Exciting Days Ahead

Greetings Church Alive Family,

We are drawing very close to the move-in date for our new multi-use facility. Our target date is June 22nd. As we approach that first service, much will need to be accomplished in the days to come. We are asking all of us to volunteer at times that work. Clipboards and text/emails will come to each of us. What can we do to contribute to our move and readiness for June 22nd? Please jump in and we can do this together. Think about how to have joy as we tackle this task as a team. If you have questions please contact Lana Wood at 479-422-1002.  

Next, allow me to address the new schedule. Our first step on July 22nd will be starting our Sunday Morning Worship, Word, and Holy Spirit gathering at 11 am. We will offer children’s classes and a nursery during that service. The doors will be open at 10:30 am for fellowship with coffee and bottled water. We have caffeinated and decaf too.  

Pastor Ron was at a conference in the Dallas area last year. A pastor at the church he was visiting said something very poignant. He said, “Our church is a big family disguised as a church.” That is who we want to become. I believe we are well on our way. God wants three primary things in His forever family. First, He wants you. Progressively, He wants each of us to become completely committed to knowing Him well. Second, He wants a family. He started with a marriage in the Garden of Eden. He then commanded them to be fruitful and multiply. That resulted in a family. Third, Father wants us to evangelize the unsaved and bring them into His larger family. This is called the Body of Christ or the Church. One interesting fact about the church is that He puts singles, youth, and children in the greater family along with married couples. All are equal and valuable in His family. We desperately need to work on assimilating everyone meaningfully into His family!

As a growing family, we are commanded by Jesus to take converts and turn them into disciples. In the book of Acts chapter 19, we see Paul establishing The School of Tyrannus. It was a place where he met spiritually hungry believers daily for two years. Paul discipled them into a powerhouse of disciples that conquered Ephesus by the end of the first century. History records that there were about 100,000 people in Ephesus at the end of the first century and 60,000 of them were followers of Jesus. Our desire is to train disciples at Church Alive in our own “School pf Tyrannus” and transform Northwest Arkansas and the surrounding areas. I have proclaimed for 10 years that we are called to be a church with a womb, birthing equipped people into their Kingdom callings and ministries. The time to get serious about that is now! 

Starting in August, we will begin classes for nursery, children, and youth/adults at 10 am. There will be two adult classes and focus on a plethora of different subjects over the next 18 months. Then, we will take a break from 10:45 am until the all-together service starts at 11 am. At 11 am, we want the children and youth to stay in with us. Quiet bags will be available for the children. The nursery will be available if parents need to tend to their young ones. There will be no attendants in the nursery. There will be TV monitors in the nursery room with sound connected to the service. We will enjoy praise and worship, a shorter message, and Holy Spirit/ministry time with our children and youth participating with us. 

Thanks for allowing me to begin announcing the new schedule. We will talk, discuss, and answer more
questions as we draw near to our transition.

Advancing His Kingdom Together,
Pastor Tony