Ever been blessed by a "small" church?
When I was about eight years old our family moved from Maryland, where I was born, to a farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina.
My two older brothers and I went to school in Sparta but our address was actually in Piney Creek. Never heard of these communities? No wonder. Alleghany County, in which these communities were located, was once know as "The Lost Province" because of its relative obscurity.
In Piney Creek there was a small church, New Home Free Will Baptist, which you most likely have never heard of either. It's a "small" church in a "small" community. But that doesn't mean it's impact on my life was small. I was never a regular attender. In fact, I haven't been in worship in that church but once that I recall, after our family had moved back to Marlyand and were back for a visit.
But that "small" church impacted my life because my mother was there one night in a revival meeting and came to know Christ as her personal Savior. There was rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God! (Luke 15:10)
Shortly after that monumental decision in her life, my father's alcoholism became worse. He wouldn't even let my brothers and I attend mom's baptism. Dad became more and more violent when he was drinking and mom had to leave him, taking my brothers and I back to Maryland with her.
When we got back to Maryland mom set out to find a good church. We wound up at the Mt. Calvary Free Will Baptist Church in Perryman, Maryland, just two miles from the front gate to the Aberdeen Proving Ground - at the time, the largest Army Ordinance Center in the world. Mt. Calvary was another "small" church. But I made a faith commitment to Christ there as a twelve-year-old boy. That decision has made all of the difference in my life.
Now, two "small" churches had impacted my life in a great way.
I want to always be a part of a growing congregation. But I don't ever want to fall into the trap of believing that a "small" church is "small" in significance even if it is "small" in number.
Do you have a "small" church story? If you do I would love to hear about it.
My two older brothers and I went to school in Sparta but our address was actually in Piney Creek. Never heard of these communities? No wonder. Alleghany County, in which these communities were located, was once know as "The Lost Province" because of its relative obscurity.
In Piney Creek there was a small church, New Home Free Will Baptist, which you most likely have never heard of either. It's a "small" church in a "small" community. But that doesn't mean it's impact on my life was small. I was never a regular attender. In fact, I haven't been in worship in that church but once that I recall, after our family had moved back to Marlyand and were back for a visit.
But that "small" church impacted my life because my mother was there one night in a revival meeting and came to know Christ as her personal Savior. There was rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God! (Luke 15:10)
Shortly after that monumental decision in her life, my father's alcoholism became worse. He wouldn't even let my brothers and I attend mom's baptism. Dad became more and more violent when he was drinking and mom had to leave him, taking my brothers and I back to Maryland with her.
When we got back to Maryland mom set out to find a good church. We wound up at the Mt. Calvary Free Will Baptist Church in Perryman, Maryland, just two miles from the front gate to the Aberdeen Proving Ground - at the time, the largest Army Ordinance Center in the world. Mt. Calvary was another "small" church. But I made a faith commitment to Christ there as a twelve-year-old boy. That decision has made all of the difference in my life.
Now, two "small" churches had impacted my life in a great way.
I want to always be a part of a growing congregation. But I don't ever want to fall into the trap of believing that a "small" church is "small" in significance even if it is "small" in number.
Do you have a "small" church story? If you do I would love to hear about it.
posted by Brian Atwood @ 9:59 PM
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