That Just Happened:
No One Stands Alone
(Pete Hise, w/guest blogger, Justin McCarty)

After Quest’s staff families spent an incredible few days together on our Staff & Family Retreat, Assistant Pastor Justin McCarty brought a great message on community at Quest this weekend. (Weren’t you proud of your church, Questers?) I hope every one of you took Justin up on the challenge to step forward in LifeGroups.  This really is the richest community I’ve ever seen…and YOU make it possible. Thanks for leaning into people and into Jesus. We were ALL created for community! Here are J’s thoughts…

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This weekend I got the privilege of teaching on a subject that is literally Quest’s middle name: community! But it’s more than a name – it’s such a magnetic reality. People are regularly shocked by the love, acceptance and belonging they experience when they walk in the door. Leading people toward their next step into community was like giving people a huge present. Not only is it exactly what their hearts are longing for, but I know they can experience the real deal here. Acts 2 is happening — and we get to be a part of it!

Here’s what I saw…

1. I don’t think I could have been set up any better for a weekend about community than Pastor Pete taking us on the Staff & Family Retreat. The sense of family, and spirit of love and acceptance that characterizes Quest Community Church is the same spirit that marks our staff — we love being together! I love that Quest is consistent all the way through. From the top down, we love each other and you can feel it!

2. I was amazed by Cecily’s story of receiving help from her LifeGroup. That ordinary people would sell their possessions and belongings to provide Cecily with money for a new car was such a jaw-dropping picture of how similar our 21st century church is to the original 1st century church!

3. “Let Us Love” is one of my favorite songs we’ve ever done at Quest! Not only is it a great NeedtoBreathe song, but when we combined it with pictures of people doing life together at Quest and added a chorus of kids singing and jumping up and down, you could feel the energy and joy of this community onstage. Thanks Anyerin, band and kids for rocking out and leading us into the joy of community!

4. One of the ringing lines from the talk has got to be “People are dumber by themselves!” A few funny photos and a YouTube clip helped us see the truth of Genesis 2:18 — “It is not good for man to be alone.” Not only did it make us laugh, I’ve been amazed by how many people have resonated with that truth as they’ve seen the fall-out of living in isolation in their own lives.

5. As our world grows in pseudo-community (and as our church grows bigger), we’ve each got to choose… Are we going to settle for the appearance of community or are will we press into the riskier places of real, authentic community? I was thrilled to watch the lights go on for lots of people as they realized places where they’ve been settling for pseudo-community.

6. I loved getting to teach on independence and interdependence. The love and unity we experience at Quest is present because we’ve abandoned our “right” to not need each other. It’s a revolutionary idea to lay down independence so that we can experience the interdependent community that our hearts were made for.

7. I talked with so many people afterwards who resonated with the picture of redwood trees — 300 ft. trees with root systems that only go 4ft. deep. The only way it can work is that the roots of the trees grow together… they “hold hands underground” and their interdependence holds them up during the roughest storms. God is calling us to live the same way when it comes to our relationships – we’re meant to live interdependently on each other.

8. Questers did a great job taking the challenge to become more than just a cheerleader of community, but to “put teeth to it” and take an action step! What would it be for you:

• Getting in a Life Group? (Thanks Dave Griffith and the Life Group Team for opening up Life Group tryouts for people to experience a taste of community this week!) If you know you’re an onlooker of community instead of being on the field, go for it! It’s worth the risk!

• Getting real at Life Group? Don’t hide in plain sight if you’re already in community. Take the courageous step and be known… God promises to draw you deeper into community and forgive our sins if we’ll live in the light!

• Getting about others at Life Group? What if you’re the answer to someone else’s prayer for community? Walk into Life Group this week asking God who you’re meant to help or serve.

9. I heard from several different people that Sunday night Life Groups were full of new people checking things out and there new levels of authenticity from regular LifeGroup members. I can’t wait to hear more about what Jesus does in and through LifeGroups this week. I’m especially excited to see how many people signed up to be in a LifeGroup for the first time. Way to go to those of you who took the courageous step of stepping into community! I’m so proud of you!

10. Ending the message with Jesus’ picture of heaven – life in community in His Father’s house rang out so loudly. (John 14:2-3) Whether it’s like a college dorm room where laughter keeps you up all night or something a little bit like the picture below we saw of Staff & Family Retreat, I can’t imagine a better eternity than walking past room after room of people that I know and love… doing life together forever. It can begin now, Questers — choose well!