My Church is Cool

If you like the church you’re attending, then you most likely feel a certain amount of pride for it. If things are going well at the church, you are happy about it and want to tell other people. I am no different.

This past Sunday our church had their “Ministry Fair”. At the fair, all the ministries of the church set up displays and passed on information about what they did. The ministry fair was awesome. Not because all the displays and pamphlets looked great. Not because the people talking about the ministries were so friendly and informative. It was awesome because it was an opportunity for me to see just how many ways our church is serving, and how freaking cool these ministries are.

I have a lot of opinions about what church should be like, or how church should be “done”. However, what is most important to me is that a church serves. The church I go to, Rainier Ave Church (RAC) is a serving church. Not only does it serve it’s own members, but it seeks to radically serve the surrounding community.

Our neighborhood, Rainier Valley, is one of the poorest in Seattle, so RAC partnered with our sister church Emerald City Bible Fellowship to create Urban Impact, a non-profit that seeks to improve economic situations, health care and education in the community. One of Urban Impact’s ministries is Rainier Health and Fitness, a health club that provides it’s services at reduced rates. This is an important need in the community as the Rainier Valley is one of the most obese areas of Seattle.

The Rainier Valley is also one of the most diverse communities in the Seattle area. Our church has a Racial and Ethnic Reconciliation Committee to encourage dialogue within the church about reconciliation.

We have a World Missions Team that supports missionaries from the church. We have the Mekong Learning Center that provides after school tutoring for kids. We have an amazing youth ministry called The Refuge. We have the Compassion Team, which provides any type of service someone may need, whether that be help moving, meals cooked, or yard work done. And then there’s the set up and tear down team, the hospitality crew, the worship team. Small groups, prayer groups, bible studies.

Basically I’m bragging about my church. I feel proud to be a part of a church that makes such a strong effort to serve. Of course we have our problems, as every church does. But I think Rainier Ave Church is advancing the kingdom of God in many ways, and what more can you ask for from a church?

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