1,200 Souls!

    It’s been two and a half weeks since Easter (at this writing). With all the prayer time and energy invested in the weeks leading up to our “Christian Super Bowl,” it’s too easy for me to fail in giving time to enjoy the victories in the aftermath. But maybe it’s time to revel in what God did.
    I can’t help but recall my earliest conversations with John Knautz five years ago, who was then the chairman of the search committee charged with finding and recommending the next lead pastor of this church. I remember John saying, “They used to have a thousand people here on Sundays, but that was a long time ago.” At the time (2007), attendance was good when it went over 200. There had not been an adult conversion and baptism in years. The kids ministry (now Solid Ground) had fewer than 10 kids on a Sunday morning. There was only one couple in the church under the age of 35. I believed God was calling my family here to help turn things around. I’m grateful the church believed it enough to have me come.
    Now, nearly five years later, we can rejoice in what God has and continues to do. For our Easter services this year, we had 981 people attend. On Good Friday, we had over 520. While many of those who attended on Good Friday returned on Easter, many went out of town and were not here Saturday evening or Sunday. So in the course of the weekend, we had somewhere around 1,200 unique attendees in our services that weekend (conservatively). We can’t get the number precisely because we don’t have the return numbers from Friday - Sunday, but that being the case, that is more people in a single weekend than ever in the history of our church! Now that is something to celebrate!
    You see, every person who attended is an eternal soul who will exist somewhere for eternity. Every person we count, counts. It thrills me to see a crowd of people singing songs of worship to God (I’m sure it thrills Him more)! And it thrills me to be able to share the Gospel, the reason for our Easter celebration, to so many people, many of whom had never before and may never hear.
    So if you have not yet done so, take time today to get on your knees and lift your hands in thanksgiving to God for His marvelous work in and through our church. It is truly a blessing to be part of what is happening in these days in this ministry. There is no greater privilege than to be used as God’s instruments of blessing and service to present the life He offers to a lost and dying world. And there is no greater celebration than one that occurs because of souls hearing and responding to the Gospel. And to this I can only proclaim:

    Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
    Praise Him, all creatures here below;
    Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
    Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!