From Frustration to Conviction

Sometimes the truth stings

I’m sitting under heavy conviction this afternoon as I process through something. As many of you know, I am searching for a host facility for a new co-op in my small community. I have been in contact with 26 different churches representing every mainstream denomination. Most churches have not returned my calls or replied to either emails or hand-delivered letters. Those that have follow a pattern, literally without fail:

Smaller churches are more likely to return calls, and smaller churches are eager to share their space.

Actual quotes:
“The Lord has blessed us with this space and we want to share it with our community.”
“I don’t believe Jesus would have a single room sit empty throughout the week.”
“We don’t have much, but you’re welcome use what we have.”

Larger churches? UNLESS that church already has a daily program running (as in— they are already engaged in hosting an outreach of some stripe), they have a million reasons why their halls need to be empty except for official church functions on Sundays and Wednesdays.

And they sound like really good issues. Concerns about janitors and set-up and newly purchased white boards and worries that a recurring, weekly meeting might be hard to work around in busy seasons.

I have been knee-deep in this for weeks and honestly, it’s frustrated me. I’m not going to lie— it frustrated me so much that I did an experiment today.

See— I haven’t shared that I’m a Christian during any of my phone calls. Only the handful of people who already knew me would be privy to that info. I was just a community member cold-calling as far as most were concerned. I got the same responses anyone who had never heard the Gospel would have gotten.

So today I called two non-Christian places of worship here in the greater area. After clearly identifying myself as a Bible-believing Christian, I made the same pitch to the person on the other end of the line. And y’all….

Both of them offered to meet with me and see if our Christian co-op would be able to use their space. In fact I’d go so far as to say that the one spiritual leader was really excited about having potential access to a bunch of Christian families.

Which brings me to my conviction.

I’m sitting here in my house, looking around at what God has given me and asking myself— have I retreated? I used to be so eager to open my doors and live out the Gospel with believers and offer hospitality to those yet to enter into a relationship with Jesus. But yeah… it means set-up and clean up (staffing), and things get broken (like new stuff), and it makes my already busy schedule that much busier.

How am I any different than a church community blessed with those six spare classrooms I need that’s unwilling to open its doors?

I have ceased to be the small church so grateful for what it’s been given that it can’t wait to share.

That’s bad enough. But what’s worse? The void left when we stop acting like we’re commanded WILL be filled. It will be filled by Muslims and Hindus and Buddhists and Sikhs and whomever else is wise enough to understand the value of simply being available and present.

Lord, may it never be.

I’m sharing this in case you need the nudge Jesus allowed me today. Maybe you are a pastor. If so, USE THE BUILDING. Let it be full around the clock if that’s what it takes. But more likely, you’re just someone who calls him- or herself a Christian. And in that case, pour yourself out. Forget about the stains on the couch or the number of paper plates you’ll be investing in if you do this. They will know we are Christians by our love. Let’s remember what that actually looks like.