Dear Friends,
In my first few weeks here at Torrance First I have discovered what I believe to be the two critical values within the church (outside of God and Christ). First, is family and second is food. If you took either of these elements out of a Sunday morning or any church gathering it would not be Torrance First. These two values are the lenses that I have put on to look forward in our ministry together and to drive ideas for growing the church spiritually and into the community.
With this in mind, I was excited to have an initial meeting with the 11:15 worship leaders about the Contemporary Service to begin answering questions about the status of that service. We gathered over delicious potluck fare and discussed the goals and purpose of that service and the needs of the church community. We desire to offer a relevant worship experience for the young people of this church and community, but we also want to promote the spiritual needs of families within the church. A vision began to develop of a family night at church. A night where multiple generations (the family value of the church) can gather around the table for a meal in the social hall (the food value of the church). Understanding that parents are working and busy, kids have sports and activities, and the family meal is getting more and more difficult to keep consistent, we want to offer a weekly opportunity to eat together without having to cook or clean, but simply enjoy the mealtime. After dinner, families will be invited to sit in worship together for a relevant, interactive worship service that will engage kids and youth, but also reach adults in the message and music. The family that worships and grows spiritually together is a stronger family that will hold fast through the storms of life and we wont to offer that opportunity in this place. It will not be on alternative to Sunday morning worship, but will be an extra worship opportunity to begin the second half of the work and school week, a spiritual boost so to say.
This is the beginning of a vision to further draw us together as one church family in worship, study, fellowship and the breaking of bread. These are the four elements of the early church in the book of Acts where the apostles declare that through these God blessed them and added to their numbers daily.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Stacy