Sunday Morning Changes

So we are making some changes to our Sunday morning format. I have spent some time from the pulpit and in a recent congregational letter explaining those changes, but I also wanted to take a moment and put the information on the blog as well. So here is a copy of what was included in a recent letter to the congregation...

Many of you may recall that this past spring the elders decided to spend some time doing an assessment of where we are as a church. We spent time praying and talking about the church, and then we also spent a substantial amount of time talking with the congregation, to get your feedback. We then pulled that information together and spent some more time praying and looking at where we are as a church and who God is calling us to be.

Through that process we heard you say that you want a solid, creative worship experience; that you want strong Bible teaching; that you want to be connected in significant relationships; and that you want the church to support families.

At the end of the summer we formed the Ministry Leadership Team (MLT) to address that feedback and take a look at the ministry of Columbus Alliance Church. The MLT has spent the last 5 moths praying, discussing, and researching and we have developed a plan, together with the Elders, that we believe is God directed.

I am currently just finishing up a series on the vision of Columbus Alliance Church and the importance of us connecting with Christ both individually and corporately as well as connecting with one another and with others outside this church. The leaders of the church continue to affirm that vision and the mission that we have to make disciples.

In response, we are changing the structure of our Sunday morning time together to better facilitate those connections – to God, to one another, and to others. So let me describe to you how our Sunday morning time is going to be in the days ahead.

In recognition that God is the Head of our church and we want to move with Him, there will be a prayer time from 9:30 – 10:00. The entire church is invited to be with us for that prayer time.

We will gather at 10:00 a.m. (at 9:45 if you want coffee!) to worship and hear God’s word preached. From there we will move into groups that we are calling ConneXions. (Adult ConneXions, Youth ConneXions, Kid ConneXions, Family ConneXions). The purpose of these ConneXions is for us to have a time and a place to connect to God and to others in biblical community.

We will continue our worship theme into our ConneXions as we learn and grow in response to God’s Word. We will care for one another in our ConneXions. And we will seek opportunity to serve others outside our ConneXions.

Our Elders will lead these groups and be talking with each one of you about our plan. Everyone: adults, youth, and kids will each have a place of ConneXions.

You may be wondering about the time frame as to when all of this is happening. That is a good question. This past Sunday we had Missions Conference and so we had a Missions Rally at 10:00 a.m. This coming Sunday we are going to have our worship time at 10:00 a.m. again, followed by a fellowship meal. We are asking everyone to bring an entrée and side dish or dessert to share, and we will all eat together after the service. Then on the following Sunday, February 10 (the day after the Annual Meeting) we will gather together in our new format at 10:00 a.m. with ConneXions as part of that time together.

We are excited about how God is moving! If you have any questions about this change, then please feel free to talk with me, one of the elders, or one of the ministry leadership team. I serve on the MLT along with Bob Tickel, Ted Schorn, Jean Prebeck, Dianna Wardlow, Sharon Pease, and Teri Iler. We also will talk more about this during the lunch after the service on February 3 and at the Annual Meeting on February 9.

Thank you so much for your support and please continue to pray for the leadership of Columbus Alliance Church and that God would continue to build His Church.



Pastor Rob