Archive for December, 2007
Way to go Steve and Jenny
It never ceases to amaze me how our church not only understands the vision God has given us, but the extent to which you all will go to fulfill it. On Sunday, I saw yet another example of that through Jenny and Steve Papevies. Not only are they great volunteers here but they did something Sunday I’ve never heard of before. They invited and attended all three services with a different group of friends. That’s right. All three services.
A friend was with them for the 9 am service. Another group showed up at 11. And then they were back with more friends at 6.
Steve and Jenny get it. They understand that Buckhead Church is a partnership. We will try to create great environments if you will invite your friends, co-workers and neighbors. Steve and Jenny made a huge investment into the lives of their friends. They were a living embodiment of our mission on Sunday.
Thanks Steve and Jenny for a great reminder of what we’re about here at Buckhead Church.
Yesterday
Here’s a quick glimpse into why I’m so proud to watch what God is doing through you. As I stood in the lobby talking to a first-time visitor to Buckhead, I couldn’t help but notice a man pushing a brand new bicycle over to one of the Be Rich boxes. The person I was talking to was here because a friend had cared enough about them to invite them to church. The man pushing the bicycle cared enough to bring a gift for a child who might not otherwise have a Christmas. That visual experience summed up why God is blessing our church. We know that people will spend eternity somewhere and we want their eternities to be spent with Jesus. At the same time, we want to love people now, and serve them now. As Jesus said, “The Kingdom has arrived.” When you care enough about people to invite them to church and then love people enough to give, the Kingdom arrives in clear, powerful, tangible ways. Thank you for encouraging me by the way you love God and others. That’s a quick story from me regarding yesterday. How about from you? What did God show you or your friends from yesterday? Post a comment and let us know. Merry Christmas! Jeff
Don’t be late Sunday.
You HAVE to see the opening song on Sunday. You’ll be talking about it on it Monday morning around the water-cooler. (Do offices still have water coolers anymore because of bottled water?) Either way, you’ll be talking about it. Trust me.Be there early for 9 am, 11 am or 6 pm. It just might make your Christmas. In the meantime, thanks for watching this very short video here on the blog regarding some important updates.
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Merry Christmas!
Jeff
It’s official! Christmas season is here and the celebration has begun! Not So Silent Night is our annual Singles event that kicked off the holiday season this past Sunday night at North Point Community Church. About half of the people there were from Buckhead Church, and a large portion of the night was about partnering with the Be Rich giving campaign.
The night included a silent auction (which raised over $15,000 for Be Rich), while additional opportunities throughout the night helped support some incredible ministries within our community, including Atlanta Union Mission, North Fulton Charities, and the Good News Shelter. Along with this initiative, Shane and Shane provided amazing live entertainment centered on the holiday season. Some lucky bidders in the silent auction even got the chance to spend some quality time with Shane and Shane backstage after the concert.
Thank you to all those who partnered with us for this event in order to serve our community this season!
Joel
This made me mad!!!
On Sundays, I enjoy standing at the Information Center talking to people between services. So if you see me, please stop by and say hey. This past Sunday night, one of our incredible volunteers did just that. However, he said something that made me really mad. I’ll let you listen in on our conversation as we discussed the current series, It’s Personal.
“Some of the guys in my small group were wondering if they should come back for this series,” he said.
“Really?” I asked. “I think this is one of the best series we’ve ever done.”
“Well, they said they are already Christians. They already believe in Jesus, so they were wondering why they needed to come back for this series.”
After picking my jaw up off the floor, I think I asked him to repeat what he had said to make sure I heard it correctly. I can’t quite remember. All I know is that by the time I got home Sunday night, I was mad. Really mad. Righteously indignant, as my Dad would call it.
Please understand. I wasn’t mad at him. I wasn’t even mad at his small group. I was mad at me. Apparently, I’ve done a LOUSY job of casting vision for what our church is about and why a series like this is critical to what we do and who we are.
So, first of all, I want to apologize that a conversation like that could break out in one of our small groups. I can and will do better.
Secondly, just so we’re all on the same page, let me tell you how I wish that small group conversation had gone:
“Okay guys, over the next three weeks, we have another great opportunity to invite our friends who don’t believe in Jesus to Buckhead. Let’s go around the circle and find out whom you are inviting so that we can pray for them. And, if you don’t know people who aren’t Christians, let’s pray and ask God to send some people into your life so that you can begin investing in them.”
This is how we should think, talk, and pray at Buckhead Church.
This leads me to the second reason I was mad last night. However, since I’m near the 400-word limit, I’ll save it for tomorrow. In the meantime, thanks for listening. I feel a little bit better!
Jeff
