Inviting a friend can get out of the group chat

Nicky and I are in our hiking era and if you’re on Strava you’ll notice the Ks are increasing each week as we prepare for some epic trips in the next 12 months. We’ve shared reels with each other littered with hike options, gear lists, food prep and more and at the end of September, the first hike is going to get out of the group chat.

At church, this Sunday we begin a season when inviting a friend can get out of the group chat. Every week in our GGs we have been talking about this right. The Share Life material has given us the weekly opportunity to reflect on the beauty of the gospel, the glory of Jesus, the joy of knowing him and the opportunity to engage friends with the truth of life to the full. We have literally been talking about this in our groups every week. And now, this is the moment. Let’s get inviting a friend to church out of the group chat. 

This Sunday at Morning Church - starting at 9am - we have Preschool Sunday. There will be a whole bunch of kids from Christ Church Preschool coming to perform and with their parents, enjoying the service with us. It will be uber cute and there’s lots of activity planned for afterwards so for those who have friends with little kids, this is a great week to invite them!

Then, for all of us, across all our Sunday services, starting 7 September it’s Share Life Sundays. I will be speaking under the theme of Peace Like a River and unpacking the comfort and joy knowing Jesus brings in the face of the chaos we feel and experience in the world. Each week there will be great community after church and opportunities to further engage friends with the life giving gospel of Jesus. 

I know that sometimes inviting a friend or family member to church is a personal and social risk. It might change the friendship. It might change a whole lot of friendships. I want to assure you that we don’t take this lightly at all. We are working hard across all our services to ensure that each moment will be helpfully crafted to maintain a clear focus on the joy of knowing Jesus and to help you build on conversations you have already had with your friends and family. You can find more information about Share Life Sundays here.

The person I am praying for does not leave their house very often due to a fear of sickness so I plan on asking him if he will sit down and watch church on Youtube with me on a Tuesday afternoon for these three weeks. Please pray he will say yes. 

Please pray for the friends and family who are on your names list too. Jesus is worth the risk of getting the invite out of the group chat.