Saturday, October 31, 2015

Oct. 31, 2015 Trunk or Treat Review, Construction Update, Sermon Topic: "Counter Cultural" Acts 19:11-41


Hi Everyone!
 
Trunk or Treat last Sunday was fantastic! It was one of our best outreach events ever! We counted a little over 1200 people once we started counting, and that's not counting the 100 or so members already on site at that time. I had the pleasure of meeting a few hundred guests, and without fail they were excited about and genuinely appreciative of the quality of the event and the hospitality of our members. It was fun watching them interact with our members who were making kids smile, passing out candy, grilling hot dogs, passing out snack bags, making cotton candy, working the hay ride, parking cars and so much more. After the event was over everyone who sponsored a trunk meticulously cleaned up their spot while dozens of other volunteers cleaned up and put away everything else. Great job everyone! Let's keep praying that our unchurched guests will take the next step soon and visit on a Sunday morning.

Construction Update: We've had a busy week on the construction site. Our site contractor finished installing the silt fence to protect the site from erosion. He also built a berm on the top of the hill to divert stormwater from the west parking lot away from the building. The mechanical contractor temporarily relocated all of the existing HVAC units to the top of the building where they will stay until the construction is complete and new units are functioning. The back sidewalk was removed to prepare for a new electrical service installation and the building addition. 

Attention Parents! We have a security fence around the construction site, but it's not kid proof. Please tell your children to stay off the site. If you see other children inside the fence, politely ask them to leave. We don't want anyone to get hurt playing on equipment or snooping around the site.

This Sunday we will have baptism in both services! It is such an honor to baptize people. I love watching them go public with their faith in Christ. It's a strong witness to unchurched family and friends. My message this week is entitled "Counter Cultural" and comes from Acts 19:11-41. Read ahead and see if you can find the countercultural link. 

See you on Sunday,
Matt

Thursday, October 22, 2015

October 22, 2015

Hello Everyone! 

The Ground Has Been Broken! We had a fantastic groundbreaking service last Sunday. You have probably seen the many pictures from Facebook of families writing their names and Scripture and/or prayers on bricks to be placed in the building. If you missed the service, you and your family can still write your names on bricks this Sunday. We have plenty of bricks and markers for you. This week one of the contractors removed several trees on top of the hill where a drainage berm will be located. By Sunday we will have construction fences in place to mark off the staging area and construction site. We don't want any of our members or guests to wander into the area and get hurt. We will be seeing a lot more activity in a couple of weeks. 

Trunk or Treat is This Sunday from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. We are anticipating another record crowd this year. North Point Christian Church has graciously offered to let us park cars in at their site at the corner of Bannerman and Bull Headley. We have hired Mike's Limousine Service to provide shuttle service to and from the satellite parking at North Point. We encourage our members to park there to make room for the hundreds of guests who will be attending. Trunk or Treat is our second biggest outreach event of the year and perhaps the best opportunity to meet and greet unchurched people on our church property. Here are some things you can do to maximize the impact of the event for the gospel:
  • Pray for God to lead unchurched families to attend.
  • Come early and park in the satellite parking lot unless your vehicle is part of a "trunk."
  • Wear your church name tag.
  • Smile and welcome guests and thank them for coming.
  • If you have conversations with people, ask if they attend church here in town. If they are unchurched, invite them to come next Sunday. 
This Sunday I will be teaching about how to instill faith in your children. Several times in the book of Acts we see entire households coming to faith in Christ and being baptized. That's significant. I want to talk about what we can do to instill faith in our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. This Sunday I will be interviewing a missionary from Kenya, and we will announce the kickoff of a new home team for couples. It's going to be another great Sunday at Canopy Roads. 

All In for Him,
Matt Hall

Thursday, October 8, 2015

October 8, 2015

We will have a Canopy Conference this Sunday (Oct. 11) to vote on a recommendation to begin construction on the All In Project!! Both the elders and the expansion planning team have unanimously approved the construction plans and cost and will present their recommendation to the church at two conferences sessions in the worship center at 5:00 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. The expansion planning team members have worked diligently over the past four months to reduce costs while preserving all of the originally envisioned functionality of the expansion. I believe you will be encouraged and inspired by their recommendation. If you are a member of the church, I hope you will make plans to come to one of the conferences. Regular attenders and guests are welcome to attend as well. 

Groundbreaking is tentatively planned for Sunday, October 18th. If the church approves going ahead with construction this Sunday, we will have a groundbreaking service at both worship hours on the 18th. I will interview our architect and construction manager about how the plans were developed and what to expect with construction in the coming months. At the end of the service we have something special planned that will enable every family to pray and leave a permanent mark in the new building. You will not want to miss it!!

Trunk or Treat is only two weeks away!! We still need trunks of candy and volunteers to help in various places. Email Joy Whithaus to sponsor a trunk or volunteer to help. Pray that God will use this event to help us connect with hundreds of unchurched people in our community.
Help us build community. This week we heard from someone who has been attending our church for over a year but still does not feel at home. Even though she serves in a couple of ministries, few people speak to her family members each week. Her family likes the church but doesn't feel connected after months of regular attendance. This disturbed me greatly! Our natural tendency is to group up and hang out with people we know. Enjoying fellowship with friends is a vital part of being in God's family. However we must give attention to new people that God leads to our fellowship. Every week we have first time guests and repeat guests looking for community and a place to call home. Some folks, like this family, have been coming for months without feeling connected. We must do better! We can do better!Here are some ways we can raise the bar on community:
  • Wear your Canopy Roads name tag each week. This helps us meet people and feel comfortable talking to people we have already met but forgotten their names. If you need one, email Cathy and we will get one for you.
  • Speak to people you meet in the parking lot, hallway, worship center, cafĂ©, etc.
  • Meet and get to know all of the people who serve in your ministry.
  • Ask God each week to show you who you need to meet or talk to. Your cheerful greeting or word of encouragement could change a life this week.
This Sunday we will study the Apostle Paul's experience in the city of Athens. The title of the message is "Never Enough gods". Read and reflect on Acts 17:15-34 in preparation for the study.

All In for Him,
Matt Hall