Turning The Corner

It seems to me that the fall ( after Labor Day ) is the time when the church makes the greatest strides in the area of attendance and commitment. For the church, new beginnings often come when the new school year commences. The Sunday after Labor Day, not the first Sunday of the year, is the day we look forward to as a kind of measuring stick for the next 8 months.

If this past Sunday is any indication of things to come, then we are in for a great year! On Labor Day Sunday, if such a day exists, we more than doubled my anticipated attendance.

And while I firmly believe that numbers DO matter to God, there have been other exciting developments as well: In the last three weeks, people have begun to take ownership of the ministries of the church and many have signed up to serve for the first time. . . I've seen new faces at church, and seen evidence of God at work in their lives. . . I hear people talking about who they want to invite to church and who they are reaching out to . . .

It is so exciting to see God at work, laying the foundation and putting things in place for the future!

I am looking forward to Sunday with an anticipation similar to our opening day. If you're reading this, please take time to pray for the people being invited to Threshold this Sunday. Pray that lives will be impacted and that people will be drawn into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

And watch what God will do.

Church Signs - What are they for?

In fact that does say "ETERNITY - SMOKING OR NONSMOKING"

For some time I have been annoyed by the signs that pop up all across our area on the property of our local churches. The message they often send is very negative and a turn off to people who don't attend church.

About 15 years ago I read a study (that I can no longer find) related to church signs. The study generally concluded that churches that only listed church activities were the most well received by the un-churched community. The second group of signs always had the Pastor's message for the upcoming Sunday. If the titles asked a question the rest of the world was interested in, the signs were also received well. The category that was consistently offensive was the signs that the "church" finds funny or cute.

The "That will show those unbelieving losers" kind of signs defeat the very stated purpose of the church. If you really think winning those far from God will be achieved with an offensive sign, you haven't polled your congregation to see how many came to Christ when confronted with a sign that read "Turn or Burn."

I asked a first time attender to church what drew him to our church and in the process of the conversation he revealed that he takes pictures of our local signs and shows them to his un-believing friends for a good laugh. He said "At first they offended me, then I started to look for the new ones so I could get a good laugh and eventually I started taking pictures ... they have no clue how stupid those signs are." So on a day when I had to look at two new ones in one day, I thought I would keep a photo log here. I hope I soon run out of material and the signs go away.

See a sign in Boiling Springs - Submit it to thresholdchurch@live.com. I'll be glad to add it to the list.

MyGroups

Our first MyGroup GroupLink will be held after church this Sunday, Aug. 22nd. We will eat together and a brief presentation of Groups will be made. You will have an opportunity to sign up for a group if one works with your schedule. More information on groups will be added next week.

Sunday De-Brief

Sunday Debrief - Independence Day Style

*It was good to see some old friends and new faces today as we worshiped together.

*By the way, "old friends" refers to how long I've known someone, not to their age.

* We continued our study of the Ten Commandments, specifically looking at honoring your father and mother.

* God deals with us harshly if we don't honor our parents. In Romans, He compares those who don't honor their parents to murderers.

* The music was awesome today! I think Jordan is starting to get used to us! He did a great job of helping us focus on God and and who He is.

* Our new bass player is waaay better than the last one we had.

* (I was the last bass player. It is so much much easier for me to prepare to teach when I'm not trying to play the bass.)

* It's good when church is over and folks just hang around because they enjoy each other. Seriously, I've been at churches where people just didn't like each other. I'm glad Threshold is not like that.

* I mentioned today how good God has been to us lately with financial matters. He has always provided just what we needed when we needed it. As we reach out to the community with Movies in the Park, God has supplied every financial need this brand new church has had. And it is awesome and humbling be so taken care of by Him.

So, I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their holiday. As we celebrate the freedom we have as a country, remember also, that our freedom in Christ is far greater.

Ryan

Sunday Re-Cap

* We had a great time of worship with guest worship leader Jordan Lukens.
* The children shared what they have learned over the last two months with a multimedia presentation that really helped us prepare for the message.
* I had no idea of the topic the kids would be sharing on, and it fit the sermon perfectly!
* I noticed people were laughing a lot during the sermon. I hope it was with me and not AT me. :)
* We bought a mobile air conditioner unit to supplement the big one. It seemed to be just enough to keep us comfortable.
*(Well, in conjunction with the sprinkler on the roof!)
* It was our second week of looking at the Ten Commandments. We talked about not taking the Lord's name in vain, having reverence for who God is, and being in a right relationship with God so that we can live in His protection. Good stuff.

