The Facts
When: We're making the change from one Sunday morning service (10 AM) to two services on Sunday, September 9th, 2018.
Details: Our early service, come September 9th, will begin at 9 AM and the 2nd service will kick off at 10:45 AM. There will be about 20 minutes between services built in so people can connect and continue to receive ministry. Both services will have children's ministry to the degree that we currently enjoy at Praise.
Volunteers: Our Growing UP Children's Director, Mark Heidel, has done a great job casting the vision for two services among his volunteers. In terms of our children's ministry, it's his assessment that he nearly has all of his positions filled at this point, which is a testament to both his devotion and your selflessness and service! There are still some other question marks with some of our other ministry teams but we're excited to tackle the challenge.
What about Sunday-specific events like Child dedications, Baptisms, or post-service luncheons? We've determined, as a rule of thumb, that these events will simply take place at or after our second service (10:45 AM).
THE HEART BEHIND TWO SERVICES
Although we, like many of you, value the community that we've come to enjoy as a result of one service, we feel God is leading us to have two services, to put it simply. We tossed around other ideas, like increasing seating in our sanctuary, to preserve the benefits of a single service. But after a lot of prayer the decision has come to a head and we believe He is guiding us to add a Sunday morning service. We really do feel, too, that making way for more people to be affected by this Gospel, our teaching, and the ministry of our people, it's necessary to offer two services. Further, making it easier for people to come and witness a Sunday morning service is very much in line with our vision of "Empowering People to Make God Famous."
The heart of going to two services for me comes down to obedience. As a staff and Leadership team, we know that God has big plans for Praise and we need to make room for those plans to unfold. Although it would be easier to remain in one service, God is calling us to be uncomfortable for a time as he grows our family.
A big part of our DNA at Praise and one of our utmost values is the next generation of children. We want our children to be in an optimal setting to learn about Jesus. Two services will allow our children to be in smaller, more intimate classrooms. Fewer children in each class means more attention that we can give to their needs and their spiritual growth.
As more guests show up and the church starts to feel different because we don't know everyone’s face, we can tend to retreat into the familiar and begin to gravitate toward what's comfortable and those we know. Two services will allow the family at Praise to step back in a uncrowded space and be a family while reaching out to those new faces. With being less crowded, we can become more aware of those that are here during the service we attend. I believe two service times will cause us to grow closer to those who are in our church service.
Bless you guys and thank you for being a part of the Praise family!
