The first pre-season football games is in the books- and in a few short weeks, many of us will be spending a large chunk of time watching football on Sunday afternoons.  I love football season (well, because I like football) because it also means a change of seasons.  I love the transition from summer to fall- and I love gearing up for a new season of ministry.

I’ve been honored to work with Hope’s Vision Team, Church Council, and Relaunch Team who have brought us where we are today- ready for a kick-off on Sunday, September 9th at 9:30 a.m.  Ready to start a new season off with a bang at Hope.  I wanted to take some time to answer a few questions as to why we’re having a kick-off.

Why are we having a kick-off?  The answer is multi-faceted. First and foremost, we want to build momentum for our church. We want people (in the congregation) to be excited about what we are doing as a church- and in turn, share that with our community to come and join what God is doing in our midst.  A kick-off gives us a chance to be noticed by the community.

But it is also more than a marketing campaign. We are redesigned our Discipleship Process, are developing Life Groups, and enhancing our Sunday morning worship experience so that all people- those in the church and those who will come to the church- will encounter the life-changing love and grace of Jesus Christ- and become disciples of Jesus.

What’s the Kick-Off Gonna Look Like? Again- two-fold. First, we’ll have kick-off Sunday where you are invited to wear your favorite teams jersey and wear we’ll begin a new series called “Core Fitness” as we talk about our calling and vision as a church. Then we’ll head outside for family activities, food, and fellowship with our church and the community (about 10:45 a.m.).  You’ll also be invited to sign up for a Life Group at the Kick-Off event.

But more than a one day affair, the kick-off begins a new season for the life of Hope Church.  The Kick-Off will also feature some changes in how we invite people to participate in Life Groups (bible studies) and service opportunities while developing a worship experience that helps all of us become passionate worshippers of our Creator.

In a way, we will always be “kicking off” or “re-launching” or “launching” new ministries and opportunities for our members and the community to encounter God. Our mindset is that we want to create as many opportunities and open doors for people to experience God’s redeeming love.

Why Is This Important? We are called to go into all the world and make disciples of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19). We are called to go out into the community, to call people to follow Jesus. Many of the changes we have already made and are making is to help us fulfill our vision to be a “diverse community impacting thousands through passionate worship, intentional discipleship, and Christ-like service.”

What can I do? There are several ways you can prepare for our Kick-Off on September 9th.

• Pray for our Kick-Off that we can build momentum and reach new people
• Grab flyers from the church on Sundays and spread them around town
• Use Facebook and other Social media to talk about Hope Church
• Invite a friend to church! Tell them how excited you are to be part of Hope Church
• Plan on joining a Life Group. Our goal is to have every adult in a Life Group
• Invite a friend to join a Life Group with you
• Pray and expect that God will do great things in our lives and through Hope Church as we seek to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ!