April 3, 2011: Week 2 Service- Will anyone come back?

The Grand Opening Service last week was great. There were 157 people there, and we had literally dozens of helpers. This week, it was up to the local team to do the work of the ministry. Oh, and there was a TON of outreach for the Grand Opening Service, and none specifically for this week. The question on our minds was- would anyone be there today?

We would have praised God no matter how many people showed up. Even if it was Pastor V and I alone, we would have praised Him. He knows best. He builds His church. The Lord saw fit to bring 96 souls into the service at North Hills Baptist Church today, and we praise Him for that! The response we have had is actually overwhelming. Again this week, our chair setup was inadequate, and we had to scramble. That is the kind of "problem" I like to have though. The spiritual response beyond attendance has been great too, though. There are literally dozens of families that have either requested to have a personal/family Bible study, had someone make a profession of faith that needs to be followed up on, or have expressed interest in actively serving in our church.

Today, we had 1 couple we met at the service last week come an hour early to help with setup. We were already 90% done, but what a blessing to see people that excited about serving! Then, after the service, they and 2 other families from last week stayed behind to help take down. Again, what a blessing!

God is doing great things already here in Round Rock, Texas. If you are praying for us, here are some specific items to pray for:

• The Pastoral staff. We have a LOT of follow-up to do with people in this infant church. Pray for strength to endure, wisdom as we counsel, and God to raise up an abundance of helpers.
• Those who have come alongside us already to help. What a praise!
• Those who are ripe for the Gospel. They have heard it, and some have made professions of faith. Some want to take part in an evangelistic Bible study. These are people who need follow-up, so pray specifically for the condition of the souls of these people. I would say there are roughly 20-25 people in this category.
• Those who are saved and considering joining with us. There are quite a few people excited about being here. We are planning for exponential growth, taking the willingness of those in our church to work through an evangelistic Bible study with family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. There has to be some screening (actually saved themselves, serious sin problems, etc.) and a lot of discipleship, so pray for both wisdom in the Pastoral staff and servants to continue coming forward. There are probably 20-30 of those in this category also. 

Oh, one other interesting note- God used the AP syndication to bring someone eager to our service today. They saw the story apparently while visiting their family out of town. They brought the newspaper in with them, and my wife saved it (since it had my picture on it). As I think about it, this is an amazing artifact for our church to have- an item to remind us of how our great God used things far beyond our control in circumstances with incredible odds to build His church (somewhat reminiscent of the stone memorials God had Israel erect in Joshua 4:1-7, aside from the fact that we aren't building anything).