Created for Community

I began attending Champion in the spring of 2015. For years I was content with sneaking in late, slipping out early – merely existing within the congregation. Church bonfires? No, thanks. Serve on a Dream Team? Not for me. Join a Bible study? Hard pass. It wasn’t that I was anti-social or unwilling to engage. I felt that I wasn’t “churched” enough to fit in.

I didn’t grow up attending church, I probably couldn’t have quoted even the most well-known of scriptures, and although I had found a church I loved, I was still very much living in the world. The enemy took these facets of my life and illuminated them, rendering me stuck just going through the motions. If they were giving out awards for “Has Attended Champion the Longest While Never Participating Outside of a Sunday,” my name would have been on it; I was the poster child for not getting involved.

But God hasn’t created us to do it alone, has He? Instead, He has created us for community. When we become believers, finding a home church and joining a fellowship of believers are expectations to grow our faith.

The longer I didn’t get plugged in, the more I felt God encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone and jump into all the opportunities our Champ Fam offered. As I wanted to grow spiritually, learn more, and be able to pour out my cup to others, I realized that worrying about what I believed were insufficiencies compared to other Christians was keeping the focus on me. God began checking my ego.

After dipping my toes into serving by joining a Dream Team, I finally decided to join a Champion Group. When the evening of the first meeting came, I tried to talk myself out of going. Despite my anxiousness, I followed through. The feelings of inadequacy I carried before fled no more than a few minutes into the gathering. Upon attending, no one posed theological questions that uncovered my lack of Bible knowledge. I didn’t feel like an outsider. I wasn’t the only “newer” Christian. I had fun, I fellowshipped, and I enjoyed every minute!

Fast forward to today– I am still actively participating in the Elle Champ Group I chose to connect with years back. As Christians, we need like-minded individuals for encouragement and support. The Bible informs us in Proverbs 27: 17 that “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” We benefit from sharing in the good and the bad; we can delight in each other’s blessings and stand together in prayer when we face troubles. Over the years, as a group, we have not only been there to offer meals and shower each other for marriages and new babies, but we have formed bonds and grown in our spiritual maturity with one another.

Whether you can relate to my journey of getting connected or are eager to be more involved, I strongly encourage you to learn more about joining a Champ Group. I can honestly say that it has made all of the difference in my spiritual walk. Romans 12: 4-5 states, “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Christ created us for community, so take the next step and connect!