There are countless reasons someone might not come through the doors of a church. They may have been hurt by the church. They may not consider themselves people of faith. They may simply be navigating a season of life that makes worship feel like the last thing they need. And yet, in the midst of grief, divorce, addiction, loneliness, or other difficult transitions, people are often searching for something they may not have words for: a place where they can be known, understood, and cared for.
- 3 MIN READ
- Key Takeaways
- Why ordinary acts of care can quietly become someone’s first encounter with Christ
- The story of a handwritten card that led a grieving woman back to church
- How support and recovery groups open doors that sermons alone often can’t
Meeting People Where They Are
In my role at Resurrection, I have the privilege of supporting the incredible volunteers who lead support groups and recovery ministries that are open to everyone. People come not because they are looking for a worship service, but because they are looking for community. They want to sit with people who have “walked that road.” They need someone who understands.
And sometimes, that is exactly where an encounter with Christ begins.
Two Stories of Ordinary Care
I think about a woman who reached out to our Pet Ministry team online after the death of her beloved cat. Our volunteers sent her a handwritten sympathy card and a prayer. It was a small act of care. There was no expectation attached to it. No invitation to an event. No agenda beyond letting her know that her grief mattered. Six months later, on Christmas Eve, she reached out again. She was looking for a church to attend and told us, “A church that was willing to send me a card when my cat died was the type of church I wanted to go to on Christmas Eve.”
I think of another woman who joined an online grief group because her community did not offer one at that time. She came to a Zoom call carrying her grief and found a group of people who understood. Over time, those relationships became so meaningful she eventually moved to Kansas City and joined the church in person.
Neither of these stories began with someone deciding they needed a church. They began with a felt need. Someone was grieving. Someone was hurting. Someone needed community.
That, to me, is evangelism. Not convincing someone to come to church but becoming the kind of church that people discover when they are hurting.
What This Means for Your Church
Support groups, recovery ministries, grief groups, divorce care, chronic illness groups, to name just a few, can create sacred spaces where people are able to show up exactly as they are. Often, they are led by people who have experienced similar pain and can say, “I have walked this road, too.”
We often think of evangelism as inviting someone to worship. But what if evangelism also looks like a handwritten card? A grief group led by someone who has experienced loss? A cup of coffee with someone who feels alone? A room where a person can finally say, “Someone understands”?
Lives can be changed through remarkably ordinary acts of care. Sometimes the first step toward faith isn’t a sermon. Sometimes it’s simply discovering that someone cares.
Written By:
Claire Saunders Clough
Care Programs Lead Director
Bio
As Lead Director of Resurrection’s Care Programs, Claire not only provides guidance and serves alongside our Connection and Care Pastors in offering compassionate support and spiritual guidance for those in need, but also training and direction for a dedicated team of lay Congregational Care Ministers. She is passionate about fostering a culture of empathy and connection within and throughout our community.