Happy Blooming Church of the Roses!

“A happy heart makes a face cheerful.”  Proverbs 15:13

         One of the things people look for in a church is a positive happy atmosphere. Going to a church full of dour looking solemn people is not very attractive. I think that is one of the reasons our church is growing. New visitors have been attending worship and deciding to join us in part because they look around and see happiness! With the next new members class we will have 51 new members in the last two and ½ years.

         It makes sense that we are happy because we have so so much to be grateful for, thanks be to God! But happiness is also a choice.

         Groucho Marx once said:

Groucho’s quote reminds me of this passage in Matthew 6:25-27 that encourages us not to worry, (which inspires happiness):

         “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?” (NRSV)

There are other reasons besides a happy atmosphere that helps a church grow. Here is a list I shared with our session at our March meeting. YOU can help us accomplish these ten goals:

• 1. MAKE SUNDAY SPECIAL Put creative energy into every worship service. You may only get one chance to connect Christ to a visitor.
• 2.ADD AN EXTRA SERVICE (and maybe even an extra venue)
• The Session and worship committee are considering adding a new worship service on Friday evenings that may attract new members who like to listen to instrumentalists accompany our hymns.
• 3. WORK ON YOUR WELCOME Making new attendees feel at home from the moment they drive into the parking lot will significantly increase the chances of them returning. We need greeters at Bowen Hall doors helping people find their way into our church.
• 4. ENCOURAGE BELONGING AND BELIEVING
• Belonging will often precede believing, and forming friendships is essential. Invite new comers to our activities. Consider starting a small group study.
• 5. INVEST IN YOUNG PEOPLE Young people need to be purposefully placed into visible leadership roles and given excellent Christian mentoring.
• 6. ENGAGE YOUR COMMUNITY Churches need to place community engagement high on the priority list. One church started: Christians Against Poverty and gave financial advice and aid to those struggling in their local community. In one year that church added 100 members.
• 7. MARKET YOURSELF The best marketing is the kind that comes from positive interactions with the local community. Giving people a reason to enter the church is half the battle. So make the most of Christmas, Easter and any events that give you an excuse to invite people in. Don’t be shy.
• 8.GIVE SUPPORT TO CONGREGATIONAL CARE Churches that grow have been able to develop pastoral support networks that allow everyone in the church to be ministered to without the pastor having to do it all.
• 9. RUN AN EVANGELISTIC COURSE (AND CHURCH)
• Strategically, the church needs to be missionary-minded so that every member knows they have a role in sharing their faith, inviting friends and ensuring that visitors feel at home. Have a constant introductory course such as Alpha or Christianity Explored to teach the basics.
• 10. PRAY Praying for growth. In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul says: ‘I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.’ 
• In our efforts to see church growth, we need to acknowledge we can achieve nothing without God’s blessing, which brings forth the fruit. When churches become inward-looking they forget the power of the gospel and what it feels like to grow. Pray daily for our church to grow so we can meet the spiritual needs of the people in our congregation and community. All of us can pray.

 (List above adapted from: Justin Brierley’s article at: https://www.premierchristianity.com/Past-Issues/2015/January-2015/Ten-ways-to-grow-your-church-in-2015)

        I am so thankful for the willingness of our Church of the Roses leaders to work on these ten things that will help our church have a healthy future. May God continue to bless us and keep us as we carry on in faith. Remember, there are seven Sundays in the Easter season. YOU can help us make each Easter Season Sunday special by worshipping and participating in the future of our church.  Happy Easter Season!    Love,   Pastor Cindy

Jesus changes his #Facebook status to 'Risen' #SarumLPAs #SocialMedia for #Mission & #Ministry

      

Forty Days on a Life-Giving Journey

           "For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by Satan. Wild animals were his companions, and angels took care of him." (Mark 1:13, The Message) 

     Jesus prepared for his ministry by going into the desert for forty days. Our Lenten season in the Presbyterian church is a 40 day period of preparation for Easter. Instead of "giving up" or fasting during Lent, Presbyterians typically "add" something to their normal days to enhance their faith journeys. This year we have a Lenten Devotional that adds more scripture reading and prayers. Although the daily passages and prayers are short, they are meaningful and easy to incorporate into a morning or evening prayer time. Lenten Devotional                                                                       

     My friend, Tracey, has decided to use our Lenten devotional as a daily reminder to do a "life-giving" act each day. She plans to write what she did each day in the devotional to show the completion of this act. One day it might be to simply write a "Thank You" note to a friend. The next day it might be to take some food to a homebound person, or a lonely friend out to lunch. Tracey is inviting her parents to join her so they can compare notes with one another about their life-giving journeys through Lent. 

                 

     Our church has a tradition of offering a Labyrinth prayer walk for anyone in our church and community to experience during Holy Week. The original purpose for the labyrinth was to offer a way for those who could not make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to be able to imagine going to Jerusalem by way of the Labyrinth walk. It has become quite a popular way to pray and walk at the same time. The labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness.                                                                                            

     When you walk the labyrinth, you embark on a spiritual journey, allowing space for God amid the usually crammed confines of our minds. The labyrinth is not a maze, which is designed to confuse and challenge, but a circuitous path with no wrong turns or blind alleys. If you continue on the path, you inevitably come to the center where your journey has led you. Click on: Labyrinth Prayer Walk                

     I believe one of the reasons the ancient Labyrinth walks have survived thousands of years is due to the hope they embody. When you walk towards the center and walk out again, you walk with hope for wholeness in your soul. May your Lenten Season be filled with sacred hope that culminates in a blessed Holy Week and Easter. And may you find lfe-giving ways to spread hope in Christ to others. This poem by Jan Richardson gives me good hope and comfort especially needed this busy time of year! 

Hope nonetheless.
Hope despite.
Hope regardless.
Hope still.

Hope where we had ceased to hope.
Hope amid what threatens hope.
Hope with those who feed our hope.
Hope beyond what we had hoped.

Hope that draws us past our limits.
Hope that defies expectations.
Hope that questions what we have known.
Hope that makes a way where there is none.

Hope that takes us past our fear.
Hope that calls us into life.
Hope that holds us beyond death.
Hope that blesses those to come.