By Jen Hurley

My time spent with World Service Corps in the British Isles was an eye opening experience of what outreach within our church should be.  The theme for the year 2007 in the British Isles has been “Open Doors.”  I had the pleasure of visiting many of the churches in the British Isles.  Many have small attendance on Sunday mornings, but the heart and the dedication far surpass anything I have ever seen in a church setting.  Not only are the church doors open on Sunday Morning, but in Clay Cross, England, Monday nights see not one but two youth group services that attract between 40 to 60 kids each.

The Denton congregation has a youth group meeting five nights per week.  Each church that I attended has a coffee morning where they invite the community members.  Toddler mornings are huge in England.  I have never seen so many parents and their children come to one place just to visit for an hour or so.  Our churches in England are used for so many different things: preschools, drama groups, and everything in between.

Most who attend these activities have one thing in common: none of the youth who come are Community of Christ members, and almost none of the people who come to coffee mornings or toddler groups are members of our church.  Rarely will you see any of these people attend Sunday morning worship.  But the church doors are open.  It doesn’t matter where any of these people are from, it doesn’t matter what they do.  The doors are open, and anyone is welcome.

Being in the British Isles for two months inspired me and gave me a new love and a new faith in the Community of Christ.  The people in the British Isles are thinking outside the church walls, creating a community that is centered on our mission statement: a community of joy, hope, love, and peace.  I challenge you to think outside the church walls.  Our world is huge, and it isn’t going to change itself.  The opportunities within the church are endless.  Open the doors, and keep them open!

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