Are you ready to take the next step?

In mid-June, I embarked on the longest vacation of my 30 years in full-time ministry, taking three consecutive weeks off, which included three Sundays.

This time was a great blend of vacation, quality family time, rejuvenation, and reflection. Preparing for this extended break was no small feat; it required a significant amount of effort. I am deeply grateful to all my friends and dedicated volunteers who stepped up to cover the various aspects of ministry that I typically oversee while at the church. Your support means the world to me. To say that the church rises and falls on volunteers is a solid fact.

One crucial aspect I had to ensure was in place before my departure was the selection of ROOTED discipleship group leaders. Prior to June 15, I reached out to over 40 individuals, and I am thrilled to report that God blessed us with an exceptional team of leaders who are currently guiding ROOTED groups. We now have 15 leaders leading 112 individuals through the ROOTED program. Friends, this is undoubtedly a God thing. We have leaders who have stepped up for the first time and participants who are joining a small group for the very first time. These are undoubtedly God things, and I eagerly anticipate witnessing what God will accomplish over the next ten weeks. Please keep these groups in your prayers.

You might be pondering various thoughts at this point:

"Thanks for sharing, David, but what's next for me? I haven't joined a group yet." "I might be interested in leading a group." "My schedule hasn't allowed me to participate in a ROOTED group."

If any of these thoughts resonate with you, I encourage you to let them flow freely. Let's have a conversation because there's nothing more rewarding than the thought of expanding our groups to include even more individuals. This is something we can work on together.

We often add so much to our schedules without much consideration. These add up and can steal away valuable time we could be spending with people and, more importantly, with God. Pastor Greg recently delivered an outstanding sermon series on the importance of rest, slowing, and Sabbath. I urge you to watch those sermons again. We should only add things into our lives that enrich our connection with God and the Holy Spirit, and small groups can be a significant part of that.

I enjoyed stepping away in June on vacation. I hope you had the opportunity to take a break this summer too. As we re-enter the school year's busy pace and all that it entails, I pray that both you and I will prioritize moments of rest and fellowship with our families, putting them on our calendars. Remember, even God didn’t work seven days a week, so neither should we. Taking control of our schedules is the only way to make this happen.

If you are ready to take this step, I am here for you. I am available at the CONNECT table on Sundays. Feel free to email me at david@wcchurch.life or call/text me at 614-586-2663.

You won't regret it.