Members of IDC,
The Elders wanted to write to you about the coming year and the reason behind the Thursday night events. IDC is committed to a simple church structure. This means we do not want to create a bunch of events for our people to attend, but rather prioritize our Sunday gathering and time in Growth Groups during the week. This is because we want our body to reflect Acts 2 where the newly formed church is gathering in large groups and in each other’s homes.
We do, however, occasionally want to gather on Thursday nights for a couple of reasons. One, we believe it will be necessary and good for our covenant members to have a chance to gather since we have moved to two services. We do not see this as in competition with your GG time, but rather as an extension of it and on par with it. You will still be fellowshipping with your GG during this time, but also gathering with the larger body. Second, we believe this time can be invaluable for discipleship in areas of the PEACE plan that we may never specifically cover on a Sunday morning. So, we want you as an IDC covenant member to prioritize Sunday Corporate Worship and weekly GG meetings. We just see the Thursday night events (of which we only hope to do 6 a year in the future) as an extension of your GG time and not in competition with it.
We realize we can improve how we communicate the purposes and details of church events and plans, and we endeavor to do so in the coming weeks, months and years. For example, in the very near future we will be rolling out a Google calendar that will be visible on the IDC website, and later on an IDC Smartphone app. This will provide everyone with a ‘one-stop shop’ where you can see all the church events planned for the year. As needed, we will also continue to use email, bulletins, blogs and corporate worship to remind everyone about important church events and ministry opportunities. In turn, we ask that you please read your emails, the bulletin, and check the website regularly so you’ll be aware of upcoming events and opportunities. Finally, we ask for you to be gracious and flexible as we seek to establish the patterns of body life for this young church.
We are so thankful for you all and we look forward to serving you in the future. This Thursday during our Covenant Family Meeting we will address these issues as well as plans for next year. Please do your best to attend!
The Elders