Sunday, August 26, 2007

40 Days News

OK, we've got so much information out there now about the 40 Days of Community, I wanted to put it all in the blog so that you can find out everything you need to know in one easy place. (See how much I care about you?)

1. Timeline
9/11 24-Hour Prayer Vigil & Day of Fasting (sign up for a 30-minute slot; prayer lists will be provided for all pray-ers)
9/15 Camp-Out at Church (overnight—bring games & camp food)
9/16 40 Days Kickoff
§ Outdoor service at 10:30 (bring a chair if you don't like folding chairs)
§ Potluck & games following (bring stuff for giant hoagies & your own table service and drinks)
§ Small Groups start meeting this week
9/30 & 10/7 Journey Class 101 (Church Membership) 4:00-6:30pm
10/6 Prayer Walk Through Our Community (more info to come)
10/14 Ministry Fair (more info to come)
10/28 Trunk Or Treat/40 Days Celebration

2. Small Groups
There are a number of options for small groups. If you would like to join a group (we have set a goal of 100% participation), you can sign up in the church lobby, or call the host of the group you are interested in. Here is the schedule of when each group will meet during the 40 Days:

Sunday: 8:30am (John Fisher; 769.6990)
1:30pm (Shaun DeKarske; )
6:00pm (Mike Majchrowski; 787-8703)--MEN'S GROUP
Monday: 11:45am (Tanya Hardaway; 796-0558)--LADIES' GROUP
7:00pm (Jim & Connie Gray; 783.5977)
Tuesday: 6:30pm (Sharon Houck; 596.2661)
6:30pm (Karen Bliss; 789.6707)--LADIES' GROUP
Friday: 7:00pm (Pam O'Neil; 764.0529)

***The books are $8.25 apiece; however, if the cost is prohibitive for you, please let us know, and we will make sure you can still be in a group--we don't want the cost to stop anyone from participating.

3. Children's Ministries
Starting September 23 (the week after the combined-service kickoff), we are moving Awana from Wednesday night to Sunday morning at 11:00, during the second service. KIDS Church will be moving to 9:30.

Here are some of the reasons for this switch:
*Attendance in Awana has been declining, partly because it is an island on Wednesday night, not supported by anything else going on in the church.
*Adult helpers for Awana have found it difficult to make it on Wednesday nights.
*We anticipate that identical worship services during the 40 Days will increase attendance at 9:30. Along with the resumption of small groups, this could place a strain on our current Sunday School by adding many kids.
*It helps reinforce our goal for members to "attend one/serve one" on Sunday mornings.

There are also further reasons for this switch; if you have questions, please direct them to Pastor Brent, the head of our Life Development Team, which oversees the children's ministries of our church.

This means that we will be in need of helpers to serve in Awana during the second service. If you would like to help out, please see or email Pastor Brent.

4. Identical Services
Don't forget--we're going to try out having identical services for the 40 Days of Community. This means we'll have the same music and other worship elements in both services. So if you want to serve in Awana, or the nursery, or attend a small group, etc., you don't need to worry about the service style--they'll be exactly the same! Feel free to attend the service that best fits your schedule.

5. The Main Thing
In all the details, don't lose track of the point of all this: It's time for us to "Get 1t Together!" We will declare as a church during these 40 Days that we are committed as a community of faith to the mission, vision, and values of PCC, and that this commitment will be demonstrated in our lives, not just in our words. Get ready for God to do great things among us!

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