For weeks after joining the local church, no one from the church even tried making acquaintance with Esi and her brother. They went with needs to the church in hope that a fellowship of believers would give help and support, but they did not seem to get that.
Esi was beginning to feel disappointed. Her challenge again was that she didn’t know how to make the first move to approach anyone in the church.
“Look Esi! I’m losing interest in this church thing o! People won’t smile at you or even look at you in the face! Nobody even bothers to ask ‘How are you doing?’… I’m sure we are invisible to them!”
“I know Caleb… Personally it’s hard for me to make the first approach especially since we’re new members…Back at school whenever I went for any party with my friends and I didn’t know anyone around, it was those ‘strangers’ who would make the move to talk to me and make me feel like I 'belong'… I remember there was this time that I couldn’t attend one of the parties as I had planned because I was feeling depressed with all that’s happening at home…And that evening all my friends passed by to check on me. We probably just talked ' trash', but at least it was a good feeling knowing that people care and think about you… But it looks like it’s not like that in the church… it’s like they have cliques, and they wouldn’t want to interact with us… and even how some of them look at you feels judgmental. The only times that I’ve had people come to talk to me in the church was because they had a problem with how I had dressed… then they’d give a fake smile… they won’t even bother to ask ‘How are you doing?’ ‘Where do you stay?’” Esi expressed disappointedly.
EPISODE 12
“Esi it’s good you’ve realized. Even the shepherds the pastor got for us never got to check on us… never visited, never called, not to talk of even ask for prayer requests from us… Esi, I think that we should just stay home and not bother about church! After all it’s not been any different since we got to join… Have you realized that every Sunday they keep getting new members? Now tell me, do you see any of those new members in church of late? No! It means they also don’t feel cared for, so they’ve left! Period!” Caleb lamented.
Esi was lost in her thoughts. Even after joining the church she still wasn’t getting the fellowship she had been yearning for. The pastor always seemed busy and unapproachable. The shepherds and elders were always unavailable. The other leaders and youth coordinators seemed not to realize that there were people walking around in the church with needs who may just want a smile or a listening ear from a fellow believer. The sanctimonious look on some faces in the church even deterred her from making any approach.
Her parents’ marriage was falling apart. Her numerous relationships and friends couldn’t seem to fill that void she felt. Her life was empty. She knew that she needed help, yet she didn’t know how to pray. She didn’t even have any urge to read the Bible. The book of Numbers made no sense to her, and Revelations seemed just scary to read. She didn’t even know much about the Holy Spirit or even His baptism.
And there probably were many others like her and her brother in the church. Yet the church didn’t seem to realize that not all the sheep were strong and matured. Some sheep were weak, frail and were wondering: in need of love and care from the Great Shepherd through the church.
#TheCharge
Dorothy Budu-Arthur
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