By Peter Chamberlain
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. —1 Corinthians 1:17 (NIV)
I arrived at the Boulder Seventh-day Adventist Church a few weeks ago to find a “Now Open” sign at the entrance. At first, I was a little miffed by the statement. This church has been open for over 60 years. What kind of ignorance of the Boulder Church’s long history in this community is this? I wondered. This church was open long before any of the pastoral staff or current leaders were even born.
But then we worshipped together and Pastor Elia King preached on culture, counterculture, and perspective. We studied the Bible in various classes, sharing divergent thoughts, styles, and approaches.
As my wife Patty and I were preparing to leave for home, Jessyka Albert, the discipleship pastor, invited several couples to stay and eat with the young adults. Our earlier discussions wandered around in my mind as I ate with these young people who enjoyed just being together—being in the same space and time with each other and with anyone who stumbled into their sphere.
That Sabbath afternoon, I came to understand a new perspective. I can no longer be satisfied with viewing things in life from my safety net. I am forced to turn things around, perhaps even upside down.
I came to a new take on the words “now open.” Could it be a turn of phrase that is far more meaningful than I’d originally thought? Could it be that Boulder Church is now open to people—people created in the image of God, but sadly not living in the image of God, people who may have lost the image of God growing up or had it stolen from them, or people who may have never even known or seen His likeness?
Is Boulder Church now open to this community, open to invite visitors to step inside our doors and to “taste and see that the Lord is good?” Or simply open to a bathroom ministry? Patty noticed that in just one hour four people came into our church seeking the simple necessity of a bath- room (perhaps that is this community’s cup of cool water).
Or is it open to our neighbors, providing opportunities for them to come inside and meet us, to join us in sharing what we have with others? Maybe it’s open to varied expressions of worshiping God. Open to life groups.
Open to a summer intern program that puts youth to action in their church, and more importantly puts them in regular contact with our pastors and gets them more directly involved with the church’s activities—all in the hope that they decide this is their church and not just their parents’ church.
Open to not just saying our young people are important, but putting time and treasure toward demonstrating to our youth that they are the church. That we need them to be equipped to stand on our shoulders as we have stood—and are currently standing—on the shoulders of those who filled these ranks before us.
We need our young people to take Christ’s Church to a height we could not, just as we have taken it or tried to take it to heights that previous generations could not. This means that Boulder Church is now open to saying that we still have a mission to fulfill, we still have a vision to follow. We have not yet arrived, We are open to not just preserving the past, but open to making Adventism’s marvelous past a valuable part of our present reality. This past is Bible-based, spirit-lead, and blessed by God. It is open to pushing back formal- ism and legalism—which are just as deadly as spiritualism and paganism.
My church is open to not just settling for faith that Christ is coming again, but to making Him a model for our words, actions, and love. Christ is indeed here in Boulder, alive and well and just as powerful as ever to give life abundantly to all who hear His calling and receive grace and salvation by coming unto Him.
Yes, Boulder is open. The question for me is, am I?
–Peter Chamberlain is head elder at Boulder Adventist Church.