WAKE 2016: Church Under A Bridge… And More
(Note: The following is a testimonial from a participant in WAKE, a four-day student missions experience in conjunction with the 2016 International General Assembly:)
Nashville, TN–Tuesday was the first day of WAKE. That night, we went to volunteer at the Bridge church. Yes, it is literally a church under a bridge! The people who go to this church are a congregation of homeless people. They receive a hot meal, attend a church service, and are then given food and clothes. But what was most striking to me – even next to the stinging poverty and need – was the light. When I looked at the congregation, at first I saw what I thought to be brokenness. Broken bodies, broken hearts, broken minds. Then, as the worship music started playing, I saw what I assumed to be broken people stand up and worship with abandon. What I mistook for brokenness was actually openness, an openness that only comes when we have been broken but have surrendered it all to God. The last thing we expected to happen is exactly what happened: those we came to minister to taught us a lesson in joy, humility, and thankfulness.
I was asked to pray with the people during the altar time. I became nervous and decided there would be enough people to pray and that they wouldn’t miss me. During the sermon, I was convicted. It made me reexamine the way that I respond to God’s call. If I chose to sit in my seat because of fear instead of going to pray for people, how dare I set foot in a pulpit and preach? It challenged me.
Wednesday started with a worship service. We loaded and unloaded trucks, working as a team. We worked like a well-oiled machine, as if we did this together all the time. After unloading supplies, we went in groups, doing different jobs, but we had one mindset: serve. That’s what we were there to do. After it was over, we sat together during the evening service. We worked together during the day, then we experienced the church service together. I loved seeing other young people in corporate worship.
WAKE has not only been something for us to do while our parents are participating in the General Assembly. It has been a way for us to help others, to be the hands and feet of Christ.
As a young woman in the Church of God, this week was important for me. As a young woman called into ministry, it was important to be reminded that serving others is a foundational behavior for good, Christian leadership. I think all of us grew and God used WAKE. It left a profound difference in the way that I view ministering. Those who participated served together and had fun, but most importantly, we all had the opportunity to grow together spiritually and bring this Light to others.
Ashley Gross is a 19 year-old Lee University student from Clarksburg, West Virginia.
(Source: Christian Newswire)
