Will there be plenty of parking in the Kingdom of God?

Someone told me today that she had met a woman who had tried to come to church at Grace once. The woman said that she pulled into the parking lot but there was just nowhere to park, so she left. She hasn't come back and hasn't found another church yet. Often when I share stories like that, church people say, "What a great problem to have!" I understand where that comment comes from. With many churches and denominations shrinking, it is encouraging that we are dealing with not enough space. However, I do not think that this is a great problem to have. In fact, it is a really bad problem to have.

I feel like I say it all the time, but I did not find God in my life until I was 27. God reached out to me before I even knew it, but it was within the life and walls of the church that I truly began to allow God into my life. I choose my first church because I saw their sign on the street. I stayed because I felt welcomed and accepted. There was a place for me to park (a visitor spot right up front, which I didn't use because I didn't wanted anyone to know I was a visitor). There were plenty of seats in the back. There was room for me. Had there not been, I may have just gone home.

I believe God wants a relationship with every person on the planet. The church can be a vehicle for that relationship. For that to happen, the church must truly say, in word and deed, "Welcome, we have a place for you." No place to park sends the opposite message.

This post is a spontaneous reaction to the story I heard today. I don't know what we need to do to make more parking. (Though I am sure that could be figured out with some money.) What I am wondering at this moment is, even without more parking spots, what could we as individuals do if we really embraced how important it is that no one be turned away by a lack of place to park? I imagine we would be creative. I imagine more of us would park on the grass lot in the back. I bet some of us would carpool or ask our neighbors for a ride. I bet we would make some room.

Just a thought.

peace,

will