Happy New Year Trinity Church! As we head into 2011, there are the eleven things that I want each of you to know.
1. Prayer is the foundation. Join us New Year’s Eve for a time of prayer as we start 2011 by intentionally seeking God’s presence. This worship based prayer time will be from 10 pm until midnight. We also need your help filling prayer slots for the 24/7 prayer event. If you are able to fill a slot please call the church office. Prayer is the work of God’s people, moving the church in the mission of bringing God glory.
2. Focused on being the church. This Sunday, January 2nd, we will celebrate and clarify our direction as a church family. The Elder Board believes God is asking Trinity Church to be a prayer driven, kingdom multiplying church that makes disciples who love God, love others, and serve the world. We will be talking about being the church instead of going to church. Too often church is viewed as an event, activity, or location. But, the church is God’s people fulfilling God’s mission here on this earth. Being the church means we are people focused on God’s glory and this is revealed by changed lives. You won’t want to miss this Sunday, and if you must, check it out online.
3. Groups are essential to following Jesus. We encourage everyone to get in a group and engage in the lives of others on a personal level. The investment we make in Christ-centered relationships matters for eternity. Groups that are focused on discussing what God says and then living it out produce changed lives. Being connected to other followers of Jesus is how we grow in our ability to love God, love others, and serve the world at a deeper level. Group sign-up is going on now.
4. Multi-site launch. We are on the verge of announcing our first multi-site location. This is a huge praise! We continue to seek God as he works out the details to impact communities throughout Western Iroquois County with the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is exciting to be on track for an Easter 2011 campus launch!
5. Ministry teams. Ministry teams are the foundation of our church’s ministry areas. As we have transitioned to the “team” format, we have experienced changes in how we do ministry. This is healthy, and will continue as we put people in positions to use their gifts to lead ministry areas for God’s glory.
The worship ministry is an area that I would like to address specifically. This past fall it underwent a time of transition. With the impending launch of our first multi-site campus, we transitioned from an individual team approach to an overall worship ministry team approach. This has caused some confusion in our church family and I take responsibility for that. Our worship ministry team has done an excellent job in the transition and deserves our full support. They do an excellent job in seeking to lead us into God’s presence with heartfelt and thoughtfully designed worship services every weekend.
6. God’s provision continues. We began this fiscal year with an aggressive budget goal, as we looked to the launch of our first multi-site campus. As of this communication, we are ahead of our budget need for the fiscal year. This should be an encouragement to each of us. It also serves as financial confirmation that we are on track with the vision God has given us as a church.
7. Online giving. Another way to facilitate faithful giving, is a secure online option. A current user commented, “Online giving helps me be consistent in my giving. I never miss a week!” This year, consider online giving. You can check it out at www.mytrinity.tv.
8. Decisions to follow Jesus. This past weekend we saw God do amazing things at our Christmas services... 12 people made decisions to follow Jesus, and more than 50 people recommitted their lives to following him. This is a huge praise! As we head into 2011, join me in praying that God would continue to move in the lives of people and that they would follow Jesus. What a blessing it would be as a church family to see at least one person a week come to know Christ personally.
9. Intern on staff. We have an intern joining our church staff. Ashley Wolf is a senior from Lincoln Christian University who will be working with the Community Life and Missions ministry areas. This is an unpaid position. She will be looking for work in the local community to offset her expenses and will be with us from the beginning of January until the first part of May 2011.
10. Serving people. A HUGE THANK YOU to all of the amazing volunteers that step up week after week to make sure all of our services and events happen. Your willingness to do what you do makes an eternal difference in God’s kingdom.
11. A spiritual battle. These are exciting days for Trinity Church. While there is much to celebrate, there is also a real spiritual battle underway. Ephesians 6:12 is clear that if we are in Christ, we are never battling one another. I ask for your partnership in praying at a whole new level as we head into the next year. Prayer is the beginning and end of this list for a reason.
My prayer for every one of you is that you would love Jesus more at the end of this coming year than you do today. I am so grateful to be the Lead Pastor here and part of the team that God has assembled to lead Trinity Church in the pursuit of him and his heart for our church.
May God bless and keep each of you as we head into the New Year!
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