MISSION LOST: Years ago I read the story of a ship that wrecked on rocks near the shoreline. The survivors who made it to shore noticed several ships had been destroyed and lives lost in the same spot. It motivated them to give their lives to watch for ships and warn them, rescuing them from disaster. Soon, so many had been saved, they decided to build a shed and fill it with life-saving equipment to aid them on their mission. As more were rescued, people began to pay more attention to the shed and equipment than to the lives of those in danger. In short, they did what many churches have done, they lost sight of their mission. The real mission of the Church is not to keep the people in the building happy, satisfied and content, nor is it to keep the equipment well preserved, but to pursue those outside the walls of the building with the Hope that Jesus offers.