For the last month, every Friday evening we’ve been meeting in a home in a new neighborhood here in Ixtapaluca. Every Friday anywhere from 6-12 children meet, have a Bible story and craft. While the kids learn and play outside, 3-6 adults, mostly women, engage in what we call a “School for Parents.”
These studies are, hands down, my favorite part of ministry, my preferred part of church planting. The very initial stages. The curious mix of believers and the not-yet-convinced, seated next to the “oh, I grew up with that, and left it as soon as I could.”
The “School for Parents” theme allows us to develop relationships with a non-threatening theme. Last week we never actually got to our theme. Our whole time was spent talking about different and varied church experiences, from the bizarre to the hurtful. A first-time visitor, when asked if she was a Christian, said that her name was more “Christina” than “Christian,” her way of saying that although she had grown up in an extremely committed (and legalistic) family, she had distanced herself from that.
My summary at the end…Christianity has been and continues to be associated with all sorts of attitudes and activities that are not honoring to God. Christians are imperfect and will eventually disappoint. But Christ, Jesus, well, He is winsome, powerful and unique. Focus on Jesus. He is the only One who can give life.
So there we are, being kneaded together, and the powerful contagious elements of the yeast come in contact with the dough. Change is inevitable.
Our theme for this year as a church and for our short-term and internship experiences is this: Going Viral…Living a Contagious Faith. Ok, mixing the metaphor a bit, but the result is the same.
(thanks, Tina, for the pictures)
You might also be interested in these posts:
Being Bi-Cultural: Tasks vs. People
Exchanging the Glory of the Immortal God for Images
