I know it’s bound to happen when you’re working with a small group, but that doesn’t make it any less disappointing—this past Sunday we were no-showed. Such letdowns highlight how much more work must be done and renew my resolve to do it. What we have planned for this week and the weeks to come should make for a strong finish to this year and a great start to the next.
Brian and Tricia Pounders, from Pleasant Acres FWB Church in New Bern, North Carolina, arrived Tuesday evening. The next morning we showed them around town and spent time in prayer for our upcoming service. That afternoon they helped us write Christmas cards to the contacts we’ve made, prepare for a service project we hope to conduct this weekend, and canvass a 
neighborhood of just over a hundred houses. Later that night I received a call from Henry Watterson, the youth pastor at Madison Heights FWB Church in Lexington, North Carolina. He was in Orem visiting his grandparents and wanted to see if he could meet up with us. He joined us for lunch the next day and helped knock on about eighty doors before he had to go. We plan on getting to at least another hundred doors by Sunday, utilizing the Pounders’ before they leave the first of next week.
In the coming weeks we are launching a larger advertising campaign to supplement this and future door to door outreach. On Christmas day we have almost 12,000 inserts going out in the paper and a week later 155,000 emails will be sent to those within thirty miles of our zip code. We will also be advertising with Undivided Attention in several local venues as well as in the 2012 Metro Guide.
Looking back at our attendance records, we have averaged four people since we started holding services in September, counting Grayson and me. This Sunday being our last service for the year (call me what you will, but we’re not having service on Christmas at this point), I’d like to see an attendance larger than our average. With the Pounders’ here, we’re already guaranteed four. I’m praying just one more person will show up.
Praying for you and your wife. I hope that things pick up for you soon, i’m going to put yall on our church prayer list. Have a Merry Christmas!
I appreciate it; please let your church know how grateful we are for their prayers. Merry Christmas!
We too are praying for you! Will update the church. Did you get a hold of the church plant in Salt Lake City. Evangelist Wil Galkin is one of the leaders. They would be a great encouragment to you guys.
I’ve looked him and Jon Kopp, who I believe you also told me about, up on Facebook but I haven’t met them in person yet. Hopefully after Christmas. I appreciate your prayers!