big fall plans

Dear Family of Faith,
Right up front, I need to tell you this will be a long letter because there is so much exciting stuff I need to communicate with you regarding our Sunday schedule for the Fall Quarter here at Faith.  We are at a crucial point of extraordinary opportunity in the life of our church.  So please, take the time to read this whole thing!   Thanks!

Membership Orientation Luncheon:

Sunday, September 12th at 12:15pm.  This lunch will acquaint people who are new to our church with the story of Faith.  You’ll hear about our history, beliefs, ministries and learn about God’s plans for our future.  This is also a great time to meet others who are new to Faith; get to know Pastor John and his wife, Becky; and hear from some of our ministry leaders.  This orientation doesn’t obligate anyone to membership, but is a prerequisite to membership for those who decide they want to join Faith.  If nothing else, it is a cool way to learn about this church and discover more about the faithfulness of God as He works among us.  Childcare will be provided.  Please RSVP by contacting the church office or by signing up on Sundays.

Small Group Two-Part Orientation & Training:

Sundays, September 12th & 19th, 5:30 – 7:30pm.  These two training sessions are for anyone interested in being part of Faith’s small group ministry for 2010 – 2011 as either a participant or a leader. Please come to both sessions as they are not the same. You’ll find that the training will inform and answer your questions about how to have & be in a spiritually effective small group.  The experience is interactive and fun.  Even if you went through orientation previously, we are asking you to come again.  Helpful new material is being added and the crucial steps to small group success are being re-emphasized.  This really is material we all need to constantly re-hear.  Light refreshments will be available and childcare will be provided.  If you plan to be in an “official” small group of Faith, then please plan on being part of these two nights.  You may sign up for a small group on Sundays or by contacting the church office.

Baptism Orientation Lunch:  Sunday, September 26, 12:15pm.  Meeting right after church, this lunch is for anyone interested in learning about baptism.  The class will share what the Bible says about baptism and will help you understand whether or not you should be baptized.  Many people who were previously baptized have also attended this class as a “refresher” or to decide if being     re-baptized as a follower of Jesus might be a good thing for them to consider doing.  Childcare will be provided.  Please sign up on Sunday or by contacting the Faith office.

New Sunday Morning Schedule: 

Starting on Sunday, September 12, our Sunday morning schedule will take on a new look for the last quarter of 2010.  As was announced this past Sunday, there are two things you have to know.  First, instead of meeting at the 9:00am hour for a worship service, all of our adult ministries will be joining together (in the main auditorium) for strategic training on church health & growth. The training, which is thoroughly Biblical, is built around the bestselling book by Craig Groeschel, it – HOW CHURCHES AND LEADERS CAN GET it & KEEP it.  This is a powerful study that will help us further understand, enjoy and engage in the renewed atmosphere, attitude and culture that we are seeing the Holy Spirit bring about here at Faith.  We will learn how to better love one another and reach our community for Jesus.  We will learn how to be more of a team sharing a common vision.  We  will  be  seeking the Lord to  enable  us  to  become  one of His  churches  that
definitely has discovered how to have … it … all by His grace & all for His glory.  The training will be facilitated by me; will include a few songs led by Ron Larson revolving around each lesson theme; and will feature Craig Groeschel’s teaching on DVD coupled with interaction amongst each other.  Now, you don’t have to read the book to benefit from the class, but I want you to know that you will gain much more if you do.  We will have copies available for purchase this Sunday for $15.00.  Once you get going on the book you’ll find it is an easy read that certainly draws you in!

The second thing you need to know relates to the 10:45am hour.  This will be our worship celebration of God.  Yes, it will be a bit crowded, but your Leadership Team (the deacons & pastoral staff) is praying that it will be an exciting time of shared blessing for all of us at Faith.  I will be teaching a new series from Scripture that I’m calling The Heart of Faith.  The focus will be upon what God’s Word says about how He desires Faith to function in terms of relationships, ministries, and leadership.  The idea is to build upon the 9:00am hour with its focus upon a “Christ honoring attitude” of Faith and bring additional focus to the concept of “Christ honoring actions” of Faith. Note: All of Faith’s small groups will be asked to use (over the course of the quarter) the application discussion questions that I provide each week at the end of the message notes. The goal here is to create a greater degree of shared experience similar to what we did with “The Purpose Driven Life”.

To get the maximum benefit from all of this, your “buy in” is definitely needed.  Your Leadership Team has come together in a completely united way around this “re-gathering” of the Faith family.  We believe the Lord has given this approach to help us all be together “on the same page, headed in the same direction, all moving toward spiritual health.”  We know some of you are used to coming to only one service.  We are asking you to come to both the 9:00am and the 10:45am times.  Our children’s ministry department is gearing up everything they know how to do to make this possible for young families.  If there are work reasons or other factors preventing you from coming to both times, then please commit to get a DVD or CD of whatever hour you miss.  We hope to have both hours on our website as well.

God is at work in our body of believers in a truly amazing way.  He is calling us to grow deeper in our relationship with Him.  He is working in our hearts to love one another more than ever before.  He is shaping us to more effectively bring the Gospel to the community we are part of locally and globally.  These next months at Faith are pivotal because they are a launching pad for the future.  The Spirit is moving and is inviting us to join Him in the Father’s work.  These are exciting opportunities that the Lord is giving to us!  I look forward to discovering with you the unfolding leadership of Christ as He directs us forward.

Thank you for everything you have financially given to Faith as we seek to … lovingly help people everywhere become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.  As I am sure you can see, emerging from the summer we are behind budget.  Many churches typically face a shortfall during this time of year.  Please do all you can to help us catch up and (if the Lord is willing) even exceed budget.  My love to each of you.
Your Brother in Jesus,

Pastor John K. Nagle

Posted Thursday, August 26th in news .