(Read Matthew 28:16-20)
Grace United Methodist Church…what is your mission?
To invite all into a joyous and caring Christian community.
On August 7, 2022, just under a year ago, I stood here on the shores of Lake Erie and shared our vision goal with you. That vision goal was this:
In order to build, strengthen, and renew connections with Grace, we will extend 500 invitations with the hope that 50 or more will be accepted.
I am now beyond joyous and grateful to tell you that over the last 10 months, we extended 567 personal invitations for people to build, strengthen, and renew connections with Grace. Did you hear that number? Five hundred and sixty-seven personal invitations extended! Invitations to worship, invitations to Belonging Groups, invitations to serve alongside and with us, invitations to join the church, invitations to be baptized, invitations to go deeper with God. Invitations to family members, invitations to friends, invitations to neighbors, invitations to strangers met in Vermilion, invitations to ALL we meet.
Repeat after me: Thanks be to God! Thanks be to God!
Of those invitations extended, we had hoped and dreamed that with God’s help, that at least 50 - maybe more - would be accepted. Friends, 101 of the invitations were accepted. 101 invitations accepted to worship, invitations accepted to Belonging Groups, invitations accepted to serve alongside and with us, invitations accepted to join the church, invitations accepted to be baptized, invitations accepted to go deeper with God. Invitations accepted by family members, invitations accepted by friends, invitations accepted by neighbors, invitations accepted by strangers met in Vermilion, invitations accepted by so many different people.
Repeat after me: Thanks be to God! Thank be to God!
In the past 10 months, we also tracked visitors to Grace who found their way to us without an invitation. Now, every visitor might not have identified themselves as such, but in the last 10 months, we had 16 first time visitors. Which, don’t get me wrong - is awesome! AND, I want the impact of extending invitations to really sink in with you. It is plausible, that without us doing the work of living out our mission and pushing ourselves and empowering each other to invite ALL…we would have only had 16 visitors over the last 10 months. But BECAUSE you all have taken seriously living out our mission to invite all into a joyous and caring Christian community, because you all took seriously our vision of extending 500 invites, because you all took seriously Christ’s commandment to us to make disciples of all the nations…Because of this, that number is not 16…but over 100.
Repeat after me: Thanks be to God! Thanks be to God!
For the last 10 months, you have heard me say every Sunday - unless I forgot or was off, to turn in your hands, your hearts, and your flowers to the offertory plates. Hands, tracking invitations extended. Hearts, tracking invitations accepted, flowers tracking visitors. From this point on…you won’t hear about hands, hearts, and flowers anymore. The work of tracking invitations, of meeting our vision goal of 500 invitations, has been completed by you and by The Holy Spirit working through you! AND - while our vision goal is completed, the work of inviting, the work of sharing our faith, the work of making disciples and baptizing in the name of the Son, the father, and the Holy Spirit has just begun. Don’t stop inviting! Don’t stop sharing your faith! Don’t stop meeting your neighbors! Keep on inviting! Keep on sharing your faith! Keep on meeting your neighbors! You have all proven to yourselves that you can do it! That you can live out your faith, you can live out The Great Commission, you can live out our mission! Keep on inviting all into a joyous and caring Christian community.
Repeat after me: Thanks be to God! Thanks be to God!
We will now hear from two members of our church - one who did some inviting, and one who did some accepting…and then some inviting too. And we will celebrate and give thanks to God. Let us sing our praise chorus.
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