How are we doing Brookies?! The biggest day of the year for outreach to the unchurched is upon us. I’ve thought more about that one little fact over the last several days than any other time in my life. I’ve also been hearing from quite a few other pastors that two peculiar and contrasting things seem to happen for churches around the country this time of year. First, members and regular attenders run for the hills in droves! I had one pastor say that, although it is consistently the highest attended weekend of the year, almost everyone says they won’t be here when asked to be a part of it! One year their attendance was almost double a regular Sunday, but they could do no more than preach and have an acoustic guitar with a fill-in worship leader. And to make matters worse, he saw his worship leader at one of the services!
I cracked up when I heard this. Thank You, Jesus! SCC is the polar opposite! We have had people (by the droves) give up Christmas with the family in order to help bring Christmas to the unreached. We’ve even had college students and singles skip going home to gather with friends and family in order to reach the unchurched right here in the community they temporarily live in! YOU ROCK, BROOKIES!
Friends, that is the difference between a church doing church for church’s sake in a city of churches and a group of Christ followers actually following Christ!
Can’t wait to see what the Lord has planned for this Christmas Eve morning and the Christmas Eve night services. We are doing 12 services in all and we hope to fill them to the brim with those who do not know Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Remember, Sunday morning is ENTIRELY different from Sunday evening. The morning concludes our “Unwrapping Chirstmas,” series and the evening is a COMPLETELY different 7 services especially tailored to your unchurched friends and neighbors.
Could be HUGE. If we do nothing and have a normal weekend, there will be more than 3,000 with the added serives. If we grab hold of the fact that this is all for HIS GLORY and HIS PURPOSES and invite like a bunch of crazed banchies, we may see close to 4,000! Please keep this in mind in deciding which services to attend. The 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM are pretty tight at this point (tickets are gone and reserve seating is VERY limmitted for walk-ins). 9:00 and 11:00 PM still have room, so invite, invite! And get there early for the sake of your friends and their experience. This may be the one and only shot at hearing the gospel these folks ever have.
Because of this, I’ve shifted gears at this point from strategic inviting to inviting EVERY SINGLE PERSON I COME IN CONTACT WITH! Needless to say, it has provided me some interesting sermon material for the coming year.
Well, back to work. I’m still refining and tweaking the two messages (AM and PM) to make sure I give my very best to Him.
See you all there!