If you were a former atheist whose life was changed by knowing Jesus, how powerful would hospitality toward people who don’t know God be?
A former atheist told Converge church planter Cory Peters he wanted to help those who were in his shoes. The disciple now had Jesus in his heart after a Spirit-led experience after high school. So this man wanted to be part of a new church in Tucson, Arizona.
That eagerness in a believer’s heart testifies to the worth of the invitational, life-changing culture that Branches Church will offer many. The new Converge Southwest congregation will launch later this year as part of Vision Arizona/Vision Tucson.
“We want to intentionally build a place where people are invited and division is cast to the side,” Peters said. “We want to cause hospitality to reign and reflect the reign of Jesus.”
Peters, his wife, Ravin, and Branches Church’s core team partially chose Tucson because many residents experience tremendous division or disagreement, especially without the gospel’s foundation for unity. Loneliness, isolation and divisiveness have changed the community where the Peterses grew up. But the church wants the gospel to increase others’ experience of unity and love.
In addition, many people are far from God in Marana, the Tucson suburb where Branches is starting. People there are often skeptical about biblical truth, and hundreds of thousands are likely atheists or agnostics.
Many are spiritually hungry and know something life-giving exists. But, they don’t know what that something is or where to find it.
“We want to be bold and confident enough and have that sense of urgency to seek and save the lost,” he added.
Building relationships with a sense of urgency, confidence and kindness is part of how God turns atheists into disciples. The man who met Cory Peters in April is but one example of the power of hospitality and gospel love between people.
“Community that is rooted in the gospel has the overwhelming power to change lives, and that’s what we want to be,” he said. “Something incredible happens when we gather together and proclaim the name of Jesus. The world takes notice of that.”
Converge Southwest is a movement of churches working to help people meet, know and follow Jesus. We do this by starting and strengthening churches together worldwide. For 170 years, we’ve helped churches bring life change to communities in the U.S. and around the world through church planting and multiplication, leadership training and coaching and global missions.