Recently, I was tasked by my Pastoral Ministries class to research into how ministers must respond to the aftermath of suicide and create such environment where we can help those with depression not choose the temptation to take their own lives.  Here is the scenario given:

A19-year-old young man by the name of David comes by your office to visit one day. He is the only son of a faithful couple in your congregation. He has been troubled in the past, and struggled with depression to the point of requiring medication. Now, however, he seems to be in a good place, making plans and looking forward to the future. One week later, you get word that David, who had stopped taking his medication, has parked in front of the sandwich shop where his girlfriend (with whom he has had a quarrel) works, and, just before she was to get off work, shot himself in the chest with his father’s shotgun. What are the issues you need to address to minister to this family and community? How will you go about doing so?

The summer of 2011 has been called the most tragic summer off-season in the history of professional hockey.  A plane chartered by a Russian hockey team crashed upon takeoff, taking the earthly lives of almost an entire hockey team.  The news only compounded the reality that three other hockey players had separate but high-profiled deaths, all relating to depression.  Derek Boogaard of the Minnesota Wild was found dead from an apparent drug overdose on May 13, 2011.  Wade Belak, most recently of the Nashville Predators, was found dead inside a Toronto hotel room on August 31, 2011 after taking his own life.  The same can be noted for former Vancouver Canucks Rick Rypien, who took his own life in his home on August 15, 2011.

Rypien’s story will help us understand the circumstances where this research paper will be based: David, a 19 year old only child of a faithful couple in the congregation, was a depression sufferer who seemed to be in a ‘good place’ and was looking forward to the future, but later took his own life after a quarrel with his girlfriend.  This research paper will review how we understand depression and suicide today and how the secular world approaches the matter.  Most importantly, we will examine how we as pastors should not only respond to such circumstances, but guide our congregation so that we can equip those we shepherd to help instill an environment where we can love those in need with Christ as the centre, long before tragedies occur.

Understanding Depression and Suicide – The Rick Rypien Story

In a professional hockey game against the Minnesota Wild on October 19, 2010, Vancouver Canucks’ Rick Rypien crossed a line no professional athlete should cross, getting into an altercation with a spectator after being ejected from the game.  The automatic suspension from play by the National Hockey League (NHL) that resulted from his actions was followed by an indefinite leave of absence granted by the Vancouver Canucks for ‘personal matters,‘ the second of such absences in three years.  This was the last Rypien was seen in the NHL before his suicide in August 2011.

Between the suspension from the NHL and up until his suicide in August 2011, Rypien worked hard, away from the spotlight of professional sports, to battle his condition called Major Depression Disorder, commonly known as Depression.  Supported by the Vancouver hockey organization, including teammate Kevin Bieksa and wife Katie, who had taken Rypien into their home during some of the darkest days of his depression.  Rypien seemed to be at a ‘good place’ by the spring of 2011 when he resumed his hockey career in the minor league, and eventually signing a new contract with the Winnipeg Jets shortly before his suicide with the intention of resuming his NHL career in the fall of 2011.  Rypien was even said to be excited about the future and to have “found some peace in his life” at that time.

To understand a person’s journey that results in the tragic consequence of suicide is a daunting task at best.  Rypien’s battle was described as “constant and relentless,” one that “doesn’t disappear, always lurk[s] around and you have to understand and deal with that on a daily basis.”

The World’s Response to Depression and Suicide

“The system didn’t fail [Rypien],” explained Craig Heisinger of the Winnipeg Jets.  Because of Rypien’s status as a professional hockey athlete, he had access to resources that others who may be facing the battle would not have.  The NHL offers its players substance abuse and behavioural health programs that provide the highest level of treatment anonymously.  For the typical person, government agencies provide set guidelines to diagnose and treat such conditions through its own systems.  For example, in British Columbia, the SIGECAPS Mnemonic for Depression Symptom Criteria is used to diagnose people based on sleep disturbance, interest reduced, guilt and self-blame, energy loss and fatigue, concentration problems, appetite changes, psychomotor changes, and suicidal thoughts.  Once a person is diagnosed as having Depression, a Suicide Risk Assessment based on psychosocial, historical, and clinical circumstances follows.  Based on the diagnosis and assessment, disease management and treatment are recommended with a consistent monitoring program to help ensure the progress of the system.

