Scott's Thoughts: Sun, Jan 1, 2023

January 1st, 2023

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H7 Story: Excitement at Xmas Eve Service, Thanks for Jumping in to Help!

Buncha Upcoming Items & Events to Know About and Plan For

2022 Annual Report, 2023 Budget & Giving, Vision Banquet

Annual Membership Renewal & Spiritual Health Survey

Some Recent Important Items & Blurbs You May Have Missed

H7 Story: Excitement at Xmas Eve Service, Thanks for Jumping in to Help!

Over the Christmas weekend we had 700 show up for 3 all-church Christmas Candlelight worship gatherings at our Afton campus! Thanks to so many of you who not only made a point to invite friends and family to join us but who also showed up on Christmas Sunday (~225). We had a wonderful time being together to celebrate the coming of our King and Savior!

Well, 2 out of 3 ain’t bad. Turned out some water pipes burst and put a damper on things at our Christmas Eve service. Immediately after our Tech Team Producer counted down from 3-2-1, right on cue an alarm began blaring and water could be seen pouring down from the ceiling onstage! Uh oh. Not good.

However, by the time Afton Campus Pastor Tommy Staggs began letting folks know the situation about 20 seconds in, numerous FCCers had already begun springing into action. By the time the Police and Fire Departments were on scene, a bunch of our folks had already been cleaning, moving equipment, pushing out water, and helping maintain sanity among what temporarily felt like a bit of chaos!

While the temporary confusion about the nature of the situation meant canceling the service, it became an opportunity to serve our community, even if in a small way. Not only did it end up being a good thing we were there to save what could’ve easily been many thousands of dollars of loss and damage to our portable equipment and Chuckey-Doak High School’s musical and theater facilities and equipment, but it became a moment of encouragement that God is indeed using our outreach efforts to bless our community! While the County Schools Director of Building and Maintenance was making his way to the building, he called the Director of Schools, worried that he wouldn’t have enough help when he got there. But the Director of Schools said, “If FCC is there, you’ll have people to help.” How cool is that?! Our reputation preceded us and was further validated by so many who jumped in to help!

Here’s how Tommy reported this later that night in a message to our Elders, Deacons, Staff, Residents, and Key Leaders: “I heard nearly a dozen times how glad they were that we were there because it could have been so much worse. There was some really good discussion about how much value FCC is adding to our schools and tonight was one of those times when a unique group of people got to see our heart #ForGreene. What was special was also seeing their heart for coming out on Christmas Eve even when they don’t get paid extra. This was a night to remember for sure—and God was glorified. Your light was shining to the community.”

Well done, y’all. Thank you for being ready to step up when needed! I love this church.

Buncha Upcoming Items & Events to Know About and Plan For

7 Days of Prayer: The 7 Habits, Sun-Sat, Jan 1-7, 7-7:30p, Greeneville Campus Worship Center — Every January, during the first full week of Sunday through Saturday, our Residents help us start off the year right by going to God in prayer. It’s a chance to reset our hearts and minds around His Kingdom purposes for our lives, our families, and our church by learning and praying through the 7 Habits—one per evening. For more detail, see fccgreene.org/7dop.

January Life Groups “Push” – Just letting ya know, we push LGs all month long… and speaking of “push,” it’s worth saying, again, as we do here at FCC, that just like any meaningful relationship you’ve ever had in life, you don’t stumble upon great Christian community and friendships, you create them. So stop being a wimp, get into a Life Group, and get to creating great long-term Christian friendships because it takes considerably more than 2 times to even begin to do so, whether you “hit it off” with the people or not. Listen, I’m done kindly nuancing this issue because everyone needs the fellowship of close Christian community! (Even you.) So commit to a Life Group and don’t come crying later with this namby-pamby stuff about “We did try a Life Group. We went twice and it just didn’t fit.” Or “Yeah, we went once every 3 or 4 weeks and it just didn’t work out.” Really?! Huh. I can’t imagine why it didn’t work for you, (you childish wimp who expects relationships with others in a broken world to be unrealistically totally awesome and organic and without any need for you to invest and grow, and, I dunno, be consistent. Lead by example and stop being such a consumeristic weirdo.) Listen, I’m tired of silly “adults” who “just couldn’t make it work” because they refused to commit and do the hard work. Save your excuses for someone who is quite happy to smile and nod and shepherd your failure to grow. At FCC, we are about producing producers, raising mature disciplemaking adults who make our community strong, and we practice that process and do personal care and spiritual growth in the context of Life Groups. We don’t do whatever you want us to do that is somehow different or how your previous church did it. We also don’t do something that 100% exactly fits your individual schedule of availability that is once every 3-4 weeks because you’ve also chosen to do other things. (And neither does any other church or group of people anywhere.) We. Do. Life Groups. In community. Where you are forced to be flexible for the sake of others. (Wow, how very countercultural and Christlike.) Consider yourself “pushed.“

