I will soon be saying goodbye to the rich and meaningful fellowship I have enjoyed at El Camino church. As I look back on all that we have been through together, two memories rise to the forefront. There are two things in particular that I have grown to love about this community of believers:
1) Worship: El Camino is a place where Christians come together and worship freely. Services begin with authentic, simple, God-glorifying adoration. Hands held high or clapping triumphantly, a sense of harmony and victory pervades the environment. The windows are opened and the speakers are cranked; we want people to know that our God is powerful and praise-able; we want our applause and hallelujah shouts to echo through the barrio. Jesus lives!
2) The Word: El Camino is a place where the gospel message is presented as the essence of our day-to-day existence; the spiritual stuff that can drive our every thought and action. Speakers combine passion for the broken world around them, contextualized and culturally relevant messages and concrete, practical suggestions for applying and living in truth. They continually express ways in which believers can deepen their discipleship in Christ, bringing unity to the body and powerful testimony in a needy part of the world.
My longing for the future of this congregation is best expressed in the prayer of Jesus: “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” -John 17:20b-23
This entry was posted on Thursday, June 12th, 2008 at 8:55 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
June 15th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Derek,
You are not really leaving, this experience will stay in your heart for the rest of your life. You have grown and have been shaped by God during this last year.What a blessing!
June 16th, 2008 at 7:34 am
Thanks Judy! Looking forward to seeing you and hanging out when I return.