Those diagnosed with Depression describe the temptation of suicide as having two rival instincts, one of survival, and one to end the suffering.  At any given moment, they are manufacturing smiles and cheeriness, and know full well that they are “counterfeiters in human emotions.”  Most do not feel that others can understand their struggles, and generally refrain from sharing with others and try to appear they are experiencing joy.  Those who do not have such experience in Depression appear to those who do as arrogant, trying to understand something they are not battling with.

Ministering to Victims, Cultivating Empowering Environments

In 2009, the writer of this research paper was a participant in an otherwise typical group Bible Study session among peers.  The topic of Depression and suicide casually surfaced during the discussion.  After several other comments made on the issue, this writer, with his youth ministry background shared his thoughts.

“Many youth today seek guidance with their school counsellors, who seemingly are quick to diagnose their students with Depression.  It ends up giving these kids an excuse to stay in a state of mine where they can justify feeling sorry for themselves and not seek to resolve the matters hindering them.”  The comment was not received well by one participant of that Bible Study discussion.

“You just can’t say that!” exclaimed the participant in frustration, “You’ll never know what is going on inside the minds of these people and you can’t generalize Depression as that!”  Several days later, the participant would share with this writer her diagnosis of Depression from her doctor, the medication she was prescribed, the struggles she has had overcoming relationship failures and the fear of loneliness, and the temptation of taking her own life.  She wanted to kindly help this writer learn more about the condition so that he could better minister to those who he encounters in the future with such conditions without making the mistake of generalizing and assessing too quickly.

Since we still do not fully comprehend the conditions and circumstances that led Rypien, Belak, our character David, and others to take their own earthly lives, we must not fall into the trap of wanting to ‘fix’ conditions to ‘make things better.’  “People kill themselves when the fear of living another moment outweighs the fear of dying at that moment.”  We do not know why, for example, would Belak or any parent would choose to leave their wives and kids.  God’s Scripture, on the other hand, provides us with a clear understanding of how to minister in the aftermath of suicide, the cause of suicide, and how to cultivate an environment where David and others will be encouraged by Him and better lead away from such temptation.

Humans often want to know ‘why’ events occur.  Families who had just lost loved ones, regardless of circumstances, will always question ‘why’ did such event happen.  As this research paper demonstrates the lack of understand we have on such matter, the first and most important way to connect with families grieving such loss is through prayer for and with the family.  Through prayer, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard [our] hearts and [our] minds in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4:7 NIV, emphasis added).  As we continue to minister to the family during the grieving period, we need to shift the family’s focus from the loss of a loved one to being thankful for the time they had with, in our case, David, such that “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things…and the God of peace will be with [us].”  (Philippians 4:8-9 NIV).

Cultivating a healthy congregational environment where those like David would receive the support necessary is perhaps the most important discussion for this research.  While we see the world claiming that some, like Rypien, may still choose to take their lives despite receive all the support in the ‘system,’ we know, as evangelicals, that God’s love conquerors all.  We know God never desires suicide.  We must be willing to both be used and equip our congregation to cultivate such environment that is pleasing to Him.  God is perfect, systems are not.

We must first identify the cause of suicide, whether Depression or otherwise, based on our scriptural understanding.  Regardless of how medical science may determine how we may be born with abnormalities, we can all agree that one chooses suicide because of a strong sense of hopelessness.  King Solomon’s wisdom through Proverbs demonstrates to us the severity of hopelessness.  Solomon notes that when there’s a strong sense of hopelessness, it “makes a heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12a NIV), and “what can you do when the spirit is crushed?” (Proverbs 18:14b The Message).  However, Solomon also notes that hope is never far away, such that our “spirit sustains [us] in sickness” (Proverbs 18:14a NIV) because “a sudden good break can turn a life around” (Proverbs 13:12b The Message).  Therefore, we must always be bringing messages of His hope in our congregations.

