Stepping Forward

This past winter has been a fun adventure of stepping forward in growth at our church.

As we’ve embarked on our new ministry adventure, we’ve seen a lot of positive changes happening in our church.

We began with gathering the young adults who were currently attending or visiting the cathedral.

We started with having weekly lunches after the service for people to hang out and get to know each other better. We’ve seen great success as there is now a core group of 8 or so who attend regularly, and often there are as many as 15 or so coming for the food and fellowship.

In December, we hosted a Christmas party for the young adults. The idea was hatched over one of our weekly lunches, and the party was put together within a week or so. To make things simple, we went with a potluck and white elephant gift exchange. I combed through the church directory for the names of young adults I had met, and I sought our help in identifying the young adults from other staff members. We wanted to be sure to include everyone associated with the church and to let them know that the new young adult ministry was forming.

We sent out the invitations to the party and were pleasantly surprised to have twenty people come! Everyone had a great time, and I ended up going home with the same white elephant gift I came with 🙁 When I’ve mentioned the party to long-time attenders of the cathedral, they all comment that they didn’t even know there were twenty young adults at the cathedral!

We’ve since hosted a baby shower for one of the couples who are expecting their first child in February. The ladies went to one lunch spot for the shower, gifts, and games, and the men went to another spot to celebrate.

Overall, we’ve seen a lot of positive changes in the church as the young adults are feeling connected and are choosing to make the cathedral their spiritual home.

In the next few weeks we will be hosting a study in our home on the season of Lent and its significance for the church. We look forward to growing deeper in our faith and relationships with each other these Friday nights.

We are thankful for the prayers of many who have sustained us during this time of stepping forward in faith in this new ministry and ask that you would pray for continued growth, connections, and encouragement in our faith.

What ideas have worked in your church for starting up new groups and helping people feel more connected? We’d love to hear your thoughts and comments.

If you liked this post, read Embarking on a New Adventure and Encountering Roadblocks.