Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. – Psalm 32:6-7 (NIV)
As I was leaving my office one afternoon this past week, I was surprised to see one of the youth of our congregation sitting on the bench near the door. I wondering if there was some sort of meeting happening, but that was not the case. Rather, the youth’s bus had not shown up at school and so they needed a ride home. They had walked to church in order to be picked up to make it home.
I was struck by how wonderful it was that when this youth hit a challenge the church building was a place that they knew they could go. It was a safe space that they could go and wait for what they needed; a place that would welcome them with a space to sit, sheltered from the weather without expectation that they buy something or suspicion that they were up to something. It was a place they knew would be there for them.
This is such an important part of our ministry as church. We have a building so that when difficulties arise people know that they have a place to go. We are here to provide that safe space of respite from life’s storms. It is a place that we do not need to prove our value in order to be accepted. I think that it is particularly important that youth have that place where they know they can turn. Hopefully it is never needed for more than a place to wait for a ride, but it is important that they know that the church is there in their times of need. This is one of the reasons I have been excited to have more scout groups using our building for their meetings. We may not have as many children in Sunday School as we once did, but if children feel comfortable being in the church building and knowing it is a place they can turn to, then hosting those groups is a valuable ministry to those children. Sometimes reaching beyond our walls means having walls to welcome them to sit behind.