“Do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. (Mat 3:9 NKJV)”
The ISEEDers traveled with Rich the past weekend to speak at IFI’s Cleveland Training Day and to share in a church. I was deeply encouraged by God’s work in this church and through this church, which is located in East Springfield, PA, a rural small town where there is really not much going on. The size of population is very small; internationals are rarely found. (Actually, I didn’t see any except one S.E. lady during my entire stay there.) However, this church has a broad view for global missions. They are embracing the lost around the world by following God’s great commandment and commission. I had witnessed it first hand by staying with a host family, and was definitely blessed by their love and fear for God, their prayerful hearts, and of course, their great hospitality.
Walking into the church, all that we perceived was the church’s passion for God’s love to be received in a global scale. There were world maps everywhere, including a big one in the prayer room with the names of the people they support pinned on the map according to their locations. Their newsletters and information posted on the bulletin board come from all over the world. Throughout the two Sunday services, their names were displayed on the screen in the sanctuary, and they had several national flags set up on the stage. Extending God’s love to the unreached doesn’t seem to be the business of the mission board only. Rather, it is the vision and burden the entire congregation shares.
I thought the church has been through major revivals so I was eager to learn about their stories, but many of them told me that they have grown up in this church and it has always been like this! Indeed, those who said so are also the fruit of the church’s local ministry. They were served, loved, and introduced to Christ as teenagers and little kids, and they have been a part of this family since then. And wow!– they are already in their 70s and even older! From them, I did learn about how the church got started. It was the union of two churches in the 1930s when they both had hard time to sustain. That’s how they got the name, “Federated Church.” At the beginning stage, it was so difficult that their pastor could come to preach only once a month. It was amazing to me that from there, God has turned the dying church into such a spiritual tower of the town and a bridge for the world to come closer to the Good News. And, unlike a bigger city where diversity is seen and burdens for cross-cultural services are more likely to be developed, this is E. Springfield, PA! (Honestly, have you heard about this place?!) I couldn’t help myself but give praise to God, because when He wants to raise up a church like this, He is able to do it anywhere. It also reminded me of Mat 3:9: “Do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. (NKJV)” These simple country people might have lived their whole lives in this neighborhood areas, but they are serving and dreaming big for God’s kingdom, eager to move with God who is on the move. Here, with all the resources we are exposed to, how about us?