April 20, 2013

Toward the end of WWII, a group of American soldiers carried the bodies of their fallen comrade to a nearby cemetery for burial. They were greeted by a priest who let them know he could not bury their friend in the cemetery because it was a Catholic cemetery and their friend was not Catholic. Disappointed, the soldiers carried their friend to a nice spot just outside the fence wanting to get him as close as possible to the sacred ground. There they dug a small grave and buried him following a humble ceremony. The following day when the soldiers returned to pay their final respects, they were surprised that they could not find their friends grave. After a brief search they went looking for the priest to inquire about what happened to the grave. The priest enlightened them, “After you left I spent the first half of the night feeling sorry for what I told you, and the send half I spent moving the fence.”

 

Me to We is about belonging. There is a ME part to belonging and also a WE part. Belonging is part acceptance and part commitment. Belonging begins with being accepted but you don’t fully belong until you commit to the group that accepted you.

 

It means you commit to becoming as more concerned about others belonging as you are about belonging.

 

It means you commit to trusting God’s people in the same way you trust Him and submit to them like you submit to Him.

It means submitting to the mission of the church even when that means you move some fences and soften some boundaries to allow you to open up to people who aren’t like you.

Do you want to make the move from “Me to We”? Then you will want to take some of the following steps:

·         Get involved in a LIFE Group

·         Find someone to mentor or shepherd

·         Sign up for a membership class and take the step to join

·         Get better acquainted with someone you don’t know well in the church

·         If you know someone who has trouble belonging and help them.

·         Look for a need in the church and commit to serve there

·         Find something completely out of your comfort zone and tackle it

 

When a church can make the shift from ME to WE, we can see people of every race and class and social strata coming together community to worship and serve. When the shift happens belonging is easy and fellowship is real and people feel safe.

 

Are there some fences you need to move?