Blog - September
Hey Y’all!
My name is Clay Bradford, a Raleigh fellow in this upcoming class of 2027. I am a Raleigh native, I am a big fan of hiking, the outdoors, cooking, baking, and music (both making and listening). Also, I am the newest Next-Gen intern at Apostles church through the Raleigh Fellows. In this month since I have started I have felt such a draw towards the church and in ministry. I have a deep desire to know those around me, even as I am fully known by God. Psalm 139 says that the experience of relational closeness is divine, that ‘…such knowledge is too wonderful to me.’ Since day one, I have known that I want to become close to, love, and serve my fellow… fellows! Truly, thats my aim with all of the new people I meet, and the friendships that are becoming.
My first day at Apostles was extraordinary. I’ve never known the secret behind an incredible church, but I’ve always been interested - what is that “secret sauce” that sets a church apart? I feel like it’s not something tangible, sometimes it’s hard to describe the sparkle, or glimmer that makes a church attractive. I found that I’ve always thought about the metrics of a church by sorting them into three categories: the authenticity of worship and leading people closer to a heart for God, a message that not only comforts but challenges those who have ears to hear, and a close community of people. It’s hard to balance these three, and especially the last one, to have a tight-knit community but not so close that it may be impenetrable for a newcomer. I don’t think that my goal was to judge Apostles, ‘lest I be judged’ haha. Additionally, I don’t think that these things are wrong to look for, especially when visiting a new church! However, what has made all the difference (not only attending Apostles, but being the new person on staff) has been the Christ-centered work ethic of those around me. I am completely taken with the way this church staff loves their kingdom work. I would say all is done in accordance with a through-line that is in every service, ministry, opportunity, outreach program, down to the smallest interaction. That through-line is intentionality. What an incredible gift. From the moment we sat down at the first staff meeting, staff shared beautiful stories from the past week of how God met them through a friend, or the interaction with a stranger. It’s crazy that these are week to week interactions that the staff might have, because almost every single one of them was incredibly powerful. They call these, “God sightings,” as only God could have orchestrated such events and put certain people in other’s lives. However, I would say that all of these are due to the intentionality instilled in every staff members heart. I’m not discrediting the work that the Lord does, but rather recognizing the way that he is uniquely working through every single person. I found myself asking, “who even notices a brand new person at church? Can anyone even distinguish 99 sheep from 100?” and yet these staff members can. They show up prepared with a list of every new person that was talked to, or spotted, or who filled out a connect card. That is a sign of intentionality given by God. That is what separates Apostles from any other church i’ve been a part of, let alone any church thats allowed me to peek behind the curtain. True Christlike character calls us to notice, pursue, and celebrate the sheep in our lives. So I ask myself, how can I be pursuing others with a Christ-charged intention in my life? Not for me, but for God. I’d ask you to wonder the same.