I still remember how exciting and terrifying it was 10 years ago when about 15 of us gathered at my house, Sunday, March 25, 2007 with a big white box van in my driveway and a load of sound equipment in my living room.
The night before, I had stayed up till 2am working on my message, practicing my guitar, and printing bulletins. Our preview services and informational gatherings didn’t see many people come, so despite our massive advertising campaign, I wasn’t very optimistic about our Grand Opening, but late at night Jen came into my office encouraging me to have a little more faith and print twice as many bulletins.
The next morning, after we set up chairs at Wea Ridge Elementary, after we got the welcome banners set up, after we got the kids registration desk and the refreshments table set up, we opened the doors and people actually started showing up. By the time I got up on stage to start our worship, we had passed out over 120 bulletins, and the seats were filled!
I was completely flustered because I wasn’t prepared to see so many people! But that morning taught me a number of lessons, and ten years later, I’m convinced that those lessons are still true.
- God is able and willing to do more than I think.
- Lafayette is filled with people who are hungry for an authentic relationship with God.
- A perfect Sunday morning is less important than simply caring for people.
These lessons are just as true today as they have ever been, and I’m more committed to them than ever.
That’s why I’m not just looking at the past ten years, but I’m also really excited for the next ten.
We are poised to make a real positive difference in Lafayette. By caring for people and by bringing them a simple and straightforward approach to faith, we are going to see God do miracles in our midst. We are going to see many, many more people discover life in Christ.
It’s going to be awesome!
Thank you for being on the journey with me.