Giving Thanks, Day 20: Church is the people, not the place

Tonight I'm grateful for our church, the ICCL. We met in a different location today, because our normal facility was being used for another event. This facility was amazing -- the sanctuary had a stage and a permanent sound system, a kitchen, and several classrooms for Sunday school and nursery. In our normal facility, we must set up and tear down the sound system and chairs each week. Our Sunday school is set up in a little shack of a building behind the main worship area. We don't have all the bells and whistles, but there is a refreshing authenticity to our humble little church building. When we gather together, it's intimate. We can hear each other's voices as we sing worship songs together. There's no pretension; no standing on ceremony. It's just a come-as-you-are group of Christ followers worshiping God together.

I really appreciated the facility we were able to use today. The church that owns it was extremely generous to open it up to us. It was great to have extra comforts, such as the use of additional rooms for the Children's ministry. However, worshiping there today also helped me appreciate what we currently have, too. You see, this church wasn't "home." Being in a different place reminded me that a good church isn't about having the latest technology or the most comfortable chairs. A good church is about the people. And we have great people at the ICCL.

One of those people is Darren, a friend we met on our very first visit to Lyon back in 2010. He and his family lived in Lyon for three years, and they just moved back to the States -- literally on the same day that we moved here. Although our physical paths don't cross very often, our families have remained friends from the start. They have been extremely generous to us in so many ways, and it's not exaggerating to say that we wouldn't be in Lyon right now were it not for Darren and his family. This week Darren is back in Lyon for a few days on a business trip. After worshiping with us this evening, Greg and I went to dinner with Darren and we caught up on each others' lives.

Darren and Michelle, Greg and I are so grateful for you and your investment in the ICCL and in us personally. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!