If Lakeside Church were a movie--for example, The Wizard of Oz--would we be more like Kansas or more like Oz? No disrespect to Kansans, but in the movie, Kansas is colorless and predictable. Oz, on the other hand, is full of color and exciting opportunities. I know there's no place like home, but I sort of like Oz.
One phrase I hear repeated often these days at Lakeside is, "Something is happening around here." If you're a Lakesider, I suspect you've felt it. Among our staff, we sense the Lord is doing something powerful among us. For me, I see it in Kidsfest. I find it in our Student Ministries. And I feel it among our adults.
One evidence of this move of God's Spirit is the influx of new Lakesiders. I've met dozens of families recently who have been with us only a month or two. And most of the people I've been meeting are not transplants from other churches. They are people who are coming to church for the first time, or for the first time in ten or 20 years! We are crashing the gates of hell, and the gates are collapsing.
All of this leads to opportunities...and challenges. (Challenges and opportunities are the same thing viewed from different perspectives.) Here's one: We have seen significant growth in all four of our weekend gatherings this fall. Both Sunday morning gatherings are full, and our Saturday gatherings are gaining momentum. Which leads to an opportunity: What do we do with all these people?
I love it when you ask the right question at the right time. Thanks.
Here's the plan. Beginning January 31, we will be adding a fifth gathering to our worship schedule. Saturdays will continue at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. But on Sundays we will add a 10:00 gathering. Our new schedule on Sundays will offer worship gatherings at 9:00, 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. (Note the change from 10:45.)
OK, if you're paying attention, you'll say, "Hey, that's a problem. These services will overlap...or they'll be really, really short!"
We thought of that. We didn't like the really short option, so we're trying a new approach. The 10:00 gathering will be hosted in the Dock, the upstairs room in the Block. To do this we are providing some special features to The Ten. (I don't know yet if we'll call it that, but it's functional for now.) First, it will be family-oriented, with occasional features designed to engage kids. Over the years people have asked us for a worship gathering that includes kid-friendly activities. This will be the one. (No Kidsfest programming will be available at this hour.)
The Ten will also offer a little lower volume in the worship music. The music will be the same high-quality we have in the auditorium, with Gabriel leading, but at a little lower volume level. This may also lead to a highly multi-generational worship gathering, which has been one of our recent priorities.
The teaching at The Ten will also be the same as in the auditorium. Whoever is speaking in the other gatherings will speak at The Ten. Normally this will be me, but I will continue to share preaching responsibilities with our staff and other guest speakers.
Finally, another feature of this change is that we will transition our High School ministry, Encounter, to Saturday evenings. Beginning January 30, Doug Roush and the high school students will meet at 6:30 p.m. This puts both middle school and high school on Saturday evenings, and hopefully becomes a blessing to our families who have kids in both groups. No more straddling Saturday nights and Sunday mornings. We believe this may create a strategic opportunity to reach high school students at a time when they are looking for things to do, and not always in the healthiest places.
Bottom line, as in everything we do at Lakeside, is this: Will it help us fulfill the mission? I absolutely believe it will. I believe it will create more room for more people to be transformed into passionate and productive followers of Jesus. That is the path of the kingdom, which is better than Kansas or Oz!
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