Hilda was nearly 100-years-old and confined to a wheelchair as a double-amputee, but she had a sparkle in her eye and the witness of Jesus on her lips. She showed me a new large-print Bible and a cute stuffed animal.
"They were gifts from my church," she said.
Wait a minute. I thought I was her church! I visited her regularly each month. We had teams of people visiting with her each week. What was this church she was talking about?
"A church in the area comes every Sunday and has worship and Bible study for all of us," Hilda continued. "We sing, hear a sermon, and even have fellowship afterward. I won the stuffed animal in a game. The pastor gave me the Bible as a gift."
The church she referred to was a newer gen-x church in the outskirts of suburban Chicago. It was a "hip" church, "cutting edge," the place to be. What were they doing in a nursing home?
Hilda told me. They were caring for many people who were otherwise forgotten. They were reaching the lost with the Good News of Jesus. They were reminding every resident of the nursing home to reach out with Christ. They were making it clear that Hilda and her friends were not alone.
Hilda couldn't get to church anymore. Now church had come to her. "Her church" was now happening in her new home. The gen-x church saw the mission field, became humble servants, and started to reach people who needed Jesus.
Hilda was a pastor's daughter. Her dad was an LC-MS preacher in rural Iowa. Hilda used to regale me with stories of life in a pastor's home in the early 1900's. In his entire career her dad didn't have a telephone. People simply stopped by the house to bring the latest news. A trip to the local hospital meant hitching up a horse to a wagon or sleigh. Her father served this congregation for his entire life--up until the moment he breathed his last breath one Advent morning as he lay beside his wife in bed. There was no Christmas tree in church that year--the first time that ever happened in history. Instead, there was a Christmas funeral.
Hilda loved her dad and loved to serve the Lord. She was an active witness for Christ every day. Her mission field was a tough one. It was a nursing home. In the midst of her own pain and loss she lifted up the name of the Savior. She reached many people. Why shouldn't she have a church nearby? Why shouldn't she be encouraged by the living Word and the power of the Cross? Why shouldn't she be able to have fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ? Why shouldn't she be united with fellow servants to reach the lost?
An area church decided to become humble and active and launch a satellite where she lived.
Is there a "Hilda" waiting for you and your church?
Next week: Don't Cry for Me, Argentina
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