Celebrate: Leaving "Lecture 1"

There are a ton of negative and positive things about using a school as your meeting place to "do" church. It is awesome for students that go to that school becuase they are already familiar with the campus and can find their way around. It's terrible for students that go to that school because it feels like "school" instead of a church home. That's why I'm really excited for our move into the Plant. We have ONE last Sunday @ Clovis West High School and then New Harvest Church will be in it's very own facility! It's funny and strange the various expectations people have for a church that is mobile verses one that's not. I've heard people say things like, "I can't wait until we move to the place because then we can have adult Sunday school classes" or "I can't wait becuase people will start wearing their Sunday best." Are you kidding me? Let me tell you my "I can't wait" list.

I can't wait because...

• We'll have our own space that doesn't feel like a school
• The room students meet in won't be called "lecture 1"
• We can blow people's expectations out of the water by not becoming "churchy"
• We won't need less volunteers (as some people suspect) but many more for the hundreds that will be coming to check us out
• My commute on Sundays will be shorter :)
• Set-Up/Tear-Down...not much
• We will be able to launch a new ministry for high school students (Catalyst)
• Re:action, our new college ministry, will be able to move into a larger space than my living room
• Erica's car won't be full of supplies all the time :P
• We can have adequate space and technology to train our volunteers like they should be trained
• God is going to rock our socks off with how he's going to use the facility for his glory
• The community can see a physical presence to represent we are a real church
• People who come every once-in-a-while because they hate sitting in our folding blue chairs, will be there more frequently
• 5th and 6th grades will be able to launch into their own environment (once we build the team)
• Turnpike, our Jr. High environment, will be without High Schoolers for once...which will enable them to grow (because small trees don't get much light in a tall forrest)
• All of our High Schoolers will have no excuse for serving during the 10:45am service hour, because their environment will be moved to the evening!
• And more...

Do you have a list?