We must also cultivate a safe environment for dialogue for any life circumstances.  Countless surveys reveal that people generally do not feel comfortable inside churches.  For example, a study released in September 2011 shows that young people feel that churches are “unfriendly to those who doubt,” such that thirty-six percent of young people asked responded by saying that they are not able “to ask [their] most pressing life questions in church.”  Studies also find that “most churches work best for ‘traditional’ young adults…but most young adults no longer follow the typical path of leaving home, getting an education, finding a job, getting married and having kids—all before the age of 30. These life events are being delayed, reordered, and sometimes pushed completely off the radar among today’s young adults.”  Therefore, we must encourage our congregation to both freely share their personal struggles and, more importantly, equip our congregation to surround those in need with God’s love.

To do so, we must make it clear that “it’s okay” to have such emotions.  In Scripture, there are countless of instances in the Old Testament where we are shown that having doubt and, perhaps even, signs of Depression are valid feelings waiting to be offered to God to take charge.  Elijah, for example, literally asked the LORD to take his life because he “had enough” (1 Kings 19:4 NIV), while in his sickness, Job did not hesitate to “complain in the bitterness of [his] soul.”  (Job 7:11b NIV).  Our congregations can be comforted that some of God’s amazing servants in Scripture processed the same thoughts and emotions as they may be battling, and seeing how God’s love prevailed in those circumstances in Scripture can affirm their faith.  We have a God who “sympathize[s] with our weaknesses, [and] was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15 NIV), and “He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.”  (Isaiah 53:3 NIV).

Unfortunately, studies suggest that some of our church leaders today “ignore the concerns and issues of teens and twenty-somethings because they feel that the disconnection will end when young adults are older and have their own children,” virtually ignoring “the significant present-day challenges these young adults are facing.”  While we often forward troubles such as Depression and the temptation of suicide to professional counsellors, a positive and encouraging community of faith is the best tool we have to support those battling such things.  We must also cultivate a community that is ready to surround those in need, just as Bieksa and his wife surrounded Rypien.  “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.  For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.”  (Ecclesiastes 4:9 NIV).  Solomon’s regret is both an urge for those who are struggling to seek help and a call for His people to be welcoming for those in need.

Set Free

During the course of this research, it became clear that the field of mental health is not one that is widely discussed in the evangelical world.  On the contrary, what this research has suggested is that both the secular and the Christian world do not yet see God’s churches as a place to seek help and support when hopelessness hits.  In a country where the sport of hockey is worshipped more than any single religion, it is by no coincidence that we are confronted with Depression and suicide in the summer of 2011 of two hockey players.

Most, however, are not celebrities or professional athletes.  They are the David’s of the world, struggling to cope with a battle that seems too powerful to overcome, at times a battle between life and death.  It is this writer’s belief that the recent media coverage on such issues are God’s call for us to show where those who are struggling can be truly set free.  We see clearly, through Rypien, that even the world’s best ‘system’ is not enough.  Our God, who transcends all understanding, is the source of victory in conquering Depression and the temptation of suicide.  His people are His army in this battle we are still learning more of today.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Allen, Kevin.  “’Everything seemed positive’ before Rick Rypien’s death.”  http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/2011-08-16-rick-rypien-reaction_n.htm (accessed October 12, 2011)

Courageous, directed by Alex Kendrick.  Albany: Alabama Production Group/Sherwood Pictures, 2011.

ctvtoronto.ca.  “Retired Leafs enforcer Wade Belak found dead.”  CTVNews.ca, August 31, 2011.  http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20110831/wade-belak-dead-hotel-toronto-110831 (accessed October 12, 2011)

Landsberg, Michael.  “Landsberg: His Depression and His Friend, Wade Belak.”  TSN.ca, September 13, 2011.  http://www.tsn.ca/story/?id=375694 (accessed October 12, 2011)

Lawless, Gary.  “Rick Rypien remembered as great teammate.”  http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/Rick+Rypien+remembered+great+teammate/5261131/story.html (accessed October 12, 2011)

MacIntyre, Iain.  “Rick Rypien: the one everyone leaned on.”  Vancouver Sun, October 18, 2011 http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=vansun-ca-5564248 (accessed October 18, 2011)

Ministry of Health, “Depression (MDD) – Diagnosis and Management.”  Province of British Columbia.  http://www.bcguidelines.ca/guideline_mdd.html (accessed October 10, 2011)

moosehockey.com, “Raw: Rick Rypien Mar.08.11,” CanucksTV, 2:45.  http://video.canucks.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=101870 (accessed October 15, 2011)

