Once a month church

By Pastor Di on 8/4/11

While in Hawaii recently, I drove past a large park on a sunny Sunday morning.  Surrounding the park were banners and signs announcing that “Once a month church” was setting up for a service.  After researching this organization a little I have discovered that its primary objective is to be an outreach to the homeless but the NAME caused a reaction in me that I can’t ignore, mostly because it seems that for Western Washington Christians, going to church once a month is not too unusual.

At Canyon Creek, one of our core values is to be relational. This means we care about each other.  It means we believe in each other, rejoice with each other and walk through difficult things together.  Relational means that this place is a family, and YOU are a part of that family!  We want to create an environment where you are safe to heal and to grow, where you can work through your pain and where you can use your God-given gifts.  We want people to be drawn here because they sense something here (Jesus in each of us!) that they don’t sense anywhere else!  In a relational church everyone matters and everyone is valuable. In fact at Canyon Creek, we say that “everyone is invaluable and irreplaceable!”

The problem is, when you aren’t here, you aren’t building relationships.  When you aren’t here, you aren’t caring for each other, rejoicing with each other and walking through difficult things together.  When you aren’t physically present at church, you aren’t emotionally or spiritually present either.  You may care about what is happening, but you aren’t here to demonstrate it.  And when the healthy people aren’t here, the broken don’t have family to lean on, and when the broken people aren’t here, the healthy don’t have the opportunity to encourage the hurting and utilize their gifts. It is how God intended for us to operate; in community; in RELATIONSHIP.
Of course I should give all sorts of disclaimers, like “I know you go on vacation, attend your kids’ sporting events, get sick and sometimes are exhausted. “  But I shouldn’t have to give those disclaimers, because if relationships are important to you, you’ll be here as much as you can, and that will be more than once a month.  Don’t be a once a month Christian with piles of excuses for why you are only at church once a month.  Help us create a community that has authentic, caring relationships. It is good for you, and for everyone else.  We all need relationships and we need each other.  You were destined to join your family more than once a month!

Back to Top