Tonight was Vision Night 2007 - a night to celebrate, project, and see what God can do at The Journey in 2007. It is one of the most exciting nights of the year for me as I get to dream with the church about where we can go from here. If you missed tonight, regardless of the reason, you missed an opportunity to dream - I hope you don't make the same mistake next year!
A few notes - all five deacons were voted in with the overwhelming approval of those present. I congratulate Jim Bonneau and Kathy Boston, and welcome them onto our board of Deacons. May God use them to serve this church and advance the kingdom. Also, congratulations to Corey, Kyle, and Ed for being re-elected. May 2007 be doubly effective as we strategize and go forward. Also, the two constitutional ammendments passed without an issue.
Below is from the agenda that was handed out - facts and figures from 2006:
2006 recap:
Spiritual Highlights
- Approx. 25-30 people accepted Christ last year at The Journey.
- Had a high of 167 on our 3rd Birthday – July 30th.
- 3 Baptisms in which we baptized 15 people.
- Conducted two 3 day periods of fasting (April and September)
- Had approx. 275-300 first time visitors.
Other major happenings from 2006
- Ratified our first church constitution on February 18th
- Added three deacons
- Redecorated kid’s room
- Launched the discipleship ministry DA2LJ in February
- Replaced the parsonage roof in June
- Participated in the ACS Relay for Life in June
- Took 35 teenagers to the Super Rally at 6 Flags in June
- Cleared the back lot and put in a back parking area in July & August
- Did a one day VBS program in August and had one child saved
- Manned a booth and handed out fliers at the Rochester Fair in September
- Ran a new water line from the house to the church in October.
- Held our first Trunk or Treat in October
- Helped in the launching of New Heights Community in Haverhill
o Sent a demo crew to help in June
o Sent small groups in November to assist in ministry
- Had two missionaries – Ballingers (Feb) & Liles (Dec) – gave great love offerings to them
- Had Christmas Eve Candlelight Service – well attended
- Put ourselves in position to do background checks for all workers (actual checks began in January 2007)
We continue to grow in attendance – although 2006 was a year when we lost many people – we really felt the effects of losing people (it’s a fact of church life – the enemy is real)
- 2004 – avg. January attendance – 36
- 2005 - avg. January attendance – 73
- 2006 - avg. January attendance – 118
- 2007 – avg. January attendance - 145
So many good things happened in 2006 – we had a good year. But as you can see, there is so much room for growth in every area. Like Paul in Philippians 3:12-14, let our goal in 2007 be that we “press on.”
12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
Vision for 2007 – continue finding ways to fulfill our mission –
What is our mission: Inviting people on the journey toward God, together in community, to reach our culture. I have not emphasized those first few words and I should be – inviting people is where our mission starts.
In 2007, how do we advance our mission?
· Advance our mission by inviting people…
o If every person at the Journey committed to inviting one person to church – is that possible? At least one person…
· Advance our mission by moving toward God
o A huge focus of our church centers around bringing people into relationships with Jesus Christ and helping them grow:
§ New believers goal for 2007 – 50
· But we need to invite them to church.
· Know that I consistently give an invitation to help people make a decision
§ People discipled in 2007 – 30
§ People baptized in 2007 - 25
o Another focus is giving our members opportunities to grow in their relationships with the Lord.
§ Emphasis on growth in 2007
· In our teens – camp
· In our children – extended VBS
· In our adults
o Provide extra opportunities outside of small group for more learning and growth
· Advance our mission by moving together in community
o Explore and promote ways to bring us closer together as a church community
§ Small groups – looking for new and consistent ways to integrate church members and new members into small groups
§ Large group events – picnics, advancement of men’s and women’s ministry events – (retreats, conferences)
§ Special events – such as Facing the Giants Sunday
· Advance our mission by reaching our culture
o One of the reasons I am really excited about the addition of Kathy Boston is here connection into our community so that we can reach out – this is one way
o We want to discover ways to reach our culture – not just reach them, but then invite them in
§ Commercials
§ Website upgrade that will appeal to our culture
· Pod-casting
o What are we willing to do to reach our culture for Christ?
Along with these goals revolving around our mission, here are some others that work in conjunction with our mission:
· Strengthen our current ministries
o I will be working with our leaders to help them become better leaders – trimming responsibilities while equipping them to grow.
o Improve areas (see below for building upgrades).
o Add space.
· Add new ministries
o Precepts – a Bible study based on Kay Arthur’s writings that is an extension of our women’s ministry taught by Pearl Goodwin begins Friday, February 9th
o Men’s Ministry – JOURNEYMEN – begins next Saturday Feb. 10 – this will be led by David Goodwin – we want to get our men growing together.
· Strengthen our financial standing.
o Cut spending, save more, while taking care of ministry obligations.
o We were in the black by about $8,100 with another $8,000 in our savings account in ’06 – improving on that.
o Preparing for additional expenses – building, additional staff
· Complete necessary building upgrades
o Fix auditorium lighting.
o Solve auditorium heating problem
o Put tile down in children’s area.
o Put accountability window between nursery and pre-school rooms
o Remove closet in nursery to give a little more space
· Expand our building facilities.
o We will be going to three services near Easter to keep up with our attendance increase.
o We did explore options for renting while we prepared to build, but at the time it wasn’t feasible – let’s see how 3 services works.
o Survey work to be done in February/March (been approved)so that we can develop a site plan for what we intend to do
§ Once completed, we will know what we can/cannot do with our property
· Determine financial abilities through bank
· Determine type of building to build
· Get plans drawn up
· Prepare teams to oversee projects
· Conduct a church-wide campaign in April-May to promote and prepare church
· No turning back!
It was a good night - a good night to look back, and a great night to press on and go forward. I look forward to what comes next...
