Church Family,
I hope you have had a great summer!
Summer has a way of changing our routines. There are vacations, ballgames, family gatherings, weekends away, projects around the house, and sometimes just the need to slow down for a little while. But as summer begins to wind down and we head toward a busy fall, I simply wanted to take a moment to say something very important:
One of the things I wrestle with as a pastor is knowing when—and how—to reach out when I haven't seen someone for a while.
Sometimes people are simply busy. Sometimes schedules change. Sometimes life gets hard. Sometimes people are struggling in ways no one else knows about. And yes, sometimes people begin to drift away.
Knowing how to respond isn't always easy.
If you don't reach out, someone may wonder, "Did anybody even notice I was gone?" But if you do reach out, someone else may feel like they're being pressured or "hounded" to come back.
I don't always get that balance right. But please know the heart behind it: we care about you.
And that's why I want you to know something about CCC:
You don't have to explain where you've been.
You don't have to make excuses for how long you've been gone.
You don't have to feel embarrassed because you missed a few Sundays—or a few months.
You don't have to get everything straightened out before you walk back through the doors.
Just come home.
No matter where you've been, no matter what has kept you away, and no matter how long it has been, there is a place for you here.
In a few weeks, our community will celebrate Back To Church Sunday. I am excited about that day and the opportunity we will have to invite people who don't currently have a church home to worship with us.
But if you've been away, you don't have to wait until Back To Church Sunday to come back.
This Sunday is a pretty good Sunday.
And there is something else encouraging happening at CCC. Over the last few weeks, as summer schedules have begun settling down, we have watched our Sunday crowds begin to grow again. At the same time, we continue to welcome new people and families who are walking through our doors.
That is something worth celebrating!
It also gives us another opportunity to practice hospitality.
As our sanctuary fills up, I want to encourage our church family to remember that our overflow room is available each Sunday. If CCC is already home for you, would you consider occasionally making room in the sanctuary for someone who is still trying to find theirs?
We are actively working on plans to expand our sanctuary and create more room for the future. But in the meantime, let's do everything we can to make room for the people God is bringing to us.
Sometimes making room is as simple as changing where we sit.
A seat may seem like a small thing to us, but for a new person walking through the doors wondering if there is a place for them, it can mean much more.
As we head into the fall, there is so much ahead of us as a church family. There will be opportunities to worship together, serve together, grow together, welcome new people, and continue the work God has given us to do.
And there is room for you in it.
So enjoy these final days of summer. And when you're ready, know that the doors are open, your church family is here, and there is a place for you.
We've missed you. We love you. And we hope to see you soon.
See you Sunday,
Pastor Kevin
Christian Congregation Church