Feeling Owned

Today I had lunch at Jane Long Elementary school. Jane Long is right across the street from the church where I preach, Minter Lane Church of Christ. We have over a dozen neighborhood kids who come to our Bible class program and attend Jane Long. As I walked around and greeted the kids, I was overwhelemd at the response. First, there was the smile and excitement that I noticed them. After this came the statements that will ring in my ears for many months. As they looked at their friends and introduced me, they said, "He's my preacher," and "He preaches at my church." The comments have weighed on me like a heavy hand today. These kids own me and this church. This is "their" church, I am "their" preacher. The overwhelming majority of these kids do not attend with their parents. Yet, it is "their" church. This is the mission of God: The formation of an all-inclusive welcoming community who are raising up a generation of Christians who will break the cycle of violence and poverty in their own communities through the power of the Gospel of Christ. I think I have found my new Thursday lunch tradition.