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Find us402 E 9th St, Fond du Lac, WI 54935
Find us on FacebookOctober 9, 2009
In a couple days, our doors will be open and people will be coming through them. We've already seen several new faces in the past few weeks and the excitement is growing.
Ever since we started getting our name out in the community by sponsoring the Kid's Zone at Fondue Festival my phone has been ringing and our new website had been getting a lot of traffic. Billboards have been up for a few weeks now, generating a lot of interest and even getting my face on the front page of the newspaper - a dorky 'pastor pose,' but good exposure nonetheless. We've had ads on a local radio station, in the newspapers, online at the local newspaper website and even on facebook. And I've had a stack of invitations with me at all times for the last month.
All leading up to this day - October 11, 2009.
It's not the beginning - this ministry has been over five years in the making, caring for broken people and helping people engage the life-giving and live-changing truth of God's Word and His action in our lives. I've been in Fond du Lac for over a year now, we've been doing worship gatherings on Sundays since January, switched to morning times in the spring and moved to our new location a little over a month ago. It's not the beginning.
But it's A beginning. It's a milestone. Like every moment and every day, it has the potential to change every moment that follows. Not only for us as a church, but for the people that God has been working on and will find their place in The Garden.
I've been telling people that I have no idea what my job is going to be like after Sunday. I could be scrambling to keep up with new relationships, partners and possibilities. Or I could be scrambling to pick up the pieces and figure out how we go forward from here. I don't know.
But I wanted to write this now to simply say that God will be faithful to provide, no matter what things look like on Sunday.
And we also need to be careful how we measure success. Creative advertising and a flashy show can generate a crowd. Good music and a nice atmosphere can create a feeling of energy and excitement.
But we can't control the Holy Spirit.
And what we desperately need and have been praying for and preparing for is a movement of the Holy Spirit.
Transformed lives - not just a full room of people.
A transformed community - not just a group of people patting ourselves on the back for being 'right' or being 'better than' the people 'out there.'
A movement of the Holy Spirit lifting up the name of Jesus to the glory of God the Father - not a strategy based on human wisdom - a slick ad campaign and a flashy performance.
This is the measure of success - our faithfulness in following the Spirit's guidance. We desire to be filled with, guided by and empowered by the Holy Spirit. That's something that we won't be able to measure with just one day, no matter how important that day is.
Full room or half-empty, this IS a beginning. There's no going back.
May the Spirit have His way with us.