My Home for God

Sunday morning. During worship, Alina* lets her gaze wander across the room where her congregation gathers. Joy and concern sit side by side: so many people have come, but there's no room for anyone else. And the calling she senses from God is far from fulfilled.

After theological studies and practical training, she set out on the path of church planting. Her preaching is bearing fruit, and more and more people are coming to faith.

After the service comes the usual routine: saying a warm goodbye to everyone, cleaning up, then grabbing a quick bite. After all, Alina is already home! The fact that the believers meet within her own four walls isn't a problem. Quite the opposite: it reflects a firm conviction that God wants to make his home with each and every person. By opening her house, she wants to be an example of this and share that message with as many people as possible.

So far, it has worked well. But now the living room is bursting at the seams. After a season of prayer, the church planter sits down with a few trusted leaders. They are grateful for their host's open door, and together they make a decision: We're going to build a church!

One of the leaders has an idea: a regular attender owns a piece of land. The answer to their request comes right away: »It would be an honor to make this land available to you.« The team is overjoyed.

With this wind at her back, Alina goes to the local authorities and applies for permission to build a church on the property. At first, the officials are skeptical and ask many questions. Every answer has to be carefully weighed. Some time passes, and then the permit actually comes through. In Indonesia, that is anything but a given. Anyone who wants to build a church needs, among other things, signatures from the neighborhood and approval from several government offices. Many congregations wait for years, and some wait in vain. For Alina, the approval is a miracle.

Now there is great hope that construction will be finished this year. Until then, the living room remains the house of worship. And even once a larger building is ready, one thing is clear to her: not only her home but her entire life belongs to God.

*Name changed