One word: Fellowship

Yes, it’s that time of year again.  My wife tells me that her students are getting spring fever already, and I can feel the college students in our church getting busier, more studious, and ready to go home for the summer.

Here in Massachusetts today it’s even going to be a sunny 72 degrees.  A true sign of change.

For churches everywhere it’s time for vacations and here especially it’s time for hanging out at places called “the Cape” and Old Orchard Beach.  And time for church to be expendable.  Every year since I’ve been at Fellowship Church here in Central Mass, I’ve realized this great phenomonon where everyone goes on vacation (not a bad thing, a good thing) and also takes vacation off from church too.

The course, The ocean, the lake, the fair, the Big E, the sales, the sun, and the bed are all things that compete with church each Sunday morning during the days of summer.  And rightfully so.  I believe all these things are a blast, and at times, some of these things demand my attention as well.  So because I go on vacation and because I like all these things, I’m going to refrain from giving you (who attend church) and those who attend Fellowship Church a manipulated guilt trip for missing out this summer.

I’m going to try this another way.

Sometime late last year, I had dinner with this guy, who told me that their church grew last summer, which stoked a fire under me that I cannot recover from.   I then went to my lead team at Fellowship and challenged them to make this summer the best summer ever at FC, and that this would be the first summer ever where we would grow in attendance as a church, and to do that, we will have to compete with the aforementioned activities to do on any given Sunday morning.

So this summer for those of you who attend Fellowship, I cannot promise you a round of golf, but I can say this as the weather becomes beautiful here in New England:  That you and your friends and all of us who  attend Summer Sunday Mornings @ Fellowship, will be led into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ in a relevant and an exciting way.  Of course whenever we grow in Christ it’s exciting, but I’m looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us as we come together as a church and allow meeting together (Hebrews 10:24,25) to be our favorite activity this summer!

Here are some highlights of the summer so far:
May -  New Series:  Family Matters
A month long Steve Erkyl dress-up contest (I’ll explain later)
May 11 – Mother’s Day
( I know this isn’t the summer yet, but that’s okay, it’s still all about moms!)
June 1st - Baptisms @ Fellowship
June 8th – New Series:  One Prayer
This is going to be an incredible series, and something that we’ve never done before.
July 6th – Outdoor worship service & Picnic
New series:  Nature Lover
August – New series:  An apple a day
August 31st – Baby Dedications

By the way, this weekend @ Fellowship, Al, our Sunday Morning Programming Director, has thought of something so creative, that it blew my mind!

Can you write something right now that blows my mind?

Marty Holman