Dream Team Dinner Party - March 22, 2023

Appreciation

Jennifer and Autumn - Organizing, Decor…(A whole team that hung out after church Sunday to setup.)

Food: Chef Craig, Cece, and Holly

Thank you to all of you for taking time out of your week

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Open

Luke 10:2 NKJV

Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

The whole reason we are having this gathering tonight is because EASTER IS LESS THAN 3 WEEKS AWAY!

Have you ever wondered why Easter is such a huge moment for the kingdom...

Why did God structure it when He did…it’s based on passover (which was instituted from early on in the Israelite existence.)

Easter takes place in spring because nature teaches us truths sometimes

Spring reminds us that life can show up in dead places.

Jesus came to life in the midst of the season of new life!

We have the opportunity to preach the resurreciton of Jesus in the season of new life as a prophetic illustration of what God is desirous to do in the lives of those who are far from Him.

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We are expectant for God to do some amazing things at Easter.

We anticipate that numerous people will find LIFE CHANGE THROUGH CHRIST this easter...

Tonight is all about remembering that fact…and understanding that YOU HAVE A HUGE ROLE TO PLAY

I quickly want to talk about three things you can do to facilitate life change this Easter.

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1. Invite

One of our largest investments as a church during the first year and change has been advertisement.

Social media, mailers, print materials

WE HAVE SEEN RETURNS BY THESE EXPENDATURES

But recently we have seen a shift in our YOU CARD’S - We’re seeing more (friend/relative) boxes checked!

Your invitation carries weight.

Life way Research suggests that 82% of people would come to church if a friend or relative invited them.

Let me make you a promise about inviting your friends/relatives/coworkers - THEY WILL HEAR THE GOSPEL AT EASTER!

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Ways to invite.

Easter invite Card

Share our Facebook Event - Tag someone personally and send it to their messenger

Share our instagram reel - In your stories tag the personal account of someone you want to come with you!

USE YOUR WORDS! (Word of mouth is still the gold standard of marketing.)

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2. invest

The gospel is free…Jesus paid the price…but in the USA…winning souls by means of being a church isn’t free.

CONVERSIONS CARRY A COST!

2022 Study of church incomes versus new converts found this statistic

Every Conversion = $1.5 million dollars

THAT’S A TON OF MONEY

I am not bragging on me…I’m bragging on what God is doing.

This is good ground to sow into....because our efficacy rate is significantly better than that national finding.

Awaken Church average cost per convert = $4474.58 - LITTLE IS MUCH WHEN GOD IS IN IT!

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Easter is Harvest season…and so we are making extra investment during this season in anticipation of souls coming to Jesus!

Physical Promotional Items

Improvements to Facility

Extra elements of hospitality

Social Media marketing

Volunteer Engagement

We are investing an extra $5000 into reaching people on Easter Sunday!

YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF THAT INVESTMENT TONIGHT!

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3. Involve

Often when people come to church…they notice the pastor…they sometimes notice the worship team…and if you have kids you might notice the kids team.

It take no less than 30 people to do what we do every Sunday.

AWAKEN CHURCH IS A WE THING…NOT A ME THING

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Interesting Stats

2023: Median Attendance - 154 - (That’s up from around 75 in November and December of 2022)

2023: Median Serve Team - 31

This number equates to 4.96 people in attendance for every one “accept” on planning center.

YOU CAN PRESS A BUTTON AND ACCOUNT FOR FIVE PEOPLE SHOWING UP TO CHURCH!

It really matters whether you serve or not! - THE BEST WAY TO GROW OUR CHURCH IS TO SERVE AT OUR CHURCH!

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Now…FOR EASTER!

We have 64 Planning Center positions prepared for Easter Sunday!

That’s enough for every person here…If we don’t have a spot we will make a spot.

USE MY MATH - 64 Roles = Attendance goal of (317)

Where are we going to put them? - We will find a spot…We will have all of us sit on the patio and make the entirety of the room for our guests!

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These three things I’ve talked about tonight are whats

LET THE WHY MOTIVATE YOUR WHAT!

I invite - to see lives changed through Christ

I invest - to see lives changed through Christ

I’m involved - to see lives changed through Christ