It Takes a Church

As time goes forward I am learning more and more the incredible importance of community. 

Friends, family and more than anything: the church. 

The church is community. The church is family. The church is God's gift to the sinful soul in search of belonging, acceptance, challenge, truth... even hard truth. 

That is the church. And there is no substitute. 

It is mentioned specifically in Hebrews 10:

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

What are we to do as believers?

1. Draw near to the Lord with a true, cleansed and pure heart - thanks to the blood of Christ!

2. Hold fast to the hope that we have and don't doubt - for our God is FAITHFUL.

3. Encourage and challenge one another to love and to do good. (We do this in word AND deed!)

AND

4. DO NOT stop meeting together - in order to encourage one another in the faith. 

Community is biblical, and ain't nothing you can say to convince me otherwise. 

Especially because in the last 5 years especially I have seen the power of church community in a way I have never experienced it. 

That may because of my station of life... being all grown up and moving out on my own forced me to find a church family on my own. Being a wife introduced me to the world of being a new family, having new identity and together joining a church community, and then having a child and realizing the insane importance of church community in raising, training, teaching, admonishing, encouraging and loving that child. 

I think it was Hillary Clinton who said "It takes a village"
She was on to something... 
except my village is my church. 

I am blessed to be a part of a church that is passionate about the mingling of generations. It is so common these days to split up the ages. The variety of service options to appeal to differing styles and age groups, sending each age to their own corner of the church for the entirety of Sunday morning... all of this, I couldn't figure it out but it never sat right with me. I have so much to learn from the older generation. I love to watch and learn from the women in my church who have lived life, raised families, and now are in the latter year of their life. I love to watch them worship the God I worship. I love to hear their testimonies. I love to hear their wisdom. I love when they tell me their stories and when they love on my daughter. 

I don't want to worship away from them. And I don't want my daughter to miss out on the example that they set. She needs it. (I need it!) 

To me, this is community. This is church. This is MY church. 

This feeling is all bubbled up inside of me because we just had prayer meeting on this past Sunday night. 

Yes, prayer meeting. 

And my husband and I were there with Lucy, our friends were there with their toddlers, our pastor was there with his wife and a good amount of couples from the church of all ages! 

I was overcome with joy. with thankfulness. with awe. 
Because God is doing a work in my child's life. 
And he is using the church community to do it. 

I watched as 3 older ladies in the front row engaged with my daughter as she told them all about her dolly and her dolly's pacifier. I watched them patiently help her put the dolly's pacifier in over... and over... and over again. 

I saw as my daughter ran with glee to her pastor and had him pick her up, and sat joyfully on his lap while we worshipped. 

Lucy and "Pator Bob"

I saw a group of people patiently endure through worship and prayer the chatter of toddlers who have not mastered whispering. 

All because - we are a community. We are a family. The children, as Jesus demonstrated, are not to be pushed aside. 

My children will watch Greg and I and learn and imitate and follow. But I know I am flawed. I know there is much I cannot teach her or show her. But...

 I know she will watch the worship team on Sunday mornings as they sing praises to the Lord, and she'll learn.

 I know she will watch an older gentlemen help his wife up from her chair as they walk arm in arm out the door, and she'll learn. 

I know she will be blessed by older women in the church loving on her and telling her she is precious to the Lord, and she will learn. 

I know she will watch as men and women faithfully serve maybe in the most menial of tasks, without accolades but with a servant's heart, and she will learn.

 I know she will be forever impacted by the hearing of God's word from our pastor as well as faithful witnesses among the congregation, and she will learn.

I'm raising and training up my child. 
But I'm not alone. 
That is invaluable.
That I would not trade for the world. 

Thank you to my church community for loving my child in word and deed. 
This mama can never repay the debt and is eternally grateful.