We are blessed this year to experience The Church in a new way. Somewhere in the midst of theological differences, a cultural gap, hailing cabs, feeling like a carnival side show everywhere we go, and missing my comfortable excitement at Meridian Point, I despaired of finding a church here. Which goes to show you that I forgot what it meant. But now I remember: He said, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” So let me show you around my Church here in Ghana:
Every other Sunday night we gather at Chris and Nichole’s down the street with a handful of believers to eat, talk, read the Word, sing some praises, and love each other.
Every Tuesday night John goes to the coffee lounge to get deeper with a small group of men. They are getting ready to learn from 1 Peter.
Every Thursday night Daesha meets with a group of women. We cook dinner for each other and study King David, the ancient Israelites, and women of the Bible.
Sundays you can find us all over the city: visiting the congregation at Ghana Christian University with Barb and Roy, taking our students to lead Sunday School at Pram-Pram (a children’s home), meeting with the international congregations of Elim or Hope City, tagging along with Mrs. T. and her husband to the Churches of Christ, and sometimes sitting on our couch, holding hands, Bibles in our laps, Hillsong music on iTunes, and a sermon from Barry or my Dad on the internet.
We do most of our foot washing and Gospel sharing at school on a daily basis.
I am learning to love The Church here with a deeper understanding. I am also reading a book right now called Safely Home by Randy Alcorn (highly recommend it) about the underground church in China. Everywhere I look, there seems to be reminders that The Church is everywhere: a living room, a classroom, an auditorium, a coffee shop. We pray that God continues to show us how He wants to fill us spiritually so that we can pour ourselves out for others. We long to Be The Church, this week and every week.
Daesha,
ReplyDeleteYou have been missing your "comfortable excitement at Meridian Point", and I have been longing for the "excitement" of something new and possibly uncomfortable. God knows what each of us needs, and it's there and here that He is growing us up. I have had to really give my restlessness to God this year. He continues to tell me to "be still!", and I continue to squirm a bit. I just keep praying over and over again: empty me of me and fill me with Your Spirit! I need Him so very much Daesha; I am just a mess without Him! His ways are not my ways - they are higher and better, but oh, how the Enemy likes to have you believe otherwise. Satan still tries to pull the "you're missing out on..." card, and far too often I have let him lay it in my hand.
Oh! I miss you! I wish I could join you there with your ladies and cook and eat and talk, or just have you all over to my house! I love you Daesha Rae!