Just a volunteer? Are you kidding me?!?!

This week I was privileged to sit in on a Host Team Meeting for volunteers who serve as greeters, hospitality hosts, and ushers on Sunday mornings. This team is critical to creating the special welcome we want every person to feel when they experience BP. This team is under the exciting direction of Susan Godfrey, one of our newest lead team members. Hearing the vision, passion and conviction about what they do pumped me up so much that I felt like lifting weights  … and I don’t lift weights.

So I get mad when some says, “I’m just a volunteer!” I want to shake that person silly and say, “Are you kidding me?”  
Do you realize that …

·         God our Creator has shaped us to make a difference and we will not fulfill our deepest longing until we feel important, valued, and needed?

·          God chooses to roll the dice to use ordinary people like us to transform the world?

·          Eternity is for real and that reality compels us to live on purpose with a sense of excitement, passion and urgency?

This coming Sunday you will have the opportunity to catch this vision and be a part of the Volunteer Team at BP. Following the service there will be 8 stations in the lobby that will represent tangible ways you can make a difference.

·      Pre-School Kids

·      Elementary Kids

·      Students (Middle School / High school)

·      Host Services

·      Worship Band

·      Technical Arts (audio/lighting/video production/editing)

·      Life Group Leader

·     Set-up/Tear-down (in worship center and children's area) 

Each station will have a brief write up on volunteer opportunities. A team leader will be available to answer your questions. We will end the service slightly early to give you time to browse before you pick up your children.

Wow! “Just a volunteer?” This is too much! I’m going to go lift some weights ….

Seven Things

I appreciated the thoughtful attention to my letter sent to the church this week. I wanted to put some meat to the bone by communicating my actions steps in response to our recent financial status. Here are the 7 things I’m engaged in and pursuing for our church:

1. Go to God with a call for prayer.

This is how we surrender our hearts to God and get a vertical perspective on things. There are no shorts cuts to prayer. Our leadership teams are emphasizing prayer in our meetings right now and I will prayerfully engage our church in our Sunday worship services and specially designated times as well.

2. Unify the Leadership

This coming Sunday the Advisor Team, Lead Team, and Point Team (facility transition Team) will be meeting to humble ourselves before God and seek his direction for our church in unity. We believe in what we are doing.

3. Communicate and raise awareness to the church of our need and potential

I will keep you informed of the upcoming weekly needs for the next month. The minimal number we need each month is now posted in the bulletin. For us to work towards team goals, we must know the scoreboard.

4. Explore strategic options and creative timing in keeping the bill paid

I am identifying all the immediate bills coming due to maximize the flow of funds and possible margins in due dates. Presently, we are trimming costs and putting a hold on spending.

5. Inspire our church through biblical giving principles

Spiritual truth guides us in our understanding our God’s heart and His ways. Alignment with these principles need to intersect how we live and make choices in everyday life.

6. Assess current giving patterns

I am monitoring our giving trends over the next few weeks. If our regular giving potential and reservoirs are going to be reduced, we will need to make adjustments with current ministry until there is an increase in resources.

7. Stay focused

In the most tense moments Jesus urged his disciples to “watch and pray” so they would not “fall into temptation”. (Matt. 26:41) I will steer our attention towards the vision before us and solutions that will move us forward.

But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. (2 Cor. 8:7)

Numbers

It has taken the Point Team months to collect information and fact find regarding the new facility of interest, next to the present Foundry. Numbers … they are important. The leadership met last night and approved a final counter offer to the owner of the facility. It will be given to him this week. This is not a contract, but the final proposed terms we would need to agree on a contract. An agreement of the terms will be followed by subsequent presentations to the church, coupled with detailed information regarding our needs, obligations, and building use plans. There will be numbers … and lots of them. That’s a good thing!

Numbers are important. Just ask any fan who has been watching football openers in recent weeks. Numbers help tell the present state of things-  the score, the time, the field position, timeouts, the players on the filed, and the stats for every activity in between. The same is true with our mission and venture as a church. We all need to know where we are at and the present state of things.

In the newly designed bulletin this week, you will see a number that communicates where we are at financially each month. We think it’s important for the church family to always know the present state of things. To financially maintain a minimal level of ministry, we need about $49,000 each month. That number does not allow for a lot of breathing room or extras. The bulletin will reflect each weekly offering so you can see where we stand each Sunday.

In recent weeks we have fallen behind this number and it's now affecting our ability to meet our obligations and payroll to our staff. I believe with all my heart we can exceed $49,000 with the church family we have if we believe four basic truths:

·      Giving to God is to be done with great excitement, knowing there is no greater venture on the planet that is worthy of our time, treasure, and talent than God’s work.

·      Supporting a church financially is a team effort. When everyone is involved it allows us to go further and faster, and it gives wide spread ownership to responsibilities we have as a spiritual community.

·      Simple realities in accounting apply to our church potential. The more we have, the more we can do.

·      A responsibility to our church family must be prioritized before other outside ministry ventures. These may be very important and worthy causes. But our financial commitment to our church must be a priority if we are to count on a consistent base of support.

Numbers are important. They should not scare us, but excite us about our potential. Eternity is real-  so I am committed to thriving to new heights at BridgePointe. Let’s let the numbers reflect our passion for what we believe about our God, church, and community.