UPDATE ON SATURDAY EVENING SERVICES
LETTER TO OUR CHURCH FAMILY
Hey Element Family,
I wanted to take a moment to share with you a significant update about what some of what we do at Element. When we launched services at Element almost five years ago, we did so by having services only on Saturday nights. It worked well for our team and allowed for us to get things rolling. Less than a year after that, we added Sunday mornings to our lineup – which grew at a great rate. So we added a second Sunday morning service about a year later, and that has been such a positive move for us.
What that means, though, is that we have several people who serve throughout the weekend – many of them serving almost every weekend. In serving this way, they do so with selfless hearts and a desire to see more people reached and impacted in meaningful ways for the purposes of Jesus. We are thankful for those people who serve to help see this important work done. What that also means is that we have people who, in many ways, sacrifice their weekends in order to serve. As much as I love their compassionate hearts, I also care about their ability and opportunities to be with family and friends, to be good husbands, wives, mothers and fathers. We want their experience and service to the church to be joy-filled and never to be something that could be felt as a negative because of what it requires at times.
This is a conversation that began back in October and has been one that is filled with A LOT of consideration and conversation, and is one that is COVERED in prayer. With that said, the leadership team of Element has concluded that we will be finishing up with our Saturday evening services after May 18th. This will allow for more flexibility for those who serve to have time for other meaningful things during the weekend, to be able to bring their best in whatever we do, and to help avoid any sense of burnout they may feel over the long term. It also allows for us to have additional people be a part of our team who may not have been able to commit to Saturdays and Sundays!
Our desire is that as many people as possible will make the transition with us to a Sunday morning service. Truly, we love our church family! But we also know that there may be those who are not able to attend on Sunday mornings. First, we are thankful to have our online services available to help keep connection in that manner. Second, we will be providing information regarding other possible services that are available on Saturdays that you can check out. We have no desire to leave anyone in a bad spot by any means!
I know that written words can be limited in how they are understood, so I invite you – if you have any questions, concerns, frustrations, or anything else you would like to express with me, you can email me at mike@elementaltoona.com and I will respond in a timely manner.
We love this church and how God has used this church. We also know that our mission is not a short-term calling but one that can be successful and powerful for generations, and that is our desire: to be as effective in fulfilling the mission of the church as we possibly can be!
Thank you for your time and understanding. I am grateful for you all!
God bless!
-Pastor Mike
Hey Element Family,
I wanted to take a moment to share with you a significant update about what some of what we do at Element. When we launched services at Element almost five years ago, we did so by having services only on Saturday nights. It worked well for our team and allowed for us to get things rolling. Less than a year after that, we added Sunday mornings to our lineup – which grew at a great rate. So we added a second Sunday morning service about a year later, and that has been such a positive move for us.
What that means, though, is that we have several people who serve throughout the weekend – many of them serving almost every weekend. In serving this way, they do so with selfless hearts and a desire to see more people reached and impacted in meaningful ways for the purposes of Jesus. We are thankful for those people who serve to help see this important work done. What that also means is that we have people who, in many ways, sacrifice their weekends in order to serve. As much as I love their compassionate hearts, I also care about their ability and opportunities to be with family and friends, to be good husbands, wives, mothers and fathers. We want their experience and service to the church to be joy-filled and never to be something that could be felt as a negative because of what it requires at times.
This is a conversation that began back in October and has been one that is filled with A LOT of consideration and conversation, and is one that is COVERED in prayer. With that said, the leadership team of Element has concluded that we will be finishing up with our Saturday evening services after May 18th. This will allow for more flexibility for those who serve to have time for other meaningful things during the weekend, to be able to bring their best in whatever we do, and to help avoid any sense of burnout they may feel over the long term. It also allows for us to have additional people be a part of our team who may not have been able to commit to Saturdays and Sundays!
Our desire is that as many people as possible will make the transition with us to a Sunday morning service. Truly, we love our church family! But we also know that there may be those who are not able to attend on Sunday mornings. First, we are thankful to have our online services available to help keep connection in that manner. Second, we will be providing information regarding other possible services that are available on Saturdays that you can check out. We have no desire to leave anyone in a bad spot by any means!
I know that written words can be limited in how they are understood, so I invite you – if you have any questions, concerns, frustrations, or anything else you would like to express with me, you can email me at mike@elementaltoona.com and I will respond in a timely manner.
We love this church and how God has used this church. We also know that our mission is not a short-term calling but one that can be successful and powerful for generations, and that is our desire: to be as effective in fulfilling the mission of the church as we possibly can be!
Thank you for your time and understanding. I am grateful for you all!
God bless!
-Pastor Mike
Saturday Services in Our Area
We want to make sure that those who are a part of our Element family that cannot join us on Sunday mornings are cared for, which is one reason we are thrilled to have online services available. For those who are unable to make the move with us, here is information on other churches in our area that offer services on Saturday evenings:
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First Methodist Church – Hollidaysburg
801 Allegheny St. Hollidaysburg, PA 16648 Saturday Evening 5:30 PM - Old hymns, music 6:45 PM - Coffeehouse style in social hall |
Hope Community Church – Altoona
1520 11th St Altoona, PA 16601 (814) 381-7020 |