W ors HiP W

BaP tist

Forest MeadoW / 9150 Church Rd. / Welcoming the mosaic of cultures living in our neighborhoods / www.fmbcdallas.org

Worship 10:50 / Bible Study 9:30 / Tim Ahlen, Pastor / 214.341.9555 laKeside BaPtist / 9150 Garland Rd / 214.324.1425

Pastor Jeff Donnell / Worship 10:50 am www.lbc-dallas.org

WilsHire BaPtist / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00 am

The man asked if the pastor really could imagine hell. My friend answered, “Sure, all I do is think of our own city and take out every church, every synagogue, every hospital that cares for the indigent, and every community benevolence institution that tries to help the homeless and the hopeless. That would be hell.”

I don’t know how you put a value on avoiding hell, but the exercise in assigning value to the presence of a religious organization in a community revealed to researchers something they didn’t anticipate. They found that churches did far more than simply conduct worship services and other religious rites. They hosted dance classes, senior citizens programs, childcare centers, youth sports activities, self-defense classes, grief and addiction recovery programs, small non-profit businesses, computer classes for the elderly, job search classes for the unemployed and job training for the underemployed.

The array of services offered by churches is a reality of social good that hides in plain sight.

One pastor, whose church was part of the study, put it this way: “Our mission is not just to get people into heaven,” he said, “but help them maneuver through the trials and troubles of life.”

The church is an easy target for critics, since it is composed of only sinners who are more or less aware of our need for God’s grace to become more than we are now. It’s also true that the church sometimes forgets its mission for God to the world and turns out to be just another social club or tax-exempt business that fails to give back as much as it receives. Hypocrisy tarnishes whatever halo effect social scientists may calculate.

But when you consider the positive impact of religious congregations in the lessening of misery and the elevating of human dignity, there’s reason to give thanks for good neighbors as you drive by buildings with steeples that point your eyes upward.

George Mason is pastor of Wilshire Baptist church. The Worship section is a regular feature underwritten by Advocate Publishing and by the neighborhood business people and churches listed on these pages. For information about helping support the Worship section, call 214.560.4202.

Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org

BiBle c HU rc H es

NortH HiGHlaNds BiBle cHUrcH / www.nhbc.net

Sunday: Lifequest (all ages) 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am

Wed: Student Ministry 7:00 pm / 9626 Church Road / 214.348.9697

disciPles oF cHrist

east dallas cHristiaN cHUrcH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / THE TABLE Worship Gathering 9:30 am

Worship 8:30 & 10:50 am / Rev. Deborah Morgan / www.edcc.org

lU tH era N

First UNited lUtHeraN cHUrcH / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln.

Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule.

214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org

ZioN lUtHeraN cHUrcH & scHool / 6121 E Lovers Ln.

Sunday: Sunday School 9:15 am, Worship 8:00 am,

10:30 am, & 6:00 pm / 214.363.1639 / www.ziondallas.org

M et Hodist

laKe HiGHlaNds UMc / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com

8:30-Adult Sun. School / 9:30-Traditional Service & Sun. School ‘A’

10:30-Fellowship / 10:50-Contemporary Service & Sun. School ‘B’

NoN- de NoMiN atioN al

laKe HiGHlaNds cHUrcH / 9919 McCree

Sun. Classes 9:30 am, Assembly 11:00 am / 214.348.0460

Home groups meet on weeknights. / lakehighlandschurch.org

WHite rocK coMMUNity cHUrcH / 9353 Garland Rd /214.320.0043

Sun. Bible Study 9:30 am, Worship 10:45 am / Wed. Bible Studies

10:00 am & 7:30 pm / event facilities for rent / whiterockchurch.org

Pres B yteria N

laKe HiGHlaNds PresByteriaN cHUrcH / 214.348.2133

8525 Audelia Road at NW Hwy. / www.lhpres.org

Christian Ed. 9:45 am, 9:00 am Contemporary, 11:00 am Traditional NortHParK PresByteriaN cHUrcH / 214.363.5457

9555 N. Central Expwy. / www.northparkpres.org

Pastor: Rev. Brent Barry / 8:30 & 11:00 am Sunday Services

mAkiNg A DiffErENcE

c hristian b uechel, Elliott Schermerhorn and c onnor Davis recently participated in Jesuit College Prep’s Cultural and Service Immersion Program in Nicaragua. They worked with the “Amigos for Christ” organization to promote rural development in water and sanitation, health care, education, and community. All three boys are Lake Highlands residents, seniors at Jesuit, and graduated from St. Patrick’s Catholic School.