Be the Church
The idea, while not entirely original, was simple: take one Sunday out of the year and instead of going to church, ask the congregation to “be the church”. That’s just what we did and three years ago we had around 150 people sign up and participate in local projects that ranged from home repairs for elderly or under-resourced neighbors to serving meals at an inner city recovery ministry. This weekend I was part of over 400 people from Crossroads Community church who served.
Saturday, our day started early with a team who prepared a row-house for a new family to move into. We cleaned and painted and did repairs for most of the day and we returned Sunday for some final cleaning and bringing in furniture and kitchen supplies that have been donated. There weren’t any chants of “move that bus” at the end of the day but we hope the family will enjoy their new home.
Saturday evening I was a part of a free cookout at the city park. We had lots of people turn out from all over town who were appreciative of a free meal on a beautiful summer night. I remember practicing football at the park in the 70′s and never imagined I would be back to serve the way we did tonight.
We told the folks from Crossroads that were serving this weekend that the idea was not to pat ourselves on the back for doing good deeds once a year! Our hope is that we will be reminded what the church is supposed to look like all the time by being intentional about serving together this weekend. God willing, we will continue to not just go to church but “be the church” for the rest of the year