Brown Bags & Bibles (& Books!) Discussing Holiness of God, by R. C. Sproul — In keeping with our pattern of rotating between a systematic doctrinal/theological study, explaining and unpacking our Elders Position Papers (fccgreene.org/beliefs#epp), and reading and discussing a book of cultural or theological import, it’s time for BB&B Book Club! So sometime mid-January we begin reading and discussing R. C. Sproul’s classic Holiness of God. If you wanna join the discussion, get a copy, get to reading, and join us mid-Jan.

Re|engage, starting Mon, Jan 9 – Whether you’re a few decades in or a few years in, take your marriage up a few notches during this Spring semester of our marriage enrichment ministry. More details on the app (top of “Home” tab) or on fccgreene.org (under the “Connect” menu).

Next Series — “Exodus: Subtitle Goes Here” — Yeah, sorry, not sure yet about the subtitle—need some more time to study and simmer. But whatever the subtitle, it’d behoove you to read through Exodus a time or two before we jump in. We’ll finish up John in the next couple weeks and start Exodus on Sun, Jan 22.

Team Bash, Sun, Jan 29, 5-7:30p, Afton Campus (Chuckey-Doak HS) — You don’t want to miss this annual all-church night of good food, laughing with your church family, and acknowledging our amazing volunteers who make all this go! If I’m remembering correctly, we have an illusionist/comedian/teacher as the entertainment. And the Elders & Staff make it all happen so you can just sit back and enjoy! (Well, at least for this one night! We’ll still very much need you to serve the next Sunday, if not the following Monday.) More info and sign-up is on the top of the “Home” tab on the app or at fccgreene.org/teambash.

WinterSpring Retreats – As part of needing to do both all-church and campus-specific things, we are trying a couple new “WinterSpring” retreats. And according to my highly accurate and eminently helpful personal prognostications of the weather based on assessment of at least 1 website, the average temperature spanning the dates of our 3 upcoming retreats should be between a low of 28° and high of 59° F, with weather ranging between a small possibility of a dusting of snow and/or a slight frost with fog and WNW winds averaging 10 mph all the way to perhaps balmy and breezy blue skies in the mid-50s with zero precipitation, and everything also possible between the aforementioned dusting and balmy blue skies. That, plus at least 1 other person from your campus will be there, so yeah, what more do you need to know?! All 3 “WinterSpring” retreats are all-church events and are at Longview Ranch (longviewranch.com). For more info and to register, go to “Events Calendar” on the app or the links below.
- 180 Middle/High School Students: “Courageous Faith”, Fri-Sat, Feb 17-18 — Hurry up, registration closes soon. See the top of the “Home” tab on the app or fccgreene.org/180retreat for more. And parents, stop this “Hey, do you wanna go?” silliness that teaches your kid that they are passive spiritual consumers and that they are ultimately in charge of you. Sign them up, tell them they’re going because it’s good for them, and then they will thank you later. This is how we parent, people.
- Adult Men, Fri-Sun, Feb 24-26 — In what I’m sure will be a weekend filled with lots of dangerous axe throwing, arm wrestling, and meat eating, we will likely also sit around a campfire, sing God’s praises, study His Word, and pray for one another to be the man God created us to be for those under our care. Actually, I’m entirely unsure about pretty much everything above other than the Bible study part, as I’m preaching for one of the sessions. (So please show up, guys. At least to validate your Lead Pastor and help fill in some of his personal insecurities. Oh, and to join with other men in community that calls us to produce producers for the sake of our families and community. That, too.) Also, because I know it will be asked, yes, you can leave early to get to church to serve on Sunday morning. In fact, please do—we need you! Details and sign-up here.
- Adult Women, Fri-Sun, Mar 17-19 — While there may not be much in the way of axe throwing or beating of chests as the Men’s Retreat, there will be plenty of time to develop deeper relationships with sisters in Christ and to study God’s Word together. (And yes, you can leave early to get to church to serve on Sunday morning. In fact, please do—we need you!) Details and sign-up here.
- Pronouncing “WinterSpring” Correctly — As a nod to what is emerging as our “German” location at South Greene, (where at least half a dozen German speakers attend), I’m pronouncing “WinterSpring” as “VinterShprïng,” with what I’m sure is an incorrect umlaut over zee 2nd “i” to indicate zat zee entire vord should be said with various gutturals und glottal stops to make it sound Germanic.

