One of the things that our boys miss about Thailand is all the 7-Eleven convenience stores that seem to be at every street corner (and in between as well)! Whenever we were hungry and all the street food stalls were closed, 7-Eleven was always our go-to place for drinks, snacks, and fresh steamed pork buns. You can even pay your water and electric bills there!
So you can imagine Caleb and Caden’s excitement when we shared with them that they were building a new 7-Eleven just right beside the Harris Teeter grocery store near our home here in Clarksburg, MD. (By the way, I have already brought our boys to the grand opening of this 7-Eleven, and they got their fill of free Slurpees and snacks!)
A fun fact is that Thailand ranks as the country with the 3rd most 7-Eleven convenience stores in the world (behind Japan and the United States). There are actually over 8,300 stores spread out across the country, and they are constantly building more! In contrast, Thailand as a whole only has 5,120 churches. In South Thailand, where we serve as missionaries, there are only 411 churches. So that means there are far more 7-Eleven stores than there are evangelical churches in Thailand! Why are there so few churches in Thailand? There may be various reasons, but one of the contributing factors is that Buddhism is so embedded in Thai culture. The saying goes, “To be Thai is to be Buddhist.” And so sometimes it takes a generation to even establish a solid church plant. It’s certainly not quick and easy!
Perhaps a more perceptive question to ask is why 7-Eleven stores are so popular in Thailand. The central underlying values in Thai culture can be summed up in the four S’s: sanook, sabaay, saduak, and suay. Roughly translated, they mean: fun, comfortable, convenient, and beautiful. 7-Eleven stores are so popular in Thailand because they are convenient. Especially on a hot and humid day, you wouldn’t want to walk too far to get your cup of Slurpee and steamed pork buns!
The sad reality is that the four S’s of Thai culture is evident in our churches as well. How many times have we made decisions based on what is fun, comfortable, and convenient for us? How many times do we make an effort to look beautiful on the outside while at the same time hiding the mess that is on the inside? With this type of mentality seeping in like spreading yeast, it is no surprise that the church has become more a consumer church than a missional church.
There is a fantastic diagram that delineates the difference between the consumer church and the missional church. It defines the consumer church “as a dispenser of religious goods and services. People come to church to be ‘fed’, to have their needs met through quality programs, and to have the professionals teach their children about God (i.e. I go to church).” In contrast, the missional church is “a body of people sent on mission who gather in community for worship, community encouragement and teaching from the Word in addition to what they are self-feeding themselves throughout the week (i.e. I am the church).” So which one are we? And which one do we want to be?
Information from Wikipedia, eStar Foundation website, The Emerging Church by Dan Kimball

From Pastor Dave’s Heart
November 15, 2015

The month of November is here and it marks exactly one year since I started at NCFC. Not only that but this past Monday, my wife and I, celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary. We also celebrated Andrew’s first birthday yesterday. So November will always be a special month for me. How appropriate that Thanksgiving is also in November. So the three things I love most (God, family, food) are all in this month.
I shared this at the Back to School night for VA Timothy in September, but I really felt like a redshirt freshman this past year. In college football, usually the freshmen take the first season to learn instead of play. They study the play book and watch how the other players execute. Then they start to play in their second year. I could relate to them because I was busy trying to learn the NCFC way of doing things and getting to know the people this past year. This is not to say that there was nothing going on. I believe there has been progress for Timothy. We’re moving in the right direction and I’m looking forward to this next year.
I’m also thankful to have such great pastors to learn from. Seeing how they do ministry and handle different situations that come up has really stretched me as a leader. It made me widen my focus so that I can see how the different ministries work together to better the church and give God the glory. God showed me how important it is to see the big picture and take a step back to see the direction that God is leading rather than being so focused at the task at hand.
As a second year husband, I have to admit that there’s room for improvement. I do have a little bit better understanding of what it means to be a godly husband compared to year one. God has been showing me what it means to be the spiritual leader of the household. He’s been showing me what it means to love my wife as Christ loves the church. I thank God every day for giving me a wife who loves and supports me despite my weaknesses and shortcomings.
As a first year father, I can say that I truly love my son; no matter how many surprises he has left for me in his diaper or the countless sleepless nights. It brings me great joy to see him grow and do new things as his brain is developing. Right now he knows to wave good bye when I leave the house. He should be walking soon as he’s been getting good at standing and balancing himself. The time that I cherish most with him is when I’m trying to put him to sleep. There’s something really intimate about being in a quiet dark room as I pace back and forth with him in my arms. He rests his head on my shoulder and drifts off to sleep while I pray for him. Then I lay him down and put the blanket over him. Just seeing how peaceful he looks puts a smile on my face.
As I reflect upon this past year, I am thankful for God’s faithfulness. What an awesome God we serve! I’m reminded of what it says in Deuteronomy 7:9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.” Getting to this point in my life hasn’t been an easy road. There have been many bumps along the way, but God has been faithful. Each and every bump was used to stretch me and shape me. What a great ride it’s been so far. I look towards year two with great anticipation. I look towards His faithfulness.

From Pastor Eugene’s Heart
November 8, 2015