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Life Church: Reaching Out to the People Next Door
CANTON, MI (October 29, 2003) - Life Church in Canton is all about reaching
the world for Christ, but pastor Alex Rahill was reminded early in his
ministry there not to forget the one next door.
Rahill said that his neighbor was the first person who came to Christ at
Rahill's new church, located in a suburb of Detroit. Since the
congregation hosted its launch service this spring, Life Church has
averaged more than 150 in average attendance with a fast-paced worship
service and a bent towards evangelism. It kicked off its fall worship
with 176 at church in early September at a local elementary school.
Life Church began with a core group of 20-25 people that met for worship
in June 2002. Rahill was focused on growing the church with an emphasis
on the Generation X age group in and around Canton, but one evening he
became aware that opportunities for reaching souls could be as close as
his neighbor's backyard.
"We had 20 people meeting in our backyard for this church plant
meeting," said Rahill about a discussion with his neighbor in August
2002. "We were about to have our meeting and this guy was on his porch
playing his guitar and he said, 'I don't pray much.' That's how the
conversation started."
Rahill continued, "It's 6:59 p.m. and I've got a meeting in one minute
and I wanted to be on time. I said to my neighbor, 'Oh really?' He said,
'I've been praying for the last two years and journaling and wondering
how God could get me to a church...but God knows how shy I am and how I'd
never go looking for a church. So God put a church as close to me as it
could possibly get. Your coming here was an answer from God.'"
For Rahill, the excitement of Life Church has been an answer from God,
but it isn't the only one. He is grateful for the friendship of a pastor
of another Covenant congregation, Bob Hoey of Messiah Church in Detroit
- Rahill worked with the youth group at Messiah with his wife Marcie. He
is also grateful to a non-Covenant congregation, Kensington Community
Church in Troy, for some assistance during the early months of Life's
ministry. Finally, he's grateful to parents who brought him up in a
strongly evangelical Roman Catholic spiritual background and a wife who
has been a faithful ministry partner during the normal ups and downs of
church planting. Marcie and Rahill met while they worked at a home for
delinquent children (Marcie was a teacher and Rahill was a counselor).
Life Church has primarily reached people between the ages of 20 and 33.
However, of the 12 who have made outright professions of faith and the
27 who have made recommitments, a large number have been people much
older. Rahill told of a 48-year-old single mother who he has ministered
to and added, "Of the last 10 people that have made decisions for
Christ, nine of them are over 40. Who would've guessed that would've
happened at our church?"
In recent months, Rahill has been concentrating his efforts on training
leadership - his neighbor is one of the key members in assimilating
newcomers - and he said that four leaders have at least some seminary
education. Even more encouraging is the fact that more than 70 people
meet in small group Bible studies and/or serve on ministry teams. Rahill
hopes that he can continue to encourage his flock as God seems to be
encouraging him during the past two years.
"The Lord changed my life and I want as many people to experience that
as possible," he said.
For more information on Life Church, check the church website at
www.lifechurchcanton.org or email Rahill at alex@lifechurchcanton.org.
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