Handing out an "attaboy"

I've got to hand out a HUGE "attaboy" to my RCC family today. You guys are the best.

A little background for those of you who aren't in the Franklin area. Our church is partnering with LifePoint Church over in Smyrna, TN to put a team of Christ-followers in Thailand. That team will be working with local college students (and others) to introduce them to Christ through conversations, interactions and community. Last week, we sent the team down to Atlanta for some final training over the next few months before they head overseas. They were to arrive this past weekend, enter into furnished housing and begin their training and interaction with the international community there. Problems began almost immediately upon their arrival, not the least of which was an apartment fire in the building next to theirs. The final straw came when Fire Department personnel could not turn heat and hot water back on due to codes violations. Our families were experiencing the coldest winter in years (so much for global warming theories) with no heat or warm water for their kids.

So, early this week, the team was scrambling to find suitable housing for all of these families. That came some time early on Tuesday morning. The problem? None of the units was furnished and these families had sold all of their furniture in preparation for their move.

That brings me to yesterday afternoon. It's late in the day when both of our churches got the word that the team had housing but no beds or other furniture. Our respective staffs went into action and that's when the body of Christ really starts to show off. We sent an email to the RCC family around 3:30 to let them know of the needs of our missionary family. By 5:30 p.m. we had received donations for every single item on the list but one...and that one item was receiving cash donations to purchase that item. LifePoint Church had seen the same kind of response. By 7:30 last night (Tuesday) we had completely furnished an apartment for a family of five. I even had one church member say today that they received the second e-mail saying "No more donations. We've got everything taken care of" before she had even read the first asking for assistance.

That's what a pastor loves to see. You guys are awesome. When a need arises, you step up and step in and blow away expectations. Talk of depressed economy and lower budgets means nothing. When it comes time to minister, you really, really shine. That's why I love being the pastor of RCC. You really get it what it means to influence our community for Christ

(P.S. I'm sure Pastor Pat over in Smyrna is saying the same thing this morning. By the way, if you're looking for a great church or a place to take your lost friends and you live over in that area of Middle Tennessee, look no further. LifePoint is an awesome fellowship. Of course, if you live in Franklin, you've got to go no further than RCC to find that kind of fellowship. You might expect a proud pastor to say that. )