Today's worship experience was awesome! I'd been really intentional over the last few weeks in trying to get the music ministry back on track and they nailed it today! Veronica did it like only she can do it. We made some adjustments like moving the band off the stage so that the singers and musicians could see and communicate with each other. This worked out very well. Also, removing the drum noise from right behind the singers helped them hear themselves better. We also had ample time for sound check which made a huge difference. The crowd was pretty thick too! I had been praying that God would send a crowd today and He did just that. Lots of new visitors dropped in today, it's always good to see new faces in the place. I think we probably average 10 to a dozen visitors each week. The challenge now is to make our church sticky!
I challenged every member of our congregation during my sermon to step up to the plate and avail themselves to volunteer in some capacity within the church to take the load off me. I spend time throughout the week editing video, dealing with finance, administrative duties, and all kinds of other random busy work that pulls me away from my primary responsibility of preparing to preach a sound, practical, powerful word from the LORD.
Many members have already stepped up to the plate to take ownership. I'm sure there will be many more to follow. I thank God for the spirit of the people of PCC. They genuinely want to please God.
We also collected over 200 lbs of items to be donated to Atlanta flood victims. We'll be partnering with The Courageous Church (www.courageous.tv) in Atlanta to get this stuff to the people who need it. By the way I'd like to shout out to Pastor Shaun King, Lead Pastor of The Courageous Church for getting in the trenches with the people of ATL and simply being the church. Your courage has sparked a movement of generosity around the world!
Lastly, be in prayer with PCC as we prepare for God to use us more and more for the advancement of the kingdom in our neighborhood and beyond. For the next 30-days we'll be fasting from food (just water allowed) for 12-hours per day. Pick your own 12-hour span. This fast is for revival and spiritual renewal within our midst.
Let's do it together!
That's it for tonight.
Showing posts with label proviso. Show all posts
Showing posts with label proviso. Show all posts
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
It's Been 8 Weeks!
Praise God! It's been 8 weeks and we're still rolling. God has given us tremendous favor. We've got one of the baddest church bands in the area and our ministry team is always fired up!
So far we've made a very solid impression upon the community. On Tuesday, September 2nd, several of us prayed on the campus of Proviso West High School as the students returned from their Labor Day weekend. This is the day that the school sees it's largest number of students in attendance, so we accepted the invitation to pray for a safe and productive school year. Friday, September 5th was the launch of our "Bless the Block" initiative. There are key areas within the community, especially Maywood and Bellwood, that we're targeting to take back for Christ. Approximately 15 of us prayed on the corners spanning from 19th/St. Charles to 19th/Madison in Maywood. One family drove from as far as Chicago's Northside to participate. The neighbors were very receptive to our "phase one" of "Bless the Block." We're looking forward to rolling out phase two within the next several weeks. After the prayers, most of us hung out at Home Run Inn, which was an awesome opportunity for us to get to know some new faces.
This is what it's all about... Celebrating God, Serving God, Serving the Community, and Sharing with each other. I'm so excited that we've captured this essence already!
I'm beginning to get accustomed to preparing sermons every week, but it's still not easy. It's a discipline that develops total dependence on God. Some weeks I approach the podium with what I would consider a "mess" and God somehow turns it into a "message." I'm desperately trying to develop the ability to get my sermons done by Friday so that I can spend Saturdays doing something other than staring at my laptop. These are usually great days for my wife and I to hang out. Thankfully, our Assistant Pastor, Rev. Antoine Simmons, is preaching again this week, allowing me a second week of rest. I thank God for his willingness and his ability.
Even though I'm thankful for the rest, I'm still anxious to get back on that stage to deliver a message. I guess I just love preaching.
If it's God's will, I 'll be preaching again beginning next Sunday, October 5th. Wow! That'll be here before I know it.....better get started now.... Gotta Go!
Simply Caring, Simply Community, Simply Church
So far we've made a very solid impression upon the community. On Tuesday, September 2nd, several of us prayed on the campus of Proviso West High School as the students returned from their Labor Day weekend. This is the day that the school sees it's largest number of students in attendance, so we accepted the invitation to pray for a safe and productive school year. Friday, September 5th was the launch of our "Bless the Block" initiative. There are key areas within the community, especially Maywood and Bellwood, that we're targeting to take back for Christ. Approximately 15 of us prayed on the corners spanning from 19th/St. Charles to 19th/Madison in Maywood. One family drove from as far as Chicago's Northside to participate. The neighbors were very receptive to our "phase one" of "Bless the Block." We're looking forward to rolling out phase two within the next several weeks. After the prayers, most of us hung out at Home Run Inn, which was an awesome opportunity for us to get to know some new faces.
This is what it's all about... Celebrating God, Serving God, Serving the Community, and Sharing with each other. I'm so excited that we've captured this essence already!
I'm beginning to get accustomed to preparing sermons every week, but it's still not easy. It's a discipline that develops total dependence on God. Some weeks I approach the podium with what I would consider a "mess" and God somehow turns it into a "message." I'm desperately trying to develop the ability to get my sermons done by Friday so that I can spend Saturdays doing something other than staring at my laptop. These are usually great days for my wife and I to hang out. Thankfully, our Assistant Pastor, Rev. Antoine Simmons, is preaching again this week, allowing me a second week of rest. I thank God for his willingness and his ability.
Even though I'm thankful for the rest, I'm still anxious to get back on that stage to deliver a message. I guess I just love preaching.
If it's God's will, I 'll be preaching again beginning next Sunday, October 5th. Wow! That'll be here before I know it.....better get started now.... Gotta Go!
Simply Caring, Simply Community, Simply Church
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