So, what is the church, really?
Let's start with what it's not. A church is not a building. Yes, Central has a beautiful old building. Yes it's a testament to the devotion that generations have invested in our congregation.
But Central is far more than just a building. Central is a community of believers. "Where two or more are gathered in the name of Jesus, we have a church." Many believe that church must occur in a building with a steeple. Church can occur on a beach. It can occur at a kitchen table or in a family room. It can occur in a park or a coffee shop. It can occur over the telephone or online. Church is two or more people coming together in the name of Christ, to show their love for each other, for their communities, for their friends, for their neighbours and for their enemies.
Yes, church occurs wherever people gather to worship God the father and his son Jesus Christ and yes, this is the very core of a Christian church. However, to understand what church is, we must remember what worship is. It's an act of love and an act of faith. Worship love and faith are covered in separate articles:
At its best, church is a safe place, where people can gather. At its best, a church recognizes its own failings and push aside its own biases to welcome, love, value and respect everyone. At its best, a church strives to be a community where everyone is welcome, no one is perfect and everyone is loved. At its best, church is a place where all of this is reinforced through the teachings of radical love that Jesus Christ himself gave us.
Church is a place where we come together for friendship and fellowship. It's a community that strengthens us and gives us courage. It's a body of believers who work together to change lives and make a difference. Church isn't a building. Church is a family.
No church is always at its best. Churches are people and people aren't perfect. Sometimes churches are, to quote a song, "lofty places filled with lofty people". That song "Does anybody hear her" is a reminder to churches that lofty judgmentalism isn't merely wrong, it's hurtfully wrong. Every church makes mistakes from time to time, and every church has hurt someone, but understand, that's the church making that mistake, not God. And a good church will recognize its mistakes, its sins, and repent from them. Repentance isn't just an individual thing.
We, at Central, strive to be a church where everyone is welcome, no-one is perfect and everyone is loved. We strive to be a church that puts this love into action. We strive to make a difference. We strive to share the good news and to share it humbly and gratefully. This is what Central strives to be and this is what every church should strive to be.
We're not perfect. Sometimes we stumble. We make mistakes. Sometimes we're not as open or as welcoming as we should be. But know this, we are always striving to be open, welcoming and loving. And we do this by striving to put the love and the teachings of God our father, and Jesus Christ his son at the core of our faith.
Welcome to Central! Come and see.
