Published September 11, 2017
Northridge Church, Rochester, New York
Matt
Ministry Highlights
At the beginning of the month, our entire church staff took a day off to spend at the lake. I think one of the biggest blessings of this ministry is that I’m a part of a staff who genuinely all get along and are friends with one another. We really value that as a staff, and we aren’t apologetic about putting work tasks aside every once in a while to reinforce those relationships by just doing fun stuff together.
Throughout this month we held our first round of “pre-launch” services for the campus that we’re launching in September/October. We’ve spend the last few months building up our team and getting people on-board, but these services were really our first opportunity to get everyone together in the same room and truly see who “our people” are. I think the most fun part of launching this campus is seeing the passion people have for it. That was on display very apparently in these services.
At the end of this month, our whole church (all 3 campuses) came together at the location of our soon-to-be fourth campus for a night of Worship and celebration over this new venture in the life of our church. The room was packed and the atmosphere was electric. Our church, our whole church and not just the people who will actually be attending this new campus, is PUMPED to see what God does through this new location. I did a lot of the leg work in planning this event, and it was a MASSIVE encouragement to everyone involved.
Key Prayer Requests
We just got word a few hours ago that, due to Hurricane Irma, a significant portion of the “stuff” that we are going to be using to launch this new campus won’t be available for our soft-launch in September. We’re working hard to adjust to this, but it’s really thrown a wrench in our plans. There are going to be a busy few days coming up to adjust because of this.
We really want to average 225 people at our soft-launch service. We’re praying for that.
Prominent Lessons
What would you do if your church was given a check for $25,000 each week? How would you feel? This month our church staff sat down and calculated how much we would have to pay each week if we appropriately compensated all of our volunteers for the time that they give to us. We figure that it would cost us at LEAST $25,000 each week. That means that my church is actually given a $25,000 check each week by our volunteers. That totally changed how I view the people who serve during the week. I need to do a much better job of thanking them. It’s kind of a crazy thing to think about, but I think it’s an exercise that every church should do.
A church staff is at its best when they’re all friends. I think the biggest blessing in my ministry so far is that, without exception, everyone who I work alongside are people who I genuinely enjoy being around. My best friends in Rochester are the people I work with. Our staff values that, and we regularly do things to foster that kind of environment. It’s so worth the investment to make sure that your staff is a family.
People genuinely want to be effective evangelists. As I talk with people about why they’re interested in coming to our church’s newest campus, the single most popular reason (by a long shot) is that they feel like the campus’s proximity to their friends and neighbors is going to make it easier for them to invite their friends to church. Of all the reasons that people could choose, the fact that reaching their lost friends and neighbors is at the top of their list says a lot. People aren’t reluctant to do evangelism. Chances are, we just haven’t equipped them with the resources.
Key Goals for the Next Month
Finish writing and deliver ABA 1, as well as complete project 1.
Have a schedule developed for all my volunteer teams that covers through the month of November.
Average 225 people at our soft-launch services.
Get all of the bugs worked out of the campus tech by the grand opening on October 15th.
Sarah
Ministry Highlights
We planned and participated in home meetings. These meetings this month were to help people get on board to help us launch the new campus in October! We even held one of these home meetings at our house. During these meetings, we gained more volunteers who made a one-year commitment toward the new campus.
We helped with what we call “Incubation Services” on some Sundays. This was a time where everyone who committed to coming to the new campus was able to get together and meet those they will serve along with. We also began establishing serving roles.
We helped with a Night of Worship at the end of August. This is just a time of worship our church does every once in a while. It is an amazing night of worship and prayer. This time we dedicated it to our new campus launching. We updated the rest of the church on the happenings of the new Henrietta campus, important dates, and thanking them for their support. The awesome part of the night was that we were able to meet at our new campus! The movie theater where we will be located let us do our event in their facility!
Key Prayer Requests
I am a coordinator for the preschool classroom in our children’s ministry. I am learning from coordinators from other campuses on all the behind-the-scenes work that happens in order to make a service run smoothly. I have taught and been in the classroom environment multiple times, but I don’t have a lot of experience with the work before. I will be scheduling volunteers, planning activities to go along with the Bible lesson, as well as other duties.
Our “soft launch” Sundays are coming up this coming month! These are Sundays where we practice the service and our roles in the movie theater setting. We will practice everything from set-up, music, kid’s ministry, greeting, information desk, livestream, tear-down, etc. We have a lot to prepare for, but we’re excited for this opportunity.
Prominent Lessons
I have realized the importance of speaking up. I am a quiet person and do not usually lead a conversation. During the incubation services we had this month, I realized I needed to ask questions and allow the volunteers get to know each other. This is definitely not my strong suit so I am still learning. It is more important to build those relationships with those who I will be serving with and leading than to remain quiet in the background.
Key Goals for the Next Month
I would like to be ready for the soft launch starting this month. I will handle curriculum, scheduling volunteers, and activities/crafts. I need to create a schedule of all the work I need to complete and how I need to complete it. I’m an organized person, so to create this schedule would help me as I lead in the preschool classroom.
I would like to talk to one child from my work who has an interest in “religion.” The daycare is a faith-based company but not everyone is a believer.
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