14 April 2008
Reflection on the Future Grace Question and Answer Session
Grace has asked church members to give an account of participating in the Future Grace Phase 2 Campaign. In this edition, Heather Darnell reflects on yesterday’s Future Grace Question and Answer Session
by Heather Darnell
“This is typical of Grace Community Church,” Pastor Scott laughed. “You offer a question and answer session and no one shows up!” While there was no hint of a reprimand in his voice, his observation was true. Sixteen people had gathered to attend the Future Grace Phase II Question and Answer session and most of them were elders or Future Grace committee members. I chucked to myself, admitting that if I hadn’t been asked to write about the session, I probably wouldn’t have gone either.
Pastor Scott did not seem concerned about the low attendance. Rather, he acknowledged that during the first campaign, long-time members had pressing questions about the philosophy of owning a building, stewardship and taking on debt. This time, only a year since the last campaign ended, many of the questions about the philosophy of the church have been answered.
When Grace Community Church kicked off the Future Grace Phase I campaign, there was an excitement and fervency among the congregation. “Finally, we will have a place to call home,” everyone said as they planned ways to give to the new building. I heard several stories about members who were literally selling their possessions in order to give. Their faithfulness and willingness to participate left me wondering how I could join in.
Two years ago, I felt God calling me to make a deeper commitment to Grace, not just financially, but also with my time. I had been an active participant in church activities, but was looking for a way to serve. After seeing a request in the bulletin (for several weeks) I begrudgingly volunteered to be a Sunday School teacher for the one-year old class. I had never worked with young children before and I wasn’t looking forward to the screaming, the crying or changing dirty diapers. I expected to hate it and imagined myself explaining to Jason Miller that, “God just didn’t gift me to work with children.”
Instead, I discovered that while holding a sobbing child isn’t exactly the most coveted position in the church, it is one of the most needed. As a teacher, I have the opportunity to not only serve the children in my class, but their parents and other members of the congregation as well. I’ve also realized that nothing is more humbling than listening to a two-year old recite a memory verse that you “haven’t had time to learn yet.”
Just as God was teaching me that there is a reward in helping children learn more about Him, He was also teaching me about finding joy in serving my congregation. As Pastor Scott and the elders have often said, Future Grace Phase II isn’t just about building a building or giving money to a campaign. This phase in the life of our church gives us, as a congregation, the opportunity to renew our commitment to our church, both with our offerings and with our service. In the new space, people like me, will have more opportunities to learn about the joy that comes from serving each other. I don’t think that anyone needs to question that.
Category: Event Summaries.
