We brought home from that trip a vision to venture onto a new frontier . . . to boldly go where we had not gone before. Now the story truly begins. We started up this past fall with a new group name, a new vision, and a new calling from God. We are no longer inspired by the pop and pizza but by the people. We do not play games for games sake, but to teach a lesson or to relate a story.
Relationships are the focus.
I had never realized as I did on that mission trip that God's call to us is clearly one of service to each other. There are over 2,000 direct references in the Bible to helping others in need. It also became clear to me that the church is the only organization in the world that exists for the benefit of its non-members. We cannot stand by and wait for others to act. But these examples of ministry and faith building only touch the surface of what is necessary to continue to thrive and grow as a church community with the focus on others, not on ourselves.