Dear CCC Family,
We are launching a Midweek Gathering this Fall, and I wanted to go a little more in depth about what's going to take place. If you don’t have time to read this entire post, that’s ok. Just show up Wednesday, September 6 at 6pm, and you’ll be good. For those that want more info, read on! There’s a lot in here.
The goal of these gatherings is twofold: 1) to educate God’s people, and 2) to fellowship with one another. Let me talk for a minute about the education part. We believe it’s crucial that God’s people are taught God’s Word. Of course, this primarily happens on Sunday mornings as we sit under the preaching of the Word. Nothing takes the place of corporate worship. We also believe that there are other ways the church has traditionally supplemented the preaching of the Word throughout the week: Sunday School, small groups, kids programs, etc. Prior to the COVID era, we held Sunday morning Equip classes for all ages. Since that time, our ministries have expanded. We have two Sunday morning services, around 70 kids in our kids' ministry, and a livestream ministry. All those things require various amounts of time and space to do well, which means our Sunday mornings are out of time and space. Until God provides a building expansion, we need to utilize Wednesday nights for a Midweek Gathering.
All age groups will have a teaching time that starts at 6:00pm. The kids will be with Jessica Livermore and her excited team of volunteers. She’ll be sending out more information about their program soon. Brad Hough will lead the youth program with his awesome volunteers as well. Middle schoolers and high schoolers will meet in their own groups for some fellowship and Bible study time. For the adults, the teaching will end at 6:45pm, and they will then have a time of directed prayer.
We chose the timing of this Midweek Gathering for a couple reasons. First, we want to make this program accessible to those with young children. This is a huge demographic in our church. We know that bedtimes are important, so we’re going to do our part to end everything by 7:15pm each night. Second, we know that the winter months get dark pretty early and that it’s difficult for some to drive in the cold, dark evenings. While we can’t fix the ending of each gathering, we can hopefully help with that by starting each meeting early enough.
We chose the timing of this Midweek Gathering for a couple reasons. First, we want to make this program accessible to those with young children. This is a huge demographic in our church. We know that bedtimes are important, so we’re going to do our part to end everything by 7:15pm each night. Second, we know that the winter months get dark pretty early and that it’s difficult for some to drive in the cold, dark evenings. While we can’t fix the ending of each gathering, we can hopefully help with that by starting each meeting early enough.
The adult classes will be broken up into 8-week sections throughout the year, taking breaks for holidays and Missions Conference in March. This not only allows for a variety of classes throughout the ministry year, but it also facilitates the volunteers in the kids’ ministry. That way, if you serve in the kids’ program (and we hope you get to!), you’ll be able to rotate back to the adult classes throughout the year. I’m also pleased to announce that our first class will be taught by our resident Old Testament professor, Dr. John Currid. He will be walking us through Ecclesiastes, a book that he calls the most positive and evangelistic of all the OT books. Can’t wait to hear how he makes that case!
Now let me talk about the fellowship part. With two Sunday services, not everyone gets to see each other as frequently as they used to. This is a perennial dilemma churches face as they grow. To help alleviate that problem, we will offer an optional dinner from 5:15pm to 6:00pm. The meal will have a rolling start, so food will be available whenever you can arrive up until 6:00pm. Our hope is that this Midweek Gathering allows for everyone to come together around a meal, teaching, and prayer. The food will be geared towards families, so if you have food preferences or allergies, you are more than welcome to bring whatever you prefer. The goal is that we fellowship around the breaking of bread. The meal will be $5 per person or $15 per family, but we don't want cost to prohibit anyone from partaking, so the church is ready to help anyone that needs assistance. Just let a staff member know.
As I have previously stated, we know this program and these details won’t scratch every itch and meet every need. We are too diverse a church family for that to happen. In fact, we also know that it might take months for everyone to get used to a new rhythm of church life, and that’s perfectly fine. Take whatever time you need to become a part of this program. Some have expressed that it’s about time, and they are chomping at the bit to get going! We expect to see them there from the very start! Others will be curious to know how this fits into their busy lives. That’s ok, too. We’ll be here when you’re able to join us.
God has been so gracious to give us a growing church family and a place to meet. He’s given us a leadership that has prayerfully considered how to navigate the limited time and space that He’s given to us. Our prayer is that this Midweek Gathering provides CCC with Biblical teaching and Christian fellowship, and our prayer is also that you’ll be a part of it. I hope that you’ll make plans now to do so!
Every Blessing,
Dave Barfield
Dave Barfield
Executive Director