What keeps you in church?

As you may know, we travel around a great deal visiting churches of all kinds.  This week we were back with friends at Pittsburgh East.  The worship is, as always, tremendous.  The sermon was great.  The "Kids Stuff" presentation was powerful and inspiring.  After such a good day, I found myself pondering, what is it that keeps us coming back to a church.

We will tolerate mediocre preaching, children's ministry that is lacking, and off key music as long as we don't have them all at the same time.  But, we will tolerate a mediocre service IF the thing that makes church valuable for us is present.

Jesus said, "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another."  A church where you know or at least feel you are loved is a church where you will find it easy to "stick."

I see this at PECC.  These are people who genuinely care for each other.  They love their pastors, cheer their membership, and seem like one big extended family.  It doesn't take very long to feel the love here.  Youth loving on the little guys, staff loving on "the sheep", congregation loving on the Father, ... you get the picture.

As I took in all that was going on around me, I thought, "I could be part of this church."  Apparently, others feel the same way.  The church is growing, the community is noticing, and the city of Pittsburgh will never be the same.

Three cheers to Pastor Lee and his staff, to all those who give of themselves in ministry, and to those who make up PECC for building a church that is salt and light in the Pittsburgh area.