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Marsh Corner Community Chruch
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Marsh Corner Community Church
317 Pelham Street
Methuen, Massachusetts 01844
www.marshcorner.com
On Sunday, August 11, 2002, I worshiped at Marsh Corner Community Church.
I almost did not go to church. I had left Maine the day before (see Travel Tip and Prayer Request – Maine) and could not find a hotel. I had to drive all the way to Massachusetts. I arrived very late and knew I was going to be tired.
I asked the hotel staff about churches and they did not believe they had any. I assured them that they had churches and encouraged them to find one.
I called my husband and told him I might miss church the next morning. I have not missed a Sunday on this trip. It was after mid-night and I had no idea where to go the next morning. I felt like a child and I wanted my husband to give me permission to miss church. I even rationalized that if God wanted me to go to church, we was going to have to work with me and help me find one. My husband wisely said that was between God and me.
When we hung up, I looked in the yellow pages. I picked them because they were at an exit that I had just passed. I called the telephone number and blessedly, it gave the times of their services and a list of their beliefs. I felt comfortable worshipping there. I went to church because I committed to be faithful to church. I even got up in time to do my quiet time with God.
I felt God’s presence as soon as I walked into the building. I worship at Southside Baptist Church in Jacksonville Florida. I miss it when I’m gone. It is a wonderful church that is filled with Spirit of God. This trip has taught me what a gift I have in Southside Baptist Church. I now regret any Sunday I ever missed church. At Marsh Corner, I felt like I was at home.
Sunday School was wonderful. I described the lesson in the story, Solitude With God.
The worship was a wonderful blend of prayer, singing, Bible reading, a sermon, and the Lord’s Supper.
The topic was The Unity Of The Church.
As I listened to the pastor, I was impressed with his leadership skills. He spoke clearly about what was important in this church. He firmly stated that they serve a God of love.
He said that in essential beliefs, they must have unity.
Eph 4:1-6
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit- just as you were called to one hope when you were called- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
(from New International Version)
He said that in non-essential beliefs they must allow liberty.
Rom 14:1-4
Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
(from New International Version)
Rom 14:12
So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
(from New International Version)
Rom 14:22-23
So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.
(from New International Version)
They exist to serve God in all that they are and all that they do. He pointed out that every church must know those areas where they will not compromise and never sacrifice truth for the sake of unity. The church is not about pleasing people. It is about serving God.
He talked about a God that loves us unconditionally and said that God is much more interested in who we are than what we do. He pointed out that what we do is driven by who we are.
With tears in his eyes, he closed by saying that we should never take our church for granted. He said we exist because God wills it. It is not about us. It is about Him. It is not about what a wonderful work we are doing as a church. It is about what a wonderful God we have.
When they observed the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, they stated that they believed the church is the total body of believers. They invited anyone who is a believer to participate. I felt loved and included.
This church teaches about a God of Love. They stand firm in their faith and are not ashamed to proclaim the truth.
Their church is located in a very nice residential area. They have a bus ministry that goes into the inner city. They had 27 children accept Christ in their vacation Bible School. They attempt to draw the families of these children into the loving embrace of the church.
Ron and Dottie are church members. They are very active in church. Ron led the music in the early service. Dottie helps with the woman’s ministry. I met their adult son and his girlfriend. Their son is considering going into the mission field. He was in my Sunday School class and I learned from his comments.
I noticed Ron and Dottie because they sat in church with their arms around each other. They have been married for 30 years and are still in love. Ron is an executive with a manufacturing company and Dottie is a homemaker.
They asked me to lunch after church. I gladly accepted. They took me to a place right on the water. We sat outside. We prayed together. We had so much fun feeding the ducks, geese, and fish. I love to spend time with people that make me laugh.
They shared their story with me. They were not Christians when they married and began a family. When their children were 7 and 4, this church offered to bus their children to church. Since they would enjoy a Sunday morning all to themselves and they felt their children were safe, they said yes.
The children loved the church. They could not wait to go to church on Sundays. One Sunday, their young son asked why he went to church and they did not. The question haunted them and eventually they visited the church.
It took a while but they accepted Christ at age 30. That was years ago.
Their children became Christians. Adding Christ to their home changed their relationships and their home. Both of their adult children are active in their churches. All 4 of them are leaders in their church.
Praise God for a church that loves people enough to bus their children to church without judging the parents that will allow it. Praise God for blessing the ministry and loving His church.
After church, I watched the people laughing and talking. They did not want to go home. Adults played with the children. They had an excellent children’s church. They were a community of God. Children were happy and not bored. Everyone told me about how much they love their church.
Do you love God? Do you love God’s church?
Are you faithful to God’s church? We are instructed to go to church. We do not give our children a choice about school, brushing their teeth, or taking baths. We do not wake up on a work morning to make a decision about going to work. Church is more important than teeth, baths, or work. God knew how much we needed church when he gave it to us and told us to attend.
Do you understand the importance of unity in your church? Do you discipline yourself to talk about what is right instead of what is wrong with your church? Do you accept the essential beliefs of the New Testament and not waste time arguing about non-essential beliefs?
Do you fully understand that our church is there because God willed it? Do you understand that it is a gift? Do you accept and unwrap this gift with a grateful heart each Sunday?
Do you understand that we go to church to serve God and not to have the church serve us?
If the answer is no to any of these things, I want to issue you a challenge.
Go to a good Christian church and Sunday School for the next six Sunday’s. Do not miss a single Sunday, even if you are on vacation.
For those six weeks, take the suggestions offered by the pastor and Sunday School teacher.
While at church, be fully present with a cheerful heart. Participate in the singing and the ordinances and listen to the sermon. Give an offering. Pray when they pray. Sing when they sing. Clap when they clap.
Discipline your mind to focus on what is right with the church. If a negative thought enters your mind, banish it. Relax and accept what is good and leave the rest.
On the drive home, tell someone everything good that happened at church.
In your prayer times, ask God to give you the privilege of serving in His church. Thank him for His church.
Do this faithfully for six weeks. If you do this for six weeks, I believe it will have a dramatic effect on you and your church.
Your church will start becoming as wonderful as you see it.
You will fall more in love with God and God’s church.
Your service will be a joy. You will have more time and not less.
You will love giving your money and you will not miss the money that you give. You will trust that it is being used well.
You will be blessed by the church. You will become a blessing to the church.
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