What is a Church? Refreshment

By: Jamie Woodall, Contributing Writer

Have you ever gone to a church and felt like you were visiting a planet from another galaxy? Maybe you thought people were acting a bit strange. Did the experience felt kind of staged, even phony or fake? Possibly there were some big smiles and head nods but it seemed like there was an interesting effort. Maybe you got the sense that underneath it all people didn’t genuinely know one another. You then wondered what they “really” thought about your presence, or if they even cared.

Church was never meant to feel canned, plastic, unreal, or insincere. It was divinely designed to be an atmosphere of authentic refreshment – a fresh spring of water. It originated to be a consistent growing network of caring relationships – a family of friends who lived, laughed, cried, and loved together. It began as a network of openness, freedom, and encouragement where new friends could come and feel genuinely welcomed, accepted, and even befriended as they grow in their faith.

To see the full text of this article, please Subscribe to our online service. If you are already a subscriber, please Login.

NOTE: If you are a current subscriber to our printed paper, this service is FREE to you. Call (231) 645-1970 or e-mail editor@boynegazette.com to activate your account