"A Neat Encounter"

We just finished our Wednesday evening program at church- things are scaled back a bit due to it's being summer, but we still have Wednesday Night Dinner followed by a Bible study and prayer time. Normally the group of 20-30 folks is made up of pretty much the same people. That's not a bad thing... I'm just saying that most of the faces are familiar each week. Tonight, a 20-something young lady entered and sat down just as we were finishing dinner, and no one knew her. She happened to sit next to me, and I introduced myself ("Hi, I'm Chuck. What's your name?") She told me. I welcomed her and folks around our table all said hi. We made sure she got a glass of water and a slice of coconut cake.

We started our Bible study, and as a good discussion began, I heard an unfamiliar voice join in. It was the new young lady I'd just met. She contributed to the discussion several times over the next thirty minutes, at times somewhat passionate about the topic at hand. When everything was wrapping up, I had a chance to speak to her one-on-one. She's a busy person- full-time student with full-time job. I told her about our Sunday worship and Bible study, and invited her back to Wednesday evenings. I really hope she'll return.

But what impressed me the most was that she came all alone to a place she'd never been, to a setting which provided little if any anonymity, and she joined right in. I mean, it was like she was one of the family. I hear and read a lot today about "seeker sensitivity" in churches- how focused we must be on making things suitable for the guests who might come our way. Sometimes we give that so much attention that we might overlook the fact that the Holy Spirit is still at work in the hearts of people who are honestly seeking. And especially for those He brings our way, for those who are seeking a God-encounter, we just need to "be" the Body of Christ. I think that happened tonight, and it was a neat encounter to witness.