“Of all the things I have to do every week, attending church is not a priority.” Could that be your thinking? If we believe the most current research that is exactly the thinking of many people. They wonder, “Why bother with church?”
Life pulls in many directions. There are important things like children, school, and work. The mundane never lets up either. There are always clothes piled by the washing machine, grass that needs to be cut, and a meal that needs to be cooked. Why should I bother with going to a church service?
Let me offer 5 reasons why you should bother with church.
Church is a Community
The church is a subset of your local community. Here on the Eastern Shore we are a group working together to improve lives. We help one another but we also reach out to the poor and vulnerable in our cities. This community stands apart from others because it is not based on geography; it is not based on race or gender; it is not based on politics. This is a community solely based on service. Like our Lord’s example, we serve others.
Sure, there are plenty of other communities to join. But only one serves a risen savior and only one seeks to extend its service into eternity.
Church is a Family
You’ve heard it before: Our church is like a family. Everyone says that but few really carry through. We may be exactly what you are looking for. We worship together but we also play together, eat together, travel together, cry together and rejoice together. We engage with one another. We do life like a family.
Maybe your experience with family hasn’t been very good. Let’s change that. The church family is not built upon an earthly concept. No, it’s based on the Godly family as revealed in the Bible.
Church is About Learning and Growth
How important is knowing Jesus to you? How important is it for your children to have a strong moral foundation as they enter life? We can sure help.
Let’s be clear, none of us have made it. We all stumble and fall. But, long the way, we learn to stand back up and press ahead. Our church people are helping us and we are never alone.
We have plenty of classes and Bible studies every week. But more than knowing the facts we are learning to live the life that Jesus has called us to.
Church is About Service
We are learning that service gives purpose to life. While there are plenty of self-centered people in the world more and more are learning that real value comes by serving others. Jesus was a servant. He taught that we should think highly of others and treat them as we would want to be treated ourselves (Matthew 7:12).
Who can forget the story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples (John 13)? 24 nasty feet needed washing and no one was willing to do it…except Jesus. The church is here to serve and we need your help.
Church is Not An Institution
Maybe your experience with church is as a big stodgy organization with a strict hierarchy. No more! God’s people are not part of an institution. Every assembly or congregation is independent of every other. All decisions are made by the people in the local church. Our service projects are developed among the very people you sit next to every time with gather. You know the leaders.
The church was given by Jesus to his people as a place of work and growth. We would like you to be a part of that body too.
Why bother? Because the value of belonging to and working with the church is beyond measure. Your work and talents, blended with the work and talents of others, will produce stunning improvement in the lives of many. Will you help?
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