She sat alone on the wall outside the main entrance to the church.

During worship practice, she would come in and stand in the back of the sanctuary. But when we finished playing a song, she moved back outside to her wall.

When practice was finished, I went outside to visit with her. “You can come in if you like,” I quietly invited. She looked up and replied, “I have never done this before - been to church before. I saw that you have Sunday School for children and I would like to come to that, but I have never done this before.”

Quickly, I glanced at the sign. Yes, Children’s Church was there, but nothing about Sunday School. So, I explained to her about Children’s Church. Yes, she would like that. One of our Children’s Church teacher’s was in the back. I introduced the girl to her. Sammi sat with her during worship.

But I didn’t know that Sammi was unable to do Children’s Church that week. My son, who often helps with the kids, took the kids up with another adult to teach Children’s Church - with no preparation.

“Mom! I had no idea what to teach! So, I told them about Noah and the ark. During the flood, Noah had to have faith to believe that God would keep His promises to save Noah and his family and that everything would be all right.” He then told me that the girl had come up to him after the lesson. She told him that she had never heard a Bible story before.

She also told him that she was originally from Illinois. Her town, which was right next to the Mississippi River, was flooded this spring. Two weeks ago, she moved two doors down from the church. Massachusetts is a whole new world for her. She knows no one!

Ed had no idea what to teach, but God gave him just the right things to say! Now, this girl knew that there was a God and that He was going to make sure she would be all right!

She came back again this week, but she no longer needed to sit alone on the wall. The church had become a welcoming place to her, a place where she could belong.

Sometimes, we feel in order to do great things for God, we need a large crowd, an auditorium, and TV cameras. But really, the great things for God are done in the relationships we make - one at a time.

If you feel that you can’t do great things for God, I would like to encourage you to stop looking at large crowds and start looking right outside your door. Ask God to show you the people who are sitting alone on the wall in your community. Go be a friend to them. And then watch Him do great things!

Tags: Ministry Relationships God

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