Church

We attended a MEGA church yesterday for Sunday services.

My husband and I have been listening to this pastor's messages for some time and have been continually encouraged by the spirit at work. So, with that and the fact that I have a family member that attends there we made the trek an hour away to visit.

The church is held in a high school but that didn't strike me as odd and they had plenty of signs out in the parking lot to help you find where to go. What did strike me was the amount of media, tables, chairs, and overall transformation that had to take place to turn that high school into a church and a comfortable one at that. I am still wondering what time of morning the "crew" gets up to prepare that place for worship. Maybe they do it Saturday night but it still has to be put up and taken down every week. There was a full stage with the background covered with curtains and three big screens mounted. Speakers have to be chained to the cealing and lights constructed on the sides. All the classrooms where the children go have to be cleared and toys, portable rocking chairs, and mats are brought in. This occurs in at least 15 rooms that I could tell.

This church has 4 services on Sundays. There is at least one midweek gathering and 200 small groups that meet in homes. The pastor did ask this Sunday for 200 more people to step up and volunteer to host small groups.

The worship portion of the service was like attending a rock concert. The music was loud (in a good way) and the musicians are very talented. The songs were repetitive but that really caused me to focus on the words and mean them. We sat in the back and just about everyone in front of us was tall. It wouldn't have mattered much if we sat in the front as most people had their hands in the air praising and the view still would have been obstructed.

The pastor's message was awesome! Click here to listen to it. He really encouraged us (again) with his message about running the race (for lost souls) to win from 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27. If you've ever wondered what it took Micheal Phelps to become the althlete he is today, it's detailed in his message.

I am grateful for Bible teaching churches who desire to be servants of Christ and want to wholeheartedly follow God. I am grateful for my own church. We had so much fun worshipping and growing at the church we attended yesterday.