The Power of an Invitation

As a child I always enjoyed receiving mail.  I must admit the best mail for me was when I received an invitation to a party.  The invitation meant that someone else wanted me to be at their special event.  The parties I attended were always fun because it felt like my presence was important for the celebration.  The special feeling remains the same for me as an adult.  I still like receiving an invitation in the mail: party, wedding, or special gathering.


The other interesting thing about an invitation is that people reorganize their schedules to be at events they are invited to attend.  The invitation is seen as something different or special that was not to be a part of their life before the invitation was made.

For years the church has taken for granted that people want to be a part of church naturally.  For the most part this has been true, yet our culture is changing quite a bit.  Our country has less people naturally coming to church on their own.  It still happens, but not as frequently.  It is not enough for a church to offer welcome and hospitality once people arrive, even though this is still vitally important.

We are now called in the church to be "intentional inviters".  Jesus invited disciples to follow him.  The church is invited to ask people to join them in the journey of faith and be co-followers of Jesus.  An invitation means that they are sought to be a part of a community that could increase its value by their presence.

Rush Creek has a long history of welcome and hospitality.  Rush Creek has a long history of being a place for people to heal and find renewal from a scarred church past in another location.  I am inviting us to add to that long history a legacy of inviting people to the events that means so much to us as a church.

Invite people to a Bible Study.
Invite people to join you in an outreach project.
Invite people to a fellowship event.
Invite people to join you in worship.

If you invite someone to join you go the extra mile and offer to pick them up and take them with you to the event with you.  Make 2014 the year of the "intentional invitation" to grow our church.  Our church has an awesome story of worship, study, service, and fellowship.  Share the story with others and let the love of God take over.

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Dr. Chris Wilson