Our First “Permanent” Sunday

FirstSunday01

We had our first “permanent” worship service on Sunday.  Even though the weather was bad outside, we had an incredible time inside.  Here are a few of my thoughts from yesterday:

It was definitely a “Wow” experience

Everyone that spoke with me was very pleased with the changes that we were able to make in one week.  The new “front” of the auditorium seemed to be a pretty big hit.  I heard several people leaving comment that it was “one of the best” services they have ever been to. The band was awesome, the song set was perfect. Holly and Hannah Chastain did fantastic with their welcome and video.

More Than I Expected

I still haven’t received an actual count from yesterday. We set up enough chairs to accommodate everyone we expected… I was so surprised that we had to bring in dozens of chairs, and that we ended up with standing room only!

Traffic Flow Outside

I was really shocked to see so very many cars in the parking lot outside!  All this time, I’ve been saying that we had plenty of parking on the lower level near the main building, but boy, was I wrong.  We’ve talked about a few options, and we will be working on this.  As of now, all staff and leadership team people will arrive at the facility early and park on the upper level by the portable buildings.

Traffic Flow Inside

Okay, so we are definitely going to have to make some changes to the way we move around inside the building, aren’t we?  It was described to me as “chaotic” before the service, and “mosh pit” after!  The good news is that we already anticipated this to be a problem, and we have a plan in place to move some walls around to create more flow.  You should see that happening pretty soon.

Many People Worked Hard

SO many people showed that they were interested enough that they were willing to take time this week to be in the facility working to provide a great space and a great “wow” opportunity for us.  Thank you so much to everyone who helped out.

The Holy Spirit Moves

Having spent the whole week inside that building working on stuff, I really had little time to prepare for Sunday’s message… But the Holy Spirit steps in and just takes over, doesn’t he?  Despite the short prep time, the Gospel was proclaimed, and God moved.

More to come… Later.

We are definitely working some good plans for more changes in the building, including increasing interior traffic flow efficiency, better check-in and check-out processes for Children’s Ministry, upgrade Elementary and Route 56, and lots more.  Not to mention new ministry opportunites starting in January!  BUT for now, I am exhausted.  I will think about all that tomorrow.