What does it mean to Belong? Where do you feel like you have a sense of belonging? The dictionary describes to belong as “to be accepted and liked by the other people in a group”. We believe at Orchard Hill that a church family is a group of people where anyone should feel like they belong, no matter their story. What we are consistently finding, however, is that our value of “belonging” doesn’t match our practice enfolding others into our community. The results of this year’s Natural Church Development Survey showed, that out of the eight quality characteristics found in all growing churches, “loving relationships” was near the bottom on our survey results. Simply put, this research shows that Orchard Hill struggles in embracing people in loving relationships and helping people feel like they belong. For instance, how willing are we to spend time with someone new outside of official church-sponsored events. How often do we invite a friend we met at church over for meals or a cup of coffee? How generous are we in doling out compliments and encouragement to one another? As a church we must remember that Jesus calls us to “love one another.” Why? Jesus knew loving relationships, in a fractured world, would give great magnetic power to His church. When someone finds a place to belong with a group of people who love them, it becomes a place they want to stay. As a part of Orchard Hill, will you challenge yourself to look and find someone new around you and invite them into your life and group and let them know that Orchard Hill is a place where they belong?
Pastor Bob Karel
