New Season, Same Mission
On Sunday we made a big announcement. In case you weren’t able to be there, we announced that Sunday services will now be held at 424 Duss Ave. beginning next Sunday, June 27 (Listen to the announcement here). As a leadership team, we had been sensing that God was leading us into a new season as a church for several months. The season of meeting at the school was a good season. I am so thankful for the many people who came to Christ and are part of our church family today because they heard of us through the school venue. We are also very thankful for the many friendships we were able to make with our amazing janitors, tech students, and administrators.
Just as seasons change in the life of our planet, they also change in the life of a church. Part of the responsibility of leadership is to understand the times and seasons and know what to do (See 1 Chron. 12:32). While we rejoice in all that God did in this past season, we clearly sense him leading us in a new direction. When the Apostle Paul was traveling in Asia Minor, God clearly redirected his steps to pursue ministry in Macedonia (Acts 16:6-10). His message stayed the same, but his venue changed. For Paul it was clearly a new season, with the same mission.
The gospel never changes, and our mission to reach the lost and make disciples never changes, but sometimes the seasons change and God redirects our steps. Practically, this means that nothing is changing except our venue. Our style will not change, our message will not change, our love for Scripture, the gospel, and our burden to reach people and make disciples will not change.
As we enter this new season as a church, I feel that we are entering a season of renewal. It will be a season of renewed vision, renewed relationships, and renewed spiritual vitality. As far as the details go, we are going to try as best we can to remain at one 10:30am service through the summer. There’s nothing better than walking in step with the Holy Spirit and following his plan. The best is yet to come!
Big Announcement
If you are an ACC‘er who was absent this week we want to make you aware of a really exciting, big announcement that was made on Sunday. We have been experiencing some significant growth in recent months and the inadequacy of our current facilities has been becoming more and more of an issue (which we praise God for!). These include inadequate worship space, inadequate parking, handicap inaccessibility, etc. When this happens, we have to pursue any means necessary to continue fulfilling the Great Commission and reaching more people for Jesus.
Our senior leadership team has been in prayer about this for a long time. We have felt the Lord leading us to pursue an exciting expansion opportunity. Therefore, on Sunday, December 7 we plan to transition our Sunday morning worship services to the auditorium at the new Ambridge Area High School!
We are very excited about this opportunity that the Lord has opened for us. This will allow us to more than triple in size as a congregation and reach more people for Christ. We will continue to maintain our facility at 424 Duss Ave. as our base of operations for offices, small groups, prayer meetings, special evening services, youth group, and fellowship activities.
I also find it amazing that this December also represents the 10-year anniversary of our church. It is so awesome that God would allow the celebration of our 10th year to mark the beginning of a brand new phase of ministry for our church. We follow an amazing God! Additional information about the transition will be forthcoming in the weeks to come.
Exciting Stuff Ahead
Spent the better part of the morning today with our key leaders in a planning session for some really exciting upcoming changes in our church. God has truly been doing remarkable things in our community, not just in terms of increasing attendance, but in the fruit of changed lives.
All I can say is, you won’t want to miss a Sunday between now and December. God has been opening some amazing doors of opportunity for us and is guiding us into an incredible future. Ephesians 3:20-21 says,
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Stay tuned…
The Church… A Museum For Saints?
After concluding our God Of This City Series expounding on our mission as a church in this community, I’ve been reflecting on a statement I came across in Tim Keller’s book The Reason For God. On page 54 he quotes an old saying which says,
“The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.”
I completely agree with that. I think that when the church loses focus on its mission it inevitably morphs into an inward-focused club for religious people (which is a major bummer and very sad). I think this was what Jesus was getting at when he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).
I pray that we would never be a church so focused on ourselves that we neglect the hurting people Jesus has called us to reach. I think that as we continually put our preferences aside to reach our culture, we will increasingly know the joy of participating in the ministry of Jesus.
City Reach 2008
That’s right folks, City Reach 2008 is just around the corner Aug 12-15. City Reach is the single largest annual outreach event that we do as a church. Three nights of special services for youth and adults, VBS for kids, free food, giveaways, and a Back-To-School Block Party on Friday night. This is an incredible opportunity to engage our community, meet new people, and share the love of Christ.
The following areas are available for you to sign up to help in: Passing Out Flyers, Evening Services, Kids/Child Care, Food, Block Pary, and After Event Follow-Up. If you have not yet signed up and would like to get in on the action, send us an email here with you phone number and the area of ministry you would like to participate in.
