I learned of something new this week that took place last Sunday, October 11th. It is called “Faith In Action Sunday”. Although the campaign is not known to MVC, the theme is very familiar. This year’s rallying cry was - "Don't Go to Church. Be The Church". Believers donned t-shirts printed with the saying, and instead of going to the church building, they blanketed their neighborhoods to show the love of Jesus in very tangible ways. The aim, according to Shelly Langley of Cloudbreak Church in San Diego, Californa was to show people “that we really do care about more than just what’s happening in our building.” The intent of the event was to challenge churchgoers to shift the focus from themselves to others. One report from Christian Post said: “Churches that have participated over the last years testify that the campaign has helped moved their "inactive" members to become active and involved. Rev. Todd Lackie of Kenwood Church of Christ in Livonia, Michigan said, "Our Faith in Action campaign is helping us transform our congregation into a church that is motivated to help our community and strive to grow in Jesus' image. A church that puts its faith into action focuses not on itself, but living out Christ's teaching and his divine example of compassion." Steve Haas, vice president for church relations at World Vision, says Faith in Action "is designed to be one step towards alleviating the complacency that is afflicting churches across the country, and an effective call to action to follow Christ’s example of compassion. Worship was never to be confined to a single time of a single day during the week, but a whole body experience of faithful obedience to a risen Christ.” Sounds like the same kind of theology we’ve been learning about at MVC doesn’t it? I never cease to be amazed how God unites the hearts of believers across the country with one central theme - even those of us who are not aware of a national or global campaign. God is moving us out of our comfort zones and getting us into the by-ways and the highways, to share the love of Jesus and the good news of His grace.
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