Keep Pointing in Cedar Falls

New Years Weekend

Just a reminder:

No 9:00 a.m. service on Sunday, January 1 at Cedar Falls.

We will, however, have our normal 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 11:00 a.m. Sunday services.

Have a great New Years Weekend. Make sure you plan to get to one of the services as Pastor Chris teaches on "Necessary Endings". 

 

The work isn't over yet

We had a great weekend at PLC. Over 3,000 people attended our Christmas Eve Services. Among all three campuses, we had around 15 people step over the Faith Line! It was great to see so many of you bringing friends, neighbors, and co-workers.

But the work isn't over yet.

• For some of us, the people we invited didn't come. Keep praying. Keep inviting. It's not a failure if they didn't come. It's another step in the process!
• For some of us, our invites came, and now they have questions. That's great! Make time for them. Listen. Pray. You don't have to have all the answers, but you do need to continue to invest in them and seek the answers together.
• For some of us, our invites came, but nothing seems to be any different. Again, not a failure, just another step in their journey. Keep praying. Keep inviting. God will keep working.
• For some of us, our invites came, and they took a significant step in their relationship with God. Awesome! Praise God! Don't let it end there. Keep inviting them to take steps closer to God.

The point is, don't just gear up for a one time invite. Keep looking for the next steps that you can take with them, whatever those steps may be!!

Encouragement

One of the things I remember really clearly from my freshman year of college was when I had to work weekends at the Bender Hall store. Pretty much the only weekends I stayed were the weekends I had to work (yes...I was THAT guy that went home every weekend my freshman year). Not many people ever came in to the store, but even less so on the weekend. I distinctly remember how much of a difference it made in my day when someone would come in and be a little extra nice. I remember thinking to myself, if those 15 seconds made that much of a difference in MY life, I should try to do that for others. I probably forget that more often than I'd like to admit, but I was reminded of it today because of several people and encouraging stories.

• My daughter wanted a few extra hugs when I dropped her off at Kindergarten.
• My first email of the day was an encouraging note from someone new to PLC who said when they leave on the weekend they can't wait to come back.
• We received a note from the parents of a college student thanking us for investing in their son who is a freshman at UNI.
• I heard a story about a UNI student that when she goes home some weekends, will drive an hour each way to make sure she comes back for the service and then return home to finish the weekend with her family. 
• I got to spend time with a volunteer today who is faithfully serving and giving of her time, even at 80 years old. And doing it with such an amazing heart and attitude.

One of the ways you can make a difference this week, or any week for that matter, is to look for ways to encourage those around you. It doesn't take long to find someone who needs a little encouragement. Be specific, sincere, and intentional. It's one way to make sure the scoreboard shows God's glory is winning this week. If you don't know what I'm talking about on the scoreboard thing, check out Pastor John's message from this past weekend. 

Advent is almost over

It seems like Thanksgiving and the first weekend of Advent were just a couple days ago, but our last advent service is already this weekend! Here are a couple reminders as we head towards Christmas Eve in Cedar Falls.

• We will be having services on December 23 at 7:00 p.m and December 24 at 3:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 11:00 p.m. 
  
  • Childcare for infants through pre-K will be available at all services except 11:00 p.m.
• Keep inviting! This will be a weekend where we are very intentional about giving people an opportunity to take a step over the Faith Line. 
• If you are interested in serving in our Wee Kids or First Impressions ministries at one of the services, there are still a few spots open. Email serve@prairielakeschurch.org or call the church at 319.266.2655 to sign up.
• There are no services on December 25, Christmas Day. Enjoy the day with your family!

See you this weekend!

Invitational

Invitational is part of our DNA around here. We are always inviting people to take their next step with Christ. This isn't new if you have been around PLC for awhile. For some, that means a step into a serving team or into a group. For others it could be a step into more leadership and ownership in something you are already doing. I wanted to mention those because I think they are really important. 

However, invitational also takes the form of inviting a friend, or a neighbor, or coworker to church. This is the time of year when people are really open to stepping into a church. If you haven't already, be inviting those who are far from God to come to church over the next couple weeks.  This weekend we are only two weeks away from Christmas! Time is running short. 

Simply because someone in our church was invitational, I had a chance to talk with a new family this week. Someone was invited by a PLCer, they came to church, and heard a great message. Their kids were taken care of extremely well in Kidventure, and they can't wait to come back. They even shared with me that their kids learned a little something this weekend too, that people are more important than things. 

Be prayerful. Be courageous. Be invitational. Let's see what God can do in people's lives over the next couple of weeks!!

I recognize a lot of these people

If you weren't here this past weekend, you missed a great message from Pastor John. He talked about how so often God chooses the most unlikely people to be part of His story, and He rarely chooses based on the same criteria we use. If you missed it, I encourage you to listen here. Also, every week we have a handful of incredibly gifted volunteers who create our sermon based curriculum to help you take the weekend service and bring it home. It can be something you do with a group, your family, or on your own. No matter how you use it, this is a great tool to help you do something with the message. I have been using this curriculum over the past two years with my own small group. In doing so, I have found myself able to apply so much more from the weekend than I have at any other point in my Christian life. Check it out. Make sure you don't just listen to the message, apply it. 

Another thing thing Pastor John mentioned this weekend, that you may have heard before, was a quote from a Pastor in Cedar Falls who once said something to the effect of, "Prairie Lakes Church will take anybody". It was obviously not meant as a compliment, but was definitely taken as one. We are intentionally that kind of church. I remember a moment early in my time on staff when I was talking with one of the police officers who attends here. He made a comment along the lines of, "I recognize a lot of these people". I chuckled at first and then realized that he had just given us a huge compliment. We are a church that welcomes people who are far from God. A Church that invites those among us who are the most unlikely people to come and be loved and encounter God. It's great to be at a church where that's the norm. 

In spite of our reputation, my guess is we all struggle a little with this still. We have a tendency to judge based on things other than what God is judging on. So this week, ask God to open your eyes to the ways you struggle with that, and then do something about it. Invest in someone or invite someone who may seem a little unlikely (or a lot unlikely!).