Kid’s Blast
The King’s River mission team is doing an amazing job! Yesterday they ministered to 50 children at the Ambridge Gazebo and today they had 75 and fed lunch to nearly 100 this afternoon!
Yesterday they held a fund raising car wash for our children’s ministry and also delivered pizzas to 5 families in our church! As I type, they are currently doing some much needed painting in some of the rooms at the church.
It’s amazing to see what a group of 11 4th-5th graders can do together in ministry. We are so grateful to have them with us this week!
Avoiding Burnout- Part 3
Another factor that contributes to ministry burnout is failing to see how ministry tasks contribute to the overall mission. It’s easy sometimes to think that the visible aspects of ministry like preaching, leading worship, and leading prayer are the only ones that really matter. We have a hard time seeing anything else as an important factor in leading people to Christ.
Sometimes its hard to see how something small or backstage could really be that important. The truth is that some of the smallest things really do make a big difference. For instance, a handshake and friendly greeting on Sunday morning helps a newcomer to feel at ease and welcome and enables them to be more receptive to the message. If they have a bad 1st impression, they are less likely to hear and receive the Word.
Even the smallest tasks, like greeting people, operating video & sound, cleaning, passing out flyers, etc. help to bring people closer to an encounter with God when they are done with excellence. When things like this are done poorly, it makes it more difficult for people to hear our message. From this perspective we see that the small things are really big things.
When we begin to see that even the smallest tasks in ministry are critically important to our mission of leading people to Christ, we begin to be motivated by our mission and not by obligation. Burdens and obligations wear us out and burn us out, but mission-centered service is often energizing and rewarding.
Why Do We Do What We Do?
Our heart and vision at ACC is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. That is the purpose and passion behind everything we do. Our strategy to do that is simple. We want to help people experience God, excel in spiritual growth, and express his love to the world. Simply put, we want to make disciples who make disciples. As people learn to express God’s love, they are helping other people to experience God.
At ACC our primary environment to help people experience God is Sunday mornings. Our desire is that people would drawn to Christ through the worship, preaching, and fellowship.
Our primary ministry to help people excel in spiritual growth is Life Groups. These groups meet at various times and locations throughout the area. There are groups for adults, youth, and young adults. While each has a slightly different focus, they are all centered on helping people grow in love for God and one another.
And finally, our primary avenue for helping people express God’s love is through ministry teams and outreach events. From coffee and hospitality ministry to visual media and sound, there are many ways to get involved in ministry.
One thing I never want to forget is why we are here and why we are doing what we’re doing. With so much at stake, we must remember always to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.”
Big Stuff Next Month
On Sunday we made a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: On Palm Sunday, March 16 we will be going to 2 services on Sunday mornings! The new service times will be 9:15 & 11:00. God has been blessing us with consistent growth and we must be willing to be good stewards of his work among us. One good sign of God’s blessing is running out of space. What a great problem to have!
With the problem of space also comes the problem of parking. Due to our current location, parking is hard to come by. By going to 2 services we will be able to somewhat alleviate our space and parking problems for the time being. I do however believe that one day our current building will no longer be adequate to contain the numbers of people and families whose lives are being changed by the power of God.
March is going to be Invitation Month. We are going to be proactive about inviting our friends and neighbors to church. Join us by praying even now for the people the Lord might be directing you to invite. Pray for them and ask the Lord for opportunities to build relationships with others. We will also be starting an exciting new sermon series on Easter Sunday and are designing invite cards to give to friends.
One guiding verse that I’ve been sharing for this time of transition is 1 Corinthians 9:19:
“Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a servant to everyone, to win as many as possible.“
Just as Paul was willing to become a servant to all, so we must do whatever is necessary to win as many as possible. There are nearly 8,000 people who currently live in the Borough of Ambridge. Even if all the seats in all of the churches in this community were filled, there still would not be enough seats for everyone. We must however do everything we can to win as many as possible.
Intentional Mission Strategy
We had a great service this past Sunday. It was the kick-off of our E3 series. This series is all about revealing our intentional strategy for making disciples.
Just as spiritual growth does not happen by accident, so a church does not accomplish its mission by accident. A church will only accomplish its mission if it does so on purpose. Sunday we defined our mission like this:
Our mission at ACC is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ by helping them to experience God, excel in spiritual growth, and express his love to the world.
Our intentional strategy is thus summed up in these 3 words (each of these links to previous posts I have written about them):
This series will be about expounding on each of these.
Bring Somebody With You
Perhaps more than any other time of the year, this is the time when most people are likely to go to church. For that reason, I’d like to encourage everybody to invite a friend to church during this holiday season.
