Religion: A Pastor Ponders

The church

By Pastor William Jenkins

June 25, 2007

Recently my wife and I went out to eat at one of those Chinese restaurants where you sit with others around a large hot plate while a chef prepares your meal. A young mother with three little girls joined us and the chef began to work his magic. The usual introductions followed. When I mentioned that I was a Methodist pastor she answered that she did not know what she would do without her church. She explained that her husband was employed by a company working in Iraq. She worried about his safety every hour of the day. She said her church was so encouraging and supportive of her and her girls while he was away.

Thinking about her testimony I began to ponder how the church is different from other gatherings. If you go to a sports stadium there may be thousands of people present but everyone is more interested in what is happening on the field than what is happening in your life. Not one of them will say a prayer for you or care if you are there or not. You are just a face in the crowd. If you go to a theater it does not matter who is there. Nobody will care if you are there or not. Not one of them will visit you when you are sick or cheer you on a bad day.

The church is more than a crowd or an audience. The church is a fellowship; a place where people care about you and will be there for you when you need them. In the church people will pray for your husband in a far away dangerous place. They will offer to keep your children so you can have some personal time…and you will trust them to do this.

The church is a gathering of people who share a common faith in Jesus Christ. This faith makes them part of a larger family, even when they meet accidentally in a restaurant. Say a prayer for John in Iraq and for Karen at home with the girls.

League City United Methodist Church is located at 1411 Main Street (FM 518), one block east of Interstate 45. For information, call the church offices at 281-332-1557 or visit the website at

HYPERLINK - http://www.lcumc.org