No Stress Sunday
A message from David Adkins, Senior Pastor...
"Do I have to walk down the aisle?" I know a lot of folks find "walking down the aisle " at the conclusion of a Sunday service to join the church exceedingly stressful. I know because when we first offered a No Stress Sunday a few years ago, 27 adults representing 14 families responded by joining the church in this new venue. Some folks even said, "I've been waiting for something like this for a long time! I just couldn't walk down to the front!" I am fully aware that the tradition of the closing invitation and the singing of the last hymn with its "long walk" to the front of the church and subsequent presentation before the congregation can produce quite a bit of stress, sometimes so much that a decision to become a full member of this church home might be put off. It is my desire to lessen the stress related to the wonderful decision to make First United Methodist Church your church home. I pray every day that every person finds the love and strength and hope and peace that I have found by finding a real church home. If you have been visiting with us for some time now, I would like to extend an invitation to you to make First United Methodist Church Round Rock your church home.
Palm Sunday, April 9th, might be just the ticket for those who would like to begin their lives anew with a congregational family. We've designed something called No Stress Sunday for you. It has only been the last couple of hundred years the church has used the "closing hymn invitation" joining method that seems out of place sometimes nowadays. Before that folks made their commitments to Christ and the church at their workplaces, in their homes, and even on the streets. On April 9th your commitment to transfer your membership from a previous church home to First United Methodist Church Round Rock, or even your decision to make a first time commitment to Christ through baptism, can be accomplished with very little of the normal "walk down to the front of the church during the last hymn" stress.
Let me invite you to become a full member of this wonderful congregation and family of faith on the 9th. Following the 8:30 am, 9:45 am, and 11:00 am worship services - after the benediction and after everyone else has headed to their cars - I will be waiting at the church altar area for you. Others will be there who have been waiting for something just like this. If you have decided First UMC is where you want to call your spiritual home, but just haven't made the move to full membership.......this is it! We will greet you and celebrate your decision, take the pertinent information about you and your family, and enter your name onto our church rolls as a full member and then announce your church membership in our next congregational newsletter.
Simple - low stress!
What about it? I hope this sounds like a good idea and I hope to see you and several other families on April 9th. See you then!
Sincerely in Christ,
David W. Adkins, senior pastor