How is THAT 'church building'?

There are some ways that people serve at PCC. Some of them are easy to see as 'building the church'. Others are harder to connect to how we're making a difference in our community or world. I thought I'd name a few:

• Car Parkers. I have the most humble feeling when I'm around David Samuel or Wesley Redford or David Johnson or Joe Hodges or any number of folks who park cars at our Powhatan Campus. They stand out there in snow, rain, cold and wind, in their orange vests, in the wet gravel and mud, and there is the most peculiar expression on their face...a smile. Week after week. In between the 2 Sunday morning services at that campus, they manage the traffic jam, answer questions, squeeze in cars to maximize capacity, handle an occasional upset driver, and they never complain. But you know, people decide whether they like our church or not long before they ever get into the service. The parking folks are the front line - the real first impression. They set the stage for whether a person is open to an encounter with God that day. Every Sunday, parking attendants build the church.

• PCC Kids. It's not always easy to see the difference you are making when you've held a crying baby for an hour or tried to coral a group of energetic 6-year olds. But when you work with children, you build the church in 2 ways. First, you directly help those kids connect with God. Yes, it may be at a toddler level, but I can't tell you how many times my wife, Susan, tells me about how those kids talk about God, accurately quote the Bible, and even apply it to their lives. It matters. It's genuine church-building! Secondly, you allow parents to relax and connect with God in the big room, knowing their kids are safe and having fun and learning about God themselves. Every Sunday, people serving in PCC Kids build the church.

• Setup and tech folks. I've never met anyone who said, "Pastor, it's my dream come true to get up at 5:30 on my only day off and come to church to unload the trailer or get the equipment turned on and set up." But you know what...at both of our physical campuses, people do exactly that. Even at Powhatan, where we don't unload a trailer anymore, there is still someone at the building every single Sunday when I get there at 6:20. Ours is a high-tech, labor intensive production. I use that language on purpose and I don't apologize for it. Excellence matters. Technology is a great tool for reaching people. But it only works if enough people give their time to it. People often compliment or encourage me, Beth and Lindsay for what happens on the stage. But truth be told, we're only the last stop in a long line. Every Sunday, setup people and technical operators build the church.

There are LOTS more areas I could mention...that deserve to be mentioned. But I know I can get long winded, so I'm going to quit here.

I encourage you to become a church builder. Do something. Build somewhere. Make a commitment. We need you. God is calling you. Say yes. Contact serve@pccwired.net to find out how.

God builds churches through people like us.