Tough Weekend

One of the phrases we used when we started CSF was that we would "Do Life Together" in Fellowship. Starting at about 11am on Friday....I saw this in action.

On Friday we had a few families that work for the same Mortgage Company get told that the whole company was shutting down here in Charlotte and they were all losing their jobs. Within an hour, emails and phone calls were being passed along of prayer support. The employees who lost their jobs were getting emails of support and the spouses on the home front were getting personal calls.

One of the families told me, "It was great to know that within minutes of knowing we were losing our jobs, we had so many friends from CSF calling to offer support." This kind of bonding and pulling together is normal in small towns like where I grew up. In small towns where a mine shuts down or a mill goes out of business...people are used to that kind of relational closeness. However, in the big city, in the transient suburbs...people are not used to it. Unless you have devoted yourself to God and the people of CSF.

The same holds true for the Lizarazo family. As many of you know, Luis Lizarazo passed away late Saturday night from an issue with his heart. Luis was 45 and in great condition. He leaves behind his wife, Wendy and their son Daniel. When I got the call at 11:45 pm on Saturday night it was from a friend of the family who was also in their Home Team. (Luis was the HT leader) He called to let me know that he and a few others from the family and HT were there. Friends from CSF stayed with the family for hours after the death and then they were well taken care of on Sunday morning. People were coming up to me and giving wonderful reports about how the "Fellowship" went into action.

Great Job CSF!

True Fellowship...you don't get it by only coming to an Encounter Service once in a while. You don't get it from bouncing from one church to another every a few years looking for the cool church to meet "your needs." You don't get it unless you invest in other people's lives in the good and bad times for a longtime.

Charlotte South Fellowship....Big Church, In The Big City...feels just like home!