GBC Community Update: At Christmas, its not just come but go

​Good morning.  We’re into December and Christmas season is here. As most of you know, I LOVE Christmas time.  My office is decorated, I’m listening to Christmas music, I go full in. But Christmas really changed for me when I became a follower of Jesus. I still enjoy all the fun elements of the season but now I can pause, remember and celebrate the coming of Immanuel, God with us, my savior and your savior. With all the distractions and busyness of this time of year, find time to pause, remember and celebrate.


Oasis@Midweek tomorrow
Our popular children's ministry event Oasis@Midweek happens tomorrow night. This will be our last one for the year.
Kids JK to grade 6 are invited to join us from 6:30pm to 8pm for an Oasis Camp themed evening of music, games, life lesson and this time our Kid’s Church is leading.  O@M is not just for those who went to camp but for all who would like to remember how MONUMENTAL God is and celebrate his awesomeness.


Announcing our Community Carol Sing
On Friday December 22 at 7pm, please join us for our community Christmas carol sing. We’ll be singing seasonal favorites under the stars (hopefully!).  Please mark the date and think about who you can invite to come with you.  There will be an opportunity to distribute some post card invitations as well coming up. Please pray that we’d have many from the neighborhood and community join us as we lift our voices in praise.


Thought for the day: At Christmas, it’s go, not  just come!
Not surprising, I will be sharing Christmas-related thoughts for the rest of the year.  One of my favorite Christmas carols is ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’. That invitation to the messiah, the savior to the world, is a cry from the heart.  But he HAS come (and is coming again!) so we find in this message a call to go, as in go out and share this good news.
The tendency during the Christmas season is to focus on inviting people to come, rather than going to them. We plan events and parties, inviting people to come to them. And often they do come. More people attend church at Christmas than any other time of the year. These events have an impact, no doubt. After Christmas though, many never return. So here’s where we see a need for balance in activities.
We invite people to programs, like our carol sing, or program on Sunday. That’s great, but its only the starting point.  It’s also not the same as making disciples. Could Christmas become more about disciple-making and not only about inviting people to church?
If we’re honest, sometimes its easier to invite someone to come to something rather than to go to them where they’re at and stay with them on their journey.
What if we went and shared the Good News of the birth of Immanuel, God with us, with our friends, neighbors, and relatives? What if we went even further and offered to do a study or something similar with them?  I know…I know…I’m getting carried away…but what if?

In His grip,
Pastor Chris