The call to be witnesses to the end of the earth can feel overwhelming. But we intentionally titled our new sermon series “To Each One,” because this global plan is best accomplished by each of us reaching one person at a time. And that’s a concept that’s a bit easier to absorb.
What if I told you all you need to do right now to reach that one person is have an open lunch hour after church on Sunday?
When everything shut down in March we didn’t have much online presence. Like everyone else, we scrambled around for a bit learning how to livestream, and behind the scenes did a massive overhaul of our website and social media accounts.
I wasn’t sure what to expect in that season, or as we’ve started in-person gatherings again. But it looks like this internet thing is here to stay, and everyone we’re trying to reach is online. It’s opened up a whole new front door into our church!
Someone reached out to us recently via social media whose family lives in another state and is moving to Fort Collins soon. They have been joining us via livestream for a while and when they move here are planning to join us in person.
We’ve had multiple people contact us saying they’re new to town. Community has been tough to find with the COVID-19 shutdown, so they jumped onto our livestream and have been connecting there. Some have said they’ve now decided Summitview is their home church, even though they’ve never attended in person. We’ve even had new people engage from out of state and out of the country over the past few months!
Something new is happening! I assumed the restrictions of this season would inhibit new people checking out Summitview, but that hasn’t been the case! Last Sunday I met several people who were attending for the first time. They had checked us out online first, decided they liked what they saw, and joined us in person, masks and all!
I have to admit it was a little tough to tell whether I knew them or not because half their faces were covered with a mask, but I walked up and introduced myself anyway. My small group was able to have one of these new people over at my house after church and we had a great time together.
As we together as a church consider how to reach the end of the earth, keep in mind that people are coming to us! Consider leaving space for lunch on Sundays with the intent of meeting someone new at church, and inviting them to eat with you!
And if you’re home joining us via the livestream, remember to say hi and engage in conversation on Facebook or YouTube. I’m grateful for the technology that’s bringing new people to us in the midst of a global pandemic.
Pray for a great harvest. And for more workers in the field. God is on the move!
– Travis (on behalf of the Summitview Pastors)
