[Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers] prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith (Eph. 4:11-12).

[Editor’s Note: As we prepare for Chatham Serves this Sunday, our CD writers this week will take a second look at the core values from our recent Inner Strength series.  Today, Deb revisits our church’s commitment to be relationally connected.]

My husband is encouraging grass to grow on a well-worn patch of dirt beside our patio. It’s slow work. The seed he chose has finally rooted and is slowly sending out runners (stolons for you Master Gardeners) on top of the soil. Other grass varieties depend on rhizomes which spread beneath the soil. Whether spreading on top of the soil or beneath, the new growth will eventually form a tightly connected network of roots, rhizomes (or runners), and new grass. Those runners will keep spreading, so long as they receive water, sunlight, and nutrients. It’s being interconnected that makes the new grass resilient to mowing, changing seasons, and variable rainfall.

Being relationally connected is one of our church’s core values. But, like getting grass to grow, this characteristic doesn’t occur without nurturing. Making connections with other church members is difficult for many people, especially visitors and those more introverted or a bit shy. As grass runners spread to encourage growth, our greeters in the parking lot and at doorways reach out with a handshake or welcome! Once inside the building, most people walk by even more greeters and the coffee bar and snack tables. It’s easier to make connections when the person next to you is filling a coffee cup, too. All of us “regulars” need to be involved in connecting with everyone who walks in the door. 

Another way to connect is through small group participation, where those rhizomes take root and start to run deep, under the surface. While growth may be slow, those in small groups begin to form a network of connectedness and experience serving each other (as Paul mentions in v.12). As small groups nourish their members and deepen their roots, they grow, and then they beget even more small groups. 

Once established, my husband’s patch of grass won’t cease growing. It will continue to send out runners so long as it receives nourishment. Similarly, being relationally connected means a church body cannot remain static. Provided it receives the right kind of encouragement, it reaches out beyond its four walls, beyond its small groups, sending out rhizomes into the community to serve others, “seeding” them into the network of Christ followers. This Sunday, in fact, opportunities abound for members to connect with and serve our community. If you haven’t signed up, there’s still time: www.chathamserves.org

Each of these activities reinforces the tightly connected network of relationships and builds up the body of Christ (v.12). We rhizomes are “liv[ing] a life worthy of the calling we have received” (4:1) by “connecting people to God and to each other” (CCC Mission Statement).

If constructing a deck this Sunday isn’t the connection you’re comfortable making, start small. Seeds are tiny; runners aren’t long at first. If you see someone sitting alone in church, scrolling on their phone, go sit with them. Engage them in a brief conversation. Start watering that rhizome.