Researchers have indicated that many non-churchgoers would be willing to attend a church if they were simply invited. One of our goals at ACC is to be a church where people feel comfortable, excited, and proactive about inviting their unchurched friends to attend.
Our current message series Unwrapped, also makes for a good invitation opportunity during this season. We’re studying how to get honest with ourselves and God as we experience the difficulties, pains, and failures in life. You can also refer people to unwrapped07.com where they can register to receive a free $5.00 coffee card on their first visit.
Vision
A clear and compelling vision keeps us focused on our ultimate mission. In today’s culture there is such a tendency for us to allow distractions to keep us from pursuing God’s heart and the mission he has given us. Scripture teaches us that “where there is no vision, the people perish.” Therefore one of my greatest responsibilities as a leader is to seek the heart of God and cast a Christ-centered, God-honoring vision.
Our vision at ACC is:
To lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ by helping them to Experience Christ, Excel in spiritual growth, and Express his love to the world.
God has called the church to “make disciples of all people.” Each one of us has a part to play and a place to contribute. To borrow from the Apostle Paul’s analogy, the church is the body of Christ. What a beautiful thing it is when each one of us with our unique giftings function together in unity and love working together for the sake of the gospel in our community. Each one of us, working in unison contributes to the overall mission that God has given us. He has commissioned us as “ministers of reconciliation” leading a broken and lost humanity back into a saving relationship with its creator.
Ministry Strategy Part 3: Express
The third and final stage in our discipleship process after Experience and Excel, is EXPRESS. This step is all about giving what we have been given. It is about expressing God’s love to the world. It comes third because we cannot express his love to the world until we have experienced his love personally.
Expressing God’s love is the natural result of experiencing him and growing or excelling in our relationship with him. As we grow in him, we realize more and more the importance of sharing his love with others.
After the disciples had experienced Christ and had begun to grow by listening to his teaching, they were sent out into ministry (Luke 9:1-2; 10:1-3). Ministry is the inevitable result of experiencing God and growing in him.
The entire book of Acts also testifies to this fact. After their powerful encounter with God in the upper room and their committment to meet corporately and from house to house, they proceeded to turn the world upside down for God!
At ACC, the primary ways of expressing God’s love to the world is by joining a ministry team and helping with the various outreach events that we do. There are opportunities to lead a Life Group, become a Youth or Children’s ministry leader, become a Nursery worker, help with the coffee and hospitality ministry, become an usher or greeter, become an altar worker, help with the building and grounds crew, join the worship team, help with sound, lighting, and video production, etc.
It is so important that we not just grow in God, but give what we have been given. It is extremely unhealthy to only consume and never give out. The converse is true also that we cannot properly give if we are not receiving from God and growing in him. Both are necessary.
The natural result of experiencing God and growing spiritually is expressing his love to the world. Indeed we should not be able to hold it in!
Ministry Strategy Part 3: Express
The third and final stage in our discipleship process after Experience and Excel, is EXPRESS. This step is all about giving what we have been given. It is about expressing God’s love to the world. It comes third because we cannot express his love to the world until we have experienced his love personally.
Expressing God’s love is the natural result of experiencing him and growing or excelling in our relationship with him. As we grow in him, we realize more and more the importance of sharing his love with others.
After the disciples had experienced Christ and had begun to grow by listening to his teaching, they were sent out into ministry (Luke 9:1-2; 10:1-3). Ministry is the inevitable result of experiencing God and growing in him.
The entire book of Acts also testifies to this fact. After their powerful encounter with God in the upper room and their committment to meet corporately and from house to house, they proceeded to turn the world upside down for God!
At ACC, the primary ways of expressing God’s love to the world is by joining a ministry team and helping with the various outreach events that we do. There are opportunities to lead a Life Group, become a Youth or Children’s ministry leader, become a Nursery worker, help with the coffee and hospitality ministry, become an usher or greeter, become an altar worker, help with the building and grounds crew, join the worship team, help with sound, lighting, and video production, etc.
It is so important that we not just grow in God, but give what we have been given. It is extremely unhealthy to only consume and never give out. The converse is true also that we cannot properly give if we are not receiving from God and growing in him. Both are necessary.
The natural result of experiencing God and growing spiritually is expressing his love to the world. Indeed we should not be able to hold it in!
Ministry Strategy Part 2: Excel
After EXPERIENCE, the next step in our spiritual growth process is EXCEL. While we are not talking about the Microsoft Office spreadsheet application, we are talking about growing in our relationship with God. This second step in our process is all about spiritual growth.
