What is community?
Last night, I got to see a Bingo Hall (that had once just been another building I passed on the way home), turn into a sanctuary. With many months of planning, hours of team work and prayer, we saw this transformation happen quickly and smoothly. When 6:40 rolled around and new faces began to appear, well, there is no way to describe that feeling. The abstract concept we had of what this new community would be like became real.
In the ministry, it is rare to end up serving in a community with more than your spouse and children. I feel so blessed to have been called to serve in a community with not only my husband, but many family members, friends, and other incredible people. I sat towards the back last night to greet new people and to get things we discovered we needed from the lobby as we realized we needed them. As I sat there and worshiped from the back, I looked around at all the people gathered together, over 50 on our first week, with 17 new people, and I knew without a doubt that we had followed God’s will to this place.
Watching the old and the new interact before, during, and after worship was incredible. The special thing I have seen at Saint James since coming here, is that people are so open to each other. They were getting to know each other and working together and it felt like we had all always been together, one big family defined by more than genetics. Afterwards many of us lifted up things in prayer and many stayed long after the doors of the fire department were closed, even getting to talk to the wonderful Fire Dept secretary.
We all got to meet some great new people yesterday and I know we are all looking forward to getting to know them more. Praise God for bringing it all together and for allowing us to see it through. Praise God for those people who got a mailer and decided to come check out what God is doing in our midst. Everyone I met was just delightful, from 8 weeks on up, everyone was so nice and wonderful. We already have someone interested in a small group so we will be praying that others are interested and that God will provide.
A community is knowing you belong and sharing a common purpose, I saw that yesterday and I look forward to seeing it grow.
