"The Church has left the Building!"—On Sunday, the Congregation moves to the Marketplace
Aimee Herd : Oct 10, 2008
Faith in Action
"It's easy to become so insular and isolated as a church and as Christians…that we need to be shaken from our inertia and reminded what God has called us to be and do."
All across America this Sunday, churches will usher members, not inside their doors, but outside, in participation of the Faith in Action program.
According to putyourfaithinaction.org, "Faith in Action is a 4-week, churchwide campaign that creates in your congregation an outward focus and a heart to serve. FIA culminates in a Sunday where regular services are cancelled and the entire congregation engages in service projects in, and with, the community."
This year's Sunday for action is October 12th.
Pastor Mac Starring, from New Hampshire, shared his experience during last year's Faith in Action Sunday, as he walked through a farmer's market in his small town and encountered neighbors and families who asked him what he (a pastor) was doing in the marketplace on a Sunday morning…
"We've closed the church," he answered. "Oh, no—you've closed the church!?" His answer was met with shock. "Just for today, so that we can focus on serving people around town," he explained.
Pastor Mac summed up that experience: "People were dismayed to think that the church had closed. Yet the church—and God—obviously weren't that important to them. After all, look where they were on Sunday. It underscored for me once again the importance of outreach. Ongoing outreach—not just a one-time event.
"It's easy to become so insular and isolated as a church and as Christians—particularly here with our northern New Hampshire winters—that we need to be shaken from our inertia and reminded what God has called us to be and do.
"Cold-turkey evangelism just doesn't work most of the time," he reflected. "We need to build relationships. People need to see on an ongoing basis that we care."
Faith in Action is sponsored by three leading Christian organizations; World Vision, Outreach and Zondervan.
Additional information can be found at the link provided.