As many people no longer perceive the church as occupying an important place on the market square, we Christians are learning to adjust to the new situation. It’s similar to Copernicus and Galileo removing Earth from the center of the universe and placing her on the fringes. We simply cannot expect people to walk automatically through our doors, but need to meet them where they are.
One such opportunity offered itself on June 13th when Joan, Susan and I spent a Saturday morning on the street behind Elijah’s Promise, managing one of the tables of Elijah’s Promise’s Health Fair, the table of First Reformed Church.
We met so many people this way! Each received a sandwich bag filled with information on our church. We explained House of Manna and the benefits of the Hall Fund, pointed people in the direction of our steeple, and assured them that everyone would be welcome there.
Will it bring fruit? At the very least, it contributed to our Kingdom work. This is how church growers label work that grows the kingdom and not primarily the church. Why was this Kingdom work? Because we spoke with many high school students who then translated to their Spanish speaking mothers that the Hall Fund provides college scholarships, while the House of Manna brings food on the table for a growing number of families.
