Like a Real Family

Joyce Choi

Blog #5

7/8/18

Like a Real Family

This week, I was in a lot of reflection because a friend asked me what I would look for in a church to make me feel welcome or what are some good things a church has done in the past to make me feel a part of the family.

A couple of things immediately came to mind.

The first being that for me personally, I chose to be a part of my current church because of the fact that people of all ages were welcoming and loving. These people were not just my age, like college students, but middle school, high school, young adults, and old adults.

Especially with the student ministry, I was in a position where I was serving and helping out, but in retrospect, I realized that ironically, I gained so much more than what I poured out onto them. I received love, kindness, and a community that transitioned into God transforming my heart to have love and kindness to further pour out onto my community. I would’ve never felt that way if I didn’t have the blessing of receiving first.

Also, I think it’s vital for pastors to all work together. At my church, the English Ministry has three pastors. One is for middle school, one is for high school, and one is for college and young adults. That would mean that my “direct” pastor is the college one, but it’s amazing because I have a close relationship with all three of them. That’s not necessarily due to me reaching out to them but because they always took the initiative to go out of their “territory” and reach out to all. The high school one periodically checks on me and asks how I’m doing on a personal level, which just always reassures me that I have people who care and who I can go to if I need them.

I also realized that I think it’s important for churches to make people serve to create a more welcoming community. For me, serving at my church and stepping out of my comfort zone helped me in the end to find a niche. I’m not saying to force people against their will obviously, but to use discernment and encourage and then see how they respond. The important part is to ask people personally and directly rather than a general announcement of “hey, if anyone wants to serve, come talk to me!” Though that is necessary too.

The key take away I got from all of this is that everything was intergenerational. The interns here already know because I keep talking about it, but I really believe in that kind of community and think that it stimulates so much more interaction and provides a familial environment. After all, if you think about it, a real family has people of all ages. And a church should be like a real family.