3/9/2018 1 Comment I LOVE My Church's Toilet PaperYes, you read that correctly. And nope, it’s not clickbait to talk about something completely unrelated! I really love my church’s toilet paper; it’s actually in my top five favorite things about River of Life. Now, you might be saying, “Victor, your dad is the pastor. You should be biased about the church and have way more spiritual reasons in your top five.” Yeah, well, you can take a nap, Susan, because you haven’t tried our toilet paper yet! But what if I told you that there’s more to it than our church caring about your hygienic heinie? Allow me to set the scene…. You see, my dad was not always the pastor of River of Life. There is a process to hiring a new minister, and it usually involves a sermon or two to introduce the candidate to the congregation. There are interviews, voting, etc. When Dad came to preach his sermon for this church, he brought our family along. At some point, I had to use the restroom, and was absolutely amused and grateful for such a fantastic experience! I mean, think about it: most restaurants, your workplace, gas stations, and even other churches have terrible toilet paper! It either provides the sensation of sandpaper, the durability of wet sand, or both! And yet in this seemingly small town, hours from home, in an unfamiliar environment, there was toilet paper that made me stop and think. And so, from literally having good toiletries, I have decided upon three things that I’ve come to value very highly about our church. 1. It communicates thoughtfulness. As previously stated, most places that people visit, especially public places, have very cheap toilet paper. This is very understandable; it’s easier to buy in bulk, it’s cost effective, and lasts far longer (although that last one is hard to prove—I’ve used a great deal of half-ply paper in one sitting!) than the good stuff. But the fact that the church chose to spend more money on two-ply quality paper communicates to me that they genuinely care about people and the experience they have here. This was underscored even further by how the congregation warmly welcomed my family from Day One, and continue to welcome new people and take a refreshingly authentic interest in their lives. 2. It's the little things. It was, and still is, intensely funny to me how riled up I get about the toilet paper. It’s something so silly and simple, yet I haven’t forgotten it. We’re talking over two years ago, people, and I still remember how fascinated and impressed I was that we were cared for so generously in the little things. Things that are probably overlooked, and maybe even taken for granted by most. Doug, one of our elders, asks me every single week how my job is going. It’s actually something I look forward to talking about with him, even if it’s one or two sentences, and even if the job wasn’t so great that week. Something so small and simple, yet it sticks with me because they stack up and make a bigger impact than we realize. 3. It showed me I mattered.Now, before you roll your eyes, let me be clear that my family and God already tell me that I matter; I didn’t need ultra plush paper to tell me that. But for many people, church has been an encounter where either nothing is the matter, or everything is. But my trip to the bathroom stall set the stage for me to tell you something very different. See, the only real place I could think of that has the same toilet paper…is my home. My home is a welcome place of receiving love, refreshing spirit, and reviving life. And that is exactly how I felt, and feel, at my church.
Something that we always say at River of Life is that “You matter to God, and you matter to us.” From the toilet to the pulpit, this holds true. You are welcomed, loved, and surrounded by real people who want you to experience the love of God. And boy, do you ever. If you come—and you are always welcome—you will be blown away as soon as you walk in the door by a loving and genuine congregation. You’ll experience heartfelt and passionate worship, and witness committed and faithful people serving the King! Your kids will encounter engaging and energetic children’s ministry, and you’ll hear the prayerfully delivered Word of God by an awesome pastor. Not to mention, everyone can indulge in amazingly soft toilet paper! Just don’t forget to wash your hands before you go shaking them. ;-)
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Victor Sassano IIIAuthor of the Why You Suck Series. Adventurer. Warrior-Poet. Superhero enthusiast. Servant-Leader. Archives
March 2018
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