Summer has flown by, and the end is quickly approaching! I sincerely hope that you have spent time exploring new places and creating new memories with family and friends. I also hope that you have spent time reflecting and preparing as we approach this new season. As a church family, we are simultaneously reflecting on God’s goodness and preparing for what’s ahead! As I mentioned on Sunday, our church family has experienced substantial growth over the last couple of years, especially over the summer months. (In the last two Sundays, we saw the largest 9:00 am Gathering on record and the biggest Sunday morning since Easter!) As we celebrate this growth, the Overseers have been praying and discussing many plans on how to make room on Sunday mornings. The first step of that plan is to open another gathering starting on Sunday, August 20th. That means we will have three new gathering times from that Sunday, 8:30 am – 10:00 am – 11:30 am.
Over thirty years ago, 43 people gathered for the first-ever Cypress Creek Church gathering, and the vision was set to Build a Community, Change a City, and Reach a Country and World. As we continue to build this community, we are not going to measure our growth by mere size but by strength. So, although moving to a third gathering on August 20th will open up more room for families to gather on Sunday mornings, my hope is that we will continue to meet together in Community Groups where we can grow with one another in our faith, give to one another as we share life together, and live on mission. My hope is not only that we increase our capacity for people in our large Living Room on Sunday mornings, but that we would move into the smaller living rooms in our homes through Community Groups all over our community! For that is where we can truly live life together! During these next few weeks of transition, I want to encourage us all to do three things:
- Let us be diligent to pray and ask God which gathering time to attend.
- A new gathering opens up more serving opportunities! So, pray and consider serving once a month in a ministry area where you serve one gathering and attend another.
- If you are not in a Community Group, pray and consider joining one as the fall Community Group season kicks off the week following Sunday, August 13.
To close, I want us to bring to mind these relevant words from the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the church in Corinth. When speaking to our role as God’s coworkers, he says in 1 Corinthians 3:7, “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” This is all from God, through God, and for God. He gets all the glory, and what an honor it is to be a part of what He is doing through His church!