When "Simple" Becomes "Something More"
Posted by Martha & Greg Singleton , Wednesday, January 14, 2009 6:13 AM
This post started simply enough. It was just going to provide a link for you to hear an interview that we did on WCTS radio in Minnesota. And, here it is...
http://www.box.net/shared/h6evftms1e
Then, in the midst of a bit of personal reminiscence and some inspired illumination, my very basic post began to evolve. I thought it would be nice to close my initial entry with a “shout out” to Alex. He’s our “technical guru” who set up the download of the interview from the WCTS website. What I was struggling with, he made very easy. It didn’t cost me anything other than the expected ribbing from Alex, that it was such a simple task that I should have been able to figure it out for myself. He enjoys doing that whenever he gets the chance.
Alex and his wife Sara are a part of our Sunday School class for families. We love having them in there every week! They’re newlyweds and bring a unique perspective to our class. But our history goes much further back than that. Alex has been in SOME class that we were teaching since he was in middle school. Through his teen years, and now into adulthood, we’ve watched him become a man, and he has become my friend. But, wait, it gets even better. Alex’s mother, Jackie is a part of our Sunday morning class, too. We first became acquainted with her just a few years back (thirty-something?!), when we were her youth pastors and she was just in high school. You can always depend on Alex’s Aunt Mae, another of our youth ministry alumnae, and Uncle Roger in that Sunday School classroom. They have become among our very dearest friends. And, then, in the morning worship service, Martha and I find a seat next to Alex’s grandmother, Lula, who greets us with a big smile and a hug.
So I started thinking about how unusual that probably is, in today’s culture and in a big city with a large transient military population. But, then I realized that, though it’s noteworthy now, it’s probably what church was always intended to be - people sharing life and faith, encouragement and accountability. Church offers lifetime relationships that serve as a springboard for each of us to be about our mission. It’s not about a building, or even a Sunday School class or a morning worship service, even though those things are important. Church is about people and our connection to each other. The book of Acts calls it “koinonia.” I’m thankful that God thought it was so important that he placed people like Alex and his family in my life.