Hope to see everyone back on Sunday!
The End.
Ryan

Excited bout the Movie

June 18 will be the second movie of 2010 for the Boiling Springs community. We will be showing THE SPY NEXT DOOR. Every family will be given a bag full of local information and valuable coupons. The give away selections are bigger than ever and one family will be treated to something that will be the envy of everyone. Chick-fil-A will be there and we will have all the free sno-cones you can crunch.

Long Time Coming

So much has happened in the last 3 months and I, once again, have had nothing to say about it on the blog. . .

We have been through at least 85 musicians in the last three months and to say the least, that has been a bit draining. (Yes 85 is an exaggeration!) It seems when something is not running on all cylinders, it just drains you a little more. There is the constant searching and calling and interviewing also. A bit of the experience has been reminiscent of American Idol... some really talented folks and some that must be heard to be believed. (I am convinced that one of the greatest wrongs in our world is mamas telling their kids they have musical talent when they don't.)

Of course that is followed closely by people sleeping under bridges and eating out of dumpsters. Actually that is the purpose of this post and the other was just to get you to agree with something I write.

It seems that we are in the habit of getting really excited about things that have little eternal significance and we have very little concern for things that make a huge difference. I have often wondered what would happen if we successfully pulled just one person from the cycle of dependance and hopelessness and could see the result of their life-change 20 years out. What would future generations look like?

Peer Pressure

You know that peer pressure can be a really strange thing. Some parts of the issue can't be fully explained by simple analysis. I'm writing this entry because of peer pressure but I am choosing what to write. My peers harass me if I go more than two weeks without an entry.

Peer pressure can be good and it can be bad. Some believe peer pressure exposes who you really are when you give in to the pressure. Of course that only applies if the thing you gave in to was a bad thing. If you were influenced to do good outside your standard character, then you are in a phase or just trying to be someone you're not.

Peer pressure can bring great rewards when acted on and it can also bring great sadness when acted on.

The greatest problem with peer pressure is when you are still suffering consequences years after a decision has been made.

This week I have seen the single most painful,lasting result of a bad decision made earlier in life.

I don't know when the first introduction to drugs came, for that matter I knew nothing about drugs or a struggle past or present with drugs in the life of my friend.

I knew about some issues with alcohol which was probably also introduced by a peer, but I had no clue of any other struggle.

My friend lost his life and everyone believes narcotics were involved. As I talked with another friend he told me of the struggles of so many to shake off and become free of the addiction to narcotics. He said he had witnessed people free from drugs relapse after up to six years. In their drug induced state they acted out of character for them. Often times it resulted in a crime being committed.

In my friend's case there was a crime committed and the proper response of law enforcement ended a life seemingly devoted to God in every aspect. But there was that one area that very few were aware of where satan was quietly using a decision made years earlier to destroy a life, even one devoted to God.

I don't doubt my friend's devotion to God but I will always wonder why help wasn't sought. I will also be left to wonder if my friend had given up on life and become weary in trying to undo the damage done by giving in to peer pressure so many years ago.

If there is any one lesson worth taking away from this experience for those who have never been bound by a drug, it is that in any area of life, God must have exclusive access. When we give Satan any place to set up camp in our life we invite a lifetime of regret for a life not lived exclusively for God.

Reputation

As I was handing out balloons this past Saturday, someone stopped me and said, "Your church is always doing stuff in the community" He went on to say that many people are commenting to him that our little church is constantly "doing something".
You know, I guess it's good that a church has a reputation for helping others. I'm not complaining. But, my prayer for 2010 is that we can move beyond being recognized for "doing stuff" and begin to make an actual impact on our community.

Please don't confuse what I'm trying to say. God has given me a vision for so much more than name recognition. . .

Imagine for a moment that we were able to reach every single person in Spartanburg County in 2010. What if we could make Jesus famous to every resident in Boiling Springs and surrounding areas? Now consider the fact that people usually become the Christian that is modeled for them in their church and answer the obvious questions:


Would waitresses still hate Sundays because Christians are jerks and bad tippers?


Would the homeless population increase or decrease?


Would we still have children waiting to be adopted?


Would we still be ashamed to pray in our schools or businesses?


Would Greenville, Union and Cherokee counties have any idea that Jesus was at work next to them?


This time next year I want to be writing that people who know nothing about God are commenting that GOD is at work in Boiling Springs.




Keep up the hard work of making the name of Jesus Christ famous in Boiling Springs.

Bout Time

The blog has been silent for far too long. I am writing in a bit of a stupor ... so any corrections that are needed will have to be made tomorrow. I feel as if when I am not blogging that nothing is going on in the church, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.

So here is an update for those of you who check up on us; We have had our building open last week and we continue this week so that college students have a place to study. 2am was so early 20 years ago when I was in college.

We have been able to support our local food pantry through a collection and donation of needed items. Serving there is one of my weekly highlights.

