If there is anything that has surprised me about the people of Granger Community Church, it’s this. When I look around at who is serving in various volunteer capacities…changing diapers in the nursery or greeting guests or showing people to their seats or cleaning restrooms between services. I see a lot of people that don’t look like they belong.

Hold on, let me explain.

If you step back and consider how we “do church” or maybe its easier to consider what we don’t do.

• We don’t have hymnals.
• We don’t offer adult Sunday school.
• We don’t care if you bring coffee into the auditorium. (We call it an auditorium instead of sanctuary.)
• We don’t care what you wear or how many tattoos you have or what color your hair is.

There you go, you get the idea…so who are these people that don’t look like they belong? Is it the guy with the tats? Or the dreadlocks? I suppose it could be but no, that’s not who I’m thinking of.  It’s the mature senior adults that have been the biggest surprise for me. These incredible people have been around the block a time or two. They’ve seen things change and then change again and then come full circle and a new generation tries again with a new version of the old.

They are patient and wise.

They don’t roll their eyes at youthful ambition and enthusiasm but delight in the contagiousness of passion.

They look around and they see young families leaning in and encountering the age old truths of the scriptures. They see their children and their grandchildren growing in their faith and they put aside their preferences and put on their prayerfulness.

They get their serve on and give it all they’ve got because they’ve been around the block a time or two and they’re willing to go around again because the results are compelling.

It doesn’t look like it used to. Everything seems to have changed but the message. It’s the still the same.

Jesus is still calling to “come follow Him”.

If you’re a long-time, faithful church member who doesn’t always like the way church has changed, I have one thing to say to you.

Thank you.

Thank you for staying in a church whose

• Music
• Clothes
• Liturgy
• Building
• Service order
• Preaching style
• Sanctuary
• or something else

has changed into something you don’t recognize any more.

Thank you for the heritage you passed on to us that gives us the courage to try new, even stupid things to see if they work.

Thank you for how much you pray for us.

Thank you for reminding us that the methods can change as long as the message doesn’t.

Thank you for keeping the ship steady when people like me want to rock the boat.

Thank you for the times you want to speak up, but decide it might be best to pray about it for now.

Thank you for the times you need to speak up and do.

Thank you for the times you express your concerns in private, so you can stand with us in public.

Thank you for forgiving us when we blow it.

Thank you for letting us reach higher, because we’re standing on your shoulders.

Thank you for catching us when we fall.

Thank you for doing all of this without getting anything close to the credit you deserve.

For these, and so many other blessings that no blog post will ever be long enough for, we thank you.

We can’t do it without you.

bold italics | blogger: karl vaters you can read more about him here