Gushing by definition is speech or writing that is effusive and exaggeratedly enthusiastic; that's so not what I'm about. Anyone who knows me, knows I am not a gusher. I tend not to give really high praise or rave about things unless I really mean it. But, there are three exceptions about which I regularly gush and truly mean it. If you read this blog it's not hard to figure out what they are....Today, I want to write about one of them: my church.
I just finished a conversation with someone from church. She was checking in to see how I was doing. And she wanted to know how I was really doing, not just a "hope you're well" type message. We plan to get together next week. I have had several messages and phone calls from people from church. One of the pastors called to check in. The senior pastor's wife also called to check in. Even though 600 people attend the church, it has not lost its sense of community, not when we were gathering in person and not even now that everything is online. I find that impressive.
The church has put a lot of content online. There are weekly sermons, but there are also daily devotional videos and weekly prayer calls, Bible studies and youth meetings. On Wednesday nights, the pastor has been teaching through one book of the Bible in an hour followed by some Q and A. It is easily one of the highlights of my week. I love getting an overview of different books of the Bible and getting a sense of where they fit into the grand timeline. But, what I love most of all are the frameworks that he has provided; they help to guide my verse by verse reading which in some of those OT books can get pretty bogged down. I love that when he finishes teaching I want to grab my Bible and read through the entire book he just covered because now I want to know all about it and not just the broad strokes. Isn't that what any good Bible teacher does? Inspires you to read and study for yourself?
During this weird season, we joined one of the church's house churches online. There are four couples in our group from my church who zoom together on Sunday mornings. I love the authenticity in the group. We chat, we pray, we do the liturgy, and we take communion. It's casual and sometimes a bit chaotic between technology issues and kids popping up, but it's real. And I love it.
The youth team has done a phenomenal job with keeping the youth connected. I don't think either of my boys have missed a single session. The youth leaders have tried different formats and different times, adapting all the time to what was working or not, and how the schedules of the kids were shaping up. Joonas' small group leader has made two socially distanced house calls to chat with Joonas, even bringing cookies! I am so impressed with the level of care and thought put into the church youth.
I am so grateful for my church. I hope and pray that we can go back to meeting in person soon. But in the meantime, I super appreciate all that the leadership and members are doing to keep us all connected. It makes me feel like I am part of a large, loving family, which is exactly what I think church should feel like.
