5 Ways To Pray For ClearView This Easter

God has really done amazing things in ClearView Church in 13 months. Last Easter, March 23, we were praying for a worship leader, a children's team leader, and had 16 people in attendance at our gathering in our home. Fast forward to April of 2009 and God has brought a worship team leader, a KidView (our children's ministry) team leader (and staff for three age levels!), and we're averaging almost 40 on Sunday's in our gatherings in the Gahanna YMCA. Much has happened in our personal and ministry lives and God has answerd prayer in amazing ways. He's building ClearView with healthy, biblical, and missional DNA through bringing us quality people. We're poised for another vital season of outreach ministry into our community as festival and parade season sets in. We're looking forward to living out our mission: to love people to a clear view of Jesus and His mission.

A critical piece to our 2009 strategy is monthly rallying points we're calling "Sneak Peak" gatherings. In contrast to our regular weekly gatherings (which are more targeted towards prayer, team building, strategizing, and Bible study), these key monthly gatherings are pointed attempts to creatively and intentionally invite as many people as we can to check out a ClearView worship gathering. At these times, we'll work to put our best foot forward with atmosphere, guest relations, a relevant, biblical message, and a meaningful worship experience. We're hoping that people will get a taste of a fresh, exciting church that has a passion to love people to Jesus in our community and want to come back and be a part of something exciting that God is birthing.

Easter, April 12, is our next "Sneak Peak" gathering. We're going to push the limits for us... extra chairs, running a sound system (for the first time!), fuller worship team, new children's classes, etc. We've purchased 2,000 door hangers, 500 post-card invites, and a 1/4 page newspaper add (pic. above). We'll do our best to invite through social networking tools like e-mail and Facebook (our Friends of ClearView Facebook group is pushing 180 members, mostly Columbus people!). But, I know its all for naught if I, we, and you fail to pray. Would you be faithful to pray with us that God does something special, something Ephesians 3:20 like, on Easter at ClearView? Here are some ways I am praying... I'd love it if you would join me:

1. Pray that we would be able to get all 2500 invitations out (friends are coming on April 4 to hang door hangers and we're serving free Tim Horton's coffee and hot chocolate at New Albany's Spring Egg Hunt on April 11).
   
2. Pray that people would respond to our invitations and join us on Easter! Pray that 75 people would be in attendance (our previous high was 53 on March 8).
3. Pray that God would help me develop a message that is both pleasing to Him and a relevant communication of the blessings and challenge of Jesus' resurrection. I've chosen the title "Easternomics" because I believe there is a way to tie together the trouble in our economy/nation with the eternal hope and peace that Jesus offers.
4. Pray for our ClearView team- many are stretching themselves in new ways... sound system, worship team, children's team, guest relations team, set up team...all pushing the limits to stretch into what we believe God wants to do.
5. Most important- pray that several people would be loved to Jesus and begin a journey towards meaningful mission for Him.

Thanks!