Yesterday marked our second weekly service at ICC.  We’re going through a series called “Thank God It’s Monday: Why Going to Work Doesn’t Have to Suck,” and yesterday’s topic was dealing with authority.  Good stuff.  I really enjoyed it and I’m definitely loving the weekly opportunity to preach to this ever-changing flock that God has entrusted/is entrusting to me as a pastor.

We launched ICC with a team of folks made up of locals who we’re trying to connect with (unchurched/dechurched from the North Hills area) AND like-minded believers from other churches who all committed to helping us get started.  After last Sunday’s Kick-Off Service, we sent the vast majority of the latter group back to their church homes.  That meant that yesterday was our real baseline as to where we’re starting on this journey.  And the state of the church is pretty good after week #2.

Our total attendance was 33 for our first weekly service minus the training wheels.  Our systems are still in their infancy, but the people who are stepping up to serve are amazing.  With just our own ICC folks working, setup went smooth, all areas were handled with excellence and grace, and God honored all of that by bringing out 6 first time families.  Each of those families indicated that they enjoyed themselves and most stated that they plan to come back next week. 

Incidently, one of the big reminders I’m getting already is that when you plant a church for people who don’t do church, the weekly church attendance habit is not natural.  We’ll be spending much of this week trying to determine what else we can do to get those fired up first timers back a second, third, and fourth time…

All in all, God is at work!  The atmosphere yesterday was charged, people were challenged (me included), and my prayer is that even as we speak people are being used as agents of life-change in their workplaces, schools, and communities!