"Visitors Welcome" Sign Part II

That God is something else, isn't He?
He did it again.
Back on September the 6th, I wrote how a man from Arkansas showed up for the Sunday service at Northside Baptist because of the sign out front of the church. Nothing fancy about the sign. No catchy phrasing or pithy sentences on it. A very simple fact that does reflect the people who attend.

        "Visitors Welcome"

The man from Arkansas, who stopped by, came back for the monthly business meeting the next Wednesday, and brought a friend with him. He made the same comment over and over..."this place feels like my home church".

Well, it happened again yesterday, but this time God added a little twist to it.

Half way through the service, the back door to the church opened, and a couple came into the sanctuary and found a place on the back row. Being as informal as we are, we welcomed them, told them we were glad they had chosen us to be with. First words out of their mouth..."We were looking for a church...we saw your sign and decided to stop."

O.k....now that was pretty cool, but here is the  main thing about their visit.
After the meeting, I was talking with them when the man noticed a box that we use to collect food to be taken to Vineyard ReCovery Church to be given away to the needy. He asked me about the connection between this little country church and a church located downtown Gadsden. But before I could reply to him, he said, "I use to go there on Saturday nights years ago. I was a bad alcoholic and it was a place that God used to set me right." I told him that I was the pastor who was over that meeting. 

Here was the second time (the first being at Seth Barber's recovery meeting when a woman came up and told me how she'd been set free at the old HOUSE OF BLUE Saturday night service) that God had sent someone to let me know of the impact our meeting had on their life. Now I am fully aware that the meeting was all God's doing. I Just tried to be faithful with what He'd called me to. But it was nice to hear an update on a life that had been affected by what took place in that meeting years ago.

I guess the point to this is that we may never know how people were affected and change by God through the little things we do....a smile or a hug...or words that we spoke which God used to change a life.

Again I went away from a meeting full of encouragement and wonder of how this God operates. Never discount the acts or words of kindness you offer to someone else. God will use those things.

God on you...

mbb