Friday, June 8, 2007

"right where we should be"

We are now one week from our first public event, the York Relay for Life. The relay for life is a 24 hr relay to raise money for the local American Cancer Society. Having an actionchurch team is a huge undertaking...and it's almost here. As far as being "ready" for the event, I am happy to say we are "right where we should be" at this point.

Here's the "score": This event makes me nervous. It's too big...too soon. Our logo'd tent hasn't arrived. (UPS says "perhaps today") Our T-shirts are behind schedule and not here yet. We haven't been able to contact all the walkers since we got back from vacation. Michele is getting ready to write a "way too big" check to the Cancer Society for any new church plant.

So why do I say we are "right where we should be"? actionchurch was not "born" out of York County "needing" yet another church. We don't exist because of some "term paper" mission statement hanging on our wall. We don't risk it all because of some "I-wish-they-all-could-be-California-girls-wouldn't-it-be-swell-if-everyone-went-to-church" vision statement. We have a cause...we are on a mission! We want everyone in York County to personally experience the Good News of Jesus Christ! This can't be accomplished with literature and slogans. It can't be accomplished by "having church" and hoping "they" show up! We believe we, and our fellow and future kingdom "revolutionaries" (actionistas?) who will join us, must live different kind of lives. Lives overflowing with kindness, generosity, forgiveness, and love.... Everyone we meet must personally be affected by our decision to follow Jesus. This includes people who reject Christ, reject us,
aren't interested, aren't "worth it"...actionchurch exists to "make Jesus famous"!

We are "right where we should be"! To fulfill our audacious mission we will constantly have to do "risky" things that make me nervous. We will have to stretch past what is "possible" with our current volunteer base. We will do things "too big", and "too soon". We will consistently "empty our accounts" to show York County by our actions that a Loving God is thinking of them... yup, we are right where we should be!