Pastor Jerry and Laura Qualls
church of the week
Community Central: The Park That God Built
By Christine Wilson
The 700 Club
CBN.com
– A skateboard ramp. A basketball court. A fire pit. Not things that you typically see at a church. Then again, Glad Tidings Church is anything but typical.
Usually church members take a missions trip to a third world country. This year though, they decided to do something for their own community.
Rob MacDonald: “We started looking around, what opportunities were there to reach the community? We found it in our own back yard.”
The youth had an idea. They would build a park behind the church that everyone in the park could enjoy. They would call it Community Central.
Kim Murray: “We wanted to step outside of the four walls of the church and see who’s out there, and develop relationships with them.”
Before they started building, the youth and youth leaders met on the roof of the church. They looked out at the parking lot and envisioned what the park would look like. They also prayed for God’s blessing.
Gavin Harper: “They read off the vision, and you could just feel the presence of God around us.”
Then they went to work. They dug ditches, painted, and spread mulch until finally their rooftop vision became a reality.
Now that the park is open, people from all over the community are welcome to enjoy it. And they do.
Jada: “I had a hot dog and chips and drinks.”
Kim Murray: “I hope people will find this as a safe place to come and hang out and just have fun here. And we can share the love of Christ through that.”
The park may be finished, but the work is far from over.
Rob MacDonald: “Today is the end of the mission’s trip. But it’s the beginning of the relationship. We believe that if we have that opportunity to share the space and place and the love of Christ and who Christ is in us, that’s when the world is going to change.”
The 700 Club salutes Glad Tidings Church in Norfolk, Virginia – America’s Church of the Week!
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