There is one thing that people would flock to if they ever found out the other side of being "like us."

I remember my first church at Stevens Park.  The church was filled with retired folk.  In fact there were only three couples in the church in which a member of the family did not get a Social Security check.  One was in their late 50's, one in their late 40's, and Cathy and I who were 23 and 25 at the time.  "How can we get people to join our church," I was asked at a meeting one afternoon.  We had a sign.  We had ample parking.  We had just painted the church.  I finally said, "Pray.  Pray that God will send the right people to us."  "How do we keep them?" came the obvious question.  "If you love them the way you love Cathy and I they will stay," I answered.  Sunday came and right at time for the service to start the doors opened (which was unusual, because these folks came early to get their seat), and a young couple walked through the doors.  There had not been a rush of sound ripping through the sanctuary like that in years, for every member of the church got out of their seats and moved to meet the new couple.  They never lacked for a Sunday lunch.  They never tired of being loved, and a year later they moved away.  But when it came time to have their first born baptized they came back and invited the whole church to stand with them.  

You know how to love like that.  Now will you join me and pray that God will send the right folk to our doors?  People will want to be like us when we love them into being like us.  After all that is what we claim we will do, right?  We will love our community into becoming followers of Jesus Christ.  I really believe Jesus can take it from there.

Gifford