Chuck Bridges Blog

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow — JUST NOT ON SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS!!! We had our first glitch in a few years concerning Sunday worship attendance because of weather. A couple of years ago we registered with WYFF to announce changes in our schedule due to inclement weather. When I try to access the website, my password won’t work. Of course it was not an issue this past weekend because we were not planning on changing our schedule at all. While our attendance was lower than usual we had people in both worship services. Amazingly there were 73 in the children’s area for both services combined. This is fantastic! Out of a total of 258 people, 73 were involved in the children’s ministry. That tells me that if the rest of our church ever catches up with the growth in our children’s area we are going to have some serious ”Growing Pains!”

Each week I receive more affirmation from the Lord concerning the changes in our weekly schedule. Many of our older people have shared how much closer they feel in the smaller worship area and how much better they can hear. This highlights how bad our sound situation was in the larger worship center. We will have to address this problem before moving back into the larger area (because we will need it to get all the people in who want to come and see what God has to say to them). I also saw more people hanging out in the Atrium fellowshiping, drinking coffee, etc. I have to remind myself that we have only had 3 services in the new area. It just takes time for people to adjust. Ultimately, as our regular attenders “get it,” we will see an increase in guests (i.e SEEKERS — unsaved, unchurched, and dechurched).

The TRANSFORMERS series has been a blast. I want to remind everyone that this is not merely a Series of Sermons that will end the last Sunday in January. Instead it is my prayer that this will be the theme and passion of our church throughout 2008 (and beyond). We are TRANSFORMED to become TRANSFORMERS! I can’t wait to see how people’s lives are CHANGED by the power of Christ Jesus throughout this year.

Remember, people will not know what God is doing here at Washington Avenue if we don’t tell them! Will you make a covenant with God to do your very best to get at least one unchurched person here in the next several weeks? The best advertising any church can have is the enthusiasm of those who are completely ON-BOARD! If God is speaking to you and you are being TRANSFORMED by what He is saying to you, ask Him to give you opportunities to share these insights with others. And, expect people to respond positively to the invitations we extend. I am so glad to be on this journey together with some of the greatest people I have ever known!!