One of the things that I took away from the workshop was that people in our world today crave community. We want a place where we belong, where we are loved and where we are cared for in the midst of all of the stresses of living life today. This is a common need of mothers of young children but it is also a common need for all people of all ages. We want to be a part of a place where we belong and that is what we need to be as a church. We need to be a place where people feel like they belong even before they are ready to believe.
What can we do to help people in our community feel like they belong?
First, we need to pray. It may sound cliché but the importance of prayer can’t be underestimated. Pray for those that you know in your community that don’t know Jesus. Who in your circle of friends and acquaintances need a place where they belong? Pray for them.
Second, we need to pursue friendships. If there is one thing that we have learned over the past few years during COVID and our stay-at-home orders was that we weren’t made to be alone. We are made to be with people, to be in relationships. We need each other. We need rich friendships that invite us to be honest and to be real. When the opportunity arrives, invite someone to coffee. Start slow but grow your friendship and when the right time comes, ask if you can pray for them. If the opportunity arises, invite them to church, to your small group or your Bible Study. That invitation may lead to something even deeper and life changing, an encounter with Jesus.
So let’s be a church that lives out our mission statement by doing these two things of praying for others and pursuing friendships. Let’s see what God might do through each of us as we . . .
Love God, Love People,
and Make Disciples of Jesus
See you on Sunday and have a great rest of the week.