A Simple Invitation
By Ryan Dawson
Sometimes for un-churched people, an invitation to church can be uncomfortable, intimidating, or even downright scary. People who don’t attend churches, don’t know what to expect, so they are sometimes reluctant to accept. But the Christmas season changes all this. A recent study was done that showed 75% of unchurched friends would consider coming to a Christmas service if they were invited by a trusted friend.
That’s because most Canadians still celebrate Christmas in some way, even if the birth of Jesus Christ is left out. Many Canadians still have some basic understanding of the traditional Christmas story, or they hum along with Christmas carols in the malls, so to join in for a Church carol sing or Christmas Eve service feels less weird for them.
But here’s the stark reality: Even though most Canadians celebrate some version of Christmas, most aren’t planning to attend a church service this season. They need to be invited and a personal invitation can make all the difference.
There are many ways to encourage people to join us for the Christmas season. If a family is already getting together for a gift exchange or Christmas Eve dinner, it’s easy to meet up before or after a church service. Or if a friend or neighbour has no plans or no family in town, they might be open to joining their Christian friend, to sing some carols and hear the Christmas story, at a Christmas Eve service. It can’t hurt to ask, and the statistics are on our side that they’ll say yes. That’s because among the unchurched who do visit a church at some point during any given year, a Christmas Eve worship service is the most likely time for them to attend.
With all this in mind we have designed our Light of the World - Sequoia Christmas season with our unchurched friends in mind. We are hosting a night of Christmas Carolling on Saturday December 2nd at 6:30pm, which will really appeal to those who love the Christmas tradition of singing carols, or want to experience it. On Sunday December 24 (Christmas Eve day) we are hosting two similar services (at 10am and 5pm) which will include some Christmas carols, worship songs, and a Christmas message, that will appeal to unchurched people and believers alike. After each service we will enjoy a time of celebration and connection over treats and appetizers in the gym, so we encourage you to bring some friends and hang out after the services. And since there are two services on Christmas Eve we encourage you to serve at one service and bring your family and unchurched friends to the other service. We also have our regular Sunday services on Dec. 10 and Dec. 17, built around our Christmas theme, and on the 17th we will have a Cookie fellowship time in between our two services.
The easiest way to invite your family and friends to these events is to use our Sequoia App. On the App, click “Upcoming Events” and then find the corresponding service or opportunity. You should see the “Share” button (an arrow coming out of a box) at the top of your screen in the green section. Click that “Share” button and then click on “Messages” to send as a text message to any of your friends. You could say something like… “Hey Matt, I hope you are well. My church is hosting a special Christmas _________ (event or service) and I wanted to invite you to come with me. The link is in the text. Check it out and let me know if you are interested. Thanks for considering this. Take care, Ryan
Wouldn’t it be amazing to see our gym packed out this Christmas season with our family, friends, and neighbours, who don’t yet know Jesus, or are not yet connected to a church family? Step out in faith and invite some people and see what God does – I think you will be encouraged, and it might just change someone’s life forever. All it takes is a simple invitation!
Blessings, Ryan
Sometimes for un-churched people, an invitation to church can be uncomfortable, intimidating, or even downright scary. People who don’t attend churches, don’t know what to expect, so they are sometimes reluctant to accept. But the Christmas season changes all this. A recent study was done that showed 75% of unchurched friends would consider coming to a Christmas service if they were invited by a trusted friend.
That’s because most Canadians still celebrate Christmas in some way, even if the birth of Jesus Christ is left out. Many Canadians still have some basic understanding of the traditional Christmas story, or they hum along with Christmas carols in the malls, so to join in for a Church carol sing or Christmas Eve service feels less weird for them.
But here’s the stark reality: Even though most Canadians celebrate some version of Christmas, most aren’t planning to attend a church service this season. They need to be invited and a personal invitation can make all the difference.
There are many ways to encourage people to join us for the Christmas season. If a family is already getting together for a gift exchange or Christmas Eve dinner, it’s easy to meet up before or after a church service. Or if a friend or neighbour has no plans or no family in town, they might be open to joining their Christian friend, to sing some carols and hear the Christmas story, at a Christmas Eve service. It can’t hurt to ask, and the statistics are on our side that they’ll say yes. That’s because among the unchurched who do visit a church at some point during any given year, a Christmas Eve worship service is the most likely time for them to attend.
With all this in mind we have designed our Light of the World - Sequoia Christmas season with our unchurched friends in mind. We are hosting a night of Christmas Carolling on Saturday December 2nd at 6:30pm, which will really appeal to those who love the Christmas tradition of singing carols, or want to experience it. On Sunday December 24 (Christmas Eve day) we are hosting two similar services (at 10am and 5pm) which will include some Christmas carols, worship songs, and a Christmas message, that will appeal to unchurched people and believers alike. After each service we will enjoy a time of celebration and connection over treats and appetizers in the gym, so we encourage you to bring some friends and hang out after the services. And since there are two services on Christmas Eve we encourage you to serve at one service and bring your family and unchurched friends to the other service. We also have our regular Sunday services on Dec. 10 and Dec. 17, built around our Christmas theme, and on the 17th we will have a Cookie fellowship time in between our two services.
The easiest way to invite your family and friends to these events is to use our Sequoia App. On the App, click “Upcoming Events” and then find the corresponding service or opportunity. You should see the “Share” button (an arrow coming out of a box) at the top of your screen in the green section. Click that “Share” button and then click on “Messages” to send as a text message to any of your friends. You could say something like… “Hey Matt, I hope you are well. My church is hosting a special Christmas _________ (event or service) and I wanted to invite you to come with me. The link is in the text. Check it out and let me know if you are interested. Thanks for considering this. Take care, Ryan
Wouldn’t it be amazing to see our gym packed out this Christmas season with our family, friends, and neighbours, who don’t yet know Jesus, or are not yet connected to a church family? Step out in faith and invite some people and see what God does – I think you will be encouraged, and it might just change someone’s life forever. All it takes is a simple invitation!
Blessings, Ryan