There are many beneficial reasons to participate in the life of a church, whether you’re a strong person of faith or not. Whether you’re looking for a comfortable community of people or you just want to deepen your faith, involving yourself in a church might be right for you. That is why Gethsemane came up with 8 reasons to be involved in a church and invites you to give our church a try!
1. To Enjoy the Community & Events
One good reason to get involved in a church is connecting with and enjoying your community. Get closer with people who live right in your neighborhood and create meaningful relationships that will last a lifetime. A church is not just a place to go to on Sundays, but rather a gathering of people who have committed to walking their spiritual journey with others rather than alone. At Gethsemane, we certainly don’t agree with each other on everything, but support one another as we delve deeper into our relationship with God on our quest to be fully mature individuals and whole human beings.
2. To Use Your Gifts
God has gifted every person with natural gifts, like singing, intelligence, being good with numbers or being handy fixing things. There are also spiritual gifts that, when used, build up the church and community in unique and positive ways. Some people don’t realize these gifts have a spiritual element, and that is why some call them ‘charismatic gifts.’ They are dynamic and beneficial in our interpersonal relationships, adding value and depth to our life together. Gifts like leadership or teaching are easy to recognize, but the gift of encouragement is one that is often overlooked. Other charismatic gifts are generosity, being able to see the big picture (In the scriptures, this is usually called ‘prophecy’ or ‘wisdom’), and graciousness. There are more of course, but I hope you get the idea.
3. To Discover Your Purpose
If you’re feeling lost or uncertain about things in your life, participating in the life of a church can help you discover your purpose and gain the clarity you may be searching for. You will be invited to participate in various projects or acts of service. We believe God can use all of our experiences and talents for good, but sometimes it is hard to understand how it all fits together. As church members get to know you, they can also speak words of encouragement and affirmation into your life that may help you find your overall purpose and sort out your priorities.
4. To Create Personal & Spiritual Connections
Create meaningful personal and spiritual connections while being church together. You get to meet many different people from various walks of life who have but one goal; to live well. What does that mean? It means living in harmony with God, with your neighbor and with the world. It means being a blessing to those around you rather than a drain on society. It means using the gifts you have been given for good. It means being in healthy relationships with not only the people around you, but the environment and the global community as well. Getting closer to your community and your faith will aid you on this journey.
5. To Worship
Worshiping with other people who care about their faith can give you a boost that lasts all week long. Hearing the scriptures, confessing our need for God’s grace and forgiveness, singing hymns and songs with lyrics that uplift and instruct, joining in discussions about the message, spending time in prayer with others, receiving the sacraments—all of it is spiritual food to sustain you for the journey—but you have to take it in. It is possible to be in the room, hearing but not paying attention, singing the songs but not taking in the message, sitting through prayers but not actually praying. It happens to us all some of the time. All of those parts are doorways to worship, but they are not worship in and of themselves. Worship is when we surrender ourselves to the Spirit in the moment and everything else falls away. Worship joins us with God and others in a mystical, wonderful way. Worship can happen in any kind of setting with any kind of liturgy, but we have found that for us, the ancient and regular pattern of gathering, word, meal, sending helps us attend to the holy and be in the moment. Join us for Sunday Worship, either online, on our Gethsemane Lutheran San Diego Facebook page or in person in our Chapel (at 9:30am) to see how worshiping with a beautiful community of people can be highly beneficial to your faith.
6. To Learn the Bible
If you don’t read the Bible often, regularly coming to church will help you learn the scriptures and allow you to hear and study the Word. At Gethsemane, you will generally hear three scripture passages read, and at least one of them will be the focus of the message. We use the Revised Common Lectionary as our guide, meaning that over the course of three years, we hear the majority of the Bible read to us during the service. We also have a text study on Mondays to delve into the scriptures for the coming weekend more deeply so they can speak to us all week long. We believe the foundational message of the Bible is that God’s power is love, God’s purpose is love, and God’s presence is love.
7. To Participate in the mission of God
Some people say the church’s mission is to do God’s work. We say God’s mission has a church! Maybe we are saying the same thing, but churches organize mission projects, events or even trips so that members of the congregation can share the love of Jesus through caring for the bodies, minds, and spirits of people in need, whether they have ever heard of Jesus or not. Being of service to others is a great way to deepen your faith and build community.
8. To Practice Generosity
Being part of a church community helps you to be mindful of others and practice generosity. You can give donations that support the work of God through this congregation, of course, but also give of your time and talents, pray for others, or just speak with others within your church community about our lives draws us closer to one another and to God. We are called to be a blessing to those around us. We do that better together.
Join Our Gethsemane Community!
We hope that these 8 reasons to be involved in a church help you with your decision to join the Gethsemane community. At Gethsemane we do God’s work in Christ’s name for the life of the world. Give us a call at (858) 277-6572 or click here to learn more!
