The Next Thing Now-Moving into Outer Space

Several years ago, while we were on a family vacation, I was a first time guest at church for the first time in a very long time. (As a pastor’s wife, I don’t have this opportunity very often. And when I do, it’s usually at a fellow pastor-friend’s church or my husband is guest speaking so the whole “first time guest” experience isn’t quite the same.)

On this particular Sunday, after we awkwardly found our way into the building, I parted ways with Aaron and fumbled around for the children’s wing. After traversing check-in procedures and getting my kids settled in, I attempted to find the correct Worship Center (yes…there was more than one.)

En route, I found the ladies room and locked myself in a stall where I promptly burst into tears. And that immediately made me feel angry and foolish, because I am a pastor’s wife for heaven’s sake! I’m just visiting a church! Why am I acting like this?!

It occurred to me that attending a church for the very first time is hard. And awkward. And uncomfortable. And people are rarely ever just visiting a church. They are making a life decision for themselves and their families.

I know you’re thinking, “Duh. Like I don’t know that. I’ve done that a dozen times!” And for what it’s worth, now, so many days, weeks, months or years after the fact, I hope your first time experience at Freedom was free of difficulty, awkwardness and discomfort…once you finally found a parking space.

And there it is. A parking lot. The last thing on earth anyone truly wants to be excited about raising funds for.

But that parking lot is the first thing a guest experiences at Freedom. THE. VERY. FIRST. THING.

And it’s not just for the first time guest.

It’s for that lady who’s been coming to Freedom for quite some time now, and has been through the most difficult year of her life. This past week, life has completely beat her up. And this Sunday, she just needs to be in church. With her friends. With her children. With her Jesus.

But she’s running late this morning and she pulls into the parking lot ten minutes after service has started.  There are no parking spots left. She could park over at the elementary school…and traipse her young children on this blistering, cold, messy January day across the sidewalk, down the driveway and into church.

Instead, in defeat, she decides to turn around and go home…as her kindergartener cries in the backseat because he was so excited to turn in his Buddy Barrel today to help meet one of the big BGMC Goals that Glo has set this year.

So, it’s not just expanding a parking lot. It’s not just big giving goals. It’s creating a place and an opportunity. For people. For you. For me. For your family. For that guy sitting across the worship center who is broken and lonely. For that person who just pulled into the lot who is on the verge of salvation.

Faith and sacrifice are often two sides of the same coin. If I have faith that God is going to do something big, often my first action step is to make a sacrifice. Our family is taking steps, cutting back, taking on special projects and finding creative ways to make money so that we can give sacrificially, too. We are standing together with you as we move forward into the next thing…now.

Written by: Jaime Hlavin

Edited by: Tamara Sturdivant