The weekends are typically the most common time for the various religious groups to pay a house call. We get the Jehovas Witnesses about once a quarter, the Mormons less frequently, the odd local church from time to time, and then the alternative nutball outreach church one or twice a year. I know the nutball church well; they are the ones with the biker dude and drug addicts that make you want to pretend you are not home. The one church I never see is the local Korean church. The message is clear, if you are not Korean, you are not welcome. I’m ok with that – churches and I don’t really get along.
It is normally a crapshoot when it comes to religious doorbell ringers. They all have the same underlying urgent message; are you a Christian? They get right to trying to pin you down, and then they start the conversion rhetoric. Most of these people don’t get past hello with me or my family. When my son Jon was living with us it was a different story, Jon did not like to be rude.
When my doorbell rang (actually they knocked) I was surprised to see a Korean man standing on my porch. He handed me a door hanger that introduced Ambassador Church. I expected the standard “are you a Christian" line. Instead, he introduced himself and launched into a brief explanation about his visit. He was a member of a new church in the area. Services we open to all. They were trying to form a community. They were within walking distance and wanted to let the neighborhood know the news. That was it – no pestering, no pressure, no judging. Just a friendly guy inviting anybody who opened their door to a community based service. Based off my interaction, if I were a Christian, I would pay a visit. Perhaps they should visit the local Mormon temple?
I visited their church website. They seem very solid – not a whiff of nutballs or the peoples temple. They are a group of Koreans who formed a church open to all. They play music, worship, and pray in a converted office building on the corner of Valley View and Orangethorpe. I think my pastor friend Brad would get a big kick out of this church. Their mission seems completely in harmony with his vision for Christianity. Hmm….
Why did I post this? Well… I found this door hanger in the grass outside my backdoor this morning. I liked the play of the dew and light on the paper. I took a picture and decided to blog about it.
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