2011 August » russbutcher.com

The Negligent Church and This week in The Grove!

Church, Church at the Grove, Church Planting, Community, Culture, Jesus, Leadership, Missional, Random Thoughts No Responses »

Aug 312011

‘You will not find in all of history any church that has flourished after it became negligent of the outside world’ CH Spurgeon

I was talking with a friend today sharing some of the story of Church at the Grove and I was so excited talking about what God has done in five years of life-transforming ministry. I get excited when I reflect on the past, rest in the present and envision the future of Church at the Grove! My friend commented about how many churches struggle maintaining their focus on reaching people outside the church over the long haul. It is a difficult task to maintain an outward focus but it is the very heart of God to make His name known to all people.

I came across the Spurgeon quote in the first line above and my heart ached at the thought that CATGrove would ever be negligent of the out outside world.

My prayer is that we would continue to flourish in the years to come by focusing on The Great Commission. Let’s resolve to maintain our focus on the outside world and God’s love to for those that are yet to be reached.

Luke 15:7 (ESV)
7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Let’s stay focused!

This Week in The Grove:

5 year anniversary!
On September 11 we will celebrate an incredible 5 years as Church at the Grove! (Insert applause & cheers) These 5 years have been significant in seeing many people turn to follow Jesus & seeing lives transformed as we have impacted our local community and even touched lives around the world. September 11 will be a big day and we want everyone who calls Church at the Grove home to be there and to bring your family and friends to join you!

Two Services on September 11
We have continued to see our CATGrove family grow and as a result, we need to create more space for new people. On September 11 we will launch with 2 Sunday morning gatherings at 9:30 & 11am. This is to create another opportunity for you to invite your family and friends that you have been praying for and investing in!

Community Groups begin September 11
Our new Community Group semester will begin Sunday September 11! I am convinced that one of the important elements to our growth this past year (God gets the credit, of course) was our Community Groups this past year. We had more groups and more people connected to groups than ever before! Please choose a group over this next month and get connected to other people in the church!

Church at the Grove Social Circle
This coming January we will launch a 2^nd location gathering in Social Circle. God has called us since before we ever launched our 1^st gathering to be aggressive in ADVANCING the gospel through planting new churches and new locations of CATGrove! I am asking everyone to please pray about being a part of this launch team that will help get this new gathering started. It will be one of the most exciting things you have ever been a part of. Consider making this your campus, consider giving one year or six months to help get Social Circle started. We can’t do without people like you.

Still Dreaming (repost) and This Week in the Grove!

Church, Church at the Grove, Church Planting, Jesus, Leadership, Missional, Random Thoughts No Responses »

Aug 262011

Still Dreaming For:

I am still dreaming about a church that effectively reaches people far from God! I am dreaming about reaching those that have never been in church and those that left church years ago for one reason or another!
I am still dreaming about being a church for those already following Jesus but have grown weary of being a part of churches that have given up on reaching people outside the church and simply keeping those on the inside happy!
I am still dreaming about reaching thousands and thousands of people and always struggling to keep up with baptizing those who have turned to follow Jesus!
I am still dreaming about being a church that has to have multiple services on Sunday to accommodate all the people God is reaching through us!
I am still dreaming about beginning new campuses in nearby communities that need a church passionate about reaching people far from God!
I am still dreaming about being a church-planting church that is consistently launching new churches locally, nationally and across the globe!
I am still dreaming about being a pastor of a church that consistently invests into young leaders that plant churches and have impact in communities locally and globally.
I am still dreaming about being the godly leader and example to a faith community that models leadership, marriage, parenting and godly living God’s way!
I am still dreaming about being at a location for the long haul for the maximum influence and missional impact!
I am still dreaming about living for the glory of God and the good of people!

What are you dreaming about?

Run!!! People are watching & this week in the Grove!

Church, Church at the Grove, Community, Faith, Family, General, Leadership, Random Thoughts No Responses »

Aug 172011

My son Caleb played tee ball/coach pitch baseball this past Spring and it was a hoot to watch these little 5 & 6 year old boys play baseball and interact with one another! We were constantly laughing watching these boys play.

There was one little boy that particularly caught my attention (and everyone) each time he rounded third base!

Each child is greeted with the crazy applause of parents, grandparents and other attendees as if it was the seventh game of the world series as they round third base on their way to home plate. One little boy would round third base every time with a huge smile on his face and he would maintain eye contact with the fans in the stands the whole way across home plate. Often, he would actually miss home-plate because he was so focused on the fan support. He was absolutely enthralled with the encouragement from the fans as he made his way down the third-base line to cross home plate.

This is a great picture of how important “community-life” is to the individual Christian as they “run the base paths” of life in the world. We are not meant to live our Christian lives alone. It is the encouragement of others that offer Christ’s strength and support as we travel through life.

Remember that you can run farther when others are watching! That is why you should not neglect being involved with other believers in small groups or teams that serve together.

Here are a few things going on at The Grove this week:

Volunteer Appreciation Night August 28 6:30pm-8:30pm at Lenora Water Park
Make sure you get your reservation in for this fun night for you and your family!

Suprised by an early Guest! & the latest News in the Grove!

Church at the Grove, Faith, Family, Missional, Random Thoughts No Responses »

Aug 112011

We have had record breaking attendance this Summer at Church at the Grove! That is exciting! We have had a ton of guests coming through our doors this Summer and I had a recent experience and conversation with a couple of our guests that made me think about encouraging our church to be early for our Sunday gatherings.

One particular Sunday recently I greeted some guests and walked them through the building and into our auditorium at Walnut Grove High School where we gather for worship. As we walked into the auditorium there were only a few people that had already arrived and it was only a few minutes before the scheduled start of our gathering. The couple asked if this was a normal occurrence to have only a few people there on Sunday mornings and I was actually a little embarrassed trying to explain that a few would come in on time and the majority would come in during the first ten to fifteen minutes of our worship gathering. I really wish that I could have introduced this couple to a few more people before the gathering started.

We will have even more guests coming through our doors over the next few weeks as we move into the fall with school starting back and people settling in following busy summers!

1 Thessalonians 2:7–8 (ESV)
7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

Please be early!

We tend to be a little more relaxed than many churches and we have been cruising through the summer schedule with people traveling and enjoying family. It seems on many Sundays if our crowd arrives later and later & it is a bit deflating for our worship leaders when there are only a few people sitting in the auditorium at 10am. My primary concern is guests showing up early or on time and we do not have CATGrovers to welcome them, speak to them and make them feel they are part of something exciting. PLEASE use this fall as an opportunity to start fresh with showing up early or on time and look for opportunities to make guests feel welcome and let’s begin our gathering on time and together.

Volunteer Appreciation Night August 28 6:30pm-8:30pm at Lenora Water Park
Make sure you get your reservation in for this fun night for you and your family!

Continue to financially support God’s Work through Church at the Grove
We have been so blessed by your continued faithful financial support of the ministries of Church at the Grove! Thank you so much! Let’s continue to faithfully give toward the life transformation that takes place through the ministries of Church at the Grove!

Keep Praying, Keep investing, Keep inviting!

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