Here we sit in the middle of a neighborhood where thousands of people drive by each day. Nothing remarkable. No big steeple. In fact, no steeple at all. Just three buildings. Just another church.
Yes, we are. But we are also one of tens of thousands of churches with 200 members or less that make up 70 percent of churches in America that many call home and raise their families in.
When we started, we had just 40 people in a living room in Evans asking, "What are we going to do?" Then God showed up. In September 1999, those faithful few had about three days to transform an old daycare center into a place of worship and a school for 30-plus children.
It was Friday, and just like a particular Friday more than 2,000 years ago, it looked pretty bad - but Sunday promised a miracle. Walls torn down and rooms cleaned, desks and chairs set up, a sound system in a small block room and old metal chairs set ready for service.
That was Sept. 5, 1999, and now some 10 years later we are still here. The consultants said, "don't invest in that community" and "don't buy any buildings" and definitely "don't build there." Well, we did all three, and the consultants were wrong. We had a goal to take care of the people God entrusted to us, and we believed God was in it.
And so we cleaned, we grew, we hired a preacher with only four official sermons in his folder and a youth minister with no Bible school degree. Crazy I know, but there's more. We raised money to build a third building on our 3.1 acres, and the consultants said, "You'll never raise the money without hiring a professional fundraiser."
But God was in it, and the first offering from 100 people was $42,000. Were there any millionaires in the congregation? No, just regular people coming together faithfully and saying "with God all things are possible." I wonder how many more stories like this go on among the real people who do the living, working and dying in this great country of ours?
The little church - just another church.
It might be hard to see the impact, but if we were gone, I think we would see a void. Our little church has fed thousands of people through our food pantry and we now have about 70 families that come to our academy, a safe, loving and inexpensive place to receive a solid Christian education. We have had an impact from Martinez to Mexico. Here are just two stories:
- Karen (not her real name) was living with her abusive boyfriend in the neighborhood. Reaching out in her pain, she visited our little church. But what could we do? We can't handle such a problem. But God working through us can. Several church members began to pray for and support her, encouraging her out of her relationship with the abusive man. Her life began to turn around, she had reconnected with her family when she was stricken with a life-threatening illness requiring brain surgery. In the hospital for weeks, she almost died.
With the support of a loving faithful sister and "just another church" she is learning to walk, and talk and love God all over again. Although she is disabled and unable to drive, several church members provide rides for her throughout the week to keep her involved with her community and church family. Why? To bring glory to God.
- And, in Mexico, we pay the entire yearly salary of a minister who has started five other churches that minister to and feed many, including children.
Yes, I know we are "just another church." But I know that Karen is thankful we were just around the corner. And although the children in Mexico don't even know who we are, that's OK as long as they experience the love of God.
I believe we represent thousands of other churches making a difference in their community and the world, too.
Just another church? Amen.
Columbia County Christian Church, located at 4004 Prescott Drive, off Old Evans Road, is celebrating 10 years Sept. 9-13. The community is welcome to join us each night at 7 p.m. and Sunday morning Sept. 13 at 10:45.
(Mike Klaus is senior minister of Columbia County Christian Church.)
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