Theological Partnership - Melanie Begg

A little over a year ago, my husband, Jonathan, and I moved to Orange County. We knew we needed to quickly find a church home. Looking for a new church home was a humbling experience for us since we were a part of our previous church for over eight years. Thankfully, the Lord led us to The Village. After our first visit, it was apparent that the foundation of The Village was the Gospel.

An aspect of The Village that we found surprising was the way people welcomed us. It wasn’t just a friendly hello, but people genuinely wanting to know our story. Many people welcomed us into their lives as well as their homes. As I’m typing, tears are welling up in my eyes, because God used those people to grow our fellowship with the body at The Village, and with Jesus Himself. This was and is a huge grace to us because we cannot walk through this life without a community of believers that push us towards the Gospel the way the people at The Village have.

I shouldn’t have been surprised by this response from the people at The Village. A church that desires to love and grow in the Gospel understands the grace that has been bestowed on them through Jesus Christ. Therefore, a church should welcome people into fellowship with each other just as Jesus welcomes us into fellowship with Him.

Of course, no church does this perfectly. However, despite the church’s weaknesses and imperfections, it should still pursue authentic and biblical fellowship within the body of Christ. I am thankful to be a part of a church that desires to welcome new people. When I reflect on how people reached out to us this past year, it reminds me of how God pursues His bride. By God’s grace, we have been welcomed into a sweet fellowship with Him and the body of Christ here at The Village.

The way people welcomed us into The Village has been both encouraging and convicting. It’s a reminder to me that the Gospel has daily implications for all of my life. Because of my experience being welcomed into The Village Church, I’m now challenged to welcome people and pursue deep fellowship with others all the more.