Dear First Pres,
If you missed this last Sunday, I'm really sorry. It was a wonderful celebration of new life in Christ. We brought in 24 new members: 20 Confirmation students and 4 adults. One of those new members is Sarah. If you were in the first service, you heard Sarah share her testimony as part of the Confirmation class. She shared about the way she wasn't too interested in Jesus when she first started coming to youth group, but then God used a talk about guilt to make Himself known to her. Now, several months after that night at Rooted (our high school ministry) youth group, Sarah is one of the newest members of our congregation. Praise the Lord!
So, how'd that happen? Well, God did it, of course. But it all started with an invitation. Sarah's friend, Georgie, invited her to youth group. Now, I don't know the details of Georgie's invite. I don't know how many times she talked to Sarah about Rooted or if it was difficult to convince her to come. What I do know is that God used that simple invitation to change Sarah's life for eternity.
So, why do I spend so much energy encouraging you to invite your unchurched or de-churched friends to FPC? Because God can use that simple invitation to change lives. It's what He has already done among us, and He will continue to do it. And, if you need a little courage to make those invitations, just think of Sarah's testimony. Maybe next year, somebody you invited will be sharing their testimony of Christ's redeeming transformation in front of the congregation.
Blessings,
Jeremy
P.S. Maundy Thursday service is tonight at 7. It's truly one of my favorite services of the year. And I'd love to have you join me this Friday morning at 6:30 in the Commons as we pray specifically for God to use our Easter services in powerful ways.
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