Theme: What would our Lord have us do as a congregation?
As a congregation we have set growth goals. An attendance goal is to have an average attendance of 30 by the end of the year.
September's numbers are heading in the right direction. While Sunday morning numbers dipped toward the end of the month, mid-week and Fourth Saturday numbers grew! Also, different people come to the mid-Week and Fourth Saturday events which shows a broader interest and commitment than the numbers would otherwise reflect.
Here are the attendance numbers overall for September:
First Sunday 33
Second Sunday 20
Third Sunday 13
Fourth Saturday 18
Fourth Sunday 13
Mid-week Bible Study 8
Our first Sundays continue to be great rallying days. October's first Sunday attendance was 27 and included 7 visitors, two returning from Bible study and two have been with so many weeks that we lost count. Let's see if we can make this good start more consistent through the entire month.
We see much promising happening.
The second congregational goal is to improve individual stewardship. At its September meeting, council reviewed a three-tiered giving plan which if the congregation supports will soon make us independent from any need to rely on rental incomes or endowments. Most of council members committed to the plan immediately and offerings have already been doubled and tripled. The council will now take the program to the entire congregation.
Even before the program is rolled out to the congregation we have seen marked improvement. Average offerings had been roughly $100-$140 per week. Since the council reviewed the plan, offerings have begun to grow. First October's offering was $370. The goal here is to reach a level of giving that will be a minimum of $500 per week by the end of the year.
But we are also conscience that a healthy church must have more than numerical and fiscal goals.
This week's sermon was based on the Parable of the Tenants, which is an allegory about God and his relationship with us, his people, as stewards of his Church. The question asked at worship, " What would our Lord have us do as a Church?" carried to the fellowship table after worship.
Two of our guests, young men from Togo and Ivory Coast, spoke about the need for repentance and atonement as a foundation for restoring the church. They recommended starting with individual repentance and then prayer for repentance as a people and then prayer for our neighborhood. They led us in prayer. Our members suggested a three-week period of "Daniel Fasting." After much discussion the congregation agreed to commit to three weeks of fasting by eliminating meat, bread, and sugar from our diets.
We will post weekly scriptures and hymns to help us in this spiritual journey as God's people, starting with Isaiah 58 and Psalm 51. Members check the website regularly for other scriptures and supporting materials to help in our spiritual journey together.
So our congregations answer to the question, "What would our Lord have us as a church do?" has been answered. We are repenting in fasting and prayer. We are growing in responsible church stewardship and leadership. And we will see how this foundation for our community's faith journey helps us to grow.
