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What Are We Known For? Living as the Church in Our Community
Every town has its familiar places. The café where people linger over coffee, the park filled with children on summer evenings, the street everyone avoids when the snow piles high. But when someone in St. Albert hears the name Sturgeon Valley Baptist Church, what comes to mind? Would they picture a building tucked behind the trees on Woodlands Road, or would they think of a people who genuinely love God and serve others so that lives are changed? Would they say we are a church that shows up when others turn away, or would they say we are mostly a Sunday crowd that keeps to itself?
Those are uncomfortable questions, but necessary ones. Jesus told His followers that the world would know them by their love. He did not say we would be known by our music, our preaching, or our programs. He said love would be the defining mark of those who belong to Him. That was not a suggestion or a slogan. It was a command, and it still is. So, if our community does not recognize that love, what exactly do they see when they look at us?
It is easy to talk about love when it stays theoretical. We can nod along when Scripture is read, agree that kindness matters, and quote verses about compassion. But love becomes real only when it costs something. It becomes real when it disrupts our comfort, interrupts our schedules, and stretches our patience. That is where love becomes visible, and that is where faith either deepens or proves hollow. How often do we help someone only when it fits our plans? How often do we say, “I’ll pray for you,” when what that person really needs is for us to show up and be present? How often do we hear of a need and quietly hope someone else will take care of it?
The early church faced persecution, poverty, and loss, yet they became known for their compassion. When famine struck, they shared what little they had. When disease spread, they stayed and cared for the sick while others fled. When the world was cruel, they responded with mercy. They did not wait for committees or formal programs to organize compassion. They saw need and responded because Christ’s love compelled them. Can the same be said of us?
We talk about wanting to see lives changed, but are we willing to be the ones God uses to bring that change? Change often begins in small, inconvenient places. It starts with forgiveness, hospitality, and humility. It starts when we care more about people than appearances, more about serving than being served, more about the Gospel than our own comfort. At Sturgeon Valley Baptist, our vision is simple: We strive to be a church that loves God and serves others, so that lives are changed! Those words capture who we want to be, but they also challenge us. They ask whether we are living up to that vision or merely repeating it. Are we actually serving others, or are we serving our own idea of what church should be?
If we stripped away the music, the building, and the programs, would there still be enough love left to define us? Would people recognize us as followers of Jesus by the way we live and speak and respond to those in need? It is easy to assume that someone else will step up. Someone else will invite the neighbor, visit the hospital, or sit with the person who is grieving. But what if that “someone else” was meant to be us? God rarely works through perfect people with perfect timing. He works through those who are willing, those who make space for others, those who listen before they speak.
Our community is watching whether we realize it or not. They see how we treat each other. They notice how we talk about people who disagree with us. They observe how we respond when someone stumbles or when conflict arises. What story do our actions tell? It is not enough to be known for what we believe. Our faith must be visible. The world is not drawn to a church that only talks about love. It is drawn to a church that practices it. When we care for the lonely, when we make space for the overlooked, when we choose grace over gossip and compassion over criticism, people notice.
If Sturgeon Valley Baptist closed its doors tomorrow, would our city notice? Would the neighborhood around us feel the absence? Would anyone say, “They made a difference in my life”? That question should make us pause. The truth is that churches can exist for years without ever leaving a mark on their community. Programs can run smoothly while hearts stay distant. Worship can sound strong while love grows weak. But it does not have to be that way. The church becomes powerful when it remembers who it is. We are not called to comfort. We are called to follow Christ, and His path was one of service, sacrifice, and compassion.
Being a church that loves God means putting Him first, even when it challenges our preferences. Serving others means doing what is needed, not only what is convenient. And seeing lives changed begins when we allow God to change ours. The world around us is hungry for something real. People are tired of polished words and shallow connections. They are looking for hope that shows up in everyday life. They are looking for people who live what they say they believe. That is our opportunity.
So, what are we known for? Are we known for generosity, kindness, and humility? Are we known for the way we listen and care? Or are we known for silence when love requires action? Salt that stays in the shaker never seasons anything. Light hidden under a basket never drives out darkness. Our faith was meant to be seen, and our community should feel the presence of Christ through us.
Reputation is not built overnight. It is shaped through the daily choices of ordinary people who take their faith seriously. It grows when we love the unlovely, forgive the undeserving, and serve without expecting anything in return. It grows when our love is not an event but a way of life. May we be a church known not only for gathering on Sundays but for scattering throughout the week to bring Christ’s love wherever we go. May our neighbors, coworkers, and friends see something unmistakable in us. The quiet, steady evidence of lives transformed by grace. Let us not settle for being known as a church that believes in love. Let us be known as a church that lives it.