Sunday Morning Worship

It is Saturday afternoon and I am sitting with my windows open in my office at church and thinking (look out!). Some Boy Scouts are working on a project (a bridge from the parking lot to the Pavilion), the Women’s Ministry Fall Bazaar is still going on and the sun is shining bright after a day and night with a little rain (we need so much more). Life doesn’t get much better than this!

I walked over to the Hall earlier and spent some time with the women and visited the Upper Room too (it is really coming together). I am always amazed at the activity I see when I am at church. Lots going on, something for almost everyone!

I have spent some time thinking as I mentioned and praying too about our worship tomorrow. Now there is something for everyone! I just love the Spirit I sense at both of our services. God is at work!

Our early service (8:15) in the Sanctuary seems to get better each week. Attendance is increasing and some new folks are attending. A sweet spirit is felt in this service. Long time members and new folks seem to blend so well. The music is the basic difference from the other service with hymns of our heritage a mainstay of the service. The pastors lead the majority of the service with two gifted musicians supporting the praise and worship time.

Our second service (10:30) that meets in the Hall is growing numerically and spiritually by leaps and bounds. The two praise teams are developing and hitting their stride. This service is mainly lay led and many share their gifts in various ways. It is the first time in my ministry I have been able to sit and worship with my family (we sit together on the front row). It took some getting used to but after nearly four months I am feeling blessed by this change (as is my wife).

One thing I have noticed is that there is a large number of folks who do not make every Sunday. Now I know work schedules hamper our worship schedule and other events arrive as well, but, I would ask that you make coming together for worship more of a primary focus in your family if possible. Hebrews 10:25 reads; Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching. That is what I want to do with this e-mail – encourage you to come together with the body of Christ tomorrow morning and every Sunday to worship God.

At my previous church we would average 275-320 people a Sunday but on Easter there would be nearly 500 folks (sometimes we had to add a service to hold them all). That wouldn’t seem unusual, except there were usually only 25-40 visitors. What happened was that almost everyone who was a part of that church attended on Easter. Folks that made it once-a-month, every other week, once-a-quarter, every so often all attended on Easter. Now Easter is a wonderful time to worship God. My point is that after taking the 25-40 visitors away from our Easter attendance our attendance that day was still 150 or so folks above our normal attendance.

If this is typical, I’m just wondering what any church could do with 150 more folks supporting the church and worshiping God on a more regular basis. For that former church it was almost a 50% increase in attendance on Easter of folks who saw that church as their home church.

Is worship a priority with you and your family? Or is it something you will do when “nothing better” comes along?

During Pastor Appreciation Month, tickle your new pastor – let’s make every Sunday Easter! Let’s feel that spiritual high that comes from celebrating the resurrected Lord week after week. Come with a renewed spirit each Sunday and expect God to bless you! It is my belief that a renewed dedication to our corporate worship will also benefit our corporate desire to serve God and the community in a more significant way. Does anyone disagree?

I pray I will see you tomorrow! God is at work in us!