Last week my wife and I were in Ottawa for a church conference. While in the nation’s capital we had the privilege of attending two churches. The first was the host church for our denomination’s national conference, the Metropolitan Bible Church. Although we didn’t attend their Sunday morning service I was told that they ran three services on Sunday morning with a total of about 3,500 people attending. The facility was enormous, very functional, and perfect for the gathering of pastors and delegates.
On Sunday morning we decided to go to a church close to the downtown called The Capital City Bikers’ Church with about 200 people attending. We had no idea what to expect except that we were expecting it to be different! We were not disappointed. How can I even begin to describe what we experienced? The church was established in 2002 and would be considered Pentecostal. In 2011 they bought a dilapidated Catholic church and began to renovate.
We came early. As we approached the church a couple of Harley Davidson motorcycles caught our attention displayed under a canopy. During the announcements it was mentioned that anyone wanting their picture taken on a Harley was invited to do that after the service. When I walked into the sanctuary the feeling inside was “WOW!” I’m pretty sure a big goofy smile stayed on my face for at least 20 minutes.
The band at the front played for at least half an hour before the service started. Coffee and hotdogs were available at a bar-style counter at the back. There was a pool table in a side wing (with people actually playing until the service started). There were t-shirts and hoodies for sale. I absolutely had to buy a t-shirt! They passed a half helmet around instead of an offering plate.
As I thought about the two churches I realized that these gathering places were different and similar at the same time. Both churches were serving their own unique communities. Both pointed to Jesus as “the Way, the Truth, and the Life!” Through both ministries lives were changed. I was particularly impressed with the volunteer base I saw.
At the Metropolitan Church I sat with one of the volunteers who I’m pretty sure was in his 80’s. His name was Colin, a retired doctor. During the conference he was the designated first aid professional in case of an emergency. I had forgotten a binder at the conference so I went back on Monday to see if I could locate it in the lost and found and there he was again! This time he was volunteering in the kitchen.
At the Bikers’ Church many were involved as volunteers. Four men served as “security guards,” one at the front, two at the back, and one outside. It’s a rough neighbourhood. This is something we rarely think about in our small town churches. We also met a lady who drives in from outside of Ottawa. On this particular Sunday she was part of a prayer team that met upstairs to pray during the entire service, praying that God would transform those who were attending.
Both churches were so much richer because of their willing volunteers. Let me ask you something. When’s the last time you volunteered in your church? One of the saddest verses in the Bible is found in Ezekiel 22:30. “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.” Perhaps God is looking your way, to stand in the gap, to volunteer. In Ottawa I learned that no one is too old or too far away to volunteer. Your church needs you!