Our basic purpose in life revolves around connecting with God, connecting with others, caring for people and cultivating Christ-like character. We can’t do alone. We weren’t meant to do it alone either. We were made by God for relationship. For instance, you can’t learn how to forgive, love, be patient, be kind or be selfless while in isolation. It only happens in community … in relationship.

Our hope as we launch out and start the 40 Days of Community is basically two things: deepen the love and community in our won church and also reach out in love to those who live and work right around our church. our hope and prayer is that God will help us focus on what matters most. Stop by upcounty.org for more on the 40 Days.

A local church should be known as the place where people can come and be real about what’s going on in their lives or family. But, far too often, a church is the last place where people feel safe to be themselves and open up. Too many people feel isolated - even in the church.

Now, some people don’t want anyone to know what’s really going on in their lives. Why? If you dig a little deeper, often there is a gap between what we want people to think about us and who we really are. It’s a world of living in secret. It’s a world that will destroy us because we were created for relationship. The big shock is that church is supposed to be a place where people feel totally accepted — where they are freely given a second chance. The local church is supposed to be place where broken people can find a place where they can be real and get help if they need it.

As we connect with people in our community, what we’re discovering is that we don’t need another church. Rather, we need to create places where people can find real spiritual connection with a God who loves them. How do we avoid just being another church that doesn’t speak the language of our community? That’s a question that drives us.