news article

Reflections on ‘Church in a Diner’

April 28, 2015 / By The Rev. Judy Humphrey-Fox

Never, in my wildest dreams, have I envisioned myself as a “church planter.” So how did I find myself mingling with a group of passionate church planters at the New Faith Communities event April 24-25 at the Casowasco Camp and Retreat Center in Moravia?

Years ago I received a call from God to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ. I can, and do, tell people of God’s love and our need to repent, believe in Jesus, and give our lives over to Jesus’ leadership. But what good does that do if everyone who hears the Good News has heard it before, perhaps several times? Of course, we all need to hear about God’s love for us over and over again. But there are so many people in our communities who haven’t heard and won’t hear if we only tell the Good News on Sunday mornings in our sanctuaries.

Knowing that something needs to change in the way that I and the churches that I serve share the Good News, I decided to spend some time learning about a new way of reaching people.

On Friday evening, we all experienced a little of what it might be like to encounter Jesus in a different kind of setting. The Rev. Tom Arthur, founding pastor of “Church in a Diner” in Lansing, Mich., gave us a taste of one of its church services. While we ate our dinner and chatted around tables, he encouraged us to invite others to “Come and See” Jesus, as we had once done.

Later in the evening, the Rev. Dave Masland, Conference Director of New Faith Communities, updated us on what has been happening in our Conference during the last year. Did you know there are now 43 new faith communities sharing Jesus in new ways all over our Conference? Did you know that over 1,400 people are hearing the Good News in those settings – people who probably would never hear it if they had to sit in church on a Sunday morning? Isn’t that exciting?

On Saturday, I worshipped God and was encouraged to let old things die so that God could do new things in me. I also attended another plenary session with Tom – nobody calls him “The Rev. Tom Arthur – as well as two workshops.

What did I gain from the experience – besides seeing a raccoon, hearing woodpeckers peck and streams rushing down toward the lake, and discovering the most prefect tiny bird nest I’ve ever seen? I learned that starting a new faith community doesn’t fit into my pre-established ideas about “church planting.” Maybe I can’t start a whole new church, but I might find ways to share Christ and worship with the people who use the community food pantry that is housed in our church building. I might start a worship service in a senior apartment complex where many of the residents can’t get out to church on Sundays.

What will I need in order to do these new things? I will need to listen to God for confirmation of the direction I am meant to take. I will need my church’s permission, but not necessarily the active participation of all my church leaders. I will need a team of people that includes some community members, some people from the “target population,” and some church members who are willing to work together toward this goal. We, as a team, will need to flesh out a plan for how to establish the new faith community that God has helped us to envision. We will need lots of time, hard work, and prayer. We will need the Holy Spirit empowering and guiding us every step along the way.

What won’t we need? We might not need a lot of money; God’s ideas don’t have to be expensive. What money we do need, at least some of it, is available from the Conference through grants. We won’t need impatience when we don’t see immediate results.

I left the “Church in a Diner” event with a clearer understanding of what’s involved in starting a new faith community. I also have a greater passion for sharing Christ in new places and new ways. Just as important, I’ve seen what’s possible, even for someone who never would have dreamed of “planting a church.”

Please pray for me and for many others who are catching the vision of New Faith Communities and are offering ourselves to God so that the vision can become a reality.