1.) I don't know about you, but I left our worship experience together this past weekend even more excited than when I arrived. To see the response from all of our Skyline family was and still is amazing to me. I can't tell you how much I appreciated the comments and dreams that were mentioned to me as people left the service. I heard everything from, "We can't wait!" to "I've got chills!" Trust me, I can echo those same sentiments. My whole family is chomping at the bit (if I may use an old country term....I suppose you may have to get used to that with this southern boy) to see all of these God sized dreams become reality. Part of us owning the vision together is sharing this excitement together and we are certainly off to a great start.
2.) This excitement we are all feeling is the beginnings of the "BIG MO". It is the beginning of momentum that will carry us forward in Loving God, Loving Others, and Making a Difference. Momentum is something that can gain in intensity as we all continue to push forward in the same direction and I have no doubt in my mind, that is exactly what we will be doing. There is a lot of work ahead of us as we create an atmosphere of excellence in and around the church. There will be lots of opportunities for you to take a physical part in making vision happen. From ministry opportunities during weekend services to outreach opportunities that are just around the corner, it will certainly take all of us rolling up our sleeves to impact the eternity of those in our community.
3.) Speaking of impacting eternity...one of the first ways you can make an impact is in being intentional about inviting people who do not have a church family to be part of ours. Make that happen beginning in this series. One of the most time consuming parts of my job should be writing hand written notes and emails to first time guests and your challenge is to make that part of my role in the ministry of Skyline Church even tougher on me. I dare ya....no I triple dog dare ya...see if I can handle it...lol.
In all seriousness, nearly 80% of people who attend a church for the first time do so not in receiving something in the mail or seeing a commercial, but through a personal invitation from who else...you. This weekend is an especially important weekend as we look at The Greatest Story Ever Told. Be sure to bring all of your "unchurched" friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers. It could very well change their life.
4.) One of the things that will be the largest part of our vision's foundation is prayer. My heart is to see the people of our church become warriors who fight on their knees. Begin praying intently for those people you would like to see cross the line of faith and become part of our church family. Begin praying for your leadership as we make decisions that affect not only the immediate future, but things way down the road. Begin praying for me as I look into who will take the helm of the children's ministry, as I look to fill the spots for the Elder team, and as we begin looking for the next location for Skyline Church.
On a personal note, begin praying for my family's transition to O'fallon. We still have to find a new home in the area and are actively on the search, but we also have to sell our home in Portland, TN. We are trusting in God's timing for all of this, but would certainly like all of these things to happen yesterday. In any case, it will be very soon that we will be up there on a daily basis and can really make some things happen.
5.) Again, let me say how thankful we are to be part of the Skyline family. This opportunity has been a matter of prayer for such a long, long time. It is awesome to see how God answered those prayers. I am humbled and honored to be your pastor and I look forward to the great harvest that lies before us in O'fallon and beyond. Let me encourage you to keep that enthusiasm burning in your heart. It is that enthusiasm that is the spark which will set our community on fire.
Live Radically,
Pastor Lance
Let's keep this spiritual high going Bro.
ReplyDelete