I've had a pretty complicated relationship with the church throughout my life, and although I've been a part of several churches, I'd never thought of the church as somewhere that feels completely comfortable, or as a group of people I could really rely on. Until, of course, I came to MLK. This place brings the term "church-home" to a whole new level--even without the fact that we, well, live on the church campus. At any given point of any day, you can expect to find someone in the church--Pastor Ivan running up or down the stairs, congregation members chatting in the free coffee bar, children playing in the halls...It's not just a space for sermons, it's a place for life. Anyone is welcome at any time, no questions asked. People of all ages, nationalities, and walks of life flock to the warmth and life of this church body, and are welcomed without open arms. "We aren't here to tell people what's wrong with them," one of the women told me at the coffee bar one week, "We're here to show them the love of Christ." She went on to explain that MLK is often a place that receives people previously hurt by the church, or people who have felt that the church would never welcome them. Yet does so without any hidden truths or ambiguity about the gospel--MLK thrives on its honesty. "The gospel is offensive," Jeff said a week or two into our trip, "it tells everyone that they're not a good person and that they need to be saved." It took me a few more weeks to understand how the church has achieved the balance that so many churches in the US have tried and failed to reach. The answer, I think, is simple: everything starts with Jesus. The church structure, the use of spiritual gifts, each believer's character...Everything stems from each person's personal relationship with Christ. Knowing Him is the first priority. Not making sure someone's clear on some point of theology, not packing in the seats, not making sure everyone's immediately speaking in tongues. It's allowing everyone the space to know Jesus, and following His will in all that they do. Everything else has followed. The church is growing so quickly; the attendance on Sunday broke its record my second week here. Spiritual gifts are active with grace and none of the pressure I've felt from charismatic churches at home. Everyone is involved. As one of our team members put it "there are no separate groups...there isn't a group of volunteers that are there all the time and then a group of beginning Christians."

A week or two ago, Pastor Nicholas once told us that MLK was a "second-chance church." I almost started crying. For much of this year, I had taken a break from church attendance to try to figure out what the church was supposed to look like. I had been hurt by the church many times, and while I still definitely wanted to be a part and to serve in ministry, I felt that God wanted me to take a step back, let some wounds heal, and to seek His vision for the church and how I should relate to it. I never anticipated that He would lead me here, a church that answers so many prayers in so many ways. But here I am, at the first church that has truly felt like home, on a different continent in a country I never would have expected. I've already learned so much, and I can't wait to learn more.