Sunday, August 31, 2008

An Attempt at Fusion

Fusion does not simply have to take place by adding new people to a congregation. In fact, the congregation I serve is about to attempt fusion in what I feel is a new and exciting way. The Sunday School class that was just for adults in the past has been renamed “Fusion.” The name reflects the intent of the class to “fuse” the adults with our young people. This class will include everyone from middle school on up. Our first set of lessons will revolve around the book “The Church of Our Fathers.” As our young people and adults study together, they will also begin to learn more about each other. Adults will learn more about what interests our young people, and our young people will be able to draw on the life experience of our adults. Why is this important? I believe that the gap in understanding each other is a part of why we lose young adults from our churches. They want (and need) to be taken seriously. How can we do that if we don’t know them? How can we know them if we are always separated? How will this play out? I honestly don’t know. It is my hope and prayer that this class will be a catalyst for change. A change in how we look at each other and a change in how we work together as God’s chosen people. As with any other “change” there is a risk involved in the process. Risk is not new to God’s people. God has been expecting us to take risks from the beginning. Just take a closer look at the eleventh chapter of Hebrews and you will see a short catalog of men and women who were asked to take risks for God and how they were blessed when they took that risk. Fusion is risky business. But taking risks (also known as testing our faith) is in the DNA of a Christian. How about it? Are you willing to risk failure in order to do what you know the Lord is calling you to do? I am!

1 comment:

Rosella said...

Just keep it up. I am always amazed. The sunday school class sounds interesting and exciting. I hope you can pull it off. It is important for the two generations to know each other. Civility and familiarity keep us being decent people and bring Christians together for the work of the Lord.