Rector’s Update: A Congregational Survey about a Third Sunday Service Time

Mark 2:1-4 (NLT)

For those of you who attended our Fall Retreat last October, do you remember our speaker Ed Ollie Jr, talking about this story? I sure do.

Over the last 3 months, there have been several times that this scene has come to mind as I stand in front of our congregation on a Sunday morning: I look at people standing along the walls, kids sitting on parents laps (and on the floor in the front!), and I see ushers expertly moving folks to open pews as they kindly welcome our neighbors to Restoration and all that God will say to us during worship. I love seeing your faces. I love your sincerity as you squeeze into your pew and press into the things God is doing in your life. I have loved worshiping with you over the past six months.

I’m glad nobody has dug a hole through the roof.

Yet.

Last night we had our thrice-annual ‘Living God’s Story at Restoration’ Dinner in Fellowship Hall. It was a blast to welcome about 40 people, many of whom have just started worshiping at Restoration in the last six months! I loved getting to tell the story of our church and to hear some of the ways people are excited to serve and get involved as members! It was a great night and it is indicative of the grace-growth we have experienced. Praise God! 

In response to what God is doing in our church, Restoration intends to pilot a third Sunday service starting on Easter, March 31 and going for three months, until June 23. At that point we will take a beat, assess how the third service has gone, and make plans for the fall. 

We want to roll out the pilot of this third service in a way that fits best with what our congregation needs as we worship together on Sundays. To that end, we have created a brief survey in order to gather feedback on your service time preferences and your willingness to serve as a volunteer at that service time. As you fill it out, you may find that it generates some good conversation amongst your household. The survey will be open until Friday, February 9th. I would love for every household at Restoration to fill it out. Your feedback will help us choose a way forward for the pilot phase of the Third Service. If you have questions as you fill it out, you can either put comments at the end of the survey (I will see all of them) or you can send me a note. 

1. Would you and your household be willing to change to a new service time? Your willingness to change to a time that might not be your favorite creates the possibility of more space in our sanctuary so that new people can join in worship of our Living God. 

(And it means we don’t have to dig a hole in the roof!) 

2. Would you be willing to serve as a volunteer at your service time? By adding a third service, we are creating LOTS of opportunities for people to serve: 

Even if you don’t choose a new service time, if Restoration is your church home, I invite you to please choose one of these ways to regularly volunteer and participate in the work God is doing through our church.

 

We have already made a change to accommodate our congregation. Each Sunday, at the 9am and 11am, we will set up chairs in Fellowship Hall and broadcast what is happening in the sanctuary on the big screen, along with the slides that are being shown upstairs. The Eucharist will be served to people who are worshiping in Fellowship Hall.

If you arrive and the sanctuary is full, the ushers will invite you to Fellowship Hall. You are also welcome to go straight to Fellowship Hall if that is what you prefer. We intend to not offer the overflow space after we start the third service time on Easter. This is a temporary measure to get us through the next couple of months.

I continue to pray for you and for our church each day.

I’m praying for what happens in the crowd when that paralyzed man gets up: “The man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, ‘We’ve never seen anything like this before!’ (Mark 2:12)

Amen! Let it be, Lord!