1. Numbers: July, being winter and with school holidays, can often affect church attendances. Yet in the last 3 weeks at Opawa we have averaged 170 people at our Sunday morning services. This compares with 120 in July last year. At the same time, this has increased the pressure on the pastoral team, and the Board had a prayerful discussion of ways forward.
2. Cafe coffee. We are seriously considering the purchase of an espresso machine, to supplement the tea and coffee already provided. Feedback from the trial we had in May was positive. This week we phoned churches with coffee machines asking them what are the upsides and downsides. Again the feedback was positive. To have a coffee machine, we would need 10-15 people willing to learn to make coffee and commit to being on a regular roster for church services and an irregular roster for socials and fundraisers. If you would like free training, and to be on the roster, please give your name to Deirdre at the office.
3. Pews: The observant among you will notice the removal of some pews at the back of the church. Board members did this on Saturday in order to
a) make it easier to move around the auditorium without having to go through the doors.
b) over years, as the church declined, pews were taken out of the front. This affected the sound and heating balance in the auditorium. We hope that a rearranging of pews, and thus bodies, could improve heating and sound.
c) Worship has been described as all of us responding to all that God is. Thus worship at Opawa includes ways for people to physically respond. For some, going to the front is not easy. Removing some back pews allows space for response at both back and front.
d) As we grow, it has started to become more crowded for responses at the front of the church. So allowing for responses at both front and back might encourage a less congested and more worshipful response.
As a Board, it is our hope and prayer that this change only serves to enhance our worshipping life together.
4. Finances: At the start of this financial year, the church AGM voted for a 10% increase in offerings. 6 months into the year, we are doing really well financially. So we are thanking you and praising God. Offerings - Year to date 81,556.88. (Budget was 79,801).
Posted by opawa at August 5, 2005 09:26 AM