Dear Church,
A GRATIFYING WORK
Working with you for the past few months has been some of the most gratifying work I have ever been a part of. And the fact that you did it “for the Gospel’s sake” made it even better. (1 Cor. 9:23)
Our Christmas program this past weekend was in line with the Great Commission, and I loved that you used this season to be outward-focused. Meeting your friends and family who came as your guests was rewarding.
DECLARE THE GOSPEL
Now the real work begins. We preached the Gospel; you now need to live it day by day.
I pray that this opens up new conversations for you. Be bold in your faith, and go ahead and ask people if they’ve ever considered their own eternity.
I love that these seasons of preparation for an event cause an outreach mentality in all of us. Keep that up. For the sake of souls, keep that up.
A HEART TO HELP
I loved seeing so many people involved, too. And the excellence of the help made all the impact.
One person could never run the show. My wife coordinated a lot of the details as she directed the play, and Bro. Christian oversaw the structure of the whole event, but neither of them were doing everything. And that’s good.
My wife was so pleased that things just happened without her! That’s our goal, and good people in the right places made all the difference.
Registration and greeting just happened. With such a great team of competent people who could think on their feet, each guest felt welcomed and accommodated. There were a few hiccups with the preferred seating and the checkin process, but the team was gracious and helpful. They were Christian, and they handled the night perfecty.
The parking team, too, made sure that the process ran smoothly. We wondered if we’d have to move ushers around or stretch other volunteers too thin, but the parking team made it happen. Their initiative just smoothed the night out, and I appreciate that.
The tech team was just incredible. The live effects and the streamed visuals took a HUGE amount of preparation, and it came off without a hitch. Well, we had one mic slip off, and maybe a camera went dark for a couple of seconds, but if that’s as bad as it got, it was a success!
Tech included all the live sound (imagine all the mic changes back stage!), the colored and spot lighting, the multiple cameras, the livestream switching and audio, and all the audio effects (background music, narration, etc.) They made the production happen, and we heard nothing but great comments about the night’s show. Great work.
But then, the fellowship team created an environment where Gospel conversations could happen. If we are talking about one of the most important teams, this one was it, because the fellowship hall was the place where scores of guests came to enjoy a Christmas cookie and some hot cocoa.
I was so thankful to see so many members zeroing in on guests, and often, the purpose was to see the state of their souls. For many of us, we were working the conversation around to the essential question, “Are you a Christian? What did you think about the message of the play tonight?”
Most people that I talked to were already saved, but our counselors were finding several people who called on Christ to save them. Glory to God! I saw maybe 15 hands go up when I asked about people being saved, and God was at work.
The outreach for the event was what made it a success. Bro. Christian did an incredible job with the digital outreach and signup process, and your face-to-face interactions with people helped us host over 500 guests! That was powerful.
THE PLAY
Finally, the play itself was so incredibly well done. Some thought, “Eh, okay, a church play… this will be some cute little kids doing a nice little show,” but were blown away by the acting, the sets, the costumes, and the storyline.
The costumes were phenomenal. Many of them were handmade from scratch, and they set the tone for the whole play.
The acting was also great. Scrooge had us crying, laughing, and sitting on the edges of our seats throughout the whole fifty minutes, and the comments afterwards were things like, “How did you get so many good actors in one church?” I was thankful that each character served the message.
The sets were a dramatic improvement this year, and they were built to last. Bro. Christian designed and built the structures and oversaw the many volunteers who added details, painted, and trimmed it out. He worked late nights and has had no days off for a couple of weeks after working on this play, and I think his work paid off well.
Backstage crew made it happen—moving walls, passing mics, and helping with chains!
KEEP PRAYING
Now, keep praying for lives to be changed by the message of the Gospel. What a powerful month it’s been, and I’m so thankful for how God used it in us, and how He is working through us.
“But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” 1 Cor. 15:10
By the grace of God,
-Pastor Ryan