Month: January 2000

This New Year’s Eve did not just bring in the year 2001, it also marked the official beginning of flu season.

By Joanna Burgess

Membership lists are bulging at the Metropolitan Bible Church on Bank Street..

In three years, the church has seen its congregation increase by hundreds.

At 453 Bank St., the Met’s rectangular frame makes it look more like and old community centre than a church.

“We’ve maxed out our space,” says Senior Pastor Rick Reed. He says they are considering different options, but no final decision has been made. Relocating is one.

Since the parish has grown so much the Met has some decisions to make. Some parishioners say Pastor Reed is the reason for the church’s growth, but he doesn’t like to take the credit.

Sheri Moffatt, 28, has been at the Met for seven years. She says the Met “teaches the word of God so clearly.” Moffatt says Pastor Reed is why the Bible is taught so well. “Pastor Rick is just awesome.”

Jerry Everett, 32, another parishioner, echoes Moffatt’s sentiments. “(Reed) is gifted at taking what’s in the Bible and clearly communicating it, breaking it down so it’s relevant,” says Everett.

Reed stresses there never was a “low point” in the church’s history where it “emptied out,” but since 1998, the Met has gone from about 700 parishioners to roughly 1,200.

The Met’s pastoral staff say the growth has to do with the way the church connects people to God and to each other. Pastor Godfrey Thorogood says the church’s worship and preaching methods are very appealing because they are centered on what’s in the Bible.

“Everything is very focused on Bible teachings and people appreciate that,” says Thorogood. He says 200 new people joined the parish just last fall.

“One of the things we have to do is help people connect,” says Reed. “A big emphasis is to try to put people into meaningful connections.”

Programs offered by the church help build these connections.

There are groups for men, women, children and young adults where participants can get to know each other. The Met also hosts receptions especially for newcomers. The church tries to connect people by making them feel welcome and helping them develop friendships within the parish.

“If the church is going to grow bigger, it has to grow smaller at the same time,” says Reed.

One initiative is LIFEgroups. A LIFEgroup is a small group of believers who meet, discuss and share beliefs and experiences with each other in a more intimate setting.

Moffatt has belonged to a LIFEgroup for over a year. “You develop a close-knit family,” she says. Nine new LIFEgroups are being launched by Feb. 1.

Reed says the Met exudes a “spiritual vitality” that seems to draw in newcomers who like how his church brings God into their lives.

“Their longing is to feel closer to God,” says Reed. “And if we can be a part, and it’s a real privilege, of helping them move closer to God, many of them move closer to us.”

Msgr. Robert Martineau of St. Patrick’s Basilica-Centretown says his church has grown by about 100 people per year over the past couple of years. However, the Met’s numbers are more significant.

Reed and Thorogood say they are thankful for their church’s strong community. “We’re not in competition with other churches,” says Reed.

“Our goal is not to depopulate some churches to repopulate this one.”