The Prodigal Son
Two Sundays ago, our pastor asked the launch team to join him and his wife at their former church. There, the church were going to commission us at the end of the service after he preached as a guest that morning. We didn’t know who all would be able to attend, but we felt sure several would be in attendance.
Our pastor preached on the prodigal son, but he focused on how the father ran! While his son was returning, he ran to him! At the end of the sermon, he showed a brief video of a son calling his father and leaving a message on the answering machine. For whatever reason, the relationship had been strained, the son had not been home nor in touch with his father for quite some time. As the son struggled with his feelings and emotions, he finally told his father that he would understand if his father did not wish to see him. However, he asked if the father did want to see him to please put a white sheet out on the fence. If he rode by and did not see the white sheet, he would know not to stop. The next clip of the video showed the elderly father walking up his driveway to place a white sheet on the fence. Not only that, but the father had white sheets along the fence line all down his driveway. When you reached the house, there were several white sheets hanging on the porch as well.
Tears begin to fill my eyes as I watched.
Even though it was “just a video,” sadly, being disconnected from family was real life for an elderly lady sitting to my left in another section of the congregation. She began to sob uncontrollably when the video began to play as the son was leaving the message for the father. This lady’s heart was breaking!
At the end of the video and end of the sermon, the pastor said he hadn’t planned on having an altar call. That quickly changed, and he felt the Spirit moving so he invited people to come. Whatever the need, just come to the altar. If they needed a touch from God, come. If they were turning their lives over to God, come. If they needed prayer, just come!
This elderly lady stepped forward and made her way to the altar along with her husband. She approached our pastor, and he began to pray over her. She shook with every heartbreaking sob that escaped her lips. Feeling the heartache from where I was, I knew I could not stay where I was standing in the pew. I made my way down to the altar and wrapped my right arm around her shoulder as I stood with her praying over her situation and her broken heart.
After the service when my husband and I were in the vehicle, he asked me how I knew the elderly lady. He was surprised to learn that I didn’t know her personally. I told him I felt God laying it upon my heart to go to her and pray with her, so I obeyed.
Sometimes when you feel a nudge or a still small voice speaking to you, obey. You never know who needs you to come alongside them and pray with them. You never know their story, and you don’t need to. You just need to be obedient.
Reach Out
This past Sunday with all the busyness of unboxing chairs, putting up drape, etc., it would have been real easy to overlook a few teammates that were missing. As I looked around, scanning the group of volunteers, I made a mental note of the ones not in attendance. Shortly thereafter, my husband walked over to tell me two members arrived, then turned around to leave within a few minutes of their arrival. Not knowing what took place, I could have just shrugged it off and left it alone. However, as I continued to work, this young lady kept coming back to my mind. I felt like God was tugging on my heart to reach out to her, so I was obedient.
“I just wanted you to know that I’m praying for you right now.”
That one heartfelt sentence changed everything.
The young lady texted back a few times, then returned to the school, which will be our “church,” asking in the text message for me to look for her. And I did.
It started off a little awkward, as I had never talked to her in depth before, but it didn’t take long for her to realize I was a sincere and safe person for her. She began pouring her heart out to me, and tears started flowing.
This young lady felt hopeless, worthless, and without purpose at times. She had anxiety and depression along with other things, which will remain confidential. Had I not reached out and been obedient to the Lord, she would have continued to carry this with her, which absolutely breaks my heart.
I took time with her that morning to remind her that God has her here for a very specific reason. While I’m not sure of the plans He has for her life, she very much has a purpose in God’s kingdom. She just needed a reminder.
One of my absolute favorite bible verses is Jeremiah 29:11:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Cling to that when you need a reminder as well.
Preparing For Launch Sunday
Yesterday was the first Sunday in our new “church home” inside of a newly built elementary school. The launch team assembled at 8 a.m. to begin putting together what would be our “sanctuary” inside of the school’s cafeteria. It’s what a lot of new church plants have done recently, and it works out well. The churches reach an agreement to rent the cafeteria on Sundays to hold their services, and a lot of the schools will agree to have the custodian place the chairs as well as clean up after the service. Both the school and the church benefit from this exchange and rental agreement.
In preparing for launch Sunday in September, our group of volunteers needed to unbox, examine, and lay out the chairs that just arrived. Others put pipe and black drapes together to make it look more like a sanctuary instead of a cafeteria. While that was being done, a separate group was reorganizing closets for the school (with their permission) to allow our chairs to be stored neatly in the closet along with their supplies and chairs. Yet another group was setting up the children’s ministry areas. Honestly, it was amazing to all of us that the bulk of this only took 45 minutes to complete!
After a break complete with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and a homemade cheesecake (which was absolutely devine!), our group walked outside as a whole. We wanted to discuss how our team would make sure every guest felt seen and welcomed to our church. From the parking lot to the pews, it all matters and needed to come together beautifully.
We will have a police officer at the church entrance along with our church flags, so people will know they are in the right place. A few members of our Connections Team will be out in the parking lot to greet people and open the door for them to walk inside. Our pastor said he didn’t want anyone coming to the church to touch the door. Period. He wanted to make sure all of our team is serving others from the start, even with something as simple as opening the doors to usher them inside. There, they will be greeted with other members of this team and pointed in the direction of the coffee and then connections table. Every first time guest will receive a white tote bag with our church name on it. We will have team members making sure to walk guests to the children’s ministry section so they can check their children in to the classrooms. The goal is to make sure every person is acknowledged without overcrowding them but making sure they all feel at home right from the start. The first 45 seconds will determine whether a person returns, so we are aiming for a good experience for all.
While we will have music going as guests are seated in the “sanctuary,” the Worship Team will be prepared to usher everyone into the presence of God at the beginning of the service. I’ve written previously on this awesome Worship Team that I’m blessed and honored to be a part of, and I know that God is going to richly bless the community we are serving because we are all doing this for the right reasons. We are taking “self” out of it and ensuring it is ALL about God!
When our pastor brings the word, they are in for a real treat as well. He adds a little bit of comedy in at the beginning, but once he gets down to business … wow! His messages really hit home. Although he didn’t “preach” a sermon this past Sunday, he did deliver a message like he did during our cultural training nights. It is always a blessing with the information he brings forth, the points he makes, the biblical references intertwined throughout, and how he ties it all together.
After it was all said and done yesterday, the team was probably at the school five hours from setting up, reviewing and discussing to get ideas, from the message brought forth, to tearing down the pipes and drapes for storage and putting away the chairs. Next week and the weeks after that won’t be as involved, as the school custodian will put out the chairs for us and put them away. We will setup the drapes, put our signs up inside and outside the building, and we will have church!!
I am so excited to be a part of this launch team and look forward to what God is going to do in the community through all of us. Thank you, Lord, for allowing us to be a part of this church plant and see lives turned over to you and souls saved!
