Amazing/Troubling Results

Yesterday marked CUPC's 15th annual kids day. For the past few years we have hosted this event in August and advertised it as a Back 2 School Event. Of course outreach is always an essential part of the success.

My previous post spoke of the great outreach success. I posted we had 50 plus (meaning 52 or 53) new children committed to wanting to ride the bus to the event. Normally, we get about 25 - 30 percent of this crowd. I'm totally amazed. We actually picked up more than those that committed. We had 78 total passengers. Wow!!!!!!!!!!!! It took us 1.5 hours to gather all the children. When the bus caravan (bus, church van, and 7 personal vehicles) arrived there were 72 visitor children who were brought by their parents already at the church. We had 39 parents sign the visitor list. Of course more children/parents came later. We even had a family come just prior to our evening service!

Though the results are amazing they have created a huge problem. We don't have room for all these children in our classes as they are structured nor do we have enough buses/vans or workers. This week God is going to give wisdom to solve this problem.

Today I knocked doors inviting young people to our youth service Wednesday night. Trent, Jason, Matt, and Mickey have said for a few months they want to include our outreach youth on Wednesday nights. My thoughts are what is hindering??? I know what is hindering they haven't gone to knock on the doors to invite the kids and they aren't going to pick up the kids. I don't mean this rude these people are all busy. Well, problem solved....I went and knocked the doors today when the kids got home from school. Wednesday night I will go and pick up the kids. I believe it's HARVEST time everywhere....

I had a farming grandfather. When it was harvest it was work and lots of work. There wasn't a shortage of harvest at harvest time. Normally Papaw simply had trouble finding enough harvesters. While I rejoice in HARVEST tonight I sit trying to strategically plan the harvesters (Sunday School teachers, bus captains and workers, class room space, etc).

Today I went to the apartment of one of the first time visitors. I asked Kent to get out with me to meet the family. Kent instantly felt what I felt yesterday...they are winnable. This family wasn't a family that we invited Saturday. We just happened to be beneath their apartment Sunday morning and heard the voices of children. When we went upstairs they were getting dressed to go to a denominal church. Today the Mom told me she has already notified the other church they are changing their membership to ours. She said we were kind and loving and they felt the difference.

A 200 visitor Sunday is MOST exciting but is MOST challenging. We didn't knock doors to get people to church to GIVE supplies. Rather we knocked doors to get people to church to tell them about our church and to GET them back. This is going to require a lot of follow up and a lot of work each Sunday. Harvest is always AMAZING but is work!