Together the Church is Alive!
“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not have the same function, so it is in Christ we who are many form one body and each member belongs to all the others.”
Romans 12: 4-5
“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not have the same function, so it is in Christ we who are many form one body and each member belongs to all the others.”
Romans 12: 4-5
Life in Laos is about togetherness and community. In Laos community is valued over individuality and ‘success’ is measured in what a group of people can accomplish working together as one as opposed to one’s individual identity. Lao people are very rarely seen alone as they work and live together. Meals are prepared and eaten with one another, trips to nearby markets are taken together, and Bible studies and worships happen collectively. The Lao Evangelical Church has three main churches within the capital of Vientiane. In February 2012, Nakham Church, burned down in an electrical fire. Members of Nakham Church currently worship at an unused indoor sports court. Nevertheless, the church continues to be rebuilt together with love, shared ideas, compassion, and dedication. As the saying goes, many hands make light work. That saying is very true in many areas of Lao life, including the work on the new church building. Worship happens at all of three main churches many times throughout a week. Whether it is at a Thursday night worship of blessings for the sick or on a Sunday, many people are always present in prayer, Scripture reading, songs, and sharing of testimonies. How powerful the presence of God is when hundreds of people come together in worship!
The majority of people who worship as part of the Lao Evangelical Church are Lao, but also a number of Koreans, Filipinos, a couple of Americans, and the occasional visitor from another part of the world, such as Europe. We come together as one, while understanding and sharing Bible verses each week in our native languages. Some Sunday afternoons members of all three churches gather for worship and games. We play fun games with each other, such as trying to slide a slice of cucumber down one’s face into his or her mouth while not using his or her hands, or seeing how many blown up balloons one can fit into their shirt before they start to fall out. The winner receiving a prize, such as a bottle of Pepsi. These times are valuable as they allow people to meet new individuals, while also socializing with other friends and partaking in songs, prayer, and games together.
The Lao Evangelical Church also operates in other ways that can be represented as community. Some church members work as teachers in the church primary school, while others help by leading cell groups (Bible studies) throughout the week, organizing child and adult Sunday School, or completing cleaning or secretarial work. Many roles exist in the church, specially the Lao Evangelical Church. Not all people are teachers, nor are everyone a pastor or church leader, but all individuals have an important place within the church. Each role complements other roles, and without each position the church would not exist as fully. Humans are mutually dependent on one other; an individual cannot exist in the world alone. One person alone cannot accomplish much, but we work together in amazing ways. When we use and bring our own important and unique gifts and strengths together the body of Christ and work of the church becomes fully alive!
Loving God,
Remind us that together we are much stronger, wiser, and more powerful than alone. Allow us to see the special gifts and strengths among one another, whether we work for the Lao Evangelical Church in such roles as a church pastor, teacher, cleaner, song leader, or secretary. We are very blessed by the many strengths people bring to the Lao Evangelical Church. Let us recognize when we come together in community sharing our own skills, ideas, and talents we can accomplish a great deal, much more than alone. Allow us acknowledge and see the good work done among all, knowing each person’s work is valuable in making the body of Christ come fully alive. We thank you abundantly for the opportunities we have to share, love, learn, and work with those others among us, using our own gifts, but together forming one strong body.
In your name we pray.
Amen.
Nicole Betteridge teaches English with the Lao Evangelical Church and volunteers with the Dankoi Children Development Center.