Why should I go to church?

By Pastor Kaloma Smith, Senior Pastor, UAMEZ Church · Last updated October 1, 2026

Go to church because you belong to the people there, and they need what God put in your hands. Paul says that in Christ we are one body and members of one another. You can watch a sermon alone, but you can't be known alone, and nobody can carry you through a funeral or cheer at your kid's graduation through a screen. The video was posted September 7, 2026, during our Better Together series. Watch the full sermon here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALOo9O1naXs

Why does church sometimes feel like a room full of strangers?

Because we have learned to share space without knowing each other. You chat with the same guy at the coffee shop every morning and can't remember his name. You know the child at school but not the parent. I once stood outside a building during a fire alarm with about 150 people. We shared coats and blankets and checked on each other. When they let us back in, everyone scattered. Sometimes church is like that. We have a beautiful hour together, and then we disperse.

What does Paul mean by "one body"?

Paul wrote Romans to a church split into a handful of house churches, and he gave them a picture they couldn't miss: one body with many parts that do different things. A lot of us bring our workplace idea of a team into church. Everyone is on the same team until layoffs, or until someone doesn't get their way. The body is different. I noticed Paul never names the stomach, as if someone is there only to be fed, or the brain, as if someone is in charge. Nobody here is just a consumer, and nobody is the top box.

Does my gift really matter?

Yes, more than you know. I love to sing, and I will never sing here. Our worship leader made that clear at my tryout. Teaching children's church gave me anxiety. We each have different gifts, and none is less than another. The morning after a church cleanup day, I saw what three-year-olds had done with their little rakes and arms. If a toddler can add to the body, imagine what you can do. "There's something that God put in your hands that is not mine."

What does it mean to honor one another?

Romans 12:10 tells us to love one another with mutual affection and to outdo one another in showing honor. The Roman church mixed Jews and Gentiles, enslaved people and business owners, Greeks and Romans. Paul's first instruction was honor. That means honoring the quiet ones in the back, the volunteer who unlocks the doors early and the person whose background is different from yours. It means giving honor before you expect any. "This valley might rank people, but this church does not." Church is not a job fair or a networking meetup. It is where you are seen apart from your title.

How is a church different from an audience?

An audience leaves when the show ends. I went to a great concert recently, and then my 50,000 new friends went home. Romans 12:15 says to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. When someone buries a parent, gets a diagnosis or goes through a divorce, you don't need the right words. You need to show up. After a funeral the crowd thins in a few weeks, but a small group keeps showing up.

Why does showing up matter so much right now?

Because hard seasons are coming for a lot of families, and we will need each other. I'm heading into my 14th year as pastor here. I've watched babies grow up and married couples who now have kids of their own. Seeing God at work in other people's lives is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. Sign up for a small group. Stay and talk in the courtyard. We are better together.

Join us Sundays at 10 AM PT at 3549 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94306, or watch live at youtube.com/@uamez. Plan your visit at uamez.com.