I was struck by lightning last night. Left me a bit speechless for a moment, but I have found my voice again, and I need to share my experience with you.
I have gone to church pretty much all my life. Sometimes with more regularity than others, truth be told. When I was a child I went to a fairly good sized church that was just referred to as "the Protestant church," as opposed to "the Catholic church" down the road. I was a kid and didn't really care. All I knew is that's where my friends who didn't go to the Catholic church went. In that church they had a huge (in my young eyes) wing that housed classrooms and one very large room referred to as Fellowship Hall. As you may imagine, many different kinds of events were held there. I remember being so glad we had a place like that to hang out after church, on Friday nights, and whenever there were events. It was a good place for kids to be.
As I got a little older I chose to go to another church. They had a really cool pastor, which is very important when you are 12. I guess we had a youth group because we all hung out together and he would take us places as a group. He'd let us come and hang out at his house from time to time. Frankly, it wasn't until then that I really started to begin to understand what church was about and to learn about Jesus.
As many teens and 20-somethings do, as I grew up, I also grew away from the church. I might go from time to time with a friend, but it was not a regular part of my life. When I did visit those churches there was usually something that I liked, besides hanging out with my friends. Beautiful stained glass windows, great music, meaningful Bible studies, fellowship with others.
Eventually, I married and was blessed to be matched up with a man who places a high priority on his faith. I began to attend much more regularly. We moved around a bit, but each church seemed to offer something. A strong pastor, a new children's building, a variety of studies, friendships, something.
Fast forward many years and many churches later, and here we are at Chesapeake Church. We started attending Chesapeake 5 years ago when we first moved to the area. It was the first church we visited and we liked what it offered. A nice location, a strong pastoral team, studies, fellowship, opportunities to serve, and so much more.
I am 55 years old. I have attended multiple churches and had more than a few ah-ha moments in my life. And Saturday night was no exception. But this was truly more like a lightning bolt. Chesapeake Church is in the midst of big things. More than a year ago, a Saturday night service was added to accommodate those who are unable to attend on Sunday but also because our two Sunday services were filled to overflowing, literally. We have recently started construction to expand our church to better accommodate the growth we continue to see. We have all had the opportunity to attend Home Vision events to learn more about how Chesapeake is growing and how we are responding to what is obviously God working in our midst. This week we will hold a prayer event regarding this growth and expansion and our ability to go where God is leading us. There are nights set apart just for families to pray together. Parents, grandparents, and children can join together, and pray together. Last night, in regard to that prayer event, Robert said, "The future of our church will be praying for the future of our church."
*insert lighting bolt, flash of light, and loud boom here*
The future of our church. Will be praying for the future of our church. Did that give you chills? It did me. It was my lightning bolt moment. I still get verklempt when I think about it. Not just because we have hundreds of children who will age out of our children's program and move into the auditorium with "the big kids." Not just because last weekend, over three services, we had more than 1,500 people come to worship. But because for every single church I ever attended a service, worshiped God, sang a song, watched a drama, hung out with my friends over the past 55 years, it was because someone cared about the future. Cared about those who would come after them. Cared about a legacy.
I probably won't be here in 55 years, but I am beyond excited to be a part of the future of Chesapeake Church. My children's children, their children, and children further out than I can even imagine will have a place to worship and fellowship and hang out and study and sing and do dramas and drink coffee and and and.... because I was here. I am just a speck. But I can make a difference.
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