“Is September 14th a Guest Sunday or Harvest Festival? Is this one event or two?” I have gotten those questions several times over the past two weeks. The answer is that both our Guest Sunday and Harvest Festival are on September 14th. In fact, I would think of them as one event; a Guest Service followed by a church-wide Harvest Festival. Why are we doing this? 1. To make it easier to invite people to come CrossWay who wouldn’t normally attend church. I have several friends who wouldn’t attend CrossWay without something to draw them in. How do I know? I’ve asked them. I’ve asked them several times. But I think they would seriously consider coming if I said, “Heh, we’re having a Harvest Festival after church on September 14th, I would love for you to come to church and then stay afterwards for our Harvest Festival.”
2. To allow our guests to see the people of CrossWay relating to one-another in an informal setting. The corporate witness of the church body is a powerful testimony to the transforming power of the gospel both as we worship God and as we enjoy fellowship together. That’s why the Harvest Festival is a church-wide event. Whether you invite guests on Sunday morning or not, we want you to participate in our Harvest Festival for the health of our church body and the corporate witness of the church.
3. To give our guests time to consider attending the Preview Dinner for Exploring Christianity. I see our Guest Sunday\Harvest Festival and Exploring Christianity working hand in hand. Ideally, a person who attends our Guest Sunday would also attend our Preview Dinner for Exploring Christianity on September 24th. We will invite all of our guests on Guest Sunday to attend the Preview Dinner and I would encourage you to ask them if they would attend the Preview Dinner with you.
4. Ultimately, to allow more people to hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our mission is to glorify God through the transformation of lives by the power of the gospel. The more people who attend our Guest Sunday the more people who will hear a clear presentation of the gospel. We are praying that many would come and many would be changed by the power of the gospel.
So what should you do in preparation for Guest Sunday\Harvest Festival?
Pray. Pray for who God might have you invite, pray that they would come, and pray that God changes many lives that Sunday morning.
Invite. Invite those with whom you’ve been building a relationship, invite your closest friends, invite your family members, invite your neighbors, invite your co-workers, invite your distant acquaintances.
Attend. Whether you have guests attending our Guest Service or not, attend our Harvest Festival after the service. We really do want this to be a church-wide event for the health of our church body and the corporate witness of the church.
Purchase. Buy your tickets for the Harvest Festival on Sunday morning. All tickets must be purchased by Sunday, September 7th. If you can’t afford it, let us know. If you could afford more, make a donation for those who cannot afford it. We want this to be a church-wide event.
Ticket Prices: Adults $6, Children $3 (under 10), Infants FREE (under 2), or a Family Package $30. All Guests eat for free – they will receive free tickets in their Welcome Packets.
