If you are a part of our community at the Oak Leaf campus of West Ridge Church, I want to give you a few updates about what’s happening on Sunday. (It’s going to be a big day.) Though every Sunday is a “can’t miss Sunday” at Oak Leaf, this particular week is going to be very unique.

• We will be celebrating our fifth anniversary. We have some fun elements to look back at what’s happened at Oak Leaf over the past five years.
• I’m going to be teaching about our “identity” as a church and as Christ-followers. I think this is going to be a challenging message for all of us. We’ll consider how we look at ourselves and how that impacts who we are and how we live out our life mission.
• I have a BIG announcement to share about our future in Cartersville. This is something our team has been praying about for months. We want to let you know about it before we make it public.
• I have an update to share about the NEW CHAIRS for our auditorium. They’re on their way! Won’t it be amazing to have chairs that don’t collapse when you sit in them?
• We will be having our annual “Baptism at the River” on Sunday afternoon. Even if you are not being baptized, plan to bring your picnic basket and join us at the river. We’ll give you all the details at the services on Sunday.

If you attend one of the other West Ridge campuses, please go to your regular campus on Sunday. We need the space for our Oak Leaf family and their friends. If you are a part of another church and you’re reading this, we want you to stay engaged at your church. I’ll share the news next week.

But, if you are a part of our Oak Leaf family, please be with us at one of our two services on Sunday. Don’t come alone! Bring friends and family. It’s going to be a great day to celebrate together! And, if I were you, I’d plan to arrive early. Space, especially parking, is going to be at a premium.

See you on Sunday!

There have been a number of people who have asked in recent days how things are going at Oak Leaf Church. Honestly, I’ve been so focused on doing life with my new team, the thought hasn’t really occurred to me that those outside our campus might be interested in an update. With that in mind, let me catch you up to speed.

It’s been quite a journey over the last six months for this church. Oak Leaf merged with West Ridge Church in January and became one of three campuses in three different locations. The church experienced an unexpected leadership transition just before Easter. (That’s when I became the campus pastor.) People from Oak Leaf left to help plant Hometown Church in Dallas and Oak Leaf Canton. Needless to say, that’s a lot for any church, but especially one that less than five years old.

Personally, I’ve been stretched as a leader, pastor and Christ-follower. I remember hearing pastors talk about that feeling on Sunday mornings when they wondered if anyone would actually show up for services. I used to laugh at them and mock them. Now I know exactly what they’re talking about. God has probably taught me more about humility and leaning on his power, wisdom and strength in the last several months, than I’ve ever previously grasped in my faith journey. (Something tells me I still have much more to learn.)

All that said, I’m grateful for your prayers for both the church and for me. Here’s a small snapshot of the momentum we’re currently experiencing at the Oak Leaf campus:

• Our Sunday morning attendance over the last 16 weeks hasn’t declined. It hasn’t plateaued. Our Sunday attendance has actually gone up by over 5% from the same period a year ago. Given all the transitions, that is purely a God-thing.
• Since Easter, we’ve had 160 people visit our campus for the very first time. That’s well ahead of our pace from previous years. I love how the people of Oak Leaf invite their friends! (more…)

Easter weekend was amazing at all three campuses of West Ridge Church. I mentioned that in my post last week. No doubt about it — it’s fun to worship together with a big crowd on holidays. I also love seeing all the new faces.

From my perspective, though, the true measure of the impact of a holiday service is how many folks come back the following Sunday. One way to track the impact is to calculate the percentage increase of the crowd that shows up the week after a holiday and compare it to the previous normal week before a holiday. In the case of the Oak Leaf campus, we jumped 18%. That’s significant. It’s no wonder we had to pull out the extra chairs again this past Sunday.

I sense God is up to something big in Cartersville. We definitely are in the middle of a wave of momentum. Every Sunday I’m meeting new people before and after the services. I’m glad to be a part of a movement that’s leading people from where they are to where God wants them to be!

By the way, this Sunday is Mother’s Day. I’m looking forward to honoring all the Oak Leaf moms…especially this one. See you on Sunday!

For all my friends at Oak Leaf Church, I just wanted to let you know that Emily and I are flying to Orlando today. (Don’t worry. Our kids and our home are in good hands.) I’m speaking at a conference for church planters. Emily is getting a couple of well-deserved days off. We’ll be back for the services on Sunday though. Really looking forward to the launch of this new series.

In case you’re interested…

• We had a great crowd at Oak Leaf this past weekend. Honestly, I was surprised at how many people showed up. It was a record weekend for all three West Ridge campuses. It’s fun to see the momentum taking place in all three locations.
• We had a very high percentage of first-time guests on Saturday and Sunday. You all are doing an incredible job of inviting guests. I have to assume the Egg Drop last week also prompted a number of folks to check out one of our Easter services.
• As I was chatting with people outside after the services, you would be amazed at how many people have started attending Oak Leaf in the last several months. I really appreciate the investment our volunteer teams make to welcome people who are new to our church.
• We launch a brand new series on Sunday. We’ll be back to our “normal” service schedule at 10:00 and 11:30 am on Sunday morning. Don’t be surprised, though, if we need to call an audible sometime in the coming weeks to add a third service.
• The new series, “Make War”, is going to be intense. It’s a great opportunity to continue inviting friends. You can check out the video trailer for the series below. Because of the heaviness of this teaching, though, it will be appropriate for you to encourage families with kids to take advantage of the Oak Leaf Kids ministries during the services.

Thanks for continuing to pray for us and the other leaders. We’re praying for you. See you on Sunday!