Why am I spending the night at my church?
02-18-2009By Luke Conway
Why am I spending that night at church? That was a question someone asked as I was making my plans to be one of the overnight hosts at my church for the Interfaith Hospitality Network.
I had spent the night in churches before, during youth mission trips and other such occasions, but never at my own church where I was the pastor. Staying all night in my office, sleeping on a rollaway bed, was a new experience.
The question came to my mind again: “Why am I spending the night in my office?” As I lay there wide awake, I glanced over at my desk at a photograph of my family. I thought about them being asleep in our home, less than half a mile away. I thought about the preparations for bedtime, taking their baths, reading stories, the last-minute drinks of water or their favorite drink, chocolate milk. The busyness and stress of the day was over and it was time to sleep and have dreams of another day filled with opportunities and possibilities. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to not have a place where my family can be together to do the things that people typically do at the end of each day.
My thoughts were interrupted by a small child crying. I wondered if everything was OK. I thought about what the parents must be going through; the stress of being displaced and having to move around to different churches, looking for work or keeping a job, and caring for children who may be too young to understand the struggle Mom and/or Dad are going through. What could I do? How could I demonstrate that love that Jesus talked about?
I still heard cries from down the hall. I went into the kitchen and found the bottle of chocolate milk I was going to drink for breakfast the next morning. I went down the hall, toward the sound of the crying, and I knocked on the door where a little 4-year-old girl was trying to sleep with her Mom and Dad. I asked the parents if a drink would help her sleep. They said, “Anything to quite her down.” I offered her the chocolate milk and she drank it without ever making another sound the rest of the night.
So why do I spend the night at my church?
... Because I know I have a place to live.
... Because this ministry demonstrates God’s love.
... Because in doing so I receive a blessing.
... Because I can share a bottle of chocolate milk.
[Luke Conway is pastor of First United Methodist Church, Maumelle.]
