On Sunday at PCC we wrapped up our 7 week sermon series, Our Mission is… Genuine, Local, Hopeful, Compassionate, Courageous, Proclaimed, and Purposeful. Between the first and second service someone told me that this series was exactly what they needed. Me too! Though attendance on the last Sunday of the year tends to be lighter than normal, it was an exciting day. A few highlights…

• Having Anne Martin on stage with me during the sermon to do the Scripture reading. When I introduced her to the second service as the “cancer vixen” she said, “Yeah, I fight cancer like a girl!” And then did a karate kick right on stage. Wonderful.
• Baptizing Ann at the first service and Tonya at the second. It was a bit tight getting out of my wet clothes in time for the sermon, but very worth it. I love baptizing folks at PCC because everyone always applauds (and cheers and whistles) after the person comes up out of the water. And rightly so.
• Inviting (pastor) Brian on stage at the end of each service to publicly thank him for his years of effective and humble service at PCC. Brian and his family are in the final months of fund raising and preparation for their departure to the Middle East and Sunday was his last as paid staff. The long standing ovations he got at both services were well deserved!
• I ended the sermon asking people to answer this question on a piece of paper: What could 2008 look like as we pursue the mission of God in purposeful ways? Yesterday I read through all the things people wrote down. Unbelievably encouraging. This coming Sunday we will have these papers hung on the walls of the auditorium so we can all see what God might be calling us to as individuals and as a community this new year. If you’ll be at a PCC service on Sunday make sure to come a few minutes early to read some of these dreams and ideas for 2008.