I Raised My HandSample

Humans were not created to do life alone. Jesus surrounded Himself with men and women He trusted. They traveled together, learned together, shared the gospel together, and served their communities together. They ate together, prayed together, lived together, and grew together. 

Later, after Jesus’s death and resurrection the believers continued to follow these practices that Jesus had set in place. They called this new group of believers the church. The leaders who built the church likened it to a physical body. Everyone had a role, and they were all supposed to work together as a unit. They weren’t supposed to just worship and learn together; they were supposed to eat together, lift one another up when they fell into sin, encourage one another, help each other when they faced financial hardships, pray for one another, and love one another. So the church is not just a building, but a living, breathing body of believers who work together to share the gospel, help those in need, and support and encourage each other.

That is what being a part of the church looks like. And there are a few ways that you can be involved like this at church.

1. Serving : There are several areas in which volunteers come together and make church happen. The children’s ministry, production ministry, youth ministry, connections, and prayer team, are just a few areas where people come together as a body, use their gifts and talents, and work as one to make the church function as a body. 
2. Groups: There are all sorts of groups available for every age and season of life. These groups meet in people’s homes or virtually. This is where we see life happening together: the breaking of bread, studying the Bible, mentoring, and praying together. 
3. Equip: Equip is a very special training program dedicated to discipleship. This is an in-depth, 10-week training program that breaks down how to be a disciple of Jesus and how to lead others to be disciples of Jesus. They cover Bible study, prayer, and sharing the gospel with others. 

But why? Why take time to be a part of a community? Because Jesus did. He knew that it was important to fight for relationships; to courageously step out of our comfort zones and develop communities that would support each other when the world becomes too much; to spend time with people who will sit with us in our pain, cry with us, laugh with us, and grow and learn with us. In which way would you like to get connected?