This Saturday morning we will be giving out candy bags to the children gathered for our local Christmas parade. Don't get too excited. We will not be giving out the candy, just the bags.

This Sunday we will be serving at the local soup kitchen. Some people will even skip church to get things started. How will they make it through the week without my sermon?

Needing a church? Come serve with us.

Friend Day

Friend Day was a success! (Even though I have written nothing about the results of our inviting efforts.) Not to make more excuses for not blogging, just to let you know, I have spent some time getting in the groove for the Christmas season this week and at the same time I have the next four sermons close to the finish line. Additionally, I am aware that this Sunday has the potential to be better attended than Friend Day so that brings into play additional thoughts about how to approach the message.

So what did I think about Friend Day?

Friend day could have been a bit better in several areas (all of the shortfalls are on me) but overall it was a very good day. With 13 first time visitors and more than half committing to return, we are on the verge of some significant momentum. Our drama folks really made it easy for me to present the message and the music was the best since we started according to several folks.

What I like best is that our greeters make people want to return before they hear the message or music. That is huge, and I am so thankful for folks that are willing to volunteer every week to welcome our visitors, prepare breakfast and coffee, run sound, lights, teach children, clean the building, etc.

By the way, our upgraded refreshment station was a huge hit thanks to a generous donation of tables and chairs!!

Hope to see you this Sunday for Friend Day revisited. OK not officially, but it is acceptable to invite your friends this week too.

Don't forget we have lunch together immediately after church this Sunday... Barbeque :) No need to bring anything or make reservations. Just bring a friend and hang out!

See you then!

Looking Forward to Sunday

Haven't posted in a while due to being completely swamped. It has been a long time since I've been this tired. Busy doesn't even begin to describe it.

I worked on our facility a lot this week making sure everything was top notch for our GUESTS that are coming on FRIEND DAY. (Don't you clean your house when you are having company?)It was a great motivator to get a lot of things caught up, cleaned up, and spiffed up. So, be prepared for some (good) surprises on Sunday!

Matt has prepared a great worship set, and our (newly formed) Drama Team will be demonstrating their talent and creativity, while making us ponder the age old question, "how do you get into heaven?".

So, basically, if the old preacher can get his act together, we should have a great time together on Sunday :)

Pray for Sunday. Prepare now for our time of worship together. And invite friends! They will be welcomed, have fun, and most importantly, hear the truth of Christ.

Sunday De-brief

Every so often you have one of those days where things are non-standard -- where things are not as you expected and the best planning on your part does not bring the results you imagined.
I tend to have those days every 7th day.

The fun thing is when you prepare a message with a particular set of attendees in mind (not to single them out - just knowing who would likely be in attendance) and you wind up preaching to a very different crowd. That was yesterday. Along the way I found out that two families have really bought into our outward-focused thinking.

This is big!

Remember our upcoming events:

* Hanging out at Hendrick's Elem. while helping out with the Movie Night this coming Friday. . .

* Friend Day is only two weeks away and friends have already been invited. Keep inviting folks! If you've been invited, I promise you'll be glad you came.


See you on "Day 7".

KidVenture

I wanted to give everyone some info on what to expect if you have children and you are thinking about visiting Threshold.

First of all, be prepared to be surprised at how much fun your kids have.

Seriously.

They just might BEG you to take them back to church.

And, no, it's not because we bribe them with candy or hypnotize them! It's because we believe our teaching time should be FUN and ENGAGING and SAFE.

We sing and dance and shout out Bible verses. We watch silly skits that show us what NOT to do. We have been known to dress up in silly costumes to capture a child's curiosity.

We know children learn better when they are ACTIVE - so we use hand motions to memorize things. We connect the Bible to real life situations through roll play and even games.

We sing songs and pray and thank God for all He has given us. We learn to be good friends and good sisters and brothers. We laugh a lot :)


Right now our church is small. It won't always be. So from the beginning we have initiated a secure child check in system. It works like this. On the way in to the auditorium, you will see a KidVenture kiosk.


(Okay kiosk sounds fancy-shmancy. It is really a little nook in a hallway, but it works for now!) You check in your children with the KidVenture volunteer, and you and your children receive matching labels with a number code and name on it. If your child needs you during the service, your number code will appear on the screen. When you pick your child up after church, you must have your label. Or we are gonna card you. Seriously. :)

In addition, ALL of our children's volunteers have been given a back ground check to ensure the safety of our chilren. (Yes, this is Lisa, the "Preachers Wife" and yes, he did a background check on me too!! So if you want to work with children, don't be offended when we ask for a background check. It's nothing personal! And we are flat-out going to do this for the safety of the children in our care)


Okay. FUN. ENGAGING. SAFE. See?

