Your Input Matters!!

There’s nothing more important to our church than your spiritual growth. Whether you’re just starting to explore the Christian faith, or you’re a long-time Christ-follower, we want to do everything we can to help you on your spiritual journey.

That’s why we need your help!

Beginning January 14th we’re asking you to follow the “REVEAL Spiritual Life Survey” link from the website, http://www.powhatancommunitychurch.org/ to take the REVEAL Spiritual Life Survey, which asks questions about your spiritual life and the role PCC plays in it. This survey is a unique research effort that involves hundreds of churches around the country.
Since the survey touches on a wide range of thought-provoking issues, you should anticipate needing 20 minutes to complete it. Let me assure you:

• This survey is completely anonymous. An expert third-party research organization will aggregate your input with responses from thousands of other people, so your survey will not be viewed individually.
• You will not be solicited for any products or services as a result of taking this survey.
• Your email address will not be distributed to another party.

We’ll close the survey on January 21st and begin crunching and interpreting the information.
Thanks in advance for your time and contribution to this very important work.

Chauncey Starkey

Church Administrator

Thoughts on heading into the new year...

December has been a whirlwind for me...perhaps for you, too. It's usually not until this week - the week after Christmas - that I get any real chance to reflect and process. Here are a few random thoughts...

REACH The Reach Campaign was both exciting and challenging. It's also not over. We'll be in it for 3 years. What I mean by that is this: REACH was a 3 year campaign where people made financial commitments over that 3 year period. We continue to get commitments in - just this week we've received well over $100,000 in commitments, and our total now exceeds $850,000. We're well on our way to our goal of raising $1.5 million over the next 36 months. Please, please consider making a commitment. Every commitment matters and helps us toward our goal.

Our Mission In case you don't know: The Mission of Powhatan Community Church is to reach those who've been untouched or unaffected by traditional churches and guide them to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. This mission guides everything we do. When people email or call or talk to me face to face and say, "I don't like this" or "I prefer that", I usually help get us to a productive conversation about why we exist. I don't do church the way I like it. I don't do it the way you like it. What I'm interested in is this: what is effective at reaching people who are far from God and outside of other churches? How can we effectively help them understand that God loves them and wants a relationship with them? How can we prepare a fertile ground where they are most likely to encounter God's purpose for their lives, which will ultimately lead them to be full of joy and peace? Sometimes this requries us to do things that are unorthodox. Sometimes it may not seem comfortable or even worshipful. But what we do works. Members of PCC have signed up for this mission and are commited to it...and we couldn't accomplish it without every one of them. This past year, we baptized over 40 people and many more are finding their way into church when they had previously given up on church. This is what we're about.

2008. Next year will be a challenging year for us...but an exciting one. A year from now, we'll be nearing completion on our first building and planning to move in. We have a lot of work to do if we are to be prepared for the growth that this move will bring. We have to carefully balance and manage our time, our energy, and our finances. This is a great time to get involved at PCC! Our first series of the year is called Under Pressure and is a great time for you to invite your unchurched friends and neighbors!

PCC has had our share of challenges, but all in all it's been a great journey. If you are not a part of our church, not in a small group, not serving in an area that you really enjoy and about which you are passionate, we would love to help you! Give our office a call or email me and we'll get moving in the right direction!

See you Sunday - Brian

Extreme Home Makeover comes to our area!

PCC has a really unique opportunity. Extreme Makeover Home Edition, ABC’s show that rebuilds or constructs a home for a family in need in just 1 week from start to finish, has selected a family in Rice Virginia. Construction is underway around the clock at this moment. Tim Dickson, Bobby Shortridge and others from our church are involved. Next Monday, December 10, is the ‘Move That Bus’ day. They need volunteers. If you would like to help or can be there on December 10, please go to www.kenbroadwaterhomes.com and click on the link and then the link for volunteering.

Reach Campaign is Still Going

This past Sunday was a great day, and many people were ready to make a commitment to the Reach Campain to help make our building a reality. But there are still many folks who needed more time or simply weren't at church that day. We are hoping to get as many of the commitments as possible by December 31. If you have not yet made a commitment, I hope you will consider it. I'm available to meet or talk with you or anyone who might have questions about this. When you are ready, you can put your commitment into the offering basket or box or mail it to us.

