These last several weeks, Steve and I have been taking the opportunity to visit various churches on Sunday morning. Our church has several partnerships in place that are designed to support us until we are on more solid ground. These churches have various members who attend our services. Our church is at 5pm on Sundays, this makes it possible for these people to assist us on a weekly basis. Visiting these established churches has caused me to feel some envy and to wonder how we will get to the same point in our church.
It has been a little too easy to find myself comparing our church plant to these larger established congregations. Our plant is only one year old. These churches are decades in the making. It is going to take time, prayer and patience. That is, if God's design is for our church to be "that big" one day. I am constantly reminding myself we are to serve whoever comes to C@TL, no matter whether that is 30 people or 300. It is not as if this isn't a new concept for us. We had this same concern when we started with the plant in Amherst. Only then, it was Bubba and Nedra who had the weight upon them. We functioned more as the worker bees, making their desires a reality. I have a new found respect for what they went through when they saw their little church plant in its' first days with 30 people meeting in a bakery. Almost four years later, they are 150-200 strong on Sunday morning.
Already, I have been texting Nedra with my worries. I am sure she has breathed a small sigh of relief as she remembers her feelings in the beginning. How do we get the children's department up and running? How do we make the high school gym feel more hospitable and not smell like a locker room? Is the music the right blend of hymns and contemporary? We are so very blessed to have an awesome meeting place. Lake Yale Conference Center requires no set up. There is even a coffee machine already in place and working every Sunday for whoever would like a cup. If they can possibly stand to drink it in 100 degree weather! There are classrooms available as our children's ministry grows. Audiovisual equipment is already in place. We are not unpacking and repacking trailers every week. We are really already ahead of the game in so many respects.
We are grateful for the work that has been done before us. Because our goal is to reach people with the love of Christ, it is natural to want to do that to many. While we want people to come to know the Lord, it is important they have a place to grow as well. That is why a church home is such an important place; where believers can hear God's inspired word, worship in His presence and fellowship with others. It is a safety net to land on each week as the world has become such a dangerous place to navigate. We will continue to pray for growth, but we must remember we are to serve those we have wholeheartedly. The bible says, "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." (Gal 5:25-26)
In His service
Mally
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| 2012 Easter Sunrise service outside by the Lake! |
Already, I have been texting Nedra with my worries. I am sure she has breathed a small sigh of relief as she remembers her feelings in the beginning. How do we get the children's department up and running? How do we make the high school gym feel more hospitable and not smell like a locker room? Is the music the right blend of hymns and contemporary? We are so very blessed to have an awesome meeting place. Lake Yale Conference Center requires no set up. There is even a coffee machine already in place and working every Sunday for whoever would like a cup. If they can possibly stand to drink it in 100 degree weather! There are classrooms available as our children's ministry grows. Audiovisual equipment is already in place. We are not unpacking and repacking trailers every week. We are really already ahead of the game in so many respects.
We are grateful for the work that has been done before us. Because our goal is to reach people with the love of Christ, it is natural to want to do that to many. While we want people to come to know the Lord, it is important they have a place to grow as well. That is why a church home is such an important place; where believers can hear God's inspired word, worship in His presence and fellowship with others. It is a safety net to land on each week as the world has become such a dangerous place to navigate. We will continue to pray for growth, but we must remember we are to serve those we have wholeheartedly. The bible says, "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." (Gal 5:25-26)
In His service
Mally
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