Making friends

At Stone Church, our vision is to make friends by being a friend.

 

We are a place to belong.

 

Our goal is not to place another "warm body" in a chair on a Sunday morning - our goal is to establish deep and fulfilling relationships with people from our community.

 

In Christ, as followers of Him, we are always open to welcoming new people into our circles of friendship.  We make friends by being a friend.

 

We desire to be a sanctuary where not only are people welcomed the first three or four times they enter our doors - but they are establishing and creating friendships as well.

 

Jerry Seinfield once said, "When you're in your thirties it's very hard to make a new friend.  Whatever the group is that you've got now that' show you're going with, you're not interviewing, you're not looking at any new people, you're not interested in seeing any applications.  They don't know the places - they don't know the activities.  If I meet a guy in a club or the gym, I'll tell him, "I'm sure you're a very nice person, you seem to have a lot of potential, but we're just not hiring right now."

 

Of course when you're a kid, you can be friends with anybody.  Remember when you were a little kid?  What were the qualifications (for becoming friends)?  If someone's in front of my; house right NOW, that person is my friend.  That's it.  Are you a grownup?  No.  Great!  Come on in.  Jump up and down on my bed.  And if you have anything in common at all - "You like Cherry Soda?  I like Cherry Soda" - we'll be best friends!"

 

Maybe, just maybe, what we need is a total sense of love and acceptance - and the willingness to be a friend. 

 

Just a thought for a Thursday.