Staff, “Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church.”  Barna Group, September 28, 2011.  http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church  (accessed October 1, 2011)

The Associated Press.  “Cause of Derek Boogaard’s death may be unclear for weeks.”  CTVNews.ca, May 14, 2011.  http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20110514/derek-boogaard-dead-110514 (accessed October 12, 2011)

The Canadian Press.  “Winnipeg Jets forward Rick Rypien found dead.”  CTVNews.ca, August 15, 2011.  http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20110815/rick-rypien-found-dead-110815 (accessed October 12, 2011)

TSN.CA Staff.  “Canucks Grant Forward Rypien Indefinite Leave of Absence.”  TSN.ca, November 25, 2010.  http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=342836 (accessed October 12, 2011)

Willes, Ed.  “Rypien wanted story told to help others battling depression.”  The Province, August 22, 2011.  http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Rypien+wanted+story+told+help+others+battling+depression/5291298/story.html (accessed October 12, 2011)

As written for Living Word‘s 17th Anniversary Magazine:

We’ve journeyed together for a significant period of time now.  Living Word is not just my church in Vancouver – it’s my family.

We have seen so much in the past years that I’ve had the privilege to walk alongside our English congregation.  New faces, new lives given to Christ, new disciples, new baptisms, and new leaders.

What I’m most excited about, however, is the renewed passion we now have for the lost in our community, and the renewed relationships we now have with our neighbours.

The move closer towards His Great Commission that we have had as a family in the past several years has been very inspiring.  Watching young people step to the forefront and serve God by loving their neighbours, whether young or old, tells me that the Gospel is alive in the hearts of our next generation and they are more eager than ever before to make a difference in our world.

All this made the decisions to step down from my role at our church that much more difficult.  I have grown to love Living Word - our kids, our youth, our parents, our elders.  There are uniquenesses in each of our generations at Living Word that make our church unique for His Gospel.  When we choose to strive for His Gospel, we have an up-and-coming children ministry for new families to be attached to, a vibrant youth ministry to impact the next generation of all people, great core families with parents eager to make a difference, and wise elders that are our most passionate prayer warriors.  If God is with us (and He is), who can stop us?

As I head down the new path of church planting, this is not a goodbye.  Yes, my current role as Youth Catalyst for the Canadian National Baptist Convention will keep me connected with Living Word, and I am thrilled for that opportunity.  However, families may have to live apart for reasons relating to serving our Lord, but that should not stop a family relationship from continuing.

While I kindly ask you all to be praying for me as I head down the uncharted territories of church planting, know that I will always be the biggest prayer cheerleader for our Living Word Youth.  I not only plan on visiting more than often, celebrating on the greater things that are yet to come at Living Word, but I will always be a phone call, Skype call, Facebook message, or a tweet on Twitter away (yes, things have changed since the days of letter writing…even the past four years have changed dramatically).

Let me conclude by asking you to humbly pray for The Common Place in these ways:

• Pray that the Lord will reveal to me clearly the people He is shaping to serve as part of a church planting team in Coquitlam
• Pray that the Lord will provide all that I need to best love the Coquitlam community
• Pray for the Coquitlam Centre community, that He will continue to soften hearts so that the people there may call Him their Father in Heaven one day

You can stay connected with the church plant, The Common Place, via our Web site at www.thecommonplace.ca.  You can also follow my personal updates at www.conradau.ca.

Thank-you for the privilege to walk alongside you all in the past years.  I look forward to continue connecting with you all in a new capacity.

To God Be The Glory!

This was a pretty good exercise in CSBS‘s Pastoral Ministries class that I thought I’d also share…

Conrad’s Personal Mission Statement

Conrad is placed on the Lord’s earth to love Him by loving all people in all circles, whether his own, those at the ends of the earth, and all points in between.

