Perfection in the celebration

This past week, there was a celebration at the tiny church the other half and I attend in my little swath of the Midwest. Ten years ago, our current pastor started his walk with us. In those ten years, there have been numerous high points and low points, both globally and a little closer to home. But the church, at least in my opinion, is better for having weathered all of the storms.

It hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. There was a global pandemic that changed the way the world worked. There were scandals that rocked the church, making some turn away in disgust. There are ongoing church relationships that need to be tread upon carefully still. And there is the idea that started years ago when my tiny church decided that they would start making room for all of those who wanted to worship.

A massive renovation took place, redoing the stage in the sanctuary so that it had a ramp as well as stairs and flex space so that anyone could help with worship, no matter what their physical abilities were. The church added a much needed elevator so that the basement would no longer be off limits to those who could no longer navigate stairs (which also made it much more easier for things to be moved from one floor to another, since our space is shared by the Norwalk Area Ministerial Association as well). A handicap ramp was installed at a door that once only held stairs, allowing for people to utilize our second parking lot better.

But along with making room for all, the church also began to explore what that all looks like.

We welcome the immigrant – several times a week there are English Language Learner classes going on in the building, serving many different learners from all over the world, meaning they are different cultures and different religions. Yet, they are welcomed with open arms. Not only have several learned English, but they also have become citizens of this country and have helped others come to learn of the program. It is growing faster than volunteers can keep up with at times.

We welcome the needy – not only is that tiny church the space of the offices of the Norwalk Area Ministerial Association and the scene of their Warrior Giving Project and Warrior Giving Wednesdays, but it also houses the Mobile Food Pantry, serving over a hundred families every other month and filling their freezers, refrigerators, and pantries with foodstuffs. There is a fund that helps people out as needed as well. And members of that tiny church continue to reach out to those that need help as it is brought to their attention.

We embrace the downtrodden and marginalized – Currently, that tiny church is the only church with a weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in the city, with its doors open to anyone who needs that kind of support. It is the only church (at least in my knowledge) that has ever had a member of the LGBTQIA+ community preach from its pulpit as a guest speaker. It is a church that has done Bible studies on those “clobber verses” in regards to what the Bible says about homosexuality and divorce and all walks of life, learning historical context as well as translation errors and assumptions.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kelley Wood Davis (K.S. Wood) (@kelitawd)

But there is so much more that little church can do.

Currently, there is a movement within that tiny church that is working on becoming an Open and Affirming church, indicating that all are included in all walks of the church. A proposed welcoming statement, which is still being “tested” via church opinion, tentatively reads:

Inspired by our love of God and neighbor, we celebrate the diversity of all people and invite all into full participation in the life of our church—every race, ethnicity, LGBTQ+ identity, age, ability, and socioeconomic condition; all refugees and immigrants, physical statuses, mental statuses, neurodiversities, household compositions, and theological and political backgrounds and beliefs. You are God’s beloved, and you are welcome here.

Who knows what and where this journey will lead. But it is a journey that little church is currently on.

Even though over the past ten years that tiny church has gone through some heartbreaks, the pews were full last Sunday as we celebrated a relationship that spanned those years. We celebrated a pastor who, though some have expected him to be more than human, has had some very human moments in the chapters of his story, just as we all have. We celebrated, missing those no longer in the relationship as well, whether it was because their own stories have already had their final sentences or because they have decided to drift away, leaving this story finished in their own lives.

Some have blasted the tiny church, calling it and us all sorts of hateful names and spreading all sorts of rumors because of our ministries and members. But yet the tiny church and all of its family keeps moving forward. It keeps going. It keeps spreading the light, the joy, the hope, the peace, the magic, and most importantly, the love it has to share with all who come through the doors.

The church is not perfect. Its pastor is far being perfect too. But perfection is still there. It is in establishing a relationship built on mutual love and respect. It is in supporting and lifting up those going through struggles and navigating the challenges that lie ahead with justice and mercy and grace. It’s in teaching each other and learning each other’s stories. It’s in walking with each other through the darkness and wearing that which others scorn us with like scarlet letters, showing that our stories matter just as much as THE story matters, because it is our stories that allow us to connect with the story.

We celebrated because we survived. We celebrated because we were together. And we celebrate the new beginnings to come as we continue to embrace the perfection of the magical story together.

Stay magical, dear friends.

Write your own story.

---

If you liked this blog post, comment below! Share with others, if you dare. Subscribe to my blog for updates! Visit my “About me” page if you want to contact me.

If you wanted to see some of the fantasy books I have written, check out my Portals Series. My serial novel is available for free on this blog here.

If you are interested in my other online endeavors, check out the drop down menu to see more.

And as always, #writeyourownstory