Sunday, August 30, was a great Sunday. Our Two Notch church had their largest Gathering ever and our Downtown church had one of the largest Sundays I can remember for the month of August. So between these two churches, we had over 1000 adults and over 100 kids hearing the gospel of Jesus that undermines superiority and self-righteousness.
Large crowds are never our ultimate goal. We want to see mature, healthy followers of Jesus getting after His mission as part of His family. However, as long as numerical growth is the result of health, then we’ll celebrate it all day long. And the growth of large crowds come with some practical realities. For right now, that means we need to ask our Downtown folks for a favor. On August 30, our 9:00am, 11:15am and 5:00pm Gatherings were all maxed out and folks had to sit in overflow.
So if you can make it work, will you make the 7:00pm Gathering your weekly rhythm for this semester? We know this isn’t a realistic possibility for some of you who have kids or have to work on Sundays. However, if you can, here are seven opportunities you can take advantage of by regularly attending the 7:00pm Gathering:
- Hospitality. When you attend the 7:00pm, you’re opening up a seat for a guest at one of our other Gatherings, so they no longer have to sit in overflow. Hospitality for the win!
- Help make it great. There are some folks in our city who would prefer to come to a Gathering at night. By being there, you get to help welcome them into a warm, inviting environment that feels like family. Hospitality for the double win!
- Personal Space. Are you claustrophobic? Concerned about germs? Tired of having people breathing down your neck? You won’t even know what to do with all the free space you have for activities at the 7:00pm.
- Invite Friends. Having open seats means you can invite your friends and sit with them, without the risk of some of you having to sit in overflow.
- Surprises. Commit to come to the 7:00pm and we’ll find creative ways to say thank you. I can’t tell you when or what, but I can tell you they'll be worth it.
- Travel schedule. When you come to the 7:00pm Gathering you don’t have to cut your weekend trips short! Perfect example: If you’re heading somewhere for Labor Day, come back this Sunday for the 7:00pm and then hang out with LifeGroup/Columbia family at the lake on Monday!
- Look like Jesus. Laying down your preferences to serve someone else is a beautiful picture of how Jesus laid down his life and calls us to do the same. (Luke 14:27)
This is a temporary solution and the good news is that we will be in a new bigger building in just a matter of months! And the other good news is that you’ve got a great opportunity to love and serve our city in the meantime. See ya at 7:00pm!