Good Ole Fashioned Potluck And Prayer (GOFPAP) with 180 Students Reporting/Fundraising for Summer 2023 Mexico Mission Trip, Sun, Mar 5, 5:30-7p, at Each Campus — Our next campus-specific GOFPAP will be as normal, where we ask everyone to come with food for a meal and brief time of prayer together. But this time, we’re going to be hearing from our 180 Students and Adult Leaders about their upcoming trip, to pray for them and to help raise some needed funds. So bring some chicken and your checkbook. More detail to come soon from your Campus Pastor.

2022 Annual Report and 2023 Budget

In the Dec 4 edition of Scott’s Thoughts, I foolishly, somewhat accidentally, and entirely preemptively dangled the carrot of being ready to publish our 2023 Budget and new format for our 2022 Annual Report. But because… (a) we ended up finding that we had much more tweaking and planning to do before finishing, (b) the company to which we outsourced our Annual Report has taken a couple weeks off for the holidays, (c) our Church Office was closed this past week, and (d) the lay Elders and I (ex officio Elder) are ironing out one last vestige about the budget (my fault, not theirs), I think we’re maybe, hopefully, and actually finally one week away and will be making all those available in print and online next Sun, Jan 8. FWIW, the Annual Report is super cool and the budget for 2023 is only increasing 3-point-something percent. (In fact, it’s either 3.13% or 3.52%.) But they’re not yet ready. My apologies. While 75% of those reading this likely will hardly know or care that I said much of the aforementioned a month ago, I hate over-promising and under-delivering. But… we have indeed been working hard behind the scenes to continue developing helpful ways for our systems and programming to be 3-in-1 campuses-and-church, (or some such Trinitarian sounding structure of multisite) in order to help keep us missionally unified, and we think you’ll like the way the Budget funds and the Annual Report tells that H7 story of God’s work among us!

Annual Membership Renewal & Spiritual Health Survey

Every January, during the entire month, we ask everyone who essentially considers us their church home—whether member or non-member—to fill out a 7-Habits-based spiritual health survey. Also, on that same form, we ask every member to ‘formally’ reup, as a sign of ongoing commitment.

This helps in a couple ways. One, as a natural time of the year to take stock and ask for God’s direction, it is good for us to take a few minutes to think and pray about what God might want to do through our commitments in the coming year. We’ve heard anecdotal stories of people using this survey, for example, as a recommitment to “H1: Engage in Worship” when that practice had recently become lax. Also, it helps our leaders understand better how to effectively shepherd our people. Over the course of the last few years, the overwhelmingly most reported need was more Bible knowledge and personal daily time in the Word. As a result, it changed some of our approach to preaching as well as the need to provide trustworthy resources to our people.

So, please go to the top of the “Home” tab on the app for more. For those wanting the link to the link to the survey/renewal, go to fccgreene.org/membership#renewal.

Some Recent Important Items & Blurbs You May Have Missed