Just Step Through Their Door

We were given a great opportunity to go in to Oceanside High School East in Rockland and present our ministry along with other career and education choices at Career Day. At first that may seem like a strange and small way to reach out to a community that has dealt with such large issues such as: suicides, in-fighting over the gender and sexual orientation debate and struggling with a very real drug problem. But then again, just stepping through the door to say hi to those who are hurting could make a huge difference...

In 2005 my wife and I were pregnant for the first time (ok, my wife was pregnant, but I was partly responsible). We had friends who had their first child due around the same time as us. In September we had our healthy baby boy and they had their boy shortly afterward, only he was not healthy and passed away within a couple days. Our hearts broke for our friends and we wanted to see them be comforted...by someone. The thing was we didn't know how to relate or how to respond to them and when their doors were open for the church to come and visit them in their home we stayed away for fear of how that might go - we might make things worse.

If you're wondering why I just shared that story when we're talking about a school career day, it's because I feel it correlates with how we as the church handle the issues that are found in the school communities. Their children are dying (or dead) spiritually while ours are being nurtured in our homes and churches. We genuinely hurt for them and want to see them comforted. However, it's easier to distance ourselves from the school because we don't know how to relate and have a fear of how that conversation might go if we step through their doors. 

My wife and I did eventually talk with our friends and, if we were to do it over again, would have stepped through their doors much sooner. We realize now how important it is to just be available to those who are hurting. The question for us as the church is, are we available?
Are we willing to walk through the doors of our schools and communities and be transparent with them, willing to serve, open to talk and answer questions - or just as important, ready to listen to them?

Today, we talked with quite a few high school students, about 90% of which do not believe in God! Most had never been to church, let alone a youth ministry. They certainly never considered those as a career choice. When asked if they would be interested in having a follow-up conversation about their viewpoints on religion, most seemed at least slightly interested if not intrigued by the idea. One boy, who said he was an atheist, took my card reluctantly. However, he had a "run for the hills!" look when I asked him that same question. Even that boy at least knows that we're willing to listen and to talk about it. Another professing atheist seemed very pleased that we were willing to talk about his viewpoint without making him feel condemned. Beyond the conversation around the anomaly of our our 'Faith Based Organization", many of these teens seemed grateful that someone was simply interested in where they were heading after high school. I wonder what kind of life they have, that a stranger showing a small amount of interest seems to mean so much.

We also talked with a couple of teachers, one of which shared with us what he sees as a big need for the students. He said that they need to gain a big picture view of their lives so that they understand the importance of the choices they are making now. After our conversation he now knows that we share that same desire for the teens (only for a bigger picture that includes eternal life), that we appreciate him and the other teachers who genuinely care for the students, and that we are regularly praying for all of them. One hope with being there today is that the school staff will see that the church is not a threat to their students and will allow us to come alongside and help out.

God has given us a great open door here in Knox County, ME. We're looking forward to seeing how He uses all of us to draw many to Himself as we step through. We firmly believe that the gospel is the power of God for salvation! We also believe that the first steps to having people come to accept that truth is for them to see the gospel lived out in our lives. The Apostle James said it best, "But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."James 2:18

It's time for the church to put their fears aside and step through the doors of those who are hurting and lost!