Give Us The Meat!
Our ministry has been going through Alpha Course for the last how-many weeks. We have one last session this upcoming Saturday and the Celebration Cookout the weekend after. Almost done!
Before we began Alpha Course, there were questions of how it would go. It was something brand new for us all and we did not know what to expect. We just knew it has been a valuable tool for many many churches all around the world and NCFC had decided to adopt it. Rather than talk about Alpha Course itself, I want to share a few things I learned of our Young Adults Ministry while going through Alpha Course.
1. Hungry. At every Alpha Course session, we have dinner together. Our people absolutely love food! I think we can talk about food for hours on end and still have some left in the tank for the next day. We have a number of great cooks. Jenny, Jeremy, Johnny and Pastor Sara make up our Iron Chef line-up. We still need to make that event happen! The rest of us are very happy to be taste testers =]
2. Inviting. We are small in number but lately God has been graciously bringing some new faces to join us. I have been curiously observing how our members would receive new people. Let me tell you, I continue to be blown away. Our members have been so welcoming and caring to newcomers. I’ve been witnessing our group selflessly reaching out and demonstrating the love of Christ to people that they have just met the other day. So humbled and so grateful.
3. Carnivorous. We love meat. A few youth group parents wanted to support us by preparing us dinner this past Saturday for our Alpha Course meeting. We showed up and discovered they had prepared delicious STEAK! It was amazing and we tore it up. It was good, real good. There’s something about steak that’s full, of substance, and overall satisfying. Interestingly, I have noticed our group desiring meat in the spiritual sense as well. For Alpha Course, we watch a DVD that provides teaching and the content has been really good. Before we started Alpha Course, I wondered how our group would receive and respond to teaching, sitting, watching, listening. Would they think it was too boring, too long, can’t pay attention, etc? Would they be receptive? As we are nearing the end of Alpha Course, I have found that people are hungry for MEAT. They want good, solid teaching that they can chew on, digest, and grow from. They aren’t lazy thinkers. The discussions have been deep, thoughtful and challenging. So encouraging! We love meat!
All this talk of meat has me thinking that we should have many many cookouts this summer! Agreed?
There are certainly many hurdles and sins that exist that we must, by the grace of God, continue to battle, but God certainly has been gracious in taking us step by step, closer to Him, closer to one another. May our prayer be that Christ be glorified in all we are and in all we do.
