Sunday Nights at Elizabeth

I want to start by saying thank you for your wonderful love and support. I have been so blessed to be called to Elizabeth Church of Christ as Senior Pastor. I am thrilled to continue into the next season of what God is doing through our church family. If you remember, when I started as Senior Minister we spent the beginning of 2018 focused on "Get Connected". As leadership we feel the heart beat of a Christ follower is summed up in this simple statement: Connect to God - Connect to Others - Connect Others To God. This statement is created from the Great Commandment (Love God with all your heart and Love others as yourself) and the Great Commission (Go Proclaim the Gospel and Make Disciples). We feel this is our desire at Elizabeth Church of Christ. If we help believers have a strong relationship with God, an authentic connection to the community and a passion to see our community find Jesus, then we are fulfilling our purpose, we will see our communities changed by the Gospel of Jesus. It is so great to be on this journey with you. Thanks again for allowing our family this wonderful privilege.

As we contemplate this idea of Connect to God - Connect to Others - Connect Others to God, our ministry team have been longing to discover a way to help us grow in these aspects. We can't forget we are ambassadors for Christ. Everyday, wherever we go, we represent Him with our attitude and actions. How great is it that we get to represent Jesus! I know you have a desire to live your life to the fullest purpose God has created you for. I am convinced we all desire to bring God great Glory. As our ministry team has grappled and prayed about how to equip us in our calling, we believe Sunday Nights is a key aspect of that equipping. Therefore we have invested a lot of time in planning, praying through and preparing these Sunday nights.

For the next 4 months we will be strategically focused on the first part of our ethos - Connect to God. We can't represent a King or Kingdom we are not really connected to. So we will focus on:

Developing the Fear of the Lord

Deepening in the Word of the Lord

Delighting in Time with the Lord

Discerning the Voice of the Lord

Can you imagine how our connection to God will grow if we develop these practices in our individual lives and as a community of believers?

To say that I am excited about Sunday Nights would be an understatement. I honestly believe God has been dreaming of our church stepping into this type of spiritual formation for quite a while. Sunday nights are a wonderful and exciting training ground, preparing us for our purpose in life. Using a combination of Bible Studies, Prayer Nights, and Worship Services, we will dig into these subject together and learn from each other. That is why we are investing so much into these nights. From bringing in speakers, to providing childcare, having meals provided and lots of prayer, we are hoping we can help our church become the mighty warriors we have been created to be. To be a people who truly impact our sphere of influence for the Kingdom of God. I cannot stress enough how much I want to see our whole church involved on Sunday nights. I truly believe every single one of us will benefit from being a part of these nights. Yes, you may have to shift your schedule or miss out on your favorite TV show, but it will be worth it. Peta and I have decided that, as a family, Sunday nights are going to be a non-negotiable for us. Not only will these topics be important for us as adults to be growing and developing, but if our children and teenagers can establish these habits in their lives now, how invaluable will that be! We have talked to our kids and they know that from now on, our family goes to church on Sunday nights. Can I encourage you to consider the same in your household? Don't miss out on Back to the Basics.