Ten Things I Appreciate About Metro Life Church

Dear friends,

Thad and I were members of Metro Life Church for 8 years until we left last summer.  When I was sharing my thoughts about Metro Life and Sovereign Grace Ministries in the past two weeks (My Thoughts on CJ Mahaney and Sovereign Grace Ministries and My Recommendations for CJ Mahaney and SGM (From the Cheap Seats!), I was remiss for not focusing more on the positive aspects of our experience.  I apologize.

About two years ago, I wrote a post about what I appreciate about the pastors there.  You can see it here: Appreciating the Pastors at Metro Life Church.  Today, I would like to recount ten things I appreciate about the rest of Metro Life Church.  If you have ever been a part of Metro Life, I invite you to share your own list in the comment section!

1. The first one, hands down, is the love and devotion of the people there.  They love God, they are serious about their faith, and they lovingly serve other people.  We are grateful for our many friends there.  I have often commented to my children over the years how much I love their friends from church, too.  It is like a family.  It is sweet to see you at the events we still attend there, and nice to know we are always welcome.
2. Home groups are a big part of life of Metro.  We nearly always had a place to go on Wednesday evenings for more personal fellowship and discussion.  And if anyone needed a meal, or help with a household project, or someone to watch the kids for a few hours, the home groups were excellent at practical caring.
3. The generosity among members has been another sweet thing to watch.  So many people were so kind to our large family at times, whether it was passing along extra food after events, or paying our registration to a Celebration conference or to Camp Destiny for our kids.  I know that other people in the church have been blessed by this kind of generosity, too, whether it was through the church benevolence fund or just someone noticing a need and quietly filling it.
4. As a home school mom, I have always appreciated the support that Metro offered to families who were teaching their own kids.  I particularly wish to commend Benny Phillips, a pastor at MLC who is also the principal of the church’s home school enrollment program, The Regent Academy.  I am so thankful for the parent training sessions, the weekly tutoring and enrichment classes, the record keeping, the guidance counseling, the general supportive atmosphere, and so much more.  I am also grateful that they allow the Providence Home Educators co-op, which is an independent program not affiliated with MLC, to take over the building every Monday during the school year for a reasonable rate.  This is big for me.  :-)
5. Folks at Metro Life have been quite active in community service and outreach projects, such as the middle school youth in the Neighbor to Neighbor program which helped the elderly with household projects and yard work, the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Fry, holiday food and gift drives for disadvantaged families, the work day to help single moms, the homeless outreaches, and so many more that I can’t think of right now.  The Conversation program for introducing newcomers to the Christian faith is noteworthy, too. These people take the initiative!
6. On a global scale, I am thankful for Metro Life’s leadership in the Mission:X program which has taken so many of the young people to serve others away from home.   My own daughters have traveled to Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, and the Florida panhandle.  The trips have been life changing.
7. I have always loved the music at MLC, whether it is from Sovereign Grace Music or songs by Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Hillsong, Sara Groves, or others.  The talented musicians do a fantastic job every week leading the congregation in worship to God.  Dancers and actors enliven holiday programs and occasionally Sunday services.  
8. I also admire the gifted visual artists who adorn the Sunday School room walls with colorful murals, build imaginative sets for Kid’s Night Out and dramatic productions, and decorate beautifully for other events.  Beauty reflects the heart of God.
9. I always enjoyed attending the Mom’s brunches when I could make it.  Great food, great friends, great childcare, great presentation on motherhood or homemaking, and then a great small group discussion… Who could ask for more? Oh, and great book giveaways! Great job, Sheree and company!
10. I know some people wouldn’t think this is important, but for our family, the sports program has been a big blessing.  One of my daughters made some of her closest friends while playing Wolverine basketball during her high school years.  The younger kids all loved the Saturday morning soccer, and I think we’re going back for that this fall!  The sports program honors the fact that our bodies are important to God, and that fun and teamwork are important components of fellowship.  I like that.

There you have it!  Now it’s your turn!  What do you most appreciate about Metro Life church?

Grace and peace,

Virginia Knowles

www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com