Getting Ready for Three Services

Article by

Founder & Teacher, desiringGod.org

I thank God for you!

So many of you have responded with optimism and with the grace of flexibility to the challenges of three services. The three services will begin meeting Sunday morning, March 2, at: 8:15, 9:45 and 11:15.

We believe God is in this move. It is the first of some decisive moves that will be taken this year at Bethlehem. Pray and ponder with me about the following things.

1. Greeters. We will need many new greeters at all our entrances. In a big church visitors need help when they come. They need to be treated with respect and friendliness. And they need to be shown their way. Would you consider being a greeter before one of our services? Call Ruby Ohman or the church office.

2. Ushers. The quality of our worship depends much on our ushers. Now we need teams for three morning services. Could you minister in this way weekly or monthly? Call Rich Bell or the office.

3. Saturday Service. We would like to discuss the future of this service with those of you who come to the Saturday evening service. Would you stay for half an hour this Saturday after the service (8:15) to talk about it?

4. New Classes. On the very Sunday we begin three services we will also begin two new Sunday School classes. After five and a half years of amazing growth, Toshavim will experience a historic division into a career class at 8:15 (“Toshavim Classic”???) and a student class at 9:45 (“New Toshavim”???). Don Range, one of our seminary students, will begin a new class at 9:45 for newer believers, called “The Good Fight.” Let's pray for these new ventures and direct people to them.

5. Christian Hedonism. I have a new dream for spreading the God-centered teachings of Christian Hedonism. If you are a convinced Christian Hedonist or just want to hear the dream, come to the chapel Sunday, February 16 at 5:00 pm before the evening service.

Joyfully serving Jesus with you,

Pastor John