Ekklesia is a Church in the Westland Area launching in a new direction in service, here is a word about it from their pastor, Chris Lambert:

Starting Sunday May 6th (2012), Ekklesia is going to CHANGE big-time!  Prayerfully, we’ve decided to launch something we call “First Serve Sunday.”  On the FIRST SUNDAY of every month (God-willing), we will NOT meet at John Glenn High School.  We will GO into the community and SERVE.  We will serve with COMPASSION.  No-strings-attached.  Teaching will take place, but it will be interactive, re-active, and hands-on.

Ever since we launched Ekklesia (2008), we’ve been wondering… What did church services w/Jesus look like 2000 years ago?

1. Jesus’ teachings were always in the context of mission, and His mission was far more than Bible studies and weekly scheduled gatherings at ONE fixed location.
2. Jesus called disciples to follow “Him” and much of their mission was to go find non-disciples and meet them on their levels.
3. Many of Jesus’ teachings were spoken “in reaction” to various events and conversations that resulted from interactions with non-disciples, and they took place in public settings where Jesus and the disciples were serving.  Jesus’ teachings were far more “spontaneous” than the majority of preaching and Bible studies today.

Here is how we envision our “First Serve Sunday” approach leading us to be more balanced, and therefore closer to the way Jesus did it:

1. We won’t be limiting ourselves to a mechanistic, routine approach to teaching.  Not that we are currently hard-core “mechanistic”, but if we keep doing only what we’re doing, we’ll be a lot more like a machine than a Body.
2. Sitting in the same chair/building every week, same time, repeat.. repeat… is pretty lame if that’s our bread and butter.
3. We are going to people who do not currently follow Jesus and not merely waiting for them to come to us.
4. We are serving non-disciples with no strings attached.
5. We will invite people from all worldviews to serve with us (Muslims, atheists, heterosexuals, homosexuals, pro-life, pro-choice, democrat, republican, etc…).  We desire to serve alongside non-Christians.  Non-Christians may not follow Jesus, but many want to make an impact in our world.  We may agree-to-disagree about Jesus for now, but we will form relationships that can lead us into possibilities never before realized.

Finally…. if you show up, you’ll get a free T-Shirt!

by Chris Lambert

Chris is someone who had spent years of his life pursuing pleasure that never led to the satisfaction he was searching for, especially while in his fraternity at Indiana University. “I vividly remember my radical, life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ at age 22 in Australia, where I made my way to the front during an ‘altar call’ at a church service. I knew God was speaking to me, and I answered back, ‘From this day forward I’ll stop doing whatever You want me to stop doing, and I’ll start doing whatever You want me to start doing.’ I made a choice to trust in Christ… to put my faith in Him, and Him alone!”

Church Website

Ekklesia Offices
33300 Warren Rd, Suite #22
Westland, MI 48185

Office Phone: 734.744.7272
If you’d like to meet with any of our pastors and/or other leaders in the church, please contact us and we will set up a time that suits you.