Operation Andrew: Installing Windows and Doors Since 2000

David Gould
Senior Pastor, First Wesleyan Church
http://www.nashvillefirst.com

Have you ever been the new kid in town? When God led my family to minister at an inner-city community church in East Nashville a few years ago, that’s all I knew about our call. In other words, I really didn’t know anyone else in Nashville. It is a wonderful city, full of life and opportunity… and music. I’m finding it’s a great place to raise a family. Spiritually, it is a dynamic city as well. We all know the numbers… over 700 churches in the Nashville area… more churches per capita in Nashville
than any other city… But in some ways it is can also be a closed community. Often times, even churches are closed up during the week. I didn’t know the pastors from neighboring churches because the only times they were in my neighborhood was on Sunday when I was kind of busy.

So, when Operation Andrew sent me an invitation to a pastors honor banquet, I excitedly told my wife about it. I was just settling in to my pastoral role at First Wesleyan Church. It was my first senior pastor position, so I knew I didn’t deserve any honor. But I try to never say “No” to a fine meal. We arrived to find people from many different backgrounds. Apparently I wasn’t the only pastor who liked to eat. But they weren’t there just to eat. They were fellowshipping. My wife and I were quickly swept up into conversation. We realized that we were surrounded by people who had been in ministry for much longer than we had. Some had even lived or had ministry connections in our part of town. Whether they knew it or not, they had become our ‘welcome wagon’, and in the process, opened doors for me in my new city.

After the dinner, I began getting emails about Operation Andrew sponsored, ‘Lunches To Learn’. I know… more food, right? At these lunches there is a topic of interest to the ministry community with a knowledgeable speaker. These topics and speakers provide a window to our culture and help us to see things from a different perspective. They are not just informative, but are again opportunities to meet other pastors and expand our network as we see common needs. I have enjoyed these fellowships, and always look forward to the email alerting me of the next one.

Operation Andrew seems to have a bird’s eye view of ministry in the Nashville area, so it can see the potential of a unified Church in middle Tennessee. By setting up these opportunities for pastors to meet and develop relationships, they are providing a much needed service within the church. What I have come to find through Operation Andrew is you don’t have to be the ‘new guy’ to be disconnected. ‘Disconnection’ doesn’t do anyone any good. It doesn’t help us accomplish our mission, and it doesn’t share the right message with the world.

When I think about the Church in general, I think about a building. Not that a building is ever the Church, but as she is referenced in the second chapter of Ephesians. Every strong building has a good foundation, walls, and a roof. The Church is to be a place of safety for those in trouble during times of cultural storms. It is a place to come home to for the wandering soul. But sometimes the Church, as a building, doesn’t seem to have windows or doors. This makes it more of a vault than a useful building. If the Church is a building, I see Operation Andrew in the ‘window and door’ business. They want to help us see the opportunity for ministry outside of ourselves, and they want us to be able to freely go in and out of our own areas so we can enjoy the benefits of the whole building… the whole Church. They understand how important it is for the building to be fully functional, not only for the edification of the believers, but also for the winning of the lost. If the world sees a building that isn’t functional, they will have no confidence (faith) in the Builder. Without windows, we can’t see out, and they can’t see in. Without doors, we are isolated… and even trapped.

I value the work of Operation Andrew. They have been a blessing to me since my first days in Nashville, and I look forward to installing windows and doors with them in the future.