In all the years we have had our July 4 outdoor Celebrations, I have talked to more unchurched and more unsaved people this year than ever before. Pray with me that with all the many seed that has been sown, God will use hundreds of Englewood saints to follow-up and many people can be won to Jesus through this one day's events. I pray over these next two Tuesday nights, every lost person who registered for the event will be personally contacted by someone during GROW outreach. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. (1 Cor. 3:7)
This day also reminded me of a spiritual truth that needs to be stated over and again-we need each other. For the two outdoor events we had yesterday to happen, hundreds of people have to depend upon each other. Our staff at Englewood have all been involved for months in planning, scheduling concessions, porta-potties, and children's games, and securing all the necessary legal permits.
The Set-Up team worked in the sun the day before, setting up all those chairs, and then took all of them away fter the fireworks. Kyle Haskins and his team began two days earlier setting up the staging, and long after everyone had gone home, they were still taking it down. Mark Ferrell and his Technical team took the most time assembling, running and then disassembling all the sound and lights. Some even spent Saturday night working and keeping it all secure.
Libby Caviness and her team provided over 1500 meals for people who registered. Kathy Bennett and her team registered hundreds of prospects whom our Lord loves and wants to use us to reach. Many men served with parking and security. All the Bible Fellowship Groups did their part. Mark Stauffer planned our program and led the orchestra (42 musicians), and all the singers sang as unto the Lord and blessed our hearts.
Then there were the many policemen, fireman, and EMS, greeters, ushers, nursery workers, and of course those who were responsible for the fireworks. And when it was all over, the student ministry cleaned up all the trash.
Whew! That's a lot of people.
We try to remind each other every week as we hold hands to pray- we're in this thing together. We need each other.
As our nation celebrates our independence from England, I pray we would celebrate our interdependence on each other, and most of all, upon our Lord.
From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Eph. 4:16
No comments:
Post a Comment