What Can We Do?

Last night, Emily and I visited a friend of mine that is planting a church in a forgotten part of Anderson. The church purchased an old elementary school building in a part of town that everyone is trying to get out of. Oh, did I mention that they are a predominately white, college-aged church moving into a predominately black and Hispanic neighborhood?

It's absolutely incredible! The building is totally God-sent and has allowed them to start planning for ways to have a positive impact on their community. They are offering classes for people in the neighborhood and the congregation...ESL classes, financial classes, etc. They have interns living in the school who are intentionally getting out into the neighborhood...playing basketball with neighborhood kids, getting to know their parents, etc. There was the story of a guy that came to the church, spoke of his problems with addiction and providing for his family and just cried out for help to the church. The potential for having a Kingdom impact on a neighborhood that has been forgotten is totally inspiring.

So, I find myself asking, "What can we do?" What can Center Chapel do to have a positive impact on our surrounding community? I look at our missions projects and even our local projects are outside of our immediate community. So, what can we do to reach out to those people in the Royerton area that are hurting, have unmet needs, and need the love, community, and fellowship that only the church can offer? What can we do to intentionally reach out to the lost in our community?

Well, I hope to take some time to start answering these questions and dreaming up ways to become a church that is intentionally reaching out to the people that live across the street, down the road, within our surrounding community. I hope to come up with some creative ideas to implement these dreams...to put our faith into action.

And, I welcome the ideas of those in our faith community...maybe some of you see opportunities that we are missing to have an impact for the Kingdom.

Oh, and just so we all know...this isn't just some kind of idea to try and bring more people into Center Chapel. It's about being faithful to Christ's call on all believers...to take care of those in need...to love our neighbors as ourselves...to go and make disciples. If more people come to worship at Center Chapel, then we will rejoice and celebrate that. If we simply help make our community a better place to be and improve the lives of some of those around us without growing by one person, we will rejoice and celebrate that as well.

"Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." (Hebrews 10:24)