Student's being a blessing

The past few weeks we have been challenging our students to be a blessing to the people in their lives.  This started when Reggie McNeal spoke at Ward a few weeks ago about being a people of blessing.  Below are a few of the stories I have received.  I have changed names and some other possible identifying features of the stories, but nothing that impacts the story itself.  Enjoy and be inspired…

I asked one of my teachers today… she was completely surprised. I asked if there was anything I could pray for her about specifically and she started tearing up. She said her brother just died from cancer a few weeks ago, and her sister just relapsed (breast cancer) and her other sister has just been diagnosed with lymphoma. She said she has been really struggling because she doesn't want to lose any more family to cancer. Then everyone sitting around me (even the people who don't necessarily like her) started comforting her. I told her I'd pray for her and her family, gave her a hug and all that. Just thought I’d let you know!

I told a teacher in Language Arts class about what our church is doing to bless people.  I asked if I could pray for something for her. She asked me to pray for a family whose father had died. When I was talking to her, I felt God was there. She was really positive after we talked. She seemed encouraged. She said their family was also on her prayer list.

Truth be told, not every story worked out so well.  But, it’s not so much the result that I care about, it’s the willingness of our students to take a step… Here is a story of a ninth grade girl being faithful.

I asked my 3rd hour teacher if I could pray for her, she made a startled sound, said "Oh. Yeah sure." gave a nervous laugh and walked away.

Yesterday the students did not have school in Livonia or Northville districts, so we had them at the church for pizza and dodgeball.  I asked one of our ninth grade boys what he had done this week to be a blessing and he told me that he shoveled his neighbor’s driveway and sidewalks.  He told me he did it on his own, and he didn’t tell his mom, he just did it. 

I could tell you stories of students praying for waitress esand co-workers and stories of students stepping out in faith.  In my six years and counting in Ward student ministries these two weeks of watching our students learn to become people of blessing have been the most inspiring that I have ever had.

Ward January 9, 2011

                The thing that I love about attending worship at Ward is that feeling you get when you’re in a room with over 500 other people.  If you’re like me you find energy contagious.  You find it exciting when people are singing and praying together.  An institutional church (meaning a church that has regular Sunday meetings and would be easily recognizable to a North American as church) like Ward has some differences from a house church and this Sunday showed them off.

                In the institutional church the congregation hires a pastor to bring a professional message and he usually prepares extensively each week.  Ward is no different.  Our pastor Scott is an amazing communicator.  He knows what he wants to say and says it in a way that grabs people’s hearts.  Scott’s teaching in content and delivery is worth the price of admission, as the saying goes.  People aren’t bored hearing him and they almost always have a practical life application in hand.  House churches don’t usually have a paid speaker or even someone who can devote the better part of a week to honing a message.

                The worship music is also a big difference.  We may or may not sing in our house church, but at Ward in Knox Hall we worship in song together.  Today with Josh on the violin and the acoustic set it was powerful.  When we sang IN CHRIST ALONE I was moved.  This is definitely something I think the institutional church does very well.

                Lastly, there is the feeling of being together with so many others.  Ward had over 2000 people today and more than 500 in the service I was in.  At times following Jesus can feel a little lonely, or isolated.  But when you look around the room and you see people that are living out their faith all over the region it inspires you.  You want to do better because those people are counting on you and you on them.

House Church

Over the next 5 months Lara and I have a unique opportunity; we get to be part of a new house church while remaining at Ward.  This house church is a result of a training program that Lara and I are in along with seven others.  Together the 9 of us will meet and discover how to be the church when you strip away the money, the titles and the traditions.  (A house church is a term for a small church usually 8-15 people that gather together without paid staff and a building and operate more like a family than a traditional church would ie everyone participates, everyone is needed and everyone knows each other.)  It will be a stretching experience to say the least and we are so excited to be a part of it.

I am also going to remain at Ward through this time.  Because of my position at Ward and that it does not conclude till the end of summer I will remain beyond active at Ward.  This juxtaposition of Mega church and House church is what I will be writing about most frequently.  I am sure that there are things that I will learn in the house church that will cause me to rethink all that I have learned.  I am also convinced that there are things about being in a mega church that will shine brighter to me as a result.  It is my deepest hope that Lara and I grow to appreciate both of these forms of church in a new way as a result of this new endeavor.