One thing we are exceptionally good at...
I love my home church of Eastview Christian Church. While there are things and people who irritate me just like every other church, town and school I've been in, there is one thing that I especially love and appreciate from my church in Cedar Rapids.
We have always been known as a very warm, welcoming and friendly church. We never let a visitor slip away quietly. And whether the visitor is there for a specific reason or just dropping by, we make them feel loved, accepted and welcome in our church family. We have done this for years. And have built up quite the reputation because of it. We have opened our arms to everyone who has come and gone through our doors. And that makes me smile.
Most recently... there was a young man who was brought to the attention of my dad. It was through one of his best friends who works with a lady from our church. This young man has been diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer with a tumor that is growing rapidly. He has been in the hospital for quite some time. And he has never been in our church. But through his best friend and the lady from our church, my dad has started a friendship with him, visits him almost everyday. And our church has done alot to reach out and try to help by praying daily, opening our building for a fundraiser and offering meals and homes for those coming into town to visit him. This past Sunday, a man who was like his mentor, visited. Before he left he had three or four different offers for lunch and was very touched by how everyone just reached out to him. He was incredibly polite and hugged my dad in gratitude despite grief at how bad this young man really is. But he left knowing that the Church, not just our little section of it at Eastview, was supporting and loving him and this young man with cancer as much as we could love anyone.
As I have listened to my dad tell the story of this young man and how they have become friends. And how things just aren't easy. I decided I wanted to do something. But I didn't know what. What could I, a 22 year old Bible college student only home for two more weeks, do to help bring a smile to this young man's (he's only a year or two older than me) face when I don't even know him and have never met him? Well... I did the typical church thing... I baked cookies for my dad to take to him and the two men who are helping and supporting him the most. It may be super simple. And it may not even be his favorite kind of cookie. But it's something I can do to show him that he's not alone, that he's loved. And maybe, just maybe, it'll be another chance for Jesus' light and love to shine down on him.
We are exceptionally good at one thing... welcoming and loving. May the Church as a whole be exceptionally good at that.
We have always been known as a very warm, welcoming and friendly church. We never let a visitor slip away quietly. And whether the visitor is there for a specific reason or just dropping by, we make them feel loved, accepted and welcome in our church family. We have done this for years. And have built up quite the reputation because of it. We have opened our arms to everyone who has come and gone through our doors. And that makes me smile.
Most recently... there was a young man who was brought to the attention of my dad. It was through one of his best friends who works with a lady from our church. This young man has been diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer with a tumor that is growing rapidly. He has been in the hospital for quite some time. And he has never been in our church. But through his best friend and the lady from our church, my dad has started a friendship with him, visits him almost everyday. And our church has done alot to reach out and try to help by praying daily, opening our building for a fundraiser and offering meals and homes for those coming into town to visit him. This past Sunday, a man who was like his mentor, visited. Before he left he had three or four different offers for lunch and was very touched by how everyone just reached out to him. He was incredibly polite and hugged my dad in gratitude despite grief at how bad this young man really is. But he left knowing that the Church, not just our little section of it at Eastview, was supporting and loving him and this young man with cancer as much as we could love anyone.
As I have listened to my dad tell the story of this young man and how they have become friends. And how things just aren't easy. I decided I wanted to do something. But I didn't know what. What could I, a 22 year old Bible college student only home for two more weeks, do to help bring a smile to this young man's (he's only a year or two older than me) face when I don't even know him and have never met him? Well... I did the typical church thing... I baked cookies for my dad to take to him and the two men who are helping and supporting him the most. It may be super simple. And it may not even be his favorite kind of cookie. But it's something I can do to show him that he's not alone, that he's loved. And maybe, just maybe, it'll be another chance for Jesus' light and love to shine down on him.
We are exceptionally good at one thing... welcoming and loving. May the Church as a whole be exceptionally good at that.
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