I used to love to build sandcastles. Who am I kidding, I still love building sandcastles. Of course, I don’t build them like most people. Anyone can build sandcastles up on the beach away from the waves. It takes real talent to build them down near the waterline. I don’t know, maybe I like the challenge, but I go to where the last big wave hit and then start my castle. I build a huge wall in front to block the waves and then I build the rest of the castle. I always have to pay attention to the front wall and keep rebuilding it because it protects the rest of the castle. When I was younger, the waves always won, then I got smart. I started mixing with the sand, seaweed, shells and if I am lucky enough, some driftwood. Then I would dig a big mote in the back so that the water would run back to the sea and not over my castle. I learned that I needed to add support to the walls so that the castle would stand.
Church growth is a lot like building sandcastles. It sure is easy to build one up on the sand, but building at the water’s edge requires more attention. The bigger the castle, the bigger the supports need to be. We are standing at a new time for our church, new and exciting times. We are all praying earnestly that we will grow, that we can attract young families. Just like the sandcastles, if we don’t have the support, if we cannot provide for those who are visiting our church, then we are doing nothing more than trying to keep sandcastle walls from falling.
God is already providing for our growth. In the Children’s Ministry, we have added back the Baby Room and a Two Year Old Room. Just in those two rooms we added 6 Sunday School teachers and 25 Worship Care leaders (EXTENDED SESSION). We are still in need of about 27 more people. It is not just the Children’s Ministry that is growing and needing help and support. There are so many different areas in our church from servers on Wednesday Night to Greeters on Sunday Morning and to visiting our homebound members. We are all going to have to get involved if we expect Eastern Hills to be a positive experience for our members as well as our guests. We can no longer say, “I have done my time” or “I don’t want to.”
One of my favorite church related verses says, “Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of the Lord than dwell in the tents of the wicked.”
I know we are all excited about Josh and his family coming to our church. It is going to be a fun and amazing time. It is going to be great to see what God has in store for Eastern Hills Baptist Church. Let’s not just sit back and watch it happen. Let’s be an active part of God’s plan for the future of our church. Let’s keep that front wall of our castle strong, support the church and see the mighty hand of God at work.
GREG