God has been at work in a mighty way at Grace throughout the month of April. We have seen Him do amazing things in our church. We unveiled our first attempt to hold dual services beginning Easter Sunday and on Mother’s Day. This decision was initiated to test whether two morning services would be a way to increase attendance and provide adequate parking for everyone. We had employed police officers in both instances to manage the flow of traffic between services for those coming and leaving our parking lot onto Mundy Mill Road. Over this three-week period, God increased attendance, averaging 215 each week. Up until then, attendance ranged from 130 to 150 per week. Record attendance was reached on Easter Sunday with 285 attending three services. Mother’s Day totaled 190 with 170 sandwiched in between on May 5th. In all, God blessed our church during the month of April with attendance increasing by at least 65 per week over the last three Sundays of the month.
We saw the highest single Sunday offering given this year on the first this month. The offering received that Sunday amounted to more than $7,200. God is blessing our church family and all our ministries by providing financially. Our church budget has received from the generous giving of our people over $14,000 above what our budget calls for per week. These funds provide the resources we need to perform the TeamKid ministry, meet our mortgage, insurance, utility and upkeep obligations, fully fund our staff salaries, with a balance that may be applied to the construction and renovation needs for our future. Additionally, the “One Mile” Capital Campaign continues to grow. In the last 4 months, following the completion of the $150,000 Campaign goal, we have received in excess of $5,000 above what has been received in tithes and offerings.
One of the most impressive indicators of God’s blessings upon us is the continued presence of guests and new-comers in our services. We are seeing multiple new faces each week because our members are inviting family members and friends to join them in worship. It is becoming more difficult to follow-up through sending cards, making calls and visiting those who come because the pace of guests each week is growing.
Notice what is taking place in the altar during the invitation period in our worship. The number of people who are responding to God’s presence and work in their lives is increasing. There are numbers of people who come forward to pray, restore their walk with God, join the church and recommit themselves to Christ. Lives are changing. We praise God for His personal call and spiritual touch in the hearts of our people every Sunday.
Finally, God has opened a new door through the live streaming of our services online. People viewing the services each week has increased to an average of 600 hits per week. Also, the number of contacts each week though our church web site has grown to over 1,500. Some people watch a portion of the service on Sunday and then return to the web site during the week to watch more. This increased attendance and participation in our ministry requires that we begin to assess what God is doing in their lives:
The apostle Paul said, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more” (1 Corinthians 9:19). Think what Paul could have done if he had the advantage of the internet. God is working at Grace. The ministry of our church is expanding. We must rejoice and be ready, obedient and faithful to join Him in all that He does.
We saw the highest single Sunday offering given this year on the first this month. The offering received that Sunday amounted to more than $7,200. God is blessing our church family and all our ministries by providing financially. Our church budget has received from the generous giving of our people over $14,000 above what our budget calls for per week. These funds provide the resources we need to perform the TeamKid ministry, meet our mortgage, insurance, utility and upkeep obligations, fully fund our staff salaries, with a balance that may be applied to the construction and renovation needs for our future. Additionally, the “One Mile” Capital Campaign continues to grow. In the last 4 months, following the completion of the $150,000 Campaign goal, we have received in excess of $5,000 above what has been received in tithes and offerings.
One of the most impressive indicators of God’s blessings upon us is the continued presence of guests and new-comers in our services. We are seeing multiple new faces each week because our members are inviting family members and friends to join them in worship. It is becoming more difficult to follow-up through sending cards, making calls and visiting those who come because the pace of guests each week is growing.
Notice what is taking place in the altar during the invitation period in our worship. The number of people who are responding to God’s presence and work in their lives is increasing. There are numbers of people who come forward to pray, restore their walk with God, join the church and recommit themselves to Christ. Lives are changing. We praise God for His personal call and spiritual touch in the hearts of our people every Sunday.
Finally, God has opened a new door through the live streaming of our services online. People viewing the services each week has increased to an average of 600 hits per week. Also, the number of contacts each week though our church web site has grown to over 1,500. Some people watch a portion of the service on Sunday and then return to the web site during the week to watch more. This increased attendance and participation in our ministry requires that we begin to assess what God is doing in their lives:
- Where do they live?
- What decisions are they making for Christ?
- How do we connect with them and attend to their needs?
The apostle Paul said, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more” (1 Corinthians 9:19). Think what Paul could have done if he had the advantage of the internet. God is working at Grace. The ministry of our church is expanding. We must rejoice and be ready, obedient and faithful to join Him in all that He does.
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