A New Thing*

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Isaiah 43:19 KJV 1900

Behold, I will do a new thing; Now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, And rivers in the desert.

Luke 3:23 KJV 1900

And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

Prayer & Subject

Introduction

Avon is a multi-level marketing company that specialized in the marketing, sale, and distribution of beauty, household, and personal care products

As of November 1st, 2019, they had annual sales of $4.7 Billion globally and had a total value of approximately $2.4 Billion

Avon was founded in 1887 by David H. McConnell who sold books door-to-door as a part of the Union Publishing Company in Manhattan

To increase his sales, he made the decision to create perfume samples that could be given freely with the purchase of a book

The samples became so popular that his book sales increased, but his profit margin was so low that he abandoned the books and focused on his homemade perfumes

It was at this point that he filed for registration of the California Perfume Company in New York and New Jersey

For 50 years, the company sold perfumes and began to enter the market for other items that would go on to fuel the global growth that the company has experienced for 80 years

However, before entering new markets both across the United States and around the globe, the company had to undergo a name change

So many people knew the company as a Perfume Company, it became difficult to accept it as a distributor of other products

The company had to undergo some changes to step into the next phase of its eventual destiny

Until they changed their name, people would only see them as the perfume company

But by letting go of who they used to be, they could grow into who they were meant to become

Who Are You Meant to Be?

What is the Church Meant to Be?

Holy temple, Who are We Meant to Be?

You see, we find ourselves at the crossroads of a new beginning

We have reached a critical point where we have no choice but to make a fresh start

This Church is relatively new to me and I am, as a Pastor new to you

And the question in all of our minds, is how we make this work?

In many ways, we find ourselves at the crossroads that Avon found itself in 1937

In 1937 David McConnell found himself at a point where he had to decide between risky progress with a new corporate identity and or the consistency that comes with the familiar.

We have a similar choice in front of us, to

We are at a pivotal point in our history and the question is how do we proceed?

Do we continue doing what we have been doing.

It works, the methods are tried and they are tested

Or do we allow ourselves to venture out into new territory

We may have to change some things about ourselves and we may have to

It has become our collective responsibility, as a Church to get to know one another, to share with one another, and support one another

Isaiah 43:19

Luke 3:23