Saturday is Born

Hello Emmanuel..... 

Where do I start?  The kick-off to the new Saturday service was awesome.  80 peple attended worship, including 18 first-time visitors.  I watched God work in a whole new way in worship at Emmanuel.  I've got lots to share in regards to this new thing.  Let me try to not write a book and whittle it down to points of celebration as well as caution.

First, celebration.....

Emmanuel has awesome leaders.  Everywhere from the Outreach Team that got the word out, to the band, to the multi-media people, to the childcare providers to the hospitality people......  it's been a blessing to witness the enthusiasm and willingess to serve.  What is born out of this committment is a vast potential.  A church that is averaging 172 worshippers on a given Sunday is now looking at averaging an easy 200 over the next 7 weeks.  IF (a big 'if') Saturday service establishes itself, Emmanuel could be looking at 250-300 worshippers this time next year.  That means MORE worshippers which means MORE disciples of Jesus.... which means living into God's Vision for Emmanuel takes on MORE steam and grows God's Kingdom even MORE.  Simply Awesome!!

Second, caution.....

The largest risk to any church going to 3 services is the impact it can have on its leaders.  The leadership can be spread too thin, extend too far and simply get worn out.  To prepare for this, I have emphasized to the leaders that I didn't want them to do double duty.  Serve on Saturday or serve on Sunday, but not both.  After experiencing my first weekend of 3 services, I quickly recognized the reality of this.  Therefore, I'm going to be more insistent over the next several weeks.  If you are doing double duty (and you know who you are), prepare for me to get a little testy.  If there is community interest in an established Saturday worship service, we are going to need leaders who are not spread too thin.

Third, invitation....

This potential is so exciting.  However, the hunger for leaders is also big.  If you are one that is exploring a Call to be a part of Emmanuel's journey into the future, let me know.  pastorjoe@emmanuel-umc.com.  Making disciples of Jesus simply doesn't happen if people who already know the Good News don't answer the Call to help make more disciples.  Be a part of the journey.  God doesn't promise it will ALWAYS be fun, but God does promise that you will be blessed.

God is Good,
Pastor Joe