1,000 Stories of Opened Doors
In light of the empty tomb, which invites us to follow the Risen Jesus into the future (Mark 16:6-7) to join His Kingdom community and mission, we will take at least 1,000 "open-door actions" over the next 12 months. We're defining an open-door action as an intentional act of love, bathed in prayer and clothed with boldness, taken to deepen or extend relationships with those around us. As our relationships expand, we expect God to deepen and enlarge our church community in ways that will help us further know and make known the love of God in Christ and the power and mission of the Holy Spirit. We will collect and share our stories of open-door actions to encourage and inspire one another and to give praise to God for the growth we have realized as a result.
We're inviting our entire church community to "own this vision" by committing to:
1) performing open-door activities regularly
2) recording them (perhaps in a journal - but feel free to be creative)
3) creating a tangible way of representing their participation and contribution to our goal (such as a jar or bucket with a pebble placed inside for each open-door activity)
How To Begin?
1) Reflection: A Door Opened For You
Remember a time that someone extended an "open door" as an act of love for you.
Who was it, what did they do, and what impact did it have on your life?
2) Challenge: Open A Door For Someone Else
Who do you feel called to extend an "open door" to as an act of love this week?
How will you open a door for them, in prayer and with boldness, this week?
Listen to Pastor Mike Skinner's Vision Sunday Sermon
Possible "Open Door" Actions
1) Bake some cookies for a neighbor and ask them how you can pray for them.
2) Invite a friend or family member to a worship service or our upcoming Community Block Party on Saturday, April 24th.
3) Reach out to someone you have had relational difficulties with recently and seek reconciliation and forgiveness.
4) Connect with someone inside our church you don't know well (shoot them an email, send them a text, give them a phone call, grab a meal or coffee).
5) Host an event at/for the church (online or in-person) to encourage fellowship and connection.
6) Write an encouraging thank you note or give a small gift to a church leader or volunteer that perhaps goes unappreciated at times (board members, outreach team members, Elder team, staff members, tech and worship teams, or childcare workers - as some examples).
*** Note: these are just suggestions to get your creative juices flowing. We encourage you to be creative, innovative, and bold. Pursue God-sized initiatives!