What's the point of church anyway?

I apologize for taking forever to do a new post!  Quick update: things have been in fairly high gear over here as both campuses prepare for the end of the year sprint!  At BSM, the Breaking Bread program has been going full force!  This has been an incredible opportunity to witness what it means for 100 poor, often homeless, people to come in, get food, and be treated as humans for a couple hours out of their day.  We offer lunch and social services such as haircuts, a clothing closet, benefits bank, and hygiene kits to name a few.  I've enjoyed these meals as it gives me a chance to really develop my relationship with the regulars that come in our doors.  They have incredible stories to share.  At Arch Street Pres, we have been gearing up for the Advent season!  We are looking at starting some mid-week afternoon services for the working population in downtown Philly.  The congregation has been gaining momentum and life thanks to 2 great sundays where we had meal fellowship following the service!  As far as my personal self is concerned, call or visit to see how I'm doing!

I've also been lacking inspiration for posts, which may be a case of some fatigue - it can be hard to keep up with all the posting!  I hope you all have enjoyed my post-bible study reflections on Wed., I'll try to keep those up!

For tonight, I am posing a VERY SIMPLE question and I would like COMMENTS!  Pretend that you have not grown up in the church.  For those that haven't, this may be easy and I encourage your comments as well!  Try to take all your pre-conceived notions of the church away for this...

WHY would you choose to start going to a church?

Both BSM and Arch Street are at a point where they are examining what Christian fellowship means and how it can be enacted.  There is some hesitancy to this because both are founded on the deep theological assertion that the faith community is not built for church members in themselves, but for purposes of living out the radical gospel in the world to serve others.  How do these two relate?  I'm not going to say any more because I am curious to here thoughts from those of you who read this blog.  We are created for conversation, not lectures!

So think of that question and answer in the comment section...NOW!

Also, as I have mentioned earlier, I encourage you to join an online conversation at The Church Is Alive.  This week, Carol Howard Merritt wrote an excellent post on this very subject I bring up this evening.  I encourage you to check it out!  That is, after you answer my question!

peace,
mike