Most Important Principles and Values

From 1 Corinthians 10:23-33

Principle: Good of Others (v. 24)

Values in Decision Making:

1. Does this grow my relationship with God? (v. 23)
2. Does this help His Kingdom? (v. 23)
3. Does this cause others to stumble regardless of whether it affects me? (v. 28-29)
4. Am I giving Glory to God or am I glory-seeking (v. 31)
5. Am I trying to bring the message of salvation or am I trying to please people (v. 33)

That is, I believe, the greatest obstacle to the Christian Gospel – men.  God designed us to be the spiritual leaders of our household, for wives to trust their lives to us based on our intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father.  Yet, with no offense to amazing wives and mothers, we generally see women leading the way in families, and even our churches.

That’s what makes the upcoming movie Courageous (in theatres in Canada and the US on September 30) so much more powerful.  We see fathers, in very different circumstances of fatherhood, being united through connections in law enforcement to support one another in their journeys as fathers.  The circumstances they face are not those of a stereotypical church family, but circumstances that occur in our society far too often.

The movie will challenge fathers and husbands to reflect on how they are leading their own families, or whether they are even taking that responsibility seriously or not.  It will show wives just how powerful submission to their husbands can be.  It will even show children and youth why parents do what they do, to gain appreciation for the love their parents are trying to show them.

Courageous will change men.  It will change families.  It will change communities.  People of His church, be ready and willing to walk alongside our men and our families, so that they can not only be changed, but also inspire other families to align with our Heavenly Father.

Here’s a generic question: What is Church?

Some common answers would be “It’s a place where people gather once a week to worship God,” “A gathering of likeminded people in Christ,” “It’s a place to get equipped,” or “It’s a place to meet new people.”

You know, it has been so long since the Acts early church that we tend to not only neglect how those who had seen Jesus with their eyes ‘did’ church, but more important, the favour they got from the people and from God.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”  Acts 2:42

One verse, so much substance.  The basic four things the early church did were not buildings and church structures, not setting up systems and who’s in charge, but focusing on Jesus’ teachings, fellowship, The Lord’s Supper, and Prayer.  That’s it.  And the results?

“Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.”  Acts 2:43

Those four things created the ‘awe’ factor.  Everyone saw what was going on and were interested…but the Apostles weren’t done…

“All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.”  Acts 2:44-47a

They then shared and pooled all their resources to help one another.  They ate together.  They did all these things every day.  Nothing earth shattering, no revival preaching, no gorgeous temple buildings, but seemingly standard things.  And God’s response?

“And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:47b

Daily.  He added to their numbers daily.

In the past 10 years of serving God in various capacities, I’ve had to overcome some initial misconceptions about my personal relationship with God and how a church family works.  Usually, it’s in a retreat setting such as the one at Living Word’s Summer Conference where a reality gets knocked into me.  Over the span of two mornings, I shared with the Living Word family what I have learned.

Friday Morning: 5 Personal Misconceptions

1. I need to be older/need more experience/need more education to serve God.  That person is too young/only a new believer/has not finished a degree and therefore is not capable of leading. Jesus does not have time for us to play these mind games.  Anyone can serve God.  Genesis’ Joseph would not have been qualified to lead Egypt under these restrictions.  Joseph and Mary were teenagers when Jesus was born.  I’ve seen seventh graders lead kids program they had only graduated from a few months before.  I’ve even seen a six year old shouting for joy because his friend came to watch him play Upward Soccer – he had been praying for his friend to come to get to know Jesus.  Jesus won’t wait until we gained whatever it is we feel like we must have.  1 Timothy 4:11-12
2. I can only be satisfied at my church when I feel like I’ve gotten enough knowledge and care.  The church is not providing me enough spiritual food.If we all entered our church expecting to receive but not willing to give, everyone will leave disappointed.  The question to ponder after experiencing God at our church is not “What did I learn today?”, but rather, “How did God want to impact my heart today?”  In most situations, God always works to draw you closer to Him by serving others.  Faith and knowledge without works is dead.  When you don’t feel like you’ve been fed enough, have you pondered whether you’ve put His Words into practice?  Philippians 2:3, James 1:22-27.
3. In order to serve God at my church, I need a title beside my name.  That person only comes once in a while.  Therefore, he/she is not qualified to serve.When we care about titles, we always end up aiming for a higher status, feel disappointed when we don’t get it, and lose focus on where God has us.  We often forget that God is King, and the rest of us are equal.  The Lord led me to choose the name The Common Place for the new church plants because Solomon’s wisdom in Proverbs 22:2 says that we are all equal – we are all made by our Father in Heaven.  If we chase after a title, or look down upon those whose earthly title is less than ours, we’ll never be obedient.
4. My offerings speak enough for my love for God.  My response to God’s call is giving 10% of my earnings to His church.Giving money was never mandated in the Commandment or the Commission.  Therefore, our personal response to God’s call is not to make sure we meet the so-called 10% tithe – Jesus asked for all of us.  Notice how the rich was probably talking about how much they had just gave, and Jesus chose to point out the poor old lady who gave all she had – two coins.  She gave herself away.  That’s Jesus’ expectations of us.  Our personal weekly offering is only a start – it’s not the only way Jesus wants us to show love.  Luke 21:1-4.
5. I must not show any signs of weaknesses (i.e. apologies, emotions), or people may speak negatively of me.  I won’t have any respect for that person until I get the apology I deserve.That’s the way the world teaches us to think – to fend for ourselves, survival of the fittest.  The world says we always need to have the upper hand.  The world says to find ways to blame others before taking responsibility of our own actions.  The world says to protect ourselves from being hurt and to get even. Paul was wise.  His wisdom to the Romans is not to conform to the patterns of the world, but let God transform you.God’s will is good, pleasing, and perfect.  Our will of getting the upper hand, especially with our brothers and sisters, is far from it.  Romans 12:2.