We have been having quite a few visitors lately, and we love it. We can't wait to see more new faces on Sunday! Wonder what to expect for adults? Read this.

FOOD PANTRY IN GREAT NEED

These are the most pressing needs.

We have been very low lately!!!!

If you can help, bring these to the

Upstate Family Resource Center

Canned meats/pasta

Canned veggies

Breakfast items

Dry Noodles/rice/beans

Mac and Cheese

Spaghetti sauce

Another Good Day

Sunday was a good day to be a church planter. New faces again. We also had some return visitors. We are on the edge of a breakthrough in reaching our community. We are seeing people inviting their neighbors and expressing concern about their coworkers and family. When people are accepting the fact that God loves them and sharing that love with others the world is a better place. Yard signs are bringing folks to us... why not join us too?

Fall in the Park

Fall in the Park Boiling Springs gave us an opportunity to meet many new great people. As a first timer to this event I did not know what to expect. From my past festival experiences I anticipated a larger event but saw a steady flow of people that I had never met. So it was a good day. We gave away 250 frisbees and information to 100 parents. It may have been only 97 but 100 is a good round number. The event included a dog show, and a talent show. Also several local demonstration teams participated in the festivities. Looking forward to participating in the event next year.

Dead in the Water

A friend of mine wrote this entry this morning. http://networkedblogs.com/p12975236 -- worth a look

I noticed that all of my other friends are linked here... so I need to step up my writing to be included.

Every once and a while I have one of those conversations with someone that is worth repeating. Last night I had one of those conversations with my dad. He is a slow deep thinker who talks in reverse circles and somehow ends up with me either thinking "I've heard this before" or just "hmmm."

Last night was a little of both so hang with me.

So my dad visited a church and made this observation; "I can guarantee you that the church we went to is at no risk of becoming a dead church."

So in my best Florida regressive language from my upbringing I responded "howya figure?"

My dad's response was quite profound. "Because it is already dead."

For me this is of great interest because I have observed things my dad considered to have "life" in the church world. I made this judgment because he failed to see the cannula and oxygen and heart monitors positioned all over some churches in his experience.

How do we miss all the obvious signs of sickness in the church leading to a certain death? If enough nurses gather around a patient it is difficult to see the signs of distress. Same goes for churches. If there is enough activity around the facility, there is an assumption of life. I too am guilty of this same assumptive logic. On the way home yesterday I noticed a brand new church sign. I immediately wondered what good things they must be doing.

So the conversation continued...

There weren't more than 2 people in the entire facility between the ages of 18 and 50. To be fair I would never presume that a church is dead just because the average membership is old, but he went on to tell me about the elementary school around the corner and how many children were picked up for school, yet none of them were in attendance at this church they all pass on their way to school.

So

I'll buy in to the argument that the church is dead. If any church, your church included, is having no impact on the lives of the people in the area it would be reasonable to assume that Jesus has left the building and the operation is now in human hands. Might be time to look for a renter since you no longer provide a product (Jesus) and the money you are spending is therefore wasted.

As the conversation continued my dad asked about our church in reference to life. Yesterday we had the most visitors since opening and the best offering by miles. Is this an indication of "life" within the church?

Almost everyone is under 50... is this an indication of life or is it a reflection of an intentional target audience?

Believe it or not the conversation had a conclusion. You will need to assume a few additional pieces of conversation prior to this question.

"How does a person come to Christ?"

Well it is not;

through a friend

with current music

with eloquent speech

with proper attire .....

It is only through recognizing;

that all of our our efforts to save ourself have failed and will fail

that we bring nothing of value to the spiritual table

that the sacrifice of Jesus is completely sufficient for our salvation

Otherwise we are we are spiritually lifeless regardless of the activity, church included, that surrounds our lives.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My

This is Lisa and I hijacked the blog to give a plug for our current series going on in KidVenture. It's called . . .

and it is one of the best I've seen. The kids love it! We "fly like eagles, stand like flamingoes, wrestle crocodiles, and charge like rhinos"! And we are learning about our world, how to take care of it, and most importantly, how God takes care of us.

Parents, we also have a worship time and an offering if you would like to talk to your child about participating in the offering. I know it has opened up some great dialogue with my 7 year old. . .

We would love to have MORE children go on an animal adventure with us! If you are thinking about checking us out, we are ready and excited to meet you and your kids!

Speaking of hijacking, (hows THAT for a segue?) Ryan has a neat video to show you and a great teaching time lined up for Sunday. What if we got hijacked?

Come Sunday to find out.

10:07 am. See you then :)

What if you got Hi-jacked

I just entered the realm of the secret service.

Sunday is gonna be good. Can't wait to preach this sermon. My only prayer for this week is that you will get the Bible Hero treatment and get Hi-jacked.

Or you could give in voluntarily.