40 Days of Prayer

“The Christmas lights at the church are wonderful!”  This can be heard many times over throughout the season as you could imagine.  It is interesting what comes next in many cases.  I usually follow this comment from someone by asking if they have parked and tuned their car radio to 97.7 to see and hear the full experience.  Many of the people I talk to have only seen the lights on Hwy 285, and then there are some who have parked and watched the animated lights without realizing that the lights are choreographed to music and broadcast on the radio.  Others still have seen and heard the full experience.  The last group are the ones who are the most amazed.

For many of us this illustrates well our experience of the Christian faith and in particular, a life of prayer.  Many experience prayer simply as a drive-by observance.  The intersection of life and prayer consists of hearing an elder, pastor, or worship leader pray at church, and occasionally sharing in a word of grace when the family is gathered for big meals.

Others have said prayers at bedtime, dinnertime, and difficult times throughout their lives.  This experience can be rewarding and challenging.  It is as if you are watching life flash in front of you with only the soundtrack of your particular life playing.  You are left to create your own music in your head, and many times that music is silent.

But then there are those who seem to be constantly in a prayerful attitude.  They see and hear things that others do not.  They have answers to their prayers, and there is a sense of constant contentment as the storms of life rage around them.  Somehow they have tuned in to the correct station and hear what music is suppose to be playing in the otherwise seeming silence and chaos.

As you can see from the illustration of the Christmas lights, there is not a great distance between those three experiences.  My hope and prayer is that during the first 40 days of 2014, as we commit to pray in new ways, we will all see that there is a full and meaningful experience within the Christian faith and relationship with God that is not too far from where you are right now.

What is 40 Days of Prayer(DOP) suppose to be?

40 DOP is a spiritual growth campaign lasting for the first 40 days of 2014.  The personal challenge is to ask yourself, “What does my prayer life look like right now?” And “What are some small steps of faith through prayer can I take in the first 40 days of 2014?”  Maybe you have never prayed regularly or daily.  Set aside a few minutes each day in the morning and evening to simply pray. You don’t have to have the “right” words.  You just need a heart that desires to be in tune with God’s heart.

Maybe you have been praying bedtime and mealtime prayers for years, but there seems to be a deeper experience that you are missing.  It may be good for you to set aside a larger block of time to pray and listen to God’s guidance.  You may want to pick a Psalm and pray through he Psalms.  This can keep your thoughts and prayers focused on God rather than the concerns of the day.  You may also want to use a prayer devotional such as Draw the Circle to help guide your prayers for those 40 days.

Perhaps you consider yourself a “Prayer Warrior.”  You will probably already know what to do when we as a church and community set 40 days to prayer.  You may want to spend some time at the church praying through the rooms, and walking around our property praying for God to keep His hand on His church.  You may also decide to walk around your neighborhood praying for those who live close to you, and when you are walking through the grocery store pray for those who you pass between the aisles.  You may also want to sit and pray for those around you at church on a Sunday morning.  Pray that God will bring His Spirit to life among us in 2014.  The possibilities are limitless, and the growing experience is priceless to see God at work.

Bottom line is that each of us takes a new step in prayer as we begin a new year.

Why 40 Days?

There are a few reasons for the 40 day designation.  Before I give you a few reasons, realize that there is nothing right or wrong with doing things this way.  It is simply a designated concentrated time for us to be on the same page for 40 days and developing the same spiritual discipline for that time.  With this in mind here are a few thoughts on the 40 days:

1)  40 is a significant number used throughout the Bible.  The rain fell for 40 days and nights on Noah.  The children of Israel wandered for 40 years in the wilderness, and Jesus went into the desert for prayer and fasting for 40 days before He began His ministry.  Again there is no magic in the 40 days other than it is a significant period of time to focus our hearts and lives.

2)  40 days will help you develop a new “prayer habit” for the new year.  If you build a new habit for this amount of time consistently, it is more likely to become a lifestyle.  We should be constantly striving to build patterns in our lives that reflect the character to Christ, and prayer is one of those disciplines that builds character and causes growth effectively.

3)  Why prayer for 40 days?  We are encouraged by the apostle Paul to “Pray continuously” (1 Thess. 5:18).  Prayer is as essential to our relationship with God as studying His Word and worship on Sundays.  Prayer adds a dynamic to our relationship with God that allows us to express our deepest struggles, confess our sins, and listen to His voice and will.  40 days of concentrated effort and expression will allow us to grow significantly in our spiritual lives.

What is the plan for the 40 days?

Personally:  Set aside time each day for prayer and pray during that time.  There will be resources provided to help guide those prayers for our church, community, and personal lives.  If you have a kindle you may want to purchase the 40 day devotional Draw the Circle to set the tone.