Thanks to everyone who participated last Sunday. Your sacrifice is humbling and I'm honored to be a part of this church with you.

Brian

Thoughts on the Ground Breaking by Brian Hughes

I wish that our whole church could have been at the Ground Breaking last Sunday, November 11, 2007. It was a day I will never forget. Several hundred people came - people from our church, people who used to come to our church, people from our community, people from our families. We worshipped together, we thanked the many people who have made it possible for us to get to this place, we ate well.

But the most inspiring moment for me was the moment when we prayed that God would reach hundreds of people that we personally know and we trusted Him to change their lives. We symbollized this by placing flags in the ground - on the very ground that we believed God would meet them. On those flags were written hundreds of names. It was incredibly moving.

I sometimes get the feeling that some folks wonder if I really believe that we will reach 12,000 people who don't go to church. I do. I really believe it. Our building will make us more effective and allow us to reach our fullest potential. We'll do it together as we proclaim with One voice that every life matters, every person is important, and everyone is welcome. And we will reach the multitude, One Life at a Time.

Reach: One Life at a Time

We are now in full swing of the Reach Campaign. During this past week and continuing for the next 3 weeks, I am meeting with groups of people in a variety of venues: my home, other homes where small groups are meeting, the Powhatan Library, after church in the commons, and at the Methodist Church. The goal of this phase is to get in front of every person in the church so that they can have all of the information about our building and how we believe God is leading our church. If you are in a small group, your SG leader has the schedule of when we are hoping to get together. Give them a call if you haven't heard from them. If you are not in a small group, or if you are unable to make your scheduled night, there are several other opportunities. Please give our office a call at 598-1174 or email me at brian at powhatancommunitychurch dot org.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share with you in this exiting moment!

Brian

The effectiveness of our Sunday Services

You probably don't know this, but every Tuesday morning, Beth and I and a small group of other folks who are involved in the planning and execution of Sunday morning services all gather - at the bright and early time of 7 am - to accomplish 2 important tasks. First, we evaluate. We look back at last week and ask 4 questions: What should we celebrate; What touched people; What could we do better; and How did people leave differently from when they came in. We evaluate so that we can learn. We can repeat the things that worked and eliminate the things that didn't. When we do this, we have our mission in mind and our benchmark is about changed lives, creativity, excellence, relevance, helping people encounter God, giving them a chance to worship, and providing Biblical learning opportunities that are able to be grasped by a wide range of listeners. The second thing we do is look to the coming Sunday and the planning that is needed for that.

There is so much work that goes into making a meaningful hour on Sunday morning. Literally scores of hours are spent every week on this service. But we think it's worth every second. Why?

Well, certainly some services are more meaningful than others, depending on where you are in life and the topic we're discussing and the song selections, etc. But after a day like today, it's hard to deny that we're having an impact on people. These were some of my notes about today's service:

What should we celebrate:

• A dozen people were willing to get up on stage in front of everyone and give the testimony that they wrote with their own words.
• The lighting was fantastic
• Jeff did a really great job on the drums during the jazz song, as did Scott on the horn.
• Regina orchestrated and directed really well – great choreography with the testimonies.
• Paul did a good job vocally with ‘Here with Me’
  

What really touched people:

• I feel change – Beth did an outstanding job on this – it was powerful and people could ‘feel change comin’ Really set up the testimonies well. You were passionate and, vocally, I have never heard you sing better. Way to go!
• Andy H. was such a potent presence on stage – he’s contagious and influences other band members.
• Obviously the testimonies were a home run – people were really touched and emotionally engaged. It was one of the most powerful services we’ve done, in my opinion.
  

The reason I share this with you today is to give you a taste of the kind of things we do to make our Sunday morning experience everything that God intends for it to be - to give it our best effort. If you have a chance on a Sunday morning to thank the lighting folks, the sound gurus, the band members, the ushers or greeters or resource table folks, the hospitality people or security people - whoever it is that's serving - take a minute and thank them. It takes an army of dedicated volunteers to make Sundays happen. And, if you are, just by chance, waiting for someone to ask you to help, consider this your 'ask'. I'm asking you to get on board and help. We need you. God can use you in powerful ways.

See you at the Ground Breaking next Sunday.

Brian