Reasons to Celebrate in Fellowship Pacific

August 2011

Church growth comes in a lot of forms, and sometimes for a variety of reasons. As Fellowship Pacific, we regularly express our fundamental desire that church increase come through new conversion growth. Our greatest excitement is found when the irreligious unbeliever comes face to face with the cross of Jesus, fully surrenders themselves to our Lord and places their faith solely in the redemptive work of Christ. This most completely reflects the heart of God, and must remain central to our work together.

Unfortunately, sometimes in the process of our necessary celebration of baby Christians we forget to rejoice in some of the other aspects of church development. So it is good for us to pause and give thanks for the expression of faith demonstrated by our existing church members through their sacrificial giving to new facilities for worship. Stop! Before you even say it—yes, I know! I know that buildings are not churches, and that there are great churches that have no building. Yet we also know that the vast majority of our churches use their facilities to serve and reach their local community.

Summer2011 - Southridge LangleyThe reality is that great buildings can be a big help in ministry. More importantly, I trust that we are all generous enough in our spirits to be able to rejoice with those that are rejoicing. Right now, there are several churches rejoicing in their new facilities.   This last weekend, SouthRidge Fellowship in Langley had their first service in their new facility. With seating for six hundred people, it is a beautiful, high-tech and high-use building that will greatly enhance their ministry profile in Langley, BC. Pastor Brent Chapman toured me through the building this past week, with continual statements of how it was developed with ministry in mind. It is an awesome building, and a great opportunity to reach out.  

At the same time, our South Country Christian Fellowship in Jaffray was excitedly holding their first service in their new building. Not long ago, the church was wondering how they would ever be able to have a facility of their own in Jaffray. But through the faithfulness of church members and the goodness of God, this rural church purchased an old pub and transformed it into their church building. I was able to share in their excitement this past week, as they were packed out for their inaugural service.

In similar ways, our churches in Brentwood Bay, Cobble Hill, and New Beginnings opened new buildings in recent days. Others are adding on, renovating, or are looking to do so. They are just buildings, not churches. But while they do not have the eternal relevance that is part of seeing any one person come to Christ, they are definitely worth celebrating, and rejoicing in. They are a message to our communities that we are there to stay, that we are there to help them. They are a statement of faith on the part of every donor.  

Incidentally, on Sunday in Jaffray, Pastor Mike Sotski also announced that twelve young people and two of their parents had made a commitment to Christ the previous weekend. Clearly this was the work of the Spirit of God, and all honour goes to him. Yet, somewhere deep in my soul is the misguided notion that the transformation of a pub into a centre of worship in the heart of Jaffray may have communicated a message that the community could not ignore. So perhaps this is worthy of our celebration as well!

Reprinted with permission from the June 2011 Nexxus Newsletter (the quarterly publication of Fellowship Pacific).

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