a bunch of women of all ages and all walks of life. We spend a couple hours together on Monday nights, learning to be better do-ers of God’s Word and better sisters to one another. We worship and encourage and pray with and for each other. Our mission is to use our God-given gifts and talents to help others know Him.

That’s all He expects, you know. Just to love Him and love His kids. People make it way more complicated than it is. I think the biggest stumbling block for most of us is feeling ‘less than,’ like we don’t belong, because we’re too damaged for God to use.

But God uses ALL of us to accomplish His purpose if we let Him! To be honest, sometimes the people with the biggest messes are the ones He chooses to make the biggest impact. He uses the weak to shame the strong and the poor to shame the rich.

So I will look for you in the lobby next week and you can sit with us if you like. In the meantime, think about volunteering with our Frontlines team. That’s a great way to get to know people here and we can always use extra hands out in the parking lot, greeting people at the doors, and running our cafe.

God bless and keep you this week ahead:)

Peace in Christ