Steve, we’re friends on facebook. I don’t know how many of my posts you actually take the time to read Anymore but I know you have responded to a few of them in the past. Over there, I’m much more critical of the church on these issues than I am here. You might have seen some of those posts. But to a large degree, I lay the blame at the feet of the 20th century Christian church. We largely abandoned the field and nature abhors a vacuum. We got more interested in growing congregations by building concert halls/mega churches, preaching ear tickling gospel, creating new programs to attract tithe paying customers rather than lost sheep to be redeemed.
We got too caught up in the hope we’d be raptured up we forgot our commission. We started to believe the lies of separation of church and state and judge not. We forgot that being the church was more than simply spending an hour a week rocking out to Christian rock shows and a 10 minute self esteem building pep talk. To a large degree it is our fault. It may be too late but it definitely won’t change without a heart change.
I'm very new in my journey to God. I joined my current church in January. Prior to that I was never a believer, having grown up in a boring church that I could never connect with.
Since I walked into iTown Church in Fishers, I have been hooked. I went through their Grow plan to learn about how my skills can help the church spread the word and connect with people and bring them closer to Christ. I'm on the outreach team and serve as an usher, greeter and first responder. I joined a small group that helped me start my journey, and I've participated in several events where we've fed thousands of families and passed out close to 200,000 pounds of food. We're actually on pace to become the largest hunger relief organization in the state.
iTown is everything you mentioned your church is not. It's not about outside in religion. They don't preach that you must follow God's laws in order to fit in. They preach that by building a place where people fit in first, they will eventually build faith and learn to follow Christ. It's been a remarkable awakening for me. It's all about connecting with other people and helping your fellow man (and woman for the PC crowd.) Pastor Dave Sumrall preaches that the church isn't a building we visit on Sundays. The people are the church.
We have some amazing things planned, including a partnership with several community organizations to create a transitional housing center to help people find stable living, get out of addition, build skills to find work, address health needs and find a path to a better, more productive life.
The inspiration and sense of calm I get from the message and the work I've done at iTown is the main reason I have hope for our future. It's the reason I haven't been more despondent over what's happening across the country. I know I have an opportunity to make an impact with real people in my community. It's an amazing feeling to be grounded in that. It helps me tune out those who seek to divide us.
https://itownchurch.com/