What Dayspring Church Means to Me

 By Arden Chapman

 When God decides to prompt a movement in one’s life, a lot of times He does it in a way as to make that person unhappy or unsatisfied with a particular situation.  In my case, I realized it had gotten to the point I dreaded going to church every Sunday.  I was pretty sure I was not just running from what God wanted me to do.  There comes a time when for the spiritual well-being of yourself and your family, you know you have to seek God’s leadership in finding what He wants you to do.  You have to take a step of faith, and sometimes that step comes out of desperation.  When a person feels “beaten-up” from the work week, he/she needs encouragement.  That person needs to feel a sense of hope.  The last thing that person needs is a lot of high pressure sales coming from the pulpit.  I don’t know of anywhere in the Bible that Jesus used these tactics to get people to do what he wanted.

Melanie and I were each drawn separately by the billboards Dayspring had put up around town.  To me, I felt the billboards were offering encouragement and a great chance for a much needed new start.  After talking to Melanie about it, I found that she was feeling the same way.  We decided to visit Dayspring.  Hannah didn’t want to visit with us.  I offered her ten dollars to come with us that weekend and she has seldom missed since.  She has taken a very active role in the children’s ministry at Dayspring.

What Melanie and I have received at Dayspring is a weekly spiritual diet of mercy and grace to help heal the wounds from the blows the world deals us.  We get spiritual teaching from the pulpit, from a pastor who is careful to divide the word of God accurately, and who faithfully shepherds his flock.  We get a youth ministry that is beyond compare.  We have observed the best Christian entertainment that money can buy at other churches.  Here we see true discipleship.  At Dayspring we have a sweet-spirited worship leader who uses his musical talents to serve the Lord and this congregation.  There are dedicated people who take the spiritual nurturing of our children very seriously.  Dayspring offers a wonderful fellowship of believers who we have grown to love.  This has been easy for us.

I feel blessed by the fact that we have been called by the Lord to be a part in the development and growth of a new church.  I have never had this opportunity before.  As a new church Dayspring has no hidden political or social agenda from an established ruling class.  It offers freedom of worship without dictating the amount of energy exerted.  I felt called to come here and I don’t feel called to be anywhere else.  I know this is where God wants my family.

It is not convenient, as we drive 20 miles one-way to get here.  What we receive can’t be found any closer to home.  We are actively involved in the preparation of the services here at Drew School.  But,  I have done less work at churches that seemed like a lot more work than what our service requires here.  This is the difference in being called by man to serve and being called by the Holy Spirit to serve.  This congregation shares responsibilities with love.

God has put many people on my heart that have been hurt in some way at a previous church, have gotten out of the habit of going to church for some reason, or they are searching for something different in a church experience.  I see Dayspring as a treasure from God.  If you are here because I have invited you to Dayspring, you can know that I love you enough to share with you one of my treasures.  If you are here and don’t know the Lord Jesus as your savior, and you feel the drawing of the Holy Spirit in your heart, I would be honored to share my greatest treasure of all.