I spent almost 10 years pastoring a church that met in a High School. Every Sunday was the equivalent of moving a small house, unpacking all our equipment and then loading it back up. So when it snowed like it did this past weekend it made it really difficult to hold services. Most of the time we’d make it happen. Sometimes we’d go acoustic, not have coffee and not have children’s ministry. And other times, on the rare occasion, we’d cancel.

Now that I’m at a church with a building, it’s a whole different thing. Here’s a few thoughts:

1. Those that lead a portable church…my heart, goes out to you. Every decision you make is more complex. Sure the bills are larger for me now, but just showing up and turning the heat on is a whole lot simpler than living out of a cargo trailer.
2. People work just as hard in every church. For example, this last Sunday, after we had about a foot of snow over the night, a member showed up at 6:30 AM (without being asked) and started shoveling snow. Wow!!! That’s a guy who understands what our mission is! Thanks Charley!
3. I’m responsible to Christ for my service. Whether the place is packed out or I find myself preaching to a few diehards with 4-wheel drive, I’m called. Period. I will love those that are there, not fret over those that aren’t!
4. The coffee always tastes better when it’s freezing outside. What I mean is this: when these kinds of weekends come around, it does something special in a church family. I will always remember Ian, our worship leader, leading worship with his snowboarding boots. I’ll remember hearing Bob’s story because we turned the 8:30 AM service into a small group discussion. These are the kinds of experiences that we all look back on and say, “Remember when…?”

I could go on and on but the bottom line is this: There’s churches of every variety all full of hard working, dedicated and faithful people. If you don’t attend one, you might find this hard to believe but we do it all for you.