Got to see the Church this evening on a baseball diamond. No, it wasn’t a goofy worship stunt. A 12 year old in our Church lost his single-parent mother a few months back. His aunt and uncle have really stepped up to the plate and are doing a great job of taking care of him. Members of the congregation are also instinctively showing their love and support.
This evening he was playing in a little league tournament and I was proud to see one of our elders and his family take a seat right behind home plate to cheer him on. I think we tend to think of “Church” and “Ministry” solely in terms of what takes place either in the walls of our buildings or under the auspices of a board or committee sanctioned by duly elected officers. But the Church ministers whenever Christians share Christ’s love with others. I doubt the family would consider what they did as either Christian or service… which is seems to be the point of Jesus’ parable of the sheep and goats “When did we see you?” (Matt 25:31-46) But as James reminds us:
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1.27)

Baseball Diamond by Canadian Veggie