Threads

by Jim Lyon, Senior Pastor

Recently, I welcomed the Heartland Health and Wellness Conference to Madison Park. The two-day convention annually draws hundreds of Hoosiers from all over central Indiana to learn about making healthy choices—choices about what we eat, how we exercise, and so on.  This is the second year the Conference has been held at Madison Park; it is not a Madison Park event, but it is held at Madison Park.

After a delicious heart-healthy breakfast (served from a spectacular buffet in The Commons), the crowd moved into the Crossroads Auditorium for the morning sessions. All kinds of people were there—old and young, firemen, police officers, educators, healthcare professionals, public officials, stock brokers, auto mechanics, A-to-Z, you name it.

As I welcomed the Conference to the church, I shared with the audience how proud and thankful we were to be able to provide a venue for something so worthwhile—so “life giving.” Life giving. Those are the words I used then. Those are words I often use.

I told the Heartland Health crowd that we understood their premise: we all have to make choices. And the kind of choices the Conference offered were life giving. And that’s what this church is all about: giving life.

In addition to our ministries, we also provide a place at Madison Park for others to give life. Like St. John’s Hospital, which last week held its annual employee-appreciation picnic at Madison Park (drawing over 1,000). And Liberty Christian School’s high school commencement. And the Commission on Domestic Violence seminar coming soon. And continuing education classes for professional associations (like realtors). And the Mid-West Holiness Convention. And the 24 Conference for church leaders from all over the country, hosted by Church Builders Plus. And the Indiana Wesleyan University Alumni extravaganza, complete with IWU’s Chorale and Orchestra.  And the Madison County Sheriff’s Chaplaincy Banquet (with over 600 for dinner in The Commons, supporting ministry in the county jail). And the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast (over 250 community leaders gathered to dine, worship, and pray—Bill Gaither and the Anderson University Chorale are already lined up for next year’s Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, again at Madison Park). And so much more.

It’s all about “life giving.” It’s the thread that continually weaves through all we do. Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life …” Giving life. Life giving.

In 1987, on my first visit to India, my sense of ministry was reborn. While in an out-of-the-way little village in the far southern reach of the subcontinent called Byerniakumpatty, I spoke in a small, rectangular church building, sturdily built of stone with a metal roof, in the middle of mud huts with thatched roofs. I realized then that the church building—the finest structure in the whole place, by far—was more than a Sunday-meeting hall or a house of worship alone. It was what the villagers called a “life center.” A place where they learned about Jesus. And how to read. And how to sew. And about personal hygiene. And where the village children could be cared for while their parents went to work in the fields that stretched in every direction. And where the villagers met to make decisions for the common good. And where the Gospel framed everything. It was sacred ground. God’s house, to be sure. Used constantly. It was life giving.

And, that’s the dream that has brought Madison Park to life. Every day. Every week. All the year through. You make it possible. Yes, you. With your faithfulness. Your prayers. And, yes, your money. This is a place that gives life. No matter what the challenge, no matter how dark the hour or bright the day. Never underestimate how much better Madison County is today—and will be tomorrow—because of this life giving place. Literally thousands walk in and out of our doors every week—and not just on Sundays. And life is always found here. What a place. What a world. What a Savior.

We welcome the Heartland Health and Wellness Conference. And everyone else, looking for life—and giving life. God is the author of life. It is our privilege to share it, protect it, enhance it, and proclaim it.

We all have to make choices.  Thanks for choosing to sacrifice, week-by-week, to make Madison Park a life giving anchor along I-69. Jesus is here. He is, after, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Note: Special thanks to every member of our Madison Park building and event staff team that helps make all of this possible, all the year through–especially Events Coordinator Kelli Bays and Madison Park Facilities Manager Alvin Renschler.  They are the best.