Last Sunday was a special day in the life of our church, as we saw God move in a powerful way through our Student Ministry. Our first ever “ABC Student Weekend” was a huge success, and it was inspiring to watch our students lead the way in our church. I want to thank our Student Minister, Nathan Wood, for his outstanding leadership behind the scenes to make the weekend such a success. I also want to give a special thanks to Mason Cushing and Ashton Rausch for sharing their hearts through their testimonies. I believe God spoke a word to each of us through their stories that morning. I also want to thank you church family for being so supportive of our next generation. The importance of our church investing into the lives of our children and youth cannot be overstated. They are our future, and we must ensure that we equip them to carry on the work of the ministry for the generations to come. Thank you for loving them, encouraging them, and blessing them with your generous contributions at the spaghetti luncheon.
While our students were indeed a spark of energy last Sunday, it was also exciting to see that our crowd is continuing to grow week to week. We saw our largest crowd since March 1, 2020 walk through our doors for our regularly scheduled worship services. We are welcoming first-time visitors every weekend, and our Bible fellowship groups are starting to add chairs to their rooms. It is an exciting time in the life of our church, and my prayer is that this wave of momentum will only continue to grow in the coming days. I believe there is a hunger in our city as thousands of people are longing to connect, experience community, and meet with the Lord after such a dry year. Be cognizant of those that God has strategically placed around you. Paul reminds us that “we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20 ESV). I encourage you to serve as a kingdom ambassador this week. Love and encourage those who are around you and invite them to come experience what God is doing here at ABC. If we commit to that, I have no doubt that Jesus Christ will continue to build up his church with people from across the Greater-Austin area.
To help you serve as an ambassador, our staff has worked hard to build a dynamic summer calendar for our church family to enjoy and to use as a catalyst to invite others. This Sunday you’ll receive this calendar in your bulletin, and I recommend you take it home and keep it in front of you. There will be exciting events such as “Freedom Over Austin,” which will be a patriotic event hosted here at ABC on July 3rd. It will feature a professional fireworks show, food trucks, and carnival attractions for kids and teens. We’re also going to have a night at the ballpark this summer, as we’ve purchased a large block of tickets for our church to go watch a Round Rock Express game together. We will have a summer kick-off party after church on Sunday June 6th with burgers/hot dogs, inflatables, BFG chili cook off, and great fellowship for all. You’ll see we’re offering a free in-person VBS and several wonderful kids events all summer long. The students will be looking forward to beach camp and great fellowship events each month. The women’s ministry will have some wonderful nights out, and in a few days we’re going to announce some additional special events specifically for our senior adults. I think you’ll see that our church will be busy this summer! I hope you plan to jump in and invite someone to come alongside you. Our prayer is that these events will help our church build relationships with the surrounding community, and that these events will open up the door for our church to make a Gospel-centered impact on thousands of people.
This Sunday, I am looking forward to stepping back into the pulpit to carry on in our “Who Do You Say I am” series. This week, we’ll be looking at Jesus’ declaration that He is “the door” in John 10:9. The door is open for each of you to come and meet with Christ this Sunday. I hope that you’ll walk through our doors and invite some to come in with you. God bless you and your home, and I look forward to seeing you on this Lord’s Supper Sunday.
www.jonathanspencer.org 