The Spaces Between Sundays

by George Welty

 

Kevin was a bodybuilder who also worked for a moving company. As a trainer, he taught new hires how to use proper lifting techniques—a great way to make money and put his weightlifting knowledge to work. The first time Kevin ever walked into a church, it was for a job fair hosted by a local congregation. His moving company was one of the employers participating in a second-chance job fair, offering opportunities to people with questionable pasts who were looking for a fresh start. But Kevin was distracted that day. He had just found out his girlfriend was pregnant. They had considered abortion, but ultimately decided to have the baby. At some point during the job fair, Kevin struck up a conversation with the pastor. When the pastor asked why the job fair mattered to his company, Kevin replied, “I’ve been given second chances in my life, so I want to make sure others have that same second chance.” Later that day, Kevin opened up about the pregnancy and how nervous he was to become a dad. After the job fair, the pastor took Kevin to lunch, and they talked for over an hour about fatherhood, responsibility, and faith. The following Sunday, Kevin and his girlfriend came to church. A few weeks later, they were both baptized on a Sunday, and by the next Thursday, the pastor officiated their wedding. The church threw them a baby shower. That baby girl now has her cradle roll teachers wrapped around her tiny little finger.

Anthony, who had gone to college on a basketball scholarship, dropped out of college after struggling to keep up academically. Back in his hometown, he fell back in with some old friends—the kind of friends who weren’t helping him move forward. His grandmother grew concerned and encouraged him to check out a pick-up basketball game at a local church. This church opened its gym every Monday and Thursday night to anyone who wanted to play. Before long, Anthony was there twice a week, every week. One evening, the outreach minister who ran the gym noticed that Anthony seemed down. Between games, he asked Anthony what was going on. Anthony shared that he never imagined his life turning out this way. The minister listened and finally said, “Maybe it’s time to change some of your patterns. Have you thought about going back to church?” That Sunday, Anthony went with his grandmother. He kept going. Between his job, basketball, and church, pretty soon he didn’t have time for his old friends—or his old ways.

When Clara graduated from high school, she also walked away from church. She had grown disillusioned with her youth group and was convinced church just wasn’t for her. After college, she moved to a new city for a job opportunity, knowing almost no one. One day, she was invited to a work meeting at a new coffee shop. She followed her GPS, only to find herself pulling into the parking lot of a large church. Confused, she eventually spotted a group of parked cars and saw a small sign for the coffee shop, which was located inside the church building. She went in skeptical, but was immediately drawn to the warm vibe and creative decor. At first, she kept coming back for the coffee. Then it was for the community. Now, it’s her church.

We build these multi-million-dollar facilities all over our cities—and then let them sit mostly empty six and a half days a week. What a colossal waste of resources. But some churches are figuring it out. They’ve realized that what happens in these spaces between Sundays might be just as important to the kingdom as what happens in them on Sundays.

 

About the Author

George Welty spent twenty-five years walking alongside teens as a teacher, coach, and youth minister. Today, he serves as the Lead Minister at the Northwest Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL—though he likes to say he’s really a youth minister for adults. George is passionate about exploring the beauty of God’s story and using his words to invite the curious to join the adventure.