An Invitation

A new school year is here. For some of us, this means new sneakers, new schedules, new routines, new friends, new resolve... But even if no one in your house has been in school in a long time, you can still feel all that new-year energy around you. Here at New Roads, we’re starting our full range of Kids’ Church programs again, having coffee and donuts once again after the 8:30 and the 10, welcoming families into a new year of sacramental preparation, and getting ready to launch a pilot program of Small Groups for kids and teens. In church and around town, there’s a sense of new beginnings in the air--this is a great time to invite someone you know to come to church. Here are three easy steps you can take this week:

1. Make a list of three people you would like to invite to church. Think of three people among your friends, family members, colleagues, neighbors, people who deliver your mail or mow your lawn or stand with you on the soccer field--people who could benefit from belonging to a church, who could use the love and support of a faith community on their journey.
   
   
2. Pray for the people on your list. Ask God for wisdom and courage and for a sense of how he wants to touch the lives of each person on your list. Ask God to give you an opportunity to approach one of those people this week.
   
   
3. When God gives you the opportunity, invite them!
   
   

• If it’s someone you know fairly well, make it personal. Put something concrete from your relationship into the invitation. Tell them something about why you like going to church and how you think they would benefit from church, too. For example: “You know how hard my mom’s death has been on me. My church has been such an important part of helping me get through this, and I think you would really like it too. I was wondering if you would come to church with me this weekend.” 
  
• If it’s a casual acquaintance, just make it general and friendly. “We’ve been going to this church for a while and our girls are really enjoying the kids’ programs. I’m not sure if you have plans for this weekend, but I hope you’ll come check it out with us sometime.”
  

You could be the difference between someone in your life knowing God and not knowing God. You could be the person who helps someone in your life come to know the God who made them and loves them. You could plant the seed that blossoms into a life-changing relationship. It all starts with an invitation. Don’t be silent because you are afraid that extending the invitation will bring you shame or rejection or ridicule. The Lord God will be your help.

~Rachel

Take your next step: Make your list of three. Pray about it. When God gives you the opportunity this week, take it!

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