The Final Countdown

Isaiah 54: 2-3:

Enlarge the place of your tent,
    stretch your tent curtains wide,
    do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
    strengthen your stakes.

3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
    your descendants will dispossess nations
    and settle in their desolate cities.

We are on the final countdown to two morning services. If you come at 10am next week you’ll be in the middle of a service.

Our service times are going to be: 9am and 11:15am.

When I was a lad I’d go to the movies. It’s not like now where you get allocate seating. Then you got you ticket and could sit anywhere. Also, you could turn up half-way through the movie, sit through to the end, wait ten minutes, and watch the start of it up to the point you came in. Some of you are thinking of taking up that option. It is not an option!

There will be Limitless Kids and youth in both services. Previous ‘Menti’ polls had shown roughly a 50/50 split between which service people were planning attending. 

We have to make more space for more grace. Which will mean initially the services will feel under-attended. The reality is as we approach this new quarter, attendances will be at least the same. The hope is that we will see some growth.

Overall attendance has increased by over 26% between 2022-2025. This year, we have seen a 4% increase in attendance. 

I remind you: “When churches reach 80% capacity they plateau,” (Alice Mann, Raising the Roof)

As part of moving to two services we are having a bit of a refresh to our branding locally. We love the name All Nations Christian Centre, but will officially become known as “All Nations - Elim Reading”. 

They'll be a simplified logo too that works better across social media platforms. 

For most of us we won’t even notice this change because we will simply say All Nations as we do now. But for those looking fro a church it will clearly align us with the Elim Pentecostal Chruch of which we are a part.

I have some news for you: tithes and offerings - although increased - have not proportionately matched the church growth. Lots of reasons for this, but when someone becomes a Christian it can take a few years for the Holy Spirit to have a say over their wallets! It is a Christian discipline to give. Check out my blog for notes from a Bible study I recently did on giving.

If you’d like to give, please see Chris or our website. If you are giving and are a UK taxpayer, see Chris about Gift Aid - you can increase your giving without increasing your giving.

Giving is about what you are seeking first. Jesus told us to seek the first the Kingdom of God, everything else you need will be added (Matthew 6:33).

Giving is about gratitude. It’s from a place of thankfulness for what God has done (Colossians 1:12; 2 Corinthians 9:7).

I have some news for you: We have outgrown the building. We need to create some space. 

The elders and I have discussed this. We then too this to our ministry team leaders. We then further took this tour base of volunteers. Then to the Insight Meeting.

“We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us,” said Sir Winston Churchill in his speech to the meeting in the House of Lords, October 28, 1943.

The elders felt we have three viable options. We considered others, but this is the pathway we felt the Lord was leading us in.

• Two morning services - which start next week!

• Increase the seating capacity by developing the building further (mid-term solution).

In short, the concept is:

• Reorientate church so we face the other way.
• Take out the wall between here and the lounge (that we put in back in the day).
• Put in a balcony in the apse (above the lounge)
• Run seating further back underneath the balcony.
• Create an entrance at the end of the side chapel and lower that section of floor
• Have an atrium area outside and a glass corridor that goes to the current main entrance.
• Look at putting another floor above us with extended youth and children's facilities.

• Move location; nothing valve has presented itself.

All this will be subject to cost and planning permission. I’m not worried about the cost at this point. I know God is generous towards you and you are generous towards the church!

I have some more news for you: As Christians we are not customers. We are part of an army. If we really believed the gospel that saved us we would want to make sure as many people as possible hear it. If we believe in the vision of this church, we would want as many people as possible to be part of it. 

We cannot do this without you!

1 Peter 4:10: Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. (Compare with 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, previous message).

Everyone is commanded to serve one another. Around you in the room are QR codes to scan which will take you to a page with serving opportunities on it. Click on what interests you. We need to get people trained up and ready, so serving starts now!

Scan the QR code! Volunteer, from now, not when two service begin.

Ask yourself this question: if everyone in All Nations served the way I do, what would this church look like?

If the two service option is to work we need your help. We cannot do it alone. 

Galatians 5:13-14:13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’

Some principles from Galatians 5:

• If we do not serve because we do not feel like it, that’s indulging ourselves. We are saying serve me!
• Serving others is a sign of true humility. It kills the sense of entitlement we see so often in the world. 
• Serving others is a sign of love. It means I think of others more than I think of myself.

When everyone uses their gifts, the church becomes stronger, healthier, and more loving.

In summary: 

Let’s not neglect our church vision and priorities. We are seeing God move across church. Our vision is to make Jesus known to everyone, everywhere. This is a big vision. To focus our attention, we seek to achieve this through mission, discipleship, worship and legacy.

Landing this:

Menti survey.

Just one question! If you feel you would have liked to have asked something, see me privately, but the time for public questions was last week

Which service from September will you come to: 9am or 11:15am? 

You’re not locked in, but this gives us an indication. Remember: kids and youth work in both, same service, same songs, same preacher, same Holy Spirit.