Whitley City, KY: 2 Souper Sundays
Three Strands Church
NONDENOMINATIONAL
CONGREGATION: 75
Maybe it’s because I spent 6 years working in community centers, maybe it’s because or maybe it was just because these were some of the most genuine people I’ve ever met; but Three Strands church in Strunk, Kentucky of all places felt like home.
From the moment the Pastor’s dad welcomed us at the door I knew we weren’t just welcomed for a Sunday, we were adopted for life.
Three Strands church meets in a community building with folding tables and chairs that they set up and tare down every Sunday. The sanctuary has the stripes of a basketball court weaving beneath your feet. The worship team is full of passion, but won’t be cutting a record anytime soon.
On the outside Three Strands might seem like a church that isn’t really established yet. But, the people there are some of the most rooted believers we’ve met. Nothing about their faith is transitory. They preach and live out the truth of God regardless of what the world around them is saying or doing. Are they out of date? Not at all. But are they driven by the winds of culture, not at all.
For the two weeks we attended Three Strands, the topic of the series was service. And the one thing we have experienced over and over again attending these smaller churches (<150 people), is that community isn’t created it’s just their way of living. These people know each other. They notice when you’re absent from a Sunday, they notice when you’re sick, they notice when you seem overwhelmed. So, they are constantly serving each other because they have real relationships with one another. Not just Sunday relationships.
The reason I didn’t write this blog months ago, when we went to this church, is because after two weeks I didn’t feel like I was writing about a church – I felt like I was writing from within it.
From the very moment we walked in we were greeted by the sweetest gentlemen (the Pastor’s father). He shook our hands, showed us around, asked us about ourselves, and made it clear how happy he was to have us even though we were just passing through. It didn’t matter that we’d only be there two Sundays, he invested in us.
After service others came over to introduce themselves and they all vehemently encouraged us to come to an event the following Sunday.
“It’s ‘Super Sunday’, you have to come. It’s right after service and everyone brings a soup, and we try them out and have some fellowship time and then we vote for the best one.”
I looked forward to it all week – not because I wanted a free meal (because anybody who knows me knows I will never turn one down), but because I wanted to spend more time with these people.
So, when the next Sunday came around we showed up to service, this time greeted by friends with hugs. We enjoyed worship led by the Pastor’s wife and the second message on serving others through the power of your words – using them to build someone up and to speak life in and over them.
And then they did just that for us. They sat with us in a room full of folding tables filled with people eating, chatting, and laughing; and they spoke to us from the love of brothers and sisters. We spent an hour getting to know each other better, to understand our hearts and our dreams.
Before the morning was over we exchanged phone numbers and said our goodbyes knowing that we will connect with these people again, because in two days we became a part of their community.
Never for a second would I have thought I would consider living in Kentucky, but after these two weeks I knew these people could make even the most unlikely of places feel like home.