The WestSide Gathering

I wanted to take the time today to tell you about a community of Christ Followers....
A few years ago God inspired a man with a vision. A vision to reach and impact the lives of people in the West Island. With a few stirring hearts under the leadership of David Manafo we embarked on this journey. We humbly met 4 of us in his home with hearts full of anticipation for what God was planning. Those four quickly grew to 6, later to 12 and so on. Every step of the way was a step in faith believing that God was moving in and through us. I often remember sitting in Dave and Franca's living room praying that we would become a community of grace. A community that not only existed to exist and be self absorbing...but a community that lived transformed lives through dependency on Christ, a community of Christ followers that embraced people no matter where they were in their lives emotionally, spiritually or physically. A community clothed in Grace, overwhelming love... determined to take on the great commission with passion for the Kingdom.

When i embarked on this journey a few years ago I assumed that all these things we had prayed for would be for others, Our families and friends who didn't know Jesus personally. Maybe my heart was to proud, to think that I would ever need these things, maybe I was naive, maybe I thought that I could give these things, love, compassion, grace without receiving them...This is all to say that this last year and a half which was filled with awful decisions, which led me away from God, from my community, from my deepest passions and desires to serve. I have never felt God's presence, God's love more. I never experienced Christ more. I experienced him through the love and grace of my community of simple people who simply loved me because Christ loved them. I experienced Christ through friends who never gave up on me, although many times I disappointed them time and time again. I was hard to love this past year but they consistently reached out to me, believed in me, prayed for me, interceded for me. When I was tired, broken and spent they carried me...encouraging me to turn my eyes back to Christ. Scripture speaks about loving each other deeply...."above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8...It was that kind of love that turned me from my path. Thank you WestSide for your commitment to love "above all else" Thank you for demonstrating God's grace and embracing my brokenness. I am blessed to be part of community that upholds these values...but I am more blessed to know that our community exists in a world where we have a chance to offer hope...hope to a broken world with the promise of a fulfilled, whole life through Christ. I am thankful that I belong to a community where scripture comes to life through actions, where lives are transformed, the broken and wounded are accepted, nurtured and challenged to follow Christ, to live him, to make a difference because of the Good News.

Thank you WestSide...I wonder if we realize the impact that we could have armed with this kind of love...??

Chris
www.thewestsidegathering.com