I attended a seminar on Thursday dealing with spirituality and mental health. One of the interesting observations that the person leading the seminar made is that many churches that say they care for those who are disabled or dealing with mental illness are really caring for them only in the hour and a half that they are at church on Sundays. "The church must do more than provide 1 1/2 hour friendships."
I have been thinking about that ever since I left the seminar. Acts talks about how the early church shared all things in common. That is really about more than just sharing finances and possessions. That is a relationship that cares for people beyond just when they are gathered for worship. Of course, that kind of relationship gets messy because then you have people "all up in your business." At the same time, if those people are true Christian brothers and sisters, they are not being nosy or bossy, but they are pillars of encouragement and support and prayer.
How does a church move beyond being about the 1 1/2 hour friendship?
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