This is part of a series of posts aimed at supporting and encouraging the volunteers of Lafayette Community Church.
Sunday Review
Before I report on this last Sunday, I need to apologize for not putting out a report for the previous week. I have no excuse other than I let myself get too busy with other things.
This past Sunday, we were blessed with Andrew Johnson’s return to the stage as our worship leader. Even though I enjoy leading worship music, I was grateful to have him on stage because this past Sunday was PACKED with some really great stuff.
For the first time since we switched to two services, we actually had different services. The 9am gathering had a little bit more music, and the 10:30 gathering had a little less music because it also had a child dedication and a baptism!
Child Dedication
Child dedications for us are special times for parents to go on record before God and before the church that they intend to raise their children according to God’s will. Whenever we do that, I ask parents to make a commitment and I ask the church to make a commitment to the parents. This past Sunday, Andrew and Amanda Sipple brought their two children Isaac and Madison before the Lord and before us, and these are the two commitment statements we affirmed with them on Sunday:
Parents
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.” It is your responsibility as parents to acknowledge God as the true Father in your home and yourselves as stewards over your children. It is your responsibility to create in your home an environment where your children can thrive physically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. You are to provide your children with the security that your love for God, for each other and for them will survive any storm. When you show unconditional love and loyalty to each other, your children believe you when you say you love them too. Finally, it is your responsibility to nurture, encourage, and discipline your children according to the unique demands of their temperaments, your own conscience, and the clear will of God.
Church
Hebrews 10:24 says, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,” so as people in community with these parents and their children, it is your responsibility to actively consider ways to support and encourage this family. It is your responsibility to be concerned for the security and safety of their children when they are unable to do so themselves. Finally, it is your responsibility to never gossip or talk ill of their parenting, but to communicate to them directly, clearly, and humbly, any concerns you may have over their children, understanding that stewardship of those children has been given primarily to them.
Baptism
For Andrew and Amanda, it wasn’t just about the Child Dedication. Sunday was their day to affirm before all of us that they had given their lives to Jesus and wanted to follow him. It was my great privilege to pray with them at their house a few weeks back when they affirmed their repentance before God and received his gift of grace through Christ, and it was my great privilege this past week to baptize them. If you haven’t seen their testimony video, you really should. It’s posted on our church website: http://lafayettecc.org/news/baptism-and-baby-dedication-this-sunday/. The video of their actual baptism will be uploaded soon.
Now, if you are a volunteer with LCC, then I want you to know that you have had a direct impact for eternity. The Sunday Andrew and Amanda came for the first time, someone greeted them at the door, someone registered their children into Kidopolis, someone watched their kids in Kidopolis, someone ran the sound board, someone cleaned the bathrooms, someone made the coffee. We will never know exactly what touched their heart that first Sunday or what it was the prompted them to ask me about baptism and to start the coaching process with me, but we know that all of us together were used by God for his eternal purpose in their lives!
Thank you for being faithful! Thank you for taking part in living out our mission to help people far from God discover life in Christ.
Message
Sunday was my final message in the “How to Be Rich” series. It has been a fun series for me because I rarely bring so many messages on so few verses, so it was a different challenge for me in my message preparation, but throughout the series, I think God taught me some really interesting things, and I hope some of it impacted your life as well. This past Sunday, our specific point was that Trusting God, doing great good, and being generous provide secure treasure and heavenly life, and that lesson isn’t just from me. It was from Paul who got it from Jesus himself, so none of us has any excuse!
Highlighted Comments (from the past two weeks)
Out of all the messages in the series this one really got me. I struggle with worrying, even the small things such as preparing a meal. God has shown me that I need to trust him and realize I am blessed and he will provide a meal idea. Another thing God has laid on my heart is how I can serve more. I have gotten away from that and want to get back into it. I want to reach out to the community and pray I can find a good fit somewhere.
Wow!! What an awesome experience to share with the Sipple family! I loved the church’s commitment to the baby dedication!
Today after watching baptisms was beautiful! Made my heart happy and eventually I hope to be able to become baptized! I am also interested in volunteering in the childcare A.M.
I have been ashamed to invite people to our small one bedroom apartment. But even if some have to sit on folding chairs, relationships mean more than a fancy house. I am rich, and can share life with others, instead of waiting for other “more blessed/rich” people to reach out to us.
Putting generosity in front of our own wants is a radically Christian idea. If more of us live generously, maybe more non-believers will see us in a good way.
Moving Forward
As we move forward more deeply into the fall, I want you to be aware of a couple important things coming up.
f.i.g.h.t. — a new series on handling conflict
This Sunday, I will be starting a new series of messages on handling conflict in our lives using some of the best scholarship out there and pulling it together with what the New Testament teaches on the topic. I think it will be inspiring and helpful. If you know someone who might be interested in it, invite them to come!
Refresh Event is happening on October 27
The first thing I want you to know is that in just a few weeks, we will be doing something we’ve never done before. We will be hosting a gathering specifically for those who serve in some volunteer capacity in the church. Specifically, this is going to be a gathering designed just to inspire, encourage, and refresh you.
You see, I’m convinced of the truth that we are most refreshed when we refresh others. It’s one of the core value statements of our church and it is the basis for our teaching on the Water Element.
I’m convinced that when we are serving others from a right heart we are refreshed by God himself. However, I know that sometimes serving can also feel like a chore, so I believe God is calling ME to be part of the REFRESHMENT he wants to bring to YOU.
Are you tracking with this yet?
I’ll be blunt. I’m inviting you to come to an inspiring and relaxing worship event designed just for volunteers of LCC. During our time together, we will do three things:
- We are going to fellowship over our favorite appetizers and desserts brought by all of us to share with each other.
- I’m going to lead us in a time of reflective worship and bring some teaching on leadership.
- We’re going to take some time to break up into ministry groups to reconnect and strategize.
Does this excite you as much as it does me? It’s going to be on October 27 at 6:00pm at the church building, and we will provide childcare for your kids! Put it on your calendar now!!
Coaching in 20 minutes or less
I’ve been going through this coaching material with a number of people recently, and it seems to be making quite a difference in people’s lives. In fact, I’ve realized that it’s the kind of thing that can be done really effectively even with short coaching meetings. If you want to be coached, but you don’t think you have the time for it, let me know. We can work something out where we can do a coaching appointment in just 20 minutes over the phone or by Skype.
I’m making myself available to you especially because as leaders and helpers in the ministries of LCC, you are on the front lines and I want you to know you are supported.
Prayer Board
Finally, I want to point you toward our experimental online prayer request board. It’s found at http://lafayettecc.org/members. You’ll need an account to log in, and if you aren’t part of our Prayer Team, you’ll only be able to see the public requests and your own requests. Let me know if you have suggestions for how it should work or if you’d like to join our Prayer Team.
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