As a Church:  We will have designated opportunities to come together in prayer and study during the 40 days.  Share your stories and struggles during this time of prayer with others that you know well.  My hope and prayer is that this time will broaden our vision of our God and see the things He wants us to set our hands to do this year and into the future.  Sermons will be focused on the topic of prayer and challenges will be proclaimed each week through God’s Word.

Two Services

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.

1 Corinthians 3:6

Dear CCC Family,

As I have mentioned a couple of times in service, the leadership is considering if this is the time God wants us to move to two services on Sunday morning.  This is both an exciting and prayerful time for us all.  We are still welcoming any feedback you may have about two services.  I appreciate the honesty with which many of you are expressing your feelings about this potential move!  Each comment is being taken seriously and with great contemplation.  As you are processing the prospect of this potential change, here are just a few prayerful thoughts reflecting some of the feedback so far.  

1)  Some have asked the basic question, "Why are we thinking about two services?"  

The short answer is because space is limited, and we are seeing a consistent increase in attendance.  The elders have been watching this for a couple of years pretty closely.  This Fall has been the greatest seasonal increase in recent memory.  The average attendance has increased 18% comparing Fall of 2012 and Fall of 2013.  There are also many new people/families visiting.  We are seeing an increase that God is providing and our desire is to be a good steward of what God provides.  Another thing we must consider is capacity in parking.  With our service attendance at 167 on December 15 with Elk Creek, the parking lot was full.  We should not plan that we can sustain full for an extended period of time. (see capacity discussion under question 2)

2)  What other options can we consider or have been considered?

A couple of things have been discussed, and a couple of things have been enacted.  We have added more seats to the main level and the balcony which increases the capacity slightly.  This should provide for a small increase in attendance, but it will not accommodate the size of increase experienced between Fall of 2012 and 2013 again.  This reasoning is based on church growth principle which states that a congregation will not be able to sustain attendance of more than 80% capacity in any given space, parking included.  We are staying in the 70-80% range right now.  Where there can be exceptions to any rule of thumb, I don't think we should plan with the idea that we are the exception.

It has also been suggested that the children be kept in their classes instead of attending the beginning of the service.  The space created by children and leaders would not amount to a great increase of space at this point.  The children are also attending out of a conviction from leadership that our children need to be brought up to understand the importance of broader church worship.  This is a valuable time for the children to learn the songs of the congregation, join in communion as appropriate, learn about communion, and interact with leaders in the church through the children's sermon.

We also have the new renovation area to consider, but we are a ways away from being able to develop that and parking lot in a way that will double our capacity.

3)  Will this create more work and time commitment for those who are serving?

Yes and no.  For some there may be increased time commitment initially, but we also must keep in mind that it creates more opportunity for others to get involved.  With the potential of more people in attendance and particularly new people joining, there will be an increase in the number of people participating on teams who are serving as well.  This, in most cases, is not simply a doubling of work, but it is a time of multiplication of ministry.

4)  Will this create a generational divide in the congregation?

This is probably the biggest concern looking at the transition, and I don't have a solid answer for this.  It is an issue that consumes much of my prayer time with regards to two services.  Having generations represented in each service is of such great value.  Our leadership team is taking a very careful look at what is "offered" during each service, and our intention is to make sure there is no generational divide created because of the offering of programing.

At the core of this concern is also a question of fellowship with those whom we enjoy each week, will I see them any more?  One of the things that has been considered an essential in this discussion is a transition period of about 30 minutes between services for fellowship and community building.  This would give a time for people to connect between services.  

5)  When will this happen?

Currently the leadership team is taking time to pray as we look at the data and listen to the congregational concerns.  After the first of the year, Ministry Council will meet and decide if this is the right time to go to two services.  As soon as the decision has been made a timeline will be communicated so that we can prepare as a congregation, volunteer teams, and leadership teams.  The bottom line concern is that we are good stewards of the people God is sending our way.  

6)  How should I prepare?

Prayer.  We will begin 2014 with 40 days of prayer.  Among the things we lift to the Lord should be the growth of His church.  Listen carefully as you study His Word.  Pentecost began as the disciples were simply gathered in prayer.  Their minds and hearts were open to what God wanted to do, and the church began.  Also communicate the thoughts you are processing.  You are welcome to speak with a ministry leader, email Dorothy in the office, or email me.  

This is an exciting time when God is moving clearly in our midst.  I hear stories each week of how people are growing in their relationship with Christ through the ministries of CCC.  Excitement is contagious.  Watch, listen, and learn what God is doing.  Join Him in His purpose with CCC, and let us step boldly into 2014 in prayer.

Prayerfully,

Pastor Lance