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Written by John Plucenik
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Wednesday, 17 March 2010 14:10 |
 “This is the church. This is the steeple.
Open the doors and see all the people.”
– Children’s hand rhyme
When I was a kid, everyone knew this folksy rhyme and how to move our hands and fingers while reciting it.
Today’s kids?
Not so much.
Perhaps because it may not be true.
When you open the doors of many churches today, it may be difficult to find the people.
Forget about church closings due to consolidation.
There is no lack of churches in the valley.
There is, sadly, a shortage of people filling many of them.
Especially young people.
The church isn’t just a building.
The Bible says so.
The church is the people.
We searched for two leaders in the faith community– one who was leaving the area and one who is new to the area– to write the following articles on “vision.”
Pastor Marcelle Dotson recently moved to the area and hopes to start a church in downtown Wilkes-Barre this year. Pastor Chad Stoecker was called by God to go to a church near Pittsburgh, after leading a church in Wilkes-Barre for the last seven years. To follow are their perspectives on their own, as well as God’s “vision” for this area.
They both agree that the church is ripe for movement in the Wyoming Valley.
Ripe for a revival.
Ripe for people with vision.
Perhaps it’s time Christians stop wiggling their fingers and thumbs and start moving their hearts and legs. The lyrics from a contemporary Christian song from a band called Switchfoot may say it best:
Welcome to the fallout
Welcome to resistance
The tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be
I dare you to move.
Continue to Looking Up
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