At ACC, our primary avenue for spiritual growth is Life Groups. Though this is certainly not the only place where spiritual growth happens, we feel that it happens best in the context of authentic relationships. Life Groups provide a more intimate setting which encourages thoughtful interaction and dialogue which is not always possible in a large gathering. A small group environment allows a group of people meet together for the purpose of growing in God’s Word, praying together, and sharing life together.
Our Life Groups strategy is patterned after Jesus’ ministry and the model of the early church.
In Luke 6:12-16, after Peter, James, and John had a powerful experience with Christ in ch. 5, they became a part of Jesus’ small group of disciples. The 12 disciples at this point are following Jesus and are growing spiritually by observing his life and listening to his teachings.
In Acts 2:42-47 we see that the believers “…devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers…And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people.”
Also in Acts 5:42 we read: “And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”
Christianity is not meant to be lived in isolation. We need to be connected with one another. By developing meaningful relationships with other believers in small groups, we are able to effectively help one another grow in our relationship with God, community with believers, and influence with our world.
Ministry Strategy Part 2: Excel
After EXPERIENCE, the next step in our spiritual growth process is EXCEL. While we are not talking about the Microsoft Office spreadsheet application, we are talking about growing in our relationship with God. This second step in our process is all about spiritual growth.
At ACC, our primary avenue for spiritual growth is Life Groups. Though this is certainly not the only place where spiritual growth happens, we feel that it happens best in the context of authentic relationships. Life Groups provide a more intimate setting which encourages thoughtful interaction and dialogue which is not always possible in a large gathering. A small group environment allows a group of people meet together for the purpose of growing in God’s Word, praying together, and sharing life together.
Our Life Groups strategy is patterned after Jesus’ ministry and the model of the early church.
In Luke 6:12-16, after Peter, James, and John had a powerful experience with Christ in ch. 5, they became a part of Jesus’ small group of disciples. The 12 disciples at this point are following Jesus and are growing spiritually by observing his life and listening to his teachings.
In Acts 2:42-47 we see that the believers “…devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers…And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people.”
Also in Acts 5:42 we read: “And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”
Christianity is not meant to be lived in isolation. We need to be connected with one another. By developing meaningful relationships with other believers in small groups, we are able to effectively help one another grow in our relationship with God, community with believers, and influence with our world.
Ministry Strategy Part 1: Experience
In a series of posts I’d like to describe our ministry strategy here at ACC. Since Christ has called the church to his mission, it is important that we be intentional about making disciples. If we are going to be intentional about anything we must be purposeful about making disciples.
Strategies and methods are not sacred. The Great Commission is. Strategies are merely the practical process by which we seek to fulfill the Great Commission. Strategies may need to change from time to time, but the mission and message never changes.
The first step in our ministry/discipleship process is EXPERIENCE.
Before someone can begin their spiritual journey they must have a personal experience with God in which he changes their heart and comes to live within them. We call this experience of God salvation. It takes place when we repent of our sins and submit our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The spiritual journey of the disciples began with a personal encounter with Jesus (Luke 5:1-11). Along the same lines, the explosive ministry of the Apostles in the book of Acts took place after their incredible encounter with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2).
The primary (though not only) avenue for this step in our process is our Sunday Morning Gathering. It is during this gathering that we seek to experience God’s presence together in corporate worship and the preaching of the Word of God. We expect that as we are together in God’s presence that God will draw people unto himself and they will cross the line of faith and begin their spiritual journey. We also expect that believers will also be filled with God’s power in order to be effective witnesses for Christ in our homes, workplaces, and communities every day.
Ministry Strategy Part 1: Experience
In a series of posts I’d like to describe our ministry strategy here at ACC. Since Christ has called the church to his mission, it is important that we be intentional about making disciples. If we are going to be intentional about anything we must be purposeful about making disciples.
Strategies and methods are not sacred. The Great Commission is. Strategies are merely the practical process by which we seek to fulfill the Great Commission. Strategies may need to change from time to time, but the mission and message never changes.
The first step in our ministry/discipleship process is EXPERIENCE.
Before someone can begin their spiritual journey they must have a personal experience with God in which he changes their heart and comes to live within them. We call this experience of God salvation. It takes place when we repent of our sins and submit our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The spiritual journey of the disciples began with a personal encounter with Jesus (Luke 5:1-11). Along the same lines, the explosive ministry of the Apostles in the book of Acts took place after their incredible encounter with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2).
