Sunday Morning Worship Times
Hello Friends, I wanted to take a moment to update you on our worship times and give you some background for how we are making these decisions. If you have joined us on a Sunday, thanks for the privilege of worshipping with you! I sincerely hope that you are getting to know folks, jumping in to a small group, and following along with our community life here at restorationarlington.org
One of the great things that has happened since January is that we have grown! On Easter we had over 200 people at two services and last week we had about 175. We made a choice over the last 2 weeks to have 2 services on Sunday morning to try and accommodate more people. It worked! In order for us to move forward in our mission of reaching our friends and neighbors in Arlington who don’t go to church, we need to maximize our space by continuing to have 2 services on Sunday morning. My prayer is that each of us would pray for and invite someone we care about to join us for worship on Sunday morning. Simply put, to make that vision a reality, we need the space that 2 services afford.
We are so thankful for the generous hospitality of Trinity Baptist Church. They are excited about what is happening in our new church and quick to do whatever they can to support what God is doing through Restoration. They have already shifted the time they meet for worship on Sunday to 11:30.
At Restoration, our services last about 75 minutes. Additionally, we need about 30 minutes in between to transition the sanctuary for the next service. So beginning April 26 we will move to 2 services at 8:30am and 10am. There will be nursery and children’s church at both. These times allow us to complete our worship and give the good folks of Trinity Baptist the space to have their worship service at 11:30. If the earlier service works for you and your household, would you make an intentional choice to be there?
I recognize that this is the 3rd change we have made to our Sunday morning schedule in 4 weeks. I also know that some of you have misunderstood our start time and have come late or in the middle of a service. I apologize for any awkwardness this caused. We are thrilled that you came!! I also apologize for not being able to give you more warning and for the frequency of changes. We are so thankful for our growth and for the energy at our services. I ask for your grace and flexibility as we determine a Sunday morning plan that will work best for everyone involved. I recognize that at some level we all want to know what to expect each week. That’s fair! And I know that changing service times can make it more difficult to invite friends.
Regarding the Future: We hope to keep these times through the end of June. There is a chance that we will change our times again after school lets out and folks take summer vacations. Lets see how it goes. Please give me feedback as you have ideas and suggestions! As I’m sure you have by now experienced, a new church is an ever-changing thing. I am so glad that you are a part of this new adventure of God in Arlington.
Please pray about inviting a friend to join us for Sunday morning worship. See you on Sunday at 8:30 or 10.
Maria Abbott
April 25, 2009 @ 7:58 am
I hve hear wonderful coimments about Dave’s sermons. I’m a parishioner at another Church but have gone to the Baptist koine with my daugfhter one Sunday fecently anb Dave was not the preacher , so I’ll have to try again.,
GOod luck Dave. I wish you and your people the very best.
Maria Abbott
April 25, 2009 @ 7:59 am
SEnt comments was it received? HOpe so.
Peace! Maria