There is a song that, regardless of how many times I hear it played, resonates with me in such a way that it’s like I’m hearing it for the very first time. Do you know what I mean? The song to which I’m referring is, I Can Only Imagine, by the contemporary Christian group Mercy Me, which by the way was made into a feature film of the same name. I definitely encourage you to watch it. I Can Only Imagine was inspired by the painful truestory of Bart Milliard, lead singer of Mercy Me, and his abusive father, who in the final stages of his life, accepts Christ and he and Bart begin a journey as they spend his final days repairing and rebuilding their relationship. The song is titled I Can Only Imagine because it speaks of Bart’s dream of one day being able to spend eternity as he walks with his earthly, as well as his heavenly father. In essence, I Can Only Imagine is about a dream that God placed in Bart’s heart that took root and one day will eventually bear fruit.
Recently, I shared with the Sligo Church board and on a recent Sligo Live a dream that I believe God has placed in my heart for our church. That dream is the opportunity which God is giving us as a congregation to make the Sligo Church campus and our facilities a place that can be used to benefit the community in which we have been placed. In other words, I believe that it is time for us to utilize one of our greatest assets, our church building, as we seek to serve our community as never before.
Imagine with me for a moment the impact that we could have on those in our community if we were to have the doors of our church, in some capacity, opened 7 days a week in order that we might serve as salt and light to those who are in desperate need of both.
I can only imagine the transformation that would take place in the hearts and lives of those with whom we’ve been called to serve, and in the hearts of those providing the service. I can only imagine what it would be like if when those who drive, ride or walk by our church could say, “That’s the place where you can go for counseling, for training, for economic relief, for temporary housing during the cold winter nights, for food when you’re hungry and clothes when you have none, for COVID testing in the midst of a pandemic and yes for hope when you feel that all hope is lost.
It is a dream which God has planted firmly in my heart, but I can only imagine what would happen if you were to allow him to place this dream in your heart as well. I want to invite us as a congregation to share in this dream together, to allow God to help us to become that church that’s opened, not just one or two days a week, but seven days a week.
So, if you feel God has placed this desire to expand the ministry of Sligo to go “Beyond the Walls” in a more expansive way, I would like to invite you share your dreams and ideas with our team, so that we might begin the process of dreaming together. Pease send your ideas to ctapp@sligochurch.org and in doing so, I can only imagine what God has in store for our church and the community that we have been called to serve.
Recently, I shared with the Sligo Church board and on a recent Sligo Live a dream that I believe God has placed in my heart for our church. That dream is the opportunity which God is giving us as a congregation to make the Sligo Church campus and our facilities a place that can be used to benefit the community in which we have been placed. In other words, I believe that it is time for us to utilize one of our greatest assets, our church building, as we seek to serve our community as never before.
Imagine with me for a moment the impact that we could have on those in our community if we were to have the doors of our church, in some capacity, opened 7 days a week in order that we might serve as salt and light to those who are in desperate need of both.
I can only imagine the transformation that would take place in the hearts and lives of those with whom we’ve been called to serve, and in the hearts of those providing the service. I can only imagine what it would be like if when those who drive, ride or walk by our church could say, “That’s the place where you can go for counseling, for training, for economic relief, for temporary housing during the cold winter nights, for food when you’re hungry and clothes when you have none, for COVID testing in the midst of a pandemic and yes for hope when you feel that all hope is lost.
It is a dream which God has planted firmly in my heart, but I can only imagine what would happen if you were to allow him to place this dream in your heart as well. I want to invite us as a congregation to share in this dream together, to allow God to help us to become that church that’s opened, not just one or two days a week, but seven days a week.
So, if you feel God has placed this desire to expand the ministry of Sligo to go “Beyond the Walls” in a more expansive way, I would like to invite you share your dreams and ideas with our team, so that we might begin the process of dreaming together. Pease send your ideas to ctapp@sligochurch.org and in doing so, I can only imagine what God has in store for our church and the community that we have been called to serve.