Pre-Launch Service #1 is behind us!

After years of dreaming, months of planning, and frankly weeks of stressing, we have begun our journey - the "Journey to Hope in Aldergrove", as we're calling our Access Church pre-launch series. Last Sunday, October 4 2009, we held our first pre-launch 'preview' service for Access Church at the Kinsmen Community Centre in Aldergrove. There were about 15 people in attendance; some of those were family, some part of the 'Access Mission Team' from other churches, and some were interested in becoming participants in our new community. Others were there just to check it out.

I preached a sermon called "Journey to Go

d" examining what a god is, how in some way we all have 'gods' that we serve, that we trust in to save us from what we consider to be personal hell. Then we looked at the God of the Bible, and that He is The legitimate God, not made in our image but we in His, not predictable or tame but just as we'd expect of the King of the Universe, on His mission, His agenda, ruling by His own wisdom not ours. You can listen to the sermon here - yes, we're already podcasting on iTunes!

We had plenty of refreshments - coffee and cookies and fruit and juice and water. "Access Kids" took care of our two little guys, Caleb and Carter. We offered the Lords Table to believers - Welch's grape juice in plastic shot glasses and bread cut from a loaf. Darrin Climie lent his carpentry expertise to making a cross for our use. We were lent a sound system and rented some microphones. Dan Stewart did a great job of leading us skillfully in worship. There was great community through conversation that happened. All in all, it was 'church'.

We arrived at 9am to start setting up (a

ctually, I think we got there at 9:10), but we began with prayer. We were finished the service by 12:05 and out of there by 1:00 when the dog obedience class showed up! The Kinsmen Centre was a fantastic place to hold the service, though there are a few lighting and space issues we need to re-think.

Thank you to all of you who participated. Thank you also, to those of you who have prayed with us for this. It's just the beginning. Our hope is that many of the people there on Sunday will return next month with someone else. At Alcoholics Anonymous, there's a policy that once you join you start actively looking for someone you can sponsor - we want something of that same spirit at Access - to be actively pursuing others you can bring along in the journey.

The next Access Pre-Launch Service is November 1 at 10:30 at the Aldergrove Kinsmen Community Centre, 26770 29 Avenue.