One Service Summer
Father, I pray that all who believe in me can be one.
You are in me, and I am in you. I pray that they can also be one in us.
Then the world will believe that you sent me. John 17:21
So, this summer we are going to One Sunday Worship Service @ 10:30am. This is something we have done for several summers in the past. We have had two services almost from the very beginning to make sure our Family Ministry Team Members and others who serve have a worship service as well as offering a choice of times to people who attend. This has served us well for years.
Lately, we have been sensing God leading us to move to having one service over an extended period of time so we will be trying this for the whole summer, June 1 – August 31 to see how it goes.
Here are some of the reasons why… a Top 5 of the reasons in descending order…
- Change Things Up a Bit: Change can be good. It is easy to get comfortable in life and start to take things for granted. That can lead to getting stuck in a rut which isn’t a good thing. Change can be good when it brings good results. Changing up our worship services will feel new – in a good way. (Don’t know if you have noticed, but we have changed up the flow of our services as well.)
- Space: There is room in our auditorium for everyone to be together without it feeling too full. There is something powerful about having a room filled with people worshipping together. When we had one service together in March, there was a lot of good feedback from that experience. It is something people enjoyed.
- Relationships: First Service people didn’t know Second Service people and vice versa. Our hope is that now people can come a little early and stay a little longer and get to know others that attend Bridges. Take time to get to know people you may not have met yet and hear their story.
- Rest: Many of our regular volunteers serve on Sunday mornings from 7:30am-12:30pm every week. This will be a good change to give people a break. It is also a good opportunity for new people to step up and find a place to serve. Our volunteers have served faithfully for years. It will be good for them to catch their breath.
- Unity: Jesus said in John 17:21 that people will believe in Him when they see His followers unified and one together. There is a sense that as a church, we need some time to be united – to be together and be built up together – to worship together and serve together – to truly be One in Christ.
In addition, we will have 2 Family Services – June 29 & August 31 with everyone in the auditorium together followed by a meal together – all so we can be together and be one – together.
We know that change, even when it is good, can be hard. One of our biggest concerns is for our Family Ministry Team Members who will be missing parts of the service now – so we are looking for new volunteers who can step up. Just let us know if you would like to serve in Family Ministry for this summer. We would love to have you if you love kids and helping them find and follow Jesus.
Well, this article is filled with the words “we”, “together”, and “one” – intentionally so. That is our goal as a church family – to be fully one – fully together – fully “we” just as Jesus prayed 2,000 years ago.
Looking forward to starting 1 service June 1 and hope to see you there!