Let me explain. Our average attendance for the year 2008 ended up at 357. That breaks down in this way: 80 in the 8:15 service, 194 in the 10:00 service, and 83 in the 11:00 service. Our average attendance for the year 2007 was 315. That means that we have experienced a 13 % increase during this past year. Now if we were to able to maintain that rate of increase, we would need only two years and nine months to reach the goal set by
the Joel Committee. For the first two Sundays in January, we have been able to hold to that level of increase. So I figure we should attain our goal in only 141 more Sundays! That’s exciting! How can we continue to increase at a rate of 13%? First of all, there are lots of unchurched people in Pratt. Our goal has never been to steal
sheep from other churches. I’d better get busy on more and better sermon series. Sheryl will continue to bring new and innovative programs for our children and adults. Louis is making some great progress with our youth. We are increasing our advertising dollars and trying to maximize their effectiveness. We continue to strive to empower the ministry of the laity.

But, the bottom line is that we must never miss an opportunity to show the love of Christ to someone who could end up in our church. In this light, one of my favorite verses is found in Hebrews 13:2: “Do not forget
to entertain strangers, for by so doing, some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” To me, that applies to how people end up in church.

When we first started the contemporary service in September of 2007, we had people handing out door hangers to every residence in Pratt. One lady saw the door hanger and exclaimed, “Just what I’ve been looking
for!” Kathy has been in the 10:00 service almost every Sunday since. This year, we chose to do a direct mailing in September. Mark received his post card and was in the 8:15 service the next Sunday. He has attended nearly every Sunday since. I believe there are a lot more Kathys and Marks out there. All they need is a gentle invitation to church from you. It’s important to say that they are more than numbers; they are special people the Lord calls us to love! I’m really looking forward to seeing you and them in church!
In God’s Great Love,
Pastor Dan