Pastor Caleb Free The importance of community involvement...

Caleb Free serves as a pastor at Abiding Word Lutheran Church in Dothan, Alabama. Free writes about the importance of community involvement when starting a new church.

When my wife Kristin and I first arrived in Dothan Alabama, we did not know what to expect. We knew there was a small core group of WELS people, but outside of them, we knew no one. So we quickly realized we were going to have get involved in the community.

The first month we started by just figuring out our surroundings: grocery stores, restaurants, doctor offices, etc…After settling in, we looked for ways to meet new people. I started canvassing the neighborhoods around our apartment, letting people know of a new church starting. I met a lot of good prospects, and even spent some Saturdays watching college football in their garage!

But we knew it would take more than just canvassing to meet new people and prospects, so we looked for other ways to get involved in Dothan. Kristin and I love sports and found out about a volleyball league that runs during the fall. We joined the league and had a great time getting to know many new and longtime citizens of Dothan. I also got hooked up with a group of guys that play basketball 3 mornings a week. Little did I know at the time, this basketball group had some prominent people of Dothan in it. This group included the ex-Mayor, the President of the Chamber of Commerce, the Dean of the local Community College, the Pastor of the big Baptist Church, a spinal surgeon, some lawyers, financial advisors, etc…all people who I now see 3 times a week and who like to ask questions about the new church in Dothan.

But maybe the best group we have been involved with happened by accident. Kristin went into the Chamber of Commerce one day, just looking for some information on the city of Dothan. As she was there, she got talking to one of the Chamber Board members. At the end of their conversation, he invited the two of us to come to a weekly Wednesday night gathering at a local bar/restaurant. We were a little hesitant at the time, but went, and we are glad we did. We have been able to spend about 3 months with this group, every Wednesday night, just socializing and meeting some of the big shakers and movers of Dothan. In this group: the current Mayor, the President of the Rotary Club, the President of the Downtown Group, the Head of the Museum, the President of a big bank, the head of the Dothan Arts Group, Chamber Board members, a County Commissioner, etc… And just like the basketball group, these are all people who now know of our new church and love to ask us questions about starting a church.

Besides these major groups, Kristin and I have found other ways to meet new people. Kristin volunteers as a tutor at the elementary school we worship in. She also participates in a program called “Reach Out And Read” where she volunteers and reads to children at the local pediatric clinic. We have both joined a group called “Dothan Area Young Professionals”. This is a group of people under 40 who want to be involved in Dothan. I have also joined the Chamber of Commerce as well as the Rotary Club with the intent of getting connected to new people in Dothan.

The opportunities to be involved in the community are out there. It’s just the part of taking that first step which is the hardest. Kristin and I are both thankful for the opportunities we have been given so far to meet new people, and we continually pray that God gives us opportunities to tell all of them about the love of Jesus.