Once in a small town, there were three churches. There was a Lutheran, Catholic, and a Baptist church and they were all plagued by pesky squirrels. The first church called an exterminator, but the squirrels were back within a week. The second church humanely trapped the squirrels and released them on the outskirts of town, but they beat the parishioners back to the church. The Baptist, however, had the best approach results. They baptized them as members, and they only saw the squirrels at Easter and Christmas.
The moral of the story? Sometimes, the most effective solutions come with a sense of humor and a bit of perspective. It’s a reminder that in any community, including a church, getting along often means finding creative ways to deal with differences and challenges.
We are all different and that makes life a little more interesting. That means different cultures, backgrounds, and so on. Recognizing the difference in the church is important for unity. We are called to respect and love each other as Jesus cares and loves His church.
1 Corinthians 1:10: "I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought."
~ Pastor Luis V. Coca Jr