The primary (though not only) avenue for this step in our process is our Sunday Morning Gathering. It is during this gathering that we seek to experience God’s presence together in corporate worship and the preaching of the Word of God. We expect that as we are together in God’s presence that God will draw people unto himself and they will cross the line of faith and begin their spiritual journey. We also expect that believers will also be filled with God’s power in order to be effective witnesses for Christ in our homes, workplaces, and communities every day.
Ambridge Clean-Up Day
Really excited about another opportunity we have to show love to our community. We’ve been invited again by the Committee to Clean and Beautify Ambridge to participate in a clean up day this Saturday.
We helped for a clean up day in April. You can read about that here. I love opportunities like this because it is such a practical way to show Christ’s love!
Anyone is welcome to join us. We will be meeting this Saturday the 15th at Rook’s parking lot on 4th and Merchant St. in Ambridge from 9-11am. We’d love to have you come out!
Ambridge Clean-Up Day
Really excited about another opportunity we have to show love to our community. We’ve been invited again by the Committee to Clean and Beautify Ambridge to participate in a clean up day this Saturday.
We helped for a clean up day in April. You can read about that here. I love opportunities like this because it is such a practical way to show Christ’s love!
Anyone is welcome to join us. We will be meeting this Saturday the 15th at Rook’s parking lot on 4th and Merchant St. in Ambridge from 9-11am. We’d love to have you come out!
City Reach Is Finally Here!
Today I spent a good part of the afternoon walking up and down through the streets of Ambridge passing out flyers for City Reach. If even one person’s life is changed forever it will have been worth it!
This is our biggest outreach event of the year. Last year we had an average total attendance of 300 each night with 30 total salvations. I’m believing that God is going to do even more amazing things this year.
City Reach is not about building up our church, it’s about building up the kingdom of God. It’s about being filled with God’s compassion for his people and making His love known. It is about being faithful to Christ’s command to go into all the world and preach the gospel. This is about the mission God has called us to.
If you’re unfamiliar with City Reach, it’s basically three nights of special services for adults with music, giveaways, and a message, and Vacation Bible School for children with games, music, prizes, and exciting Bible stories. Also, I don’t want to forget that there is FREE FOOD provided for everyone, every night following the festivities. 
On Friday the 17th will be our annual Back-To-School Block Party. We will be blocking off the street behind the church and filling it with all kinds of games, food booths, and a moonwalk. We will also be giving away free backpacks and school supplies to students.
I’m so excited about this week! I’m really looking forward to all that God is going to do.
City Reach Is Finally Here!
Today I spent a good part of the afternoon walking up and down through the streets of Ambridge passing out flyers for City Reach. If even one person’s life is changed forever it will have been worth it!
This is our biggest outreach event of the year. Last year we had an average total attendance of 300 each night with 30 total salvations. I’m believing that God is going to do even more amazing things this year.
City Reach is not about building up our church, it’s about building up the kingdom of God. It’s about being filled with God’s compassion for his people and making His love known. It is about being faithful to Christ’s command to go into all the world and preach the gospel. This is about the mission God has called us to.
If you’re unfamiliar with City Reach, it’s basically three nights of special services for adults with music, giveaways, and a message, and Vacation Bible School for children with games, music, prizes, and exciting Bible stories. Also, I don’t want to forget that there is FREE FOOD provided for everyone, every night following the festivities. On Friday the 17th will be our annual Back-To-School Block Party. We will be blocking off the street behind the church and filling it with all kinds of games, food booths, and a moonwalk. We will also be giving away free backpacks and school supplies to students.
I’m so excited about this week! I’m really looking forward to all that God is going to do.
Workday
Last night and today a group of us are doing work on our building. We’re sanding the wood floor in preparation for carpet installation next week. We’re also doing some painting in our soon-to-be coffee cafe area.
It’s so exciting to be part of what God is doing in the Ambridge area. I’m so thankful for all of the people who have invested their time and energy into God’s work here.
As much as I like working on our building, my heart is for the people in this community. If better facilities help us reach more people, I’m game 
Workday
Last night and today a group of us are doing work on our building. We’re sanding the wood floor in preparation for carpet installation next week. We’re also doing some painting in our soon-to-be coffee cafe area.
It’s so exciting to be part of what God is doing in the Ambridge area. I’m so thankful for all of the people who have invested their time and energy into God’s work here.
As much as I like working on our building, my heart is for the people in this community. If better facilities help us reach more people, I’m game
