News

Good morning, CFC Family. The weather has been beautiful, students are graduating, and the summer is here! What a refreshing time of year. We know that many of you have vacations and other summer plans on the horizon, and that’s good for you and your family. We hope this summer is an amazing season filled with laughter and fun. As a church, we would agree with the surveys and studies that tell us that church attendance drops substantially--nearly 30%--in the summer. While there are many reasons for that, we want to challenge you in two areas:

1. Don’t let those statistics be your story.
2. Find more ways to prepare your heart for worship when you do come this summer.

Our main concern as a church IS NOT attendance numbers--not even close! We are not linking great attendance with salvation, for it is CHRIST + NOTHING that equals salvation. However, we want to challenge you to be consistent in your corporate worship when you are in town. Don’t let nice weather stop you from worshiping the One who created all things, for He is worthy of our praise! Now, what about the preparation piece?

Why do we prepare for worship? Well, the obvious answer is that without preparation, there are elements that are not ready to serve their purpose. Most things worth doing take some preparation. A good meal, a vacation, a business meeting, or a party all have that in common. A raw steak and a bag of potatoes aren’t ready to serve their purpose without some preparation. We prepare for things every day. Some things take more time, and some take less. As you prepare for church each Sunday, you might prepare the clothes you are going to wear a day ahead or make a lunch reservation or make sure your kids are ready so you can get out of the door on time.

We know what it’s like to prepare physically for all of these things, but what about spiritual preparation? As Christians, there is no ceremony or rite that we need to perform in order to come to a worship service, but Scripture would not have us come unprepared as we meet as a body to celebrate the Lord. Psalm 100:4 calls us to “enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.” The implication is that we bring thankful hearts before the Lord as we gather to worship Him. A thankful heart is a heart that remembers who God is and what He has done. We prepare our hearts for worship by reminding ourselves of the blessings that we have through the Person of Jesus Christ. Everything that is good comes from God (James 1:17), and we so easily forget His blessings, the greatest of which is the gift of Jesus. 

So, what are some practical ways to prepare our hearts for worship services? Spend time in God’s Word. Let Him remind you of the truth of His perfection as you spend time with Him there. Take time to declare the blessings in your life, both to God and to one another. Each week, tell your family, friends, and coworkers how thankful you are for what God has done in your life. Spend time alone with God singing songs of truth that point you to Him. Make worship through music part of your week, not just on Sundays. 

If we come to a worship service unprepared, we are not ready to fully serve our purpose as worshipers of the Lord. Take time each week to ready yourself for worship. Remember who God is, thank Him for all He has done, and respond by offering up your voice in praise and offering up your life in dedication to Him. An easy way to make worship music a part of your everyday life is through our Weekend Worship Playlist.This playlist contains songs that we sing in our services and is a great way to engage with the Lord. Use it in your quiet time, as you drive to work, or even as you get ready to sleep each night. Fill your mind with God’s truth and respond in gratitude.

In the first paragraph, we mentioned "students are graduating.” Below, you can find a list of CFC graduates at the high school and college levels. They are worth congratulating and celebrating! 

As always, we can’t wait to see you this weekend, even if the weather is incredible! Come worship with us this Memorial Day weekend! See you there!