Sunday, February 14th was “Re-Launch” for our church.

You cannot imagine how proud I was as I watched our team work in preparation for this day! This preparation has taken much time and energy! Let me share some of what has happened in the last six months

• We have changed our name (From New Life Free Methodist to Church180)
• We have written new by-laws
• We launched a new family ministry
• We have acquired additional space for our Family ministry
• We have added a part time Family Ministries pastor
• We have developed a team of pastors ranging from mid twenties to early seventies
• We have completely renovated the inside of our building and our new building
• We have partnered with two local organizations both of which have point persons from our church to work with them (Ebinport Elementary and Pilgrims Inn)
• We launched a new website (www.church180.tv)
• We have prayed, planned, invited, and prepared for whatever it is that God will do in and through us.

Saturday night, after everyone had gone home and the building was dark I sat quietly and prayed. While I was praying I pulled out my journal and wrote these words:

All is done. Tomorrow we re-launch. We’ve worked hard and done our best. It is yours God. I don’t know what tomorrow holds but I know who will be with me and us tomorrow. I feel rather peaceful. Fulfilled.

No matter what happens tomorrow we can rest in this – we have done our best. Father it is for your honor that we call people to you. It is for you that we live. Thank you for my friends and teammates who have worked so hard with me these last weeks.

Thank you for Jesus without whom none of this is possible and if it were it would not reasonable.

We moved into Sunday morning with peace and confidence.

Our volunteers were fired up! The energy was high. We were ready for whomever would come!

At 9:45 (service starts at 10 a.m.) no one had come! AHHHHH!!! As I headed to my office with a lump in my throat I tweeted, “Will they come? what every church planter wonders.” And then they did!

We had a total of 81 people join us for our re-launch and the beginning of our new teaching series, His, Hers, Ours.

Some observations on the re-launch:

• Almost everyone of our first-time guests were young couples/families.
• Most of our first-time guests came in response to the mailer (one came from our Facebook ad).
• There was only one visiting family from out of town, everyone else was local. This means that our re-launch was not artificially inflated with out of town family, etc.
• The best observation of the day came from a guest who was impressed at the age diversity of our church! Seniors, I’ve been telling you that you are one of our most valuable assets! You are a gift we can offer to young families and couples who are seeking to stay married and be great parents! (Read this post from our first Sunday at this church – it has some observations I shared with our seniors, all of which are proving to be true!).
• The second best observation of the day came from a guest who said, “This building looks manly.” I like that! Not filled with flowers and pastels… our building has an industrial, grey, manly feel. I’m real proud of Kim Buchannan for designing based on that premise!
• It is good to have re-launch done. Now we move ahead with one clear purpose, to help people discover the new life Jesus has promised!

Thanks to each of you who have been praying, serving, giving, and anticipating this day!