One little slice of heaven on Earth

Growing up in a Christian home, as I did, I often wondered what heaven would be like.

Sure, I have read the Biblical accounts in the Book of Revelation and some of the other prophesies spread throughout the New Testament, but it still seems to be a giant conundrum wrapped in an enigma.

However, Pastor George Nite and the four distinct congregations of Cross Pointe Community Church in Redding certainly provided a glimpse Sunday, Nov. 22, of what heaven could be like.

CrossPointe is home to a large congregation that includes members of the many different ethnic origins that we traditionally classify as the American melting pot. However, also housed on its campus are three other churches serving members who still worship in the Mien, Chinese and Korean languages.

Gathered all together for a common Thanksgiving feast, as we were Sunday evening, the large gymnasium/social hall was a polyglot of cultures, dialects, skin tones, food smells, tastes and social customs.

Yet, when the pastors of each congregation read similar verses from scripture and prayed, each in his own language, the effect was one of blissful peace and harmony.

More than 540 people of virtually every age and experience level joined in a single line to fill their plates and eat as one body of believers.

"For six years now we have been having this Thanksgiving feast and we have always invited the Pastor Tom SaeChao and the Mien church to join with us," explained George Nite, senior pastor at CrossPointe. "But this is the first year we have been able to invite the Korean and Chinese congregations."

The Korean Baptist Church of Redding, a congregation of nearly 40 members led by Pastor Lee Kwang, moved to the CrossPointe campus in March of 2009, while the Chinese church, led by Pastor Daniel His, started meeting at CrossPointe just two months ago, both pastors explained.

"We wanted this to be as much like the original Thanksgiving where the people brought the foods that were most familiar to them," Nite said.

"This is what we imagine heaven will be like with every culture, every language, every custom and every skin color joined together by the Holy Spirit and the common brotherhood of Jesus Christ," Nite told the assembled crowd prior to the opening prayer.

As the meal progressed, it was a true joy to see children of every hue and skin tone mingling together, playing with each other and communicating together, obviously blind to any outward or physical differences that often separate adults or those who grow up surrounded by prejudice.

Truly, it felt like heaven right here on Earth.