For years the little church has been an assembly place for a small congregation of dedicated believers. They have faithfully come together for worship and to learn the word of God. They have rallied there to care for those in need both within and outside the congregational body; but most importantly, it has been a place where they have come together to support each other in a mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

I grew up in this little church. I remember running up the steps of the old education building to my third story Sunday school class; and I remember going down to the basement to play ping pong and other games. I remember the kitchen where even today volunteers bring and serve meals on special occasions.

But what I remember most about growing up in that little church is not the Sunday school lessons, the meals, or even the ping pong. Most memorable are the people that gathered there. I remember them for what they did within the walls of the little church. But even more I remember them for how they lived beyond them.

I remember how Jack tended to his customers in his grocery store and how he carried high school athletes to their country homes after practice. I remember John for the tender heart hidden beneath his crusty demeanor; Tim as a trustworthy banker and a dedicated scout leader; and Kirby, the farmers’ friend, who took time to help young people grow through the 4-H program. I remember Odell for the warmth of her love for her family and others around her; I remember Millie as a dedicated nurse and a mom to many even with no children of her own. I remember Bob for his carpentry skills and gentle being, and Pearl for her abounding energy and happy smile.

These are but a few of the people that gathered faithfully within the walls of the little church. But it is what they did beyond church walls that made a difference in the world. They were model disciples of Jesus Christ in the everyday walk of life wherever that may have been. And through their daily walk they led new disciples to Jesus Christ.

From the people of that little church came hundreds of disciples that blanket the country today. There are doctors, lawyers, and labor workers. There are technicians, teachers, and homemakers that walk like Jesus in their everyday lives. And just as those that went before them, they are making disciples too—by what they do within the walls of little churches somewhere, but even more by how they live their lives beyond them.