When Church Gets Good

When a family approached me recently about building a butterfly memorial garden for families who have lost children during pregnancy, I thought it was a beautiful project.  Yes, let's do this.  Yet, when asked about where it should go and how it should look, I was a bit at a loss.  Of course, because I'm a pastor I felt the need to give them sound direction--it'll be best here; it should definitely have these plants and ornaments; this is definitely the best time to plant...  Truth be told though, beyond what I thought best, I had no more wisdom or knowledge than any other, which I also let the family know.  I knew it was right for Horizons, but I also knew my own limits had the potential to limit or delay the project.

There are many instances when projects like this have come past my "desk" as pastor.  While Horizons has truly been a place of energy and innovation since its birth, many of our events, projects, missions, and activities have been pastor, staff, and official-church led initiatives.  They've been great and have contributed to what makes Horizons a great church.

Yet, what makes a church a truly worthy ministry for God's glory and the life that pours out of his grace into our lives is when every limb, every digit, every member of that church body comes alive and lives into its fullest potential.  It's a lot like our bodies when we wake up from sleep.  We certainly have the capacity to bumble around and perform menial tasks using a few rudimentary muscles and movements.  But it's not until our toes begin to flex, our ears begin to report, our eyes fully focus, all our muscles fire, and our heart picks up the pace that we become fully capable of performing extraordinary things during the day.

And so it has recently felt a lot like Horizons is moving past the phases of just waking up and now getting ready to do amazing things in its day.  The members of the body are starting to live into the fullest of their capacity.  It's awesome to see!

The family wanting to build the butterfly garden sensed their call to take that step forward.  They had permission and some general direction, and they took it from there.  Soon they asked fellow members of their BE membership class to help.  They shared their story of pain and persistence in worship.  They allocated funds for the project outside of the church budget.  They did the research for location, proper vegetation, and location.  They planned the building day and made their own invitations to the community.  And just this last Saturday (05/02), their beautiful garden was born!

It will be a blessing to see the garden become a place for mothers and families to seek peace, rest, and a place to process their losses and the hope that yet remains before them.  And it will be a blessing to watch this body of Christ continue to wake and waken each of its members and live into its full potential.  While the main messaging center will continue to provide direction and timing, the life of the body will best be seen as the members take those queues and take it from there, doing the very things they have been called to do!

The Horizons Butterfly Memorial Garden is located directly East of the outdoor Patio building.  If you are interested in being a part of the project or would like to learn more, contact Carrie.Peter521@gmail.com.



More to come!

Jason <><