A few weeks ago, I completed two years of full time ministry at New Life Little
Village. It has been a great time of growth, stretching, and
blessing. I absolutely love what I'm doing and am continually amazed at
what God does as you are faithful to him. I started in 2006 not knowing
what full time ministry would be like. Things were so different than the
corporate world that I had been working in. There weren't alot of harsh
deadlines, there wasn't a concrete schedule, and you can't put the work away for
the next day as easily. It was a big change, but an amazing change.
Over the last two years I have learned many things. The American church
overall tends to try to build programs and have the flashiest new presentation;
expecting people to come pouring through the doors and filling up the
seats. However, probably the biggest thing that I have learned is that
the model of Christ was completely the opposite. We don't need to build
flash, hype, and more programming...we need to walk out the front door and
start loving people. In late 2006, New Life Little Village began doing
just that. We began getting involved in community events like basketball,
youth events, work projects, community meetings and more. We started
partnering up with local community organizations and seeing what was already
happening in our community. Instead of thinking of the best outreach in
the street, or how we could come up with a big flashy event and invite people
we just showed up where God was already working. We became basketball
refs, served food, cleaned up the streets, helped in the local schools, served
food to the day laborers, taught English classes, and used the gifts God has
given us to bless others. Once this began happening, so many doors of
opportunity began to open. The community began to see that the church was
more than a building on 27th and Lawndale, but a body of people who desire to
improve their community. Instead of wondering what goes on in that church
building, they began to see the church working and helping out in many
different ways. It wasn't just a building any more, it was what the
church was meant to be...the body of Christ. Relationships began to form
that have caused some great partnerships and growth for the church and God continues
to surprise us with his blessing and favor.
I think the one overall theme that I learned over the last two years is that
all we need to do as a church is show up, roll up our sleeves and get involved
in the lives of people around us. Don't sit in the pew and wait for
people...get out, walk across the street, go to your neighbor, talk to your
co-worker and begin to see what God can do when you start to go!
