Sunday, July 31, 2005

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY, JOURNEY!

Today was a day of celebration! 2 years is a huge milestone as church stats show that so many new churches do not make it to two years. Praise God that He has seen fit to sustain us and make us successful. I believe that it has been because we have been committed to praying for God to show up every service.

Today was a good service - we had 87, which is low, but that's what happens when a couple of larger families can't make it, right? But it was good. I ended the series God in the Movies with a sermon on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and we talked about the value of family. It was good, but I am glad that series is over. I am looking forward to talking about the coming of Christ over the next 7 weeks. I do not know if I will do a God in the Movies series again - I will have to see. If I do, it will probably be from current video releases, and maybe with a different emphasis in mind.

But the best part of our services today was the communion. I am so glad that we celebrate communion monthly, and I would love to (at some point down the line) do it even more frequently. But it was a precious time of worship and of remembering. Thank you, Lord, for all You have done. We intro'd a song called Mighty is the Power of the Cross, and it fit right along with the communion. We thank the Lord for the gift of His Son, a gift too marvelous for words.

After the service, we went over to the Rochester Commons and celebrated two years by having a picnic. It was so much fun (thank you to Kim Becker for all of her work!). In the middle of our picnic, it began to rain, so I engaged the kids and teens in a water fight...talk about FUN!

It was a great day. God is so good. I am so grateful to pastor this growing body of believers. May the Lord bring more people through our doors so that we can share the good news about Jesus Christ with them.