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The Church
The first congregation I served as a staff member was Pilgrims Rest Church in my hometown of Fairdealing. This lovely church was planted by my dad when I was a high school freshman. After graduating from college, I became their youth pastor and helped establish and lead the church’s new Christian school.
Although I was quite young, it was a wonderful experience and I have many great memories of that sweet church. We worshipped God together for five years. These were good times filled with loving friends who eagerly served God and our community. When it became clear that my formal ministry there was coming to an end, it was very emotional for me and others. This was the church family I grew up in and who had consistently loved my family and me.
I have been blessed to serve six congregations in nearly 40 years of ministry, each one has a special place in my heart. However, there is something special about Pilgrims Rest. So, it was gut-wrenching to hear that the church building I had literally helped build, and where I first served as a young pastor, had burned. To make matters worse the fire was likely set by an arsonist.
I was thousands of miles away visiting my son who is in the Navy when I heard. The fire started in the early morning hours one recent Sunday. When the flames were finally extinguished only the badly damaged front wall of the brick building was standing. Windy conditions the following week blew down that last wall.
The destruction of that special church was difficult to process. However, while Pilgrims Rest was shaken it was not ruined in the fire. I do not mean the church building is still standing, it is not. The horrible fire that destroyed their building did not destroy the church.
Let me explain. As the Apostle Paul concluded his first letter to the Corinthians he wrote, “The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.” (1 Corinthians 16:19, NIV, emphasis added)
Allow me to make an important technical point. Scripture never refers to a building as a church; that use of the word only developed much later. Followers of Christ who meet to worship, learn and serve God are the church.
While I have many wonderful memories which took place in that building, that house of worship was never the church. It was the place the church met. The church is currently meeting in another building made available by another local church. The story of this resilient church is far from over. While a fire destroyed their building on Nov. 17, it did not destroy the church, Pilgrim’s Rest is still alive and well.