Anytime an
organization, especially churches, are in a time of transition there is the
potential for both the good and the bad. We can focus on the things that need
to be done and the dissenters or we can focus on God’s plan for the church. The
good news is that we get to choose what we focus on.
Each Monday
morning at 9:00 AM we have an all-staff meeting: Billy, Logan, Kari Jo, Karen,
and Jennifer and I sit down to talk about the details of the upcoming week,
address needs, but we always start off with something we have identified as
critical to staying focused on our mission: to equip people to become “rooted
in God’s love.” We start by celebrating
“wins.”
Defining the win gives us tangible targets for ministry. Without
pursuing ministry on behalf of Christ, the church is nothing more than a
stagnant and listless institution that possesses no real value. Seeing wins
happen breathes meaningful life and zeal into the congregation that fuels
passion and can energize it into an unstoppable movement.
At staff
meetings, I ask the question, “What happened last week that made you feel like
you've made progress in your mission to lead people to become "rooted in
God's love?" Basically we are looking for people (individuals and groups)
and are showing evidences of becoming “rooted.” As we talk, I write these down.
We know there are many things that need to be adjusted or addressed and those
things can weigh us down and distract us from seeing God’s hand at work in the
lives of those who call Campbellsville Christian Church home.
So we celebrate
together. I want to let you in on a few highlights of our staff celebrations.
·
Anita
Smith faithfully drives a group of from Jackson Towers to Wal-Mart each month
to get groceries.
·
The
High School small group created “kits” to hand out to homeless people as their
families travel together.
·
A
couple of months ago a group of children led (rather than performed) a worship
song with the adult band reinforcing what we teach them in children’s
environments; that they are an active part of the church now…
·
Spiritual
development taking place in the Middle School Boys Small Group.
·
Gail Godsey and her leadership in the Hearts 2
Help event for the homeless shelter
·
Lynn
and Nancy Farmer and Jennifer Clark giving their time and talents in making a
new church directory a reality.
·
17
Root 252 kids (Wednesday night Children’s environment) memorized the monthly
verse: “Choose my teaching instead of silver.
Choose knowledge rather than fine gold.” Prov. 8:10
·
Over
220 people at the Christmas Eve service
·
Around
100 people gathered on Dec. 15th to make 70+ blankets for the Crisis
Pregnancy Center and the local Hospice agency.
·
The
prayer lives of people are deepening.
·
The
Micah 6:8 service projects coming out of Small groups:
o Operation Baby Rescue raised over $14,000
to rescue babies from malnutrition and unsafe environments
o Groups raised over $1000 for the backpack
program
o Group supported shelters in Taylor,
Marion, and Green county.
·
If
you can’t tell yet, much good is happening in the lives of the people of Campbellsville
Christian Church.
Celebrating not only encourages people to continue to do what is right,
but it reflects the biblical principal of joy. When God rested on the seventh
day after creation, we do not believe he needed to take a breather; instead he
took time to enjoy his creation; to
celebrate. Take a look at how many Jewish celebrations and holidays are found
in the Bible and you will discover that celebrating the work of God is a core
part of worship. So when it comes wins, we should celebrate with our brothers
and sisters whether it is through verbal praise, recognition, or throwing an
actual party!
Do you know of a win? Let us know. Often, my blog posts on Monday’s are
devoted to highlighting “wins” from the life of the church. If you’d like
to know more about what it means to be “rooted in God’s love,” check out www.rootedingodslove.com and click the
“more info” button.
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