Guides Work in Mission in Galveston
The Extended Cabinet’s recent mission trip to Galveston, Texas, has stuck with me in ways I didn’t expect, and I believe there are some lessons here for us as God’s people and as a church.
Hurricane Katrina devastated Galveston a few years ago. I thought that the people of Galveston would still be in shock from what they experienced. But the people we met could not have been more hospitable and open. It wasn’t just a polite head nod; it was the biblical kind of hospitality – genuine, welcoming and overflowing.
For seven days we worked on rehabbing a home for a family, that, until recently, was still a picture of destruction that was afflicted by Katrina.
Galveston has fallen on hard times and is in danger of becoming forgotten. It’s an illustration that churches need to pay attention to and know what’s going on around them, and not lose sight of what they are called to be.
I believe God is calling churches to move forward, to march on, to explore new areas of faith and spirituality and living out the Gospel.
But for some churches and some people, it’s easier just to stay put, especially when things are going well. Until you realize, of course, that a storm has struck and people have stopped coming, and all that’s left are those faithful few, trying to keep the doors open.
We learned a lot in Galveston. Life provides us with a choice of directions; the most important one is forward.
Login/Register to leave comment