Sunday, September 20 – 9 AM
After a 30 minute worship service at the church building on Sunday, September 20, we will be going out into the community to perform several different service opportunities. Meet at the church at 9:00 AM and then head off in small groups to serve at various sites around the county. Here’s some more information about “The Church Has Left The Building.”
The Inspiration
This past January, David Nichols shared with our leadership team a story from Reggie McNeal, the respected Missional Church expert. Reggie says that when he is brought in to advise churches as to how they might become more “missional,” he will sometimes take the leadership team to a local restaurant on Sunday morning and he will tell them, “Look at all the people sitting around you. Do you think they woke up this morning asking themselves, “Boy, I wish there was a good church to attend.” The answer is “No.” Reggie says that he levels with the leadership team at this point and says, “You aren’t even on their radar.” This illustration has haunted me ever since.
The Idea
David also told us about a movement of churches called, “The Church Has Left The Building,” where churches “abandon” their buildings on a Sunday morning and go out into the community to serve and minister to others. This helps remind the congregation that the church is not a building, but a network of people living out the teachings of Jesus.
The Goal
To hold three “Church Has Left The Building” Sundays in the next year. Each “event” will be preceded by a time of teaching. We tried having the first one back in June at Bishop Lake but it was rained out.
The Plan
On September 20, after a 30 minute worship service, our church members will go to various places around the community to serve and bless others. Here are some of the projects we will be doing.
- Painting (interior and exterior)
- Yard work
- Moving boxes
- Go to a restaurant or a drive through and paying for someone’s bill
- Carry bags of groceries for people at a local grocery store
- Go on a prayer walk around our community
- Pay for someone’s gas
- Write thank you notes to city or county officials
- Write notes of encouragement to our closest neighbors (Pizza Island, Vic & Bob’s, etc.) and then hand delivering the note.
- Take water or snacks to the work crews
- Visit a local rehab center or nursing home.
- Clean-up a local park or public place
- Or you could choose another way to serve!