My sermon notes from Sunday night, January 17, 2016

We are on a journey.  As you start out on a journey, you need a GPS or map to provide a guide.  What is the journey we want persons to take with us?

It begins by meeting Jesus Christ and introducing our church.

*  Meeting Jesus Christ through the Gospel (this is the most important)

You can get to Heaven without knowing Rainsville First Baptist (even in the city of Rainsville), but you can't get to Heaven without knowing Jesus. 

       -  presented by individuals sharing their faith.

Use the Tracks by Evangelist Ed Lacy that are available for you.

       - presented by the church formally in worship, Sunday School, special events. 

       - presented through outreach events/door-to-door outreach in our community.

This is why we do puppets, Upward is to share the Gospel. 

We will do door-to-door outreaches in our city at Easter.

       -  presented through First Steps Class/Introduction to Christianity.  This is an idea that may come later and not even sure when, but for persons who are seeking, having questions.

*  Meeting Rainsville First Family

    

      -  through meeting individuals outside the church

    

We are all walking billboards for our church.

How we act in public is a reflection on the whole church.  It may not be right or fair, but it is reality. 

      -  through attending worship or Sunday school

Invite and Invest in people.

Look for those who play ball with your kids.

Your neighbors

Family members

A work associate

Then when you invite them to come, schedule to meet them in the Foyer at 8:45, 9:00 or 10:00 or whatever.  Meet them and offer to walk with them to your class.  To sit with them.

There is a huge barrier for persons to cross to come to our church.

This is the benefit of Upward and puppets...people are familiar with the building.

Sit with them.  Go with them to SS.

One word here....can we attempt to get here more on time for Sunday School or move our starting time to 9:15.  Can you imagine a guest coming at 9 and there is only one-or-two other persons in the class?  They want to leave then but most likely will stay glued to their seats but won't be back unless something dramatically happens.

After the service .... connect with them, do a meal.

Home fellowship is the greatest means of connecting with new people.  But if not in your home, take them out to eat and have time to talk about the sermon, the church, their relationship with Christ.

Do you remember what it was like the first time you attended worship here?

Where do you park?  Where do you go in?  Where do I go when I get in there? 

We want to add some more greeters on Sunday morning to help Bro. Tom and Bro. Rodney. 

We are going to do special, reserved parking for Parents with small children under the age of 2.  All of the parking spaces by the east side of the building along the church offices are going to be reserved during services for parents with small children.

We are doing banners and directional signs for guest parking.

Roxanne and I are going to be doing a Guest Reception after the service in order to have the opportunity to meet all of our guests.

"Greeting time" in the service will evidentially go away.  We want to be a friendly church and that means we welcome people before they sit down and before the service starts.

People need to be greeted three times before sitting or before the service begins.

Welcome everyone...no matter their race, socio economic status, looks.

We need to connect with our guests better.  Thus, we are also changing the bulletin.  Our bulletin will become more guest friendly.  Members sometime don't even read the bulletin and will eventually throw them away;  but guests will keep them.

We will be doing a Connect Card in the bulletin plus making sure everything in the bulletin is guest friendly.

We will want to contact guest through our Sunday School with our care group leaders.

One of the most important ways to connect with those who have never attended our church is through social media and especially our web site.

This is vitally important for our day.  I would say 95% of the people who attend our church will look at our web site before they come.  It is so very important. 

I want to say how much I appreciate Keith and all he has done to upgrade our web site.  He has assumed this responsibility at my request and is doing an excellent job.  He has dedicated many hours to this make over and I am so grateful for his dedication and service.

Thanks to our Deacons, too,  for their attitude of doing whatever we need to do to in this regard.

The web site is the front door of the church.

We will eventually have the videos of our services on the web, as well as the sermons. 

The last thing we need to do for guests...take care of their preschoolers and children well.  If we don't, then they won't come back and I don't blame them.

The story of Thom Rainer of the 75 year old who was a "paid visitor" and told the staff she was most impressed with their childcare because if a church knows how to take care of their young ones, they know how to take care of everyone.

      -  through New Beginning Class

Then Roxanne and I are beginning February 7 a "New Beginning Class."  This will be a class meeting in the Bride's Room for those who are new Christians, new members and those who are newly walking again with the Lord.  It will be 13 weeks of how to have a daily quiet time, Scripture memorization, what we believe, why we are a Southern Baptist church, spiritual gift inventory, etc.