Summer, (especially July), is the time for putting life into a higher gear! Your “going” gets GOING!
When I came to our church, I asked people what they wanted? They said:
(1) A pastor that stays more than just one year, and
(2) to grow as a church!
I loved those two challenges that you lifted up as the two of the priority goals for our church life and future together. These are the kind of goals that God is ready to fulfill. Personally, I have appreciated so much our church family. It has been a joy to be your pastor and journey, laugh, and work together. So, I said “yes” to hang around a bit longer.
So, I want to begin some real targeted work on the second goal: Growing our church. I talked about it last Sunday (and will again next Sunday), before I begin my summer series on “Take Me Out To the Ballgame”! A perfect sermon series that will explore the great American Baseball pastime and learn lessons for the Christian life that will have us saying “Put me in, Coach!” – Who knows? There may need to be a church night for us all to go and sit together. Anyone want to organize it?
Jesus called us to “Get Going!” – to be fisherman for people, let our light shine, be workers for the harvest, filled and guided by the Holy Spirit, making peoples’ lives fuller and sharing the Good News. I know that everyone can step-back from sharing the faith. However, I reminded people that each and every day as we go through our daily living – we are preaching a sermon! It is a sermon that we preach on how we live our life, give time to others, care, show love and be spiritual life-living disciples and ambassadors for Jesus Christ. People watch us and see if we are only Sunday Christians or if the way we live throughout the week reflects the difference that Jesus makes in our life and in
the world. You see, our going out into the world for Jesus may be the only “Jesus” that some may ever see. Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:20 says: “We are Christ’s ambassadors, as God makes His appeal through us!” Go be the Church!
So, we are going to “plan to grow” beginning in July. In all of our events and programs, we will be affirming that we are doing this for God and doing it so we can grow our church participation through every event, service or program. We will be unashamed in our focus and our goal to be God’s ambassadors and to live in such a way that people will be drawn to participate with us as we do life together and do it for God!
We will be meeting this week to begin our work. It is open to all! If you want to come and be a part in the launching and the discussion, please join us or let me know of your interest (you can email me at phildicks@gmail.com or text me at 515-418-0807 or tell me on Sunday!). We are focused and intentional to this “Wildly Important Goal!”
If you want to hear more? Join us every Sunday this July or start this Sunday as we launch the Church for God! Failure is not an option! God is with us! The Holy Spirit is guiding us! We are praying for all the people we “preach to” each day for God so our going gets GOING!
