A searchable, downloadable PDF of the original article appears below. Herman de Jong is coordinator of Friendship Groups Canada. You can get more information by writing Box 333, Jordan Station ON, LOR ISO.
Some churches call it the “Praise and Prayer” evening. Other churches emphasize Bible study. In either case, the evening has been set aside to be close to God. But it is more than that. It’s a time when church members share sorrow, hurts and happiness. This midweek church activity is a fine foundation for Christian fellowship. A church with this kind of ministry to its own members is usually alive for the Lord.
Churches which only meet for one hour on Sunday are bound to self-destruct eventually, even when sermons are exemplary expositions and even when praise reaches heavenward on the wings of a well-trained choir. The modern evangelical now knows that more is needed to be a fellowship of Christ. Church members need each other’s strengths and weaknesses to grow in their understanding and love of God, neighbour and self. Jesus himself needed this companionship. “Could you not stay awake with me for one hour?”
Today many midweek fellowship hours suffer. They are not as well- attended as they used to be. For most people weekday agendas are quickly filled. Despite all our work-saving gadgets, despite computers which were supposed to give us more leisure time, life seems to be busier and more stressful than ever. Unless the fellowship hour is really worthwhile and been given a fresh wind of originality, it’s easy to skip over it. Usually only the most committed members attend regularly.
But committed church members have an even greater time problem, for they can’t sleep in on Sundays and may spend additional hours in church during the week. They are the pillars of the church, the firm support all pastors depend on! They are called upon to fill church positions. But because they are so busy inside the church, they don’t have time to spread their wings of compassion over a hurting community. Their schedule is exemplary: God needs prime time, family and children quality time, and they need some moments for themselves to let the Spirit refuel their weary hearts. Finding themselves in the church-year treadmill, they sigh, “O.K., Lord — this is all I have time for, don’t expect miracles from me!”
A nagging question sometimes surfaces in my tumbling mind! How are we to understand Matthew 25:45 and 46 where Jesus proclaims, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Jesus had an eye for the hurts of his surrounding community. He could have taught the concepts of compassion and mercy from a cushioned sofa in a cozy house of Martha and Mary, but instead took to the road to meet the infirmities of his people head-on. In addition to in-depth Bible study with his disciples, he did all he could for “the least of these” in his immediate community!
Is it possible then that Christians who find comfortable shelter in Sunday and midweek religious observances, basking in the love of God and fellow church members, might be destined for eternal punishment if they can’t be bothered with the hurts of the community? Are we spending too much time catering to our own spiritual needs? Are we slumbering while our Lord wrings his hands in agony? Can we be so sure that the all-encompassing grace of our Lord and Saviour will cover this sin of omission? Could it be that being busy with the “least of these” has been ordained by God to enhance a “fullness of faith” within us?
In our rapidly changing society, time has become a highly-valued commodity. Maybe the function of the midweek fellowship evening must be reconsidered. Perhaps it leaves church members little time to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the community. Let’s not hide behind our government’s welfare system. Presently “the least of these” include mentally and physically handicapped persons, lonely seniors which we have put out of sight and thus out of mind in old-age homes, the drug addict, the homosexual and the young girl with child but without a husband. Within a stone’s throw of your church lies a hurting community of such dimensions that it should boggle our Christian minds.
Does your fellowship evening look at all like a closely-knit club or religiously well-programmed, polite, well-fed, well-groomed people? Then the time may have come to break through the exclusiveness of the evening and combine the first and foremost purpose of the fellowship hour with outreach to the community. That combination will create an atmosphere of excitement and joy, and your midweek activity will flourish as never before.
How can it be done? Begin with those hurting segments of your community which can be reached relatively easily: senior citizens who are perceived to be too old and brittle to come to church, and mentally handicapped persons living in group homes or with their parents. Transportation to and from church will not be a problem. Additional church members will be attracted to the new format of fellowship, so there won’t be a lack of chauffeurs.
The seniors will fit in quite readily in your traditional program for the evening. Make sure they have easy chairs. You may have to install one or two more loudspeakers. Sing a few hymns they grew up with and . . . talk to them!
Integrating mentally handicapped people into your evening takes a bit more effort. Since their functioning levels vary so much, part of the evening needs to be a one-to-one program for them, in which they learn about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit at their own level of understanding. A suitable room is needed where 5-10 mentally handicapped Bible students and their 5-10 volunteer/teachers can meet together part of the evening. The Bible story told by the group leader should be followed by one-to-one sessions where volunteer/teachers reinforce and apply the lessons, building relationships which carry over outside the fellowship meeting. Towards the end of the evening this group will join the main audience for further socializing. Several find spiritual development curricula have been published by various denominations. For the last three years I have been promoting “Friendship Bible Clubs” for mentally handicapped people and now over 150 Canadian churches use the “Friendship Series” published by CRC Publications. Most of our Friendship Clubs have 10-30 students, so it must be relatively easy to attract them.
I would not have written this article had I not discovered that fine churches with fine midweek-fellowship- hours hesitated to include the Friendship ministry. Some pastors alluded to the time element. Although I touched upon a program I am most familiar with, I did not have promotion in mind. Far more important in the blessed Kingdom of our Saviour is his mandate to open up to the community!
Add new life to your midweek evening, and keep on praising God from whom all blessing flow!