Saturday Morning: 5 Misconceptions on Church

1. Ethnic churches need to treasure their ethnic traditions and culture over all else.  We should try to do things we used to in the old country back in the day.We must respect the elder and the wise.  However, our God is a moving God.  He’s already thinking ahead of us.  His Son was harsh on the Pharisees for their love for traditions.  The Pharisees couldn’t stand how Jesus was not adhering to their traditions, and called Jesus out on it.  Jesus was blunt – they were holding onto their traditions more than following the Commandments.  We’re in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 2011 – not our native country decades ago.  We must see how God is working around us and join Him, not expect God to work in the confines of our traditions and culture.  Matthew 15:1-14.
2. We should schedule evangelism Sundays/events as opportunities to reach our friends and neighbours.In the Greek Bible, the “Go” in the Great Commission can better be translated as “As you’re going.”  We don’t wait until specified times for evangelism.  Every day is evangelism.  Every time we gather is an opportunity to share the Gospel.  We don’t invite people to come listen to God – we go and bring the Gospel to our neighbours, to the ends of the world, and all points in between.  Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8
3. Being good stewards of money means only spending within our financial means for God’s Kingdom.  We should not risk what we have to go after something new.Jesus made it clear: those who choose to invest what they have will receive the Kingdom “Well done, good and faithful servant.”  Those who don’t and choose to treasure what they have on earth will be useless and face painful consequences that feels like our teeth being gnashed.  God will always provide – when we are obedient, He’ll provide with what we need.  When we are not and choose to sit idle, we render ourselves useless in His Kingdom and the needs we wait for will never come.  Matthew 25:14-30
4. Pointing out faults of our church is the best way to encourage change.  Speaking positively tells someone that they are good enough and they won’t try anymore.Paul described Jesus’ love for His church as one that would do anything to ensure that His church is holy, radiant, and blameless.  When we choose to nick pick on the shortcomings of our church, we are highlighting them to not only ourselves, but unfortunately to those who are seeking Jesus.  We turn people away from Christ when we choose to say that His church is not holy, radiant, and blameless.  In turn, should we see any shortcomings, we must do whatever it takes to turn that around through prayer and action.  Ephesians 5:25-27
5. Sunday is the most important day of our church.  Our church building is the most important place for the life of our church. Scripture says when two or more are gathered, He’s there with us.  In fact, Sunday in an established church should run itself.  It’s the work to connect with our lost friends, family, and neighbours that is vital.  In a city where new land for churches are not being zoned, we must realize that the work is out on the streets.  Just because a church has been so blessed to have its own building, it doesn’t mean we focus on up-keeping the building.  He’s there with us when two or more of us are there because He wants us moving out of our churches and connect with people.  Matthew 18:20