Making A Difference

Yesterday I was invited to a dinner celebration for the Virginia Beach City Public Schools. It was a time to hang out with other volunteers and school administrative staffs. Our church won an award for being a Model Partnership with Salem Elementary School. It was great to receive this award on behalf of our church. I didn't win the award, our church won the award. I just happened to be the talking head that cast the vision and made the challenge. That was the easy part! The rest of the church stepped up and made the real sacrifices. Being in a poor economy makes this award more special to me. I also learned a few things last night.

I learned that there are tons of people who tirelessly give their time to help school administrations, teachers, and students. They devote tons of hours without batting an eye. This realization confirmed to me that people are starving to make a difference. They want to make an impact in their community. They don't complain and they work hard. What if the church provided the same opportunity? I think we do but we don't cast the vision for making a difference. Instead we cast a vision for needing help or needing a warm body to 'babysit' or make coffee. In order to capture people's hearts and passions we have to show them how much their contribution of time will impact their community.

I also learned that we need more guys to step up their games. I was overjoyed to see guys get awards for volunteering in schools. However, we probably only made 2-5% of the overall school volunteer force. So guys, STEP UP YOUR GAME! One or two or even three guys is great but we still need more. The children need more. They need to see men who give them a solid example of what being a man is all about. Who knows...you may be the only godly male influence in their lives.

The celebration was closed with a short video of a 13 year old African-American kid who is volunteering his time at an Elementary School. I had to hold back the tears because at thirteen he has already learned the two things that I learned last night. That kid got the message.

What are your thoughts about volunteering in the community? How about your church? Do you volunteer in your faith community? How can church leaders get better at recruiting people into service?

Laying It Down

This past Sunday really excited me. We discussed being weary and burdened down by life and religion. We contrasted the way of religion and the way of relationship. Of course Matthew 11:28-30 was our teaching passage. Jesus was contrasting the way of religion and the way of relationship. He was contrasting the religious leader's form of discipleship and his form of discipleship. His audience needed a new vision for life. They needed a new vision for their religion. One that was less burdensome.

We need a new vision for life. We need a new vision for our religion.

At the end of the message we wrote our burdens down on an index card. Then we laid the index cards at the foot of the cross. It was a very powerful moment. As I walked up to lay down my card, I felt the Holy Spirit moving me to tears. Yes...I get all misty eyed during our service. Not all the time...just sometimes. This past Sunday we all encountered the living God. I love encountering God!

What gets you excited during your services? When was the last time you encountered God during your service? What will you do this week to encounter God?

Afterglow: The After Easter Reflection

Ever since our first Easter Service in 2008 I have spent the following Monday reflecting on the weekend's festivities. This is the main reason why I decided to always work on Monday instead of taking it off as a sabbath day. Just in case you're wondering, I take Saturday off.

Our Easter Egg Hunt went really well. We had tons of people come out and join us. There were people everywhere. I also took the opportunity to do a community survey. My survey was a way to find out how our church can be more effective in helping the community. I got an amazing response. 33% of the adults present filled out the survey. 55% of those surveyed don't attend a church or are looking for a church. This was great for someone looking to reach people who don't currently attend a church.

Our Easter service went well too. We tried something a little different. We had the bulk of our music at the end of the message. I know some pastors who already do this but we don't. This was huge for us because we don't want to be tied to one way of doing our services. If the Holy Spirit says music at the end then we want to be obedient to His prompting.

Here's where the afterglow really kicks in. I went to Wal-Mart after the service to buy food for our Easter dinner with friends. I saw tons of people in Wal-Mart. There were people everywhere. I wondered out loud, "How many of these people attended an Easter service that morning?"

I know you can't tell if they went to service by their dress but I didn't see very many people dressed up. I think there were way too many people in Wal-Mart for them to have gone to an Easter service that morning. So then I wondered if people really go to church just because its Easter Sunday. As an unchurched person, I never thought twice about going to church just because its Easter. I wonder if church leaders are operating out of a false assumption that people will come to their church just because its Easter. I know I didn't! I guess now I need to come up with a survey that will capture this data next. I think that people are more likely to come to church on Easter when invited by a friend. However, just showing up because its Easter, I'm not too sure about that anymore.

What do you think about my reflection? Where did you go after your Easter service? Did you think a lot of the people attended a service that morning? Do you think unchurched people really come to church just because its Easter?