STILL INCOMPREHENSIBLE by Tim: FIRST SUNDAY IN JUNE: PROMOTION DAY & WORSHIP ON THE LAWN

Sunday, June 07, 2009

FIRST SUNDAY IN JUNE: PROMOTION DAY & WORSHIP ON THE LAWN

It was a good day.

The first Sunday of June is Promotion Day, in which our 9:00 a.m. Small Group Celebration kids are recognized and advanced into a new grade. For some of the kids, it means an actual move to a new group. For other kids, the transition is bigger, as they make the move from "children's ministries" to "youth ministries", joining the middle school group.

Earlier this year, we appointed a special committee to set up and develop the Promotion Day activities. They did a fantastic job, from coordinating "goodie bags" to making a special arch highlighted with bubbles for the kids to pass through.

The morning festivies were topped off with the jump house and refreshments. It was fun talking to the kids afterwords and seeing the excitment on their faces, knowing that they have spent the last school year hearing God's Word and growing in their faith. And the best part of all was being a link in a team that got to help do it.

Walking through the arch on the path to advancement

Celebrating Promotion Day by leaping in the jump house

But the day wasn't over with Promotion Day. The day also happened to be when our congregation moved outside for the 10:00 "Worship on the Lawn". What started as a periodic event (tied into a concert or barbecue) has become an almost-annual routine in which we spend the entire summer of Sundays on the spacious back yard of the church.

Since we are located in a residential neighborhood, there are quite a few folks who drive or walk by and wonder what is going on. We've actually had some families start attending because they saw the outdoor service. For those who don't care for the sun or the potential uneven spots in the lawn, the service is also broadcast on the screens indoors (okay, I know this is standard to my mega-church friends, but this is about as "multiple venue" as we get at the moment).