Willow Park Church

Our Purpose:

• To connect with the homeless, lost and down-trodden of Kelowna
• To disciple those who accept Christ and bring about transformation in their lives through the Holy Spirit
• To restore the marginalized and broken into relationship with Christ and his people
• To empower those seeking and newly come to Christ to serve and experience the joys of fellowship and community in Willow Park Church
  

Where & When?

Metro Sunday - Every Sunday @ 9:00 am at the Habitat Building (248 Leon Ave.) [map & directions]

About Metro

In February 2006, Willow Park launched the Metro gathering. We tried to understand whether to call it a campus or a satellite - but none of those monikers have stuck for long. It perhaps is more aptly referred to as a ‘community' - or maybe even an ‘uncampus'.

While this is a fully-fledged ‘uncampus' of Willow Park Church - the model for worship, teaching/preaching and structure of the services is not necessarily a traditional one, but instead is one that is relevant and poignant to the needs of those on the street.

Our mission statement says, "We are a group of people gathered to build friendship and relationship in order to: Seek God, pursue Truth, in an atmosphere of Love, and where...judgment is left at the door. This may not be like any church you've ever seen... Why not join us?"

The community initially consisted only of the homeless and marginalized. Today we are a hotch-potch of people from all walks of life - in need of grace. Some are seekers, but the majority are attracted by the warmth of the welcome and the refreshment provided. We have needs across the spectrum, but primarily the Metro community seeks to extend a relational, emotional and spiritual hand to those who come along - whether on a Saturday night or a Sunday morning.

One rarely experiences spiritual battles the way we do at Metro - week in and week out. However, there is no doubt that these are won through prayer, and at Metro we are committed to bathing the ministry in prayer.

Grace is a wonderful, difficult concept. Admitting the need for grace is admitting personal imperfection. Grace, in itself, is an untended shrub hidden in the back corner of our gardens. For the most part when we walk through our big church setting, the temptation is to proudly show our fruits-our achievements. "We did this" is our cry, hoping that no one will see that grace-plant growing in the thicket. For grace to grow, there must be sin in the soil. Grace is not our work, and we are not proud of its presence.

In the midst of men of achievement, Jesus was fixed on a weeping prostitute-"Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loves much" (Luke 7:47, KJV). This woman was shamelessly willing to bare her appreciation of grace in the midst of the most popular and prominent. They were disgusted. At another time, Christ would call these culturally great men "whitewashed tombs ... beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are all full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean" (Matt. 23:37, TNIV). Is this who we are to become? Appearing to have a well-ordered life? Let no one see the evidence of our sin, as sin reflects personal weakness, and personal weakness is shameful?

We are all whitewashed tombs. The Pharisee's prayer in Luke 18 ("God, I thank You that I am not like other men ...") was a boast that he needed grace less than the unjust, the adulterers and the tax collectors. Today, we pray the same prayer ... Thank God I am not like the sexually immoral, the addicts, the abortionists. Thank God we're not sinners like them!

Don't charge the poor interest (Exodus 22:25). Don't harden your heart toward the poor (Deuteronomy 15:7). Open your hand wide to the poor and needy in your land (Deuteronomy 15:11). House those who are homeless; share your bread with the hungry; clothe the naked; don't hide yourself from your brother (Isaiah 58:7). Whatever you did for the least of these, you did it for Me (Matthew 25).

Mercy has become a pesky, noxious vine that irritates the skin, a scandalous idea that persistently pokes its way through the soil of our culture, no matter how often we ruthlessly cut it back in the name of coalitions and agendas. Christ said this to the rich young ruler: "‘Sell your processions and give them to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; Then come, follow me.' When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth" (Matt. 19:22, TNIV).

We are people of great possession. We have put much effort into developing power influence and savvy. We fear to allow mercy to grow and intrude upon our works-its roots could upset the foundations of everything we've accomplished!

Kierkegaard said this-"The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly ... ‘My God,' you will say. ‘If I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I get on in the world?'"

How would we survive as Christians in the world, if everyone knew the depth of our sin intimately, if they realized that we are just sinners in need of grace?

How would we survive if we gave all we had-careers, money and political agendas-in the name of mercy? What if we set everything aside, not in effort to impress God, but instead because our God has so impressed us? If we really revealed grace, and truly lived out mercy, our lives would be ruined.

"Jesus, ruin my life." - If this is your prayer, then maybe you'll find a home in the Metro community...

Contact Laurence East, campus pastor at Metro @ 765-6622 for more information.