Summer Invite Nights captured the best qualities of valuing one person at a time. Last night, Summer Invite Nights went out with a bang! We ate food from Japan, Mexico, Italy, America, Greece, and Germany - and it was FANTASTIC! Kudos Hagers/Rannells group! This summer we've seen huge water slides, bingo nights, trivia challenges, and more. But what's been really great is that these nights have captured something we value - one person at a time. The real wins are in those little conversations that happen. God connects us through story, life experience, and ultimately, our shared faith in Jesus.
"I did dodgeball and they had figured out how to connect that to the gospel." SO many good quotes from yesterday's story with Elijah Midkiff, McKenna Weinold, and Cam Flickinger. Connecting the gospel to dodgeball was one of my favorites! One thing that made it even more special was having that comment immediately followed by a testimony of God's faithfulness to persecuted believers - from kids!! And then, after they had experienced some awesome worship at camp, you could still hear them worshipping Sunday through the walls at CCC. I'm so thankful for our gospel partners at Crossings Camps and can't wait to see how God uses this next generation!
The power of invitation. This Saturday I got to spend some time with my extended family and my sister-in-law was excited to tell me that someone at their church had invited them to be a part of a small group. She made a comment that being invited to a small group made her feel like she was actually part of the church and not just someone who attended on Sunday mornings. It was a powerful reminder to me that people crave invitations into our lives, homes, and groups. Even if they don't or can't say yes, the invite is a powerful tool to show people we love them! So keep inviting people into your lives!
The next 2 weeks at CCC are going to be exciting! Next Sunday morning Community Kids move up into their new grades (meaning we also welcome new 6th graders into the Gathering!). Kids are welcome to celebrate the "kick-off" by wearing their favorite jersey. Next Sunday afternoon is a back to school bash for all of our families from 4-6 pm. This is a can't miss event! You get info on the fall, resources for parenting, your kids have a great time, and you can win prizes like trips to next summers camps!
Pray for people like Cam who are considering baptism! It was exciting to hear Cam talk about his next step of baptism yesterday! I know of at least 4 others who are working out taking their faith public through baptism as well! Would you pray for them? The enemy tends to work especially hard anytime we're publicly declaring our faith in Jesus. If he can get us to hold back, he not only gains a foothold in our lives, he keeps the good news from spreading. Give them courage, Lord! "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." (Mark 16:16 CSB)
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