Last week we looked at the format of our mid-week meetings. This week, we’ll look at who these meetings are for. There’s a perception that mid-week meetings are in some way closed, or private meetings just for members. Very often, men are particularly put-off coming, out of a fear that they will be pressured to lead in prayer. It’s worth remembering what happens at our mid-week meetings – teaching and prayer:
Teaching
Firstly, they are for people who are serious about growing in their faith and knowledge of the Lord. In Romans Paul wrote, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” One service on a Sunday – about 30 minutes teaching a week – is barely enough to build a serious Christian worldview. Taped sermons or the internet can be a good supplement to this, but faith is really built up through teaching closely linked to your own life. So if you are interested in getting deeper into God’s word, to strengthen your faith, mid-week meetings are for you.
Prayer
Secondly, they are for anyone who cares about the work and witness of our Church. The Church isn’t like other organisations, growing solely through the efforts of its people. The Church depends on God to work. Despite every event we organise, we cannot change a single heart; transform a single life; or comfort a single grieving person, without the Spirit of God working in and through us. Our corporate congregational prayer meeting – the first Wednesday each month – is vital to the health and wellbeing of our Church. You might not verbally say much, or anything, while you are there, but you are still part of the fellowship of people praying for God’s blessing in our community.
Of course, for many legitimate reasons (e.g. work, family, distance), people who want a deepening faith and knowledge, or who care deeply about our work and witness, aren’t always able to come. But the real issue is ensuring that nobody feels they need to have special status or experience before they are willing to come.
Thinking allowed 