Church of the Hills

In preparattion for Denise's parents' 50th wedding anniversary celebration, she spent some time going through a plastic tub filled with old family pictures.  WOW!  What fun it was to look at those old photos and remember.

  One of the items we found in the tub was a "decision card".  For those of you unfamiliar with that term, it is a card used in some churches to register a decision made following a public invitation to respond to the Gospel in a worship service.  The card was dated "April 7, 1979".  The card belongs to me.  That is the day the Lord Jesus saved me!  That means I am coming up on my 30th "spiritual birthday"!  I could never imagined what God had in mind for me.  I have been in full-time vocational ministry for almost 22 years.  God has given Denise and I the privilege of serving as North American Mission Board missionaries for over five years. Praise Him for all His grace and mercy!

  That day, April 7th, was not the first time I had set foot in Baptist church.  That would have been a year earlier, Easter Sunday, 1978.  I went because someone invited me... Denise.  I wonder what would have happened if she had never invited me to church?  I shudder to think of what my life would be like without Christ. I also wonder if there might be some people in our circle of influence, relationships, families and neighborhoods who would be willing to go to church this Easter (Sunday, April 12), if only someone would invite them?

  We have been thinking about how to make this "The Best Easter Ever"!  In my last post I wrote about our personal preparation.  Today, I want to focus on our personal invitation.  Here are three simple things we can all do...

1. Make a list out of people you would like to see come to church with you on Easter Sunday, with a special focus on those who are "not-yet" Christ-followers.
2. Pray daily over that list between now and Easter Sunday. If you are planning on inviting a number of people from your neighborhood, take some time next week to prayer-walk your neighborhood.  Prayer-walking is not complicated.  You walk and pray... Pray for each neighbor you know by name.  If you really want to be brave, if you see someone outside as you are walking, stop, spark of a conversation and say, "As I am walking today, I am praying for my neighbors,  Is there anything in particular I could ask God for you?"  You might be pleasantly suprised what people will say! 
3. Invite them!  This coming Sunday at Church of the Hills, we will have invitation cards for you to take to give to those you would like to attend our Easter service with you.  There will also be ads in the Nordonia Hills Sun and the News-Leader the next two weeks.

  It is exciting to think about what your simple invitation may mean to someone's life here and now and eternal address!  Who knows?  It made a difference for me!

BLESSINGS!

Pastor Randy

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