Yep. You read that right. Good News Church has grown enough that we will need to go to two services if we want to continue to grow. Today, I looked at the blueprints for the building we meet in, and I counted the number of chairs that were estimated to be in the sanctuary back then when they were drawn up. The blueprints showed about 112 chairs. Last week, we had 188 people in the main room before the children were dismissed.
Maybe you didn't need to know any specific numbers to know that we are getting crowded. Maybe you've just noticed that it's hard to get around in the building during a service these days. Last week, a man who attends our church said that, during intermission, he was asked, "Wanna' go get a cup of coffee?" and he said back, "Yep, but it's not worth pushing through the crowd. I'll just stay right here." :)
Well, I must say, I think this is a great problem to have! I'm happy that God has chosen to bless us with more people who are moving toward loving God, loving each other, and loving people who don't know God yet. But if we want to continue to grow, we'll need to start having two church services on Sunday mornings.
Some people have suggested, "Hey, can't we just knock down the back wall and make the room bigger?" It's a nice thought, but trust me, expanding the building is not a viable option. Even if we could enlarge our main room, we'd still be too tight on children's space. And with all the building codes and fire sprinkler requirements, we'd be better off saving our money for another building one day rather than trying to alter this one.
So, that brings me back to the exciting news! Good News is growing, and we want to provide some extra room for you to be able to invite more people in on what God is doing among us! So, beginning on March 17, Good News will meet at 9:15am and 11:00am. For some of you, it will be convenient to come earlier and then move on to the rest of your day earlier, and for others of you it means some extra minutes of sleep and a later lunch. For others of you, it might mean attending one service and then serving in the other one.
In general, this is what we need from you:
- Pray for Good News Church. Just as Jesus said, "Man does not live on bread alone," it is important to recognize that our survival and growth are not dependent on natural means alone. God is in control.
- Invest in the lives of people who don't know God yet, and invite them to church, or small group, or dinner at your house, or whatever is the next appropriate step.
- Do whatever you can to help us make this transition as smooth as possible.
Thank you so much for being a part of our church. I love being your pastor.
