I was raised attending Woodland Heights Christian Church in Crawfordsville, Indiana, with my family. Through the years, I have always tried to stay connected to the people there, at least through my parents. I return with my family every few years and enjoy a time of worship with them. This year on the first week of October, I was visiting my mother along with two of my boys, and we all attended Church together. 

It is fascinating how much the Church has changed through the years. There have been building upgrades, staff changes, new leadership, and a new worship area, contemporary worship added, and most attendees are people I have never met. This past visit reminded me how different things could become in just the five years since my last time there. 

Equally amazing to me are the things that stayed the same. I saw a retired staff member and friend who has been a part of the Church since my high school days. One of the elders was part of a Sunday School class I once attended. Several “senior saints,” along with my mother, are still a part of the Church and have a traditional worship time each Sunday. One of the worship leaders has been doing it since I was a child. Despite all the changes, I was amazed and encouraged by those who have spent a lifetime in that one Church community. 

The Church is an ever-changing group of people, and I am thankful for the ones who have remained faithful all these years.

Then I think about the Church I lead and wonder who will be here in another five or ten years. Who will still serve Jesus in this community twenty or thirty years from now? One dream for my ministry is not just to build up believers but to bring them together for a lifetime.

I know that people come and go, but I am overly thankful for those who stay. They have blessed my life, and I know many still bless others today. Thank God for the faithful few.