Sunday Changes

Hey everybody,

I have 2 things I want to tell you about:

Tomorrow we will have a special, guest preacher.  Dennis Hollinger is President and the Colman M. Mockler Distinguished Professor of Christian Ethics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA.  He also served as the pastor of Washington Christian Fellowship on Capital Hill in DC.  He is a strong thinker and writer in the area of ethics.  He is a caring pastor with a vision for developing future leaders for the church.  I am thrilled that he can be with us.  He will continue our Lent series by preaching on Mary of Bethany.

It is here.  Our last Sunday with just 2 services!  On April 3rd, we launch the 3rd. We will worship on Sundays on Quincy Street at 9, 11, and 5pm.  So why did we add that 3rd service?  I’m glad you asked.

• • Have you been to the 11am??? Every inch of those pews is full.  We want to give so many more people the opportunity to find their place in God’s story.  In His power, God is restoring broken people and we want to create space to let people hear about Jesus.  In short, now you can invite a friend, cause there will be plenty of space at the 5.
  • We will have a FULL CHILDREN’S PROGRAM at 5pm.  There will be a nursery for kids under 3.  Small groups for kids 3-5, K-2nd grade, and 3-5 grade.  So if you want to sleep in with your family, have some brunch with your neighbors who don’t normally go to church, then roll in to worship late afternoon–  this is the service for you.  And we will take good care of your kids.
  • The 5pm will feel just like the 9am and the 11am. Same Matt leading worship, same Eucharist closing our time together, and same preacher preaching the Word of God.
  • And here’s the beauty of small groups–  there will be people in small groups from all 3 services, so you can still connect to a smaller group of people but also to a broader cross-section of the church.  As we go to different services, we can stay connected to each other in small groups.
  • The 5pm will be right before APEX. So if you got a kid in Middle School, why not consider this later service–  then leave your kid in the trusty hands of Andrew and his team and head to dinner with friends or a Sunday evening small group?
  • Lots of you travel on the weekend.  Now you can adjust your ‘when I gotta get home by…’ time so that you can be with your community at 5pm at Restoration.
  • A late evening Eucharist is a great way to begin the week.  It centers you, reminds you who’s in charge, and gives you a chance to say, “Thanks God for holding the universe together.”

I really hope the 5pm service will be a gift to our community.  We have worked hard to get it ready.  We have LOTS of opportunities for volunteers: from working the sound board, to reading Scripture, to serving communion, to caring for our kids.  If this is an opportunity to get more involved and know more people that you want to take, send us a note.

See ya soon.

David