Interesting reactions

We tried something new yesterday, it is not groundbreaking but it was new for us and I was surprised by the reactions. Every Sunday two local boys football teams play on the school field of the building where we meet. Yesterday we took coffee out to the parents, not ground breaking, not stepping into the lions den, but trying to be what we are a community church. A Church that loves the community and ultimately wants to love them by sharing the gospel and our lives with them.

This was a small step in hopeful growing some relationships and gradual showing the relevance of Christianity in serving others. It is part of an overall strategy of impacting the community and we hope to make it a regular event, if not weekly then fortnightly.

The interesting thing was the reactions; most people were surprised, some tried to give us money for it (after all whenever a church does something it must need money - seemed to be the automatic thought process) others were just very grateful. I think we gave out some 40-45 cups of coffee. As we look to do it long term we hope it may see some come to out Saturday night carol concert or some of the boys to Duke of Edinburgh or it may just get some people thinking.

But the big thing that struck me was people's surprise. They were almost without exception genuinely surprised and pleased to think that a church would care for them enough to take them out a hot coffee on a rainy, cold November morning. It was as if they had never been shown the slightest bit of care by a church - this was all new!

Such a perception of the church is tragic and maybe explains why people are so resistant to the gospel. You don't listen to people who haven't showed that they care for you or that they are different. Now our challenge is to keep up this small ministry and find other ways to build on it so that we can build relationships and eventually share the great news that we love them because Jesus does and explain to them how he shows his love to them and the response such love requires.