For those of you who were able to worship with us yesterday, thank you! Not just for being at church but for listening to my request to sign the blue attendance books. While Lisa is on vacation this week and next, the responsibility falls to me to keep up with attendance…and my memory is not as good as Lisa’s apparently! As far as I can tell, all but one family listened to my request! No, I won’t throw anyone under the bus…I’ll just let them think about what they did. 🙂
Going through the attendance this morning I was once again struck by the number of new/newer faces we’ve seen lately. You may not have noticed but in recent months we have seen several new individuals start worshiping with us. Many of these families started coming because you invited them. Sure, we have a few people stop by “cold turkey.” God is working in their lives and drawing them to this particular local church. But we also have several new faces joining us because one of us when out of our way, stepped outside a comfort zone, and extended an invitation!
I believe this is a part of what Jesus calls all of us to do in His Great Commission! He says to “go and make disciples” and that can start as simply as extending a “come and see.” It’s what we see in John 1. Philip is talking with his friend Nathanael about his recent “church experience” with this new-guy-on-the-scene Jesus. Nate is not so sure about Him and Philip just extends an invitation to “come check it out.”
Many times, we believe we need to have all the answers before we talk to someone. But what if we all just shared a “come and see?” What if we all just said “I love connecting with God each Sunday morning with my church family and I think you might like it too.”
Anytime I encourage us to invite our friends, neighbors, family, and coworkers to church, I feel like it sounds as if I’m just trying to build up our numbers (especially when that encouragement started by talking about taking attendance yesterday!). But know, it’s not about the numbers. Whether we have a huge attendance or a smaller one, what really matters is that people are finding God. That as we gather to worship, we are hearing His voice and that we invite others to do so with us.
If not before, would you extend an invitation to someone God is putting on your heart and ask them to join us at the Summer Splash in 4 weeks? This event is a great way to invite those who have never been to church before (and those who have). Who doesn’t love a picnic and water slide?
Whether for the Splash or for this Sunday, who has God put in your life to say “come and see” to? May we always be ready to welcome anyone and everyone to experience the love and joy in meeting God!
In Christ Alone,
Pastor Jan