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Title: Where Is (fill-in-the-blank)?
Description: I haven't seen them in church.


clayman - May 21, 2006 08:48 PM (GMT)
How many times have you asked that question?

More importantly, how many times have you followed up and actually contacted (fill-in-the-blank)?

My wife and I began this discussion on the way home from church. One family, with kids the same ages as our kids, left the church about a year ago to attend elsewhere. They told us that we were the only ones who had bothered to contact them, and they said that it hurt. Many years ago, the same thing happened at my mother and father's church. Only, this time, the only reason we found out was because we ran into the Missus at the grocery store. She said that nobody from the church had bothered to contact them.

We care called to "encourage one another and build each other up"1 Thessalonians 5:11. How can we do that when we ignore those who have gone on? Perhaps we need to reach out. I know the telephone can get extremely heavy if you need to make a call you don't want to make. It gets really heavy when I need to call back an elderly gentleman I've pledged to check on. He likes to talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk...

I would like to challenge you. Make a list (or a mental note) of folks you normally see at church. Then make a note of those you haven't seen in a month or so. Maybe they are having personal problems. Maybe they need some help. Maybe they just don't like that church anymore. Find out why they aren't there. Then make an effort to ask them back. You may change their lives.

LynnMcG - May 21, 2006 10:13 PM (GMT)
That's a great idea Clay.

Our church actually has an outreach program designed to do this. But I'm certain some people would have had to have slipped through the cracks at some point.

Stringaling - May 26, 2006 11:19 AM (GMT)
I don't even know the people at our church. We do see them during the latter parts of Great Lent and of course around Christmas time, however, as with every church in America, attendance diminishes a bit after Easter.

That is a good idea Clay. I had never thought of it...I always assumed people have a reason for doing the things that they do and making the decisions to go or not go to church, and it really isn't my place to hound them about it, but I guess there are other other perspectives that I never considered...Thanks..




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