How humbled and full of gratitude we must be that God would answer our prayers so remarkably! With only a mustard seed of faith the tree actually did obey! As we began our three service schedule last Sunday morning, the Lord worked to spread the 940+ people over the three services in a more balanced way than any of us had expected. I had taken for my refuge the word of God to Moses:

Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord which he will work for you today. . . The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be still.

And so we watched him work while we quieted ourselves at his Table and sought the purification of our hearts.

• We watched him create a new Sunday School class of 140 people (the as-yet-unnamed career fellowship).
• We watched him create a new believers' class called “The Good Fight” with 13 people in it.
• We watched him sustain the Sunday School attendance at 50 more than last year.
• We watched him supply a full choir for each service.
• We watched him supply ushers and greeters and nursery workers.
• We watched him in the work of our deacons as they beautifully coordinated the delicate task of three back-to-back communion services.
• We watched him call people to pray, and we watched him create a spirit of hope and excitement all through the halls and classes.

Now let us stop and think for a moment.

We have every reason to believe that God is for us—if we continue to humble ourselves before him and exalt the truth of his word and the power of his sovereign grace. So how much time have we gained before we are out of space again? At the growth rate of the past four years, the answer is: less than two years.

This means that major advance decisions are imminent. At its March 1st meeting, the Deacon Council officially dissolved its Long Range Planning Committee with appreciation for their 19-month labors and proposed Master Plan. The Council also established a Site Development Task Force made up of the Church Chairmen and Business Administrator (Dennis Smith, Dick Fast, Ronn Kreps and Roger Fast). The task force will report to the deacons and the deacons will bring recommendations to the church for discussion and action.

Pray earnestly in these next months as we prepare to meet the challenge of expanding ministry, especially the crunch just around the corner in two years.

Depending on your prayers for strength and joy,

Pastor John