What a difference a week makes! Last week I assembled with the CoC in Lake Isabella CA and was warmly welcomed by all eight members of this group. The week before I assembled (early service) with a CofC in Bakersfield CA and was totally lost among 450 members.
This small group could be considered a house church, but they own a small building that might accomodate 75-80 people. The preacher, his wife, son, and daughter-in-law drive from Ridgecrest (about 60 miles distance) every Sunday to assemble with this church.
There is a somewhat larger CoC in Mt. Mesa (six miles from Lake Isabella) with 30-40 members, but I doubt if they could be any warmer or more Christ-like than the Lake Isabella church. I was humbly impressed with their friendliness and love for each other.
I look forward to working with this small group, and pray that I can be of service to them and the community at large.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Good for you Larry, how were even able to locate this fellowship? As hard as it is for me to do, I have decided to leave the CoC. The hardest thing for me to do is talk to my minister, who sees me coming back after formal education and planting a church from ours. Ouch!! How do I do this, what do I say? I have never left a church before on terms as such.
Leaving the CoC would be difficult for me as well. Don't worry about the minister, I'm sure he would want you to follow your heart. Do your best to please God and try not to worry excessively what others might think.
My hope is that the CoC groups in this area are not tradition bound or legalistic, and put faith in Jesus above all human logic. Time will tell!
Attended the Mt. Mesa church today with about 60 others and enjoyed the fellowship they were kind enough to offer.
Pray long and hard about your future in the ministry; then make whatever decisions necessary to fulfill your dreams.
Good to hear from you again. I finally have some time to post and always appreciate your comments.
Welcome back to the blog world!
Sounds like you will have a new church family soon, too!
JB
Finding a church family can be a difficult thing.
This is my first time commenting on your blog, but I check it out from time to time.
There is a possibility of my wife and I staying in the area we are currently in, and working with a parachurch ministry full-time. That would mean that I would have to find a new place to "go to church".
Can't really go to the one I'm preaching at now, but there aren't a lot of good, viable options in the area.
Of course, the opportunity with this parachurch ministry may fall through and nothing come of it. Still, wherever we move, we will have to find a place that we both feel comfortable working for the Lord in, if we're not in full-time ministry.
Then again, even if we're in full-time ministry, we both have to be comfortable with wherever we are.
I've been rambling on and on just to say this... I will be praying for you that God brings you into a fellowship of believers that is so sweet and passionate about the mission of Christ that you will have no doubts about where you are at.
Beneath His Mercy,
Brian
Post a Comment