Open doors

In the 50's, my hometown church was open on Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, and Tuesday morning for Ladies'
Bible Class.

I now attend a church where the doors are open most of the day and late into the night for Boys'and Girls'Club, 12 Step meetings, Mom's Meals (in which meals are prepared for AIDS victims and their families), Quilting class, community dinners (where we invite families from our immediate church area for a free meal), Beth Moore classes, Crown Financial classes, MOPS (mothers of toddlers)meetings, and singles gatherings. There is an excellent pre-school in the building, Oasis (in which the whole church eats together on Wednesday night before the service), mission meetings (we plan to send hundreds of members on short-term mission trips in 2005), our
"walkers" meet there to pray before going to walk the streets of our neighborhood asking only for prayer requests, men's breakfasts, and ladies' retreats (Why do the men eat breakfast and the women retreat? The prayer room in the building is always open for prayer and meditation, those in the Colonial Hills ministry meet and plan their next venture into the drug-ridden apartments down the street, the worship committee meets to plan Sunday worship, praise teams meet to practice, counselors counsel there, and I am sure there are many other meetings I am not aware of.

We are getting serious about the term "missional" and about using our building to its greatest capacity.

Dear God, thank you for the bricks and mortar you have given your church. Help us to meet the needs of others there with cups of cold water and grace.