An Inkling
I’ve posted pictures here that I’ve wanted to share with you since Thanksgiving. They show our grand Thanksgiving-eve venture with our sister church, Westwood Baptist. Pastor Michael Black and the saints of Westwood came that evening for dinner, and then we joined in worship. What a grand time it was!
Okay – what’s the big deal? So a couple of neighboring churches get together for a joint meal and service. Is this significant? Yes, I believe it is. Here’s why:
It’s a privilege. For years most of us at St. Giles didn’t even know that our closest church neighbor was an African-American Baptist Church. That’s because Westwood is tucked into the midst of a neighborhood that most of us had never seen. In the days of segregation it was supposed to be that way – unseen. But thankfully in this season God has brought down many of those barriers, and we have the privilege of building a visible relationship that shows how we’re joined in Christ with our neighbors.
It’s fun. The saints of Westwood have a joy about them that is contagious. We’re seeing that in the conversations we have in our planning meetings with them, in the joint ventures the women have held, and in the two Thanksgiving services we’ve had together. It’s fun to get to know a “long lost sister,” and all the more so when we discover she’s so joyful.
It’s stretching. Baptists and Presbyterians? Can you mix passion and reserve? We’re doing it, and it hasn’t been too arduous. To the denominational distinctives add our African and Anglo church cultural differences, and you can see that we’re getting a good stretching. That’s a sign in itself that God is at work.
It’s promising. What might come of this? We’ve had some intimation with these early joint ventures, but we’re just beginning to see the possibilities. This is something God is doing, which makes us all the more eager to unwrap this promising gift. Pray that the Lord will form this new relationship with our long lost sister in ways that bring him honor and joy.
Here’s to Michael and the Westwood saints,
Keith
