1. Explain what you do as a volunteer at LCBC.

I provide people with resources and answer general questions about the church. My favorite part is handing out fireballs and interacting with first time visitors who are curious about LCBC, or those people who are buying the messages to get their friends and family interested in a relationship with God.

2. What was it like to get involved and volunteer?

It was very simple to get involved and volunteer. I didn’t need any prior experience. I had an interest in books and people, so it just made sense. At first I was only serving one Sunday per month, but I enjoyed it so much that I am now serving 3 Sundays per month.

3. What one concern did you have about serving?

At first, I thought that I didn’t have the energy or time. I wanted church to be about me and what the church could give to me. What I found out was that the more I gave to others in the church, the more fulfilled and energized I felt.

4. What’s one cool thing that’s happened because of volunteering at LCBC?

One cool thing about volunteering at LCBC is that I have met many interesting people. One time this lady came into Scripts looking for a specific book for the young daughter of a friend whose father had just passed away. Taking the time to help her find that special book to help the little girl through the grieving process was as if I was helping her as well.

5. What would you say to someone who is thinking about serving at LCBC?

I have met God’s greatest people by serving. If you think LCBC is too big, pick a ministry – any ministry – and start serving, and you’ll find friends.

f you are interested in learning more about serving at LCBC check out when the next 14 is happening at your campus! Check out other spotlight posts here. 

After a gathering a man in his mid 60s slowly walked up to me with tears in his eyes and said, “I have been in some type of church all of my life and that is the first time I have heard that it is about a relationship with Jesus”.

We learned this weekend, as we wrapped up our “Branded” series, that all too often we try to take the lead in figuring out our lives, when really we need to let God lead. We also recognize that the same Spirit that lived inside of Jesus can live inside of us if we trust God with our lives. We have tried so hard to figure out our lives, our kids, our marriages, our health, our finances, and to do life the right way but are constantly falling short.

Really what this man communicated to me was that for years he has been trying to be a good Christian. He has tried really hard to keep his act together and do everything the right way. What he found was that he was constantly failing. What he now knows is that he can have a relationship with God and that God will guide him with his spirit. He doesn’t have to try so hard to get it right, he just needs to follow and be in step with God’s spirit.

As David said at the close of his message, “Today, don’t settle for religion and just being a Christian. Today choose to follow Jesus. Choose to be a disciple.” You see you could just keep doing life the way you’ve been doing it, that is a choice you can make, but why would you?  God is calling you to something so much higher, to a life that is so much better. Why not choose to let him lead you?

For further study Read Romans 8.

To read more about what love requires of us check out “Love Does” by Bob Goff

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What we’ve been hearing the past couple weeks is that a defining sign of a disciple is the way they love those around them. (John 13:35) This past weekend Jason shared with us three practical ways for us to answer the question “what does love require of me?” I want to take a moment to revisit those three statements and hope they are a great reminder & encouragement for you this week.

• Love requires that we close the gap. This week, is there someone in your life where there is a relational gap? At work? At home? A destructive conversation you had online? Where are there relational gaps that you need to work on closing this week?
• Love requires a show. This is a tough one for me. It’s easy to say that I love my family, but what am I doing to show that love? It’s easy to say we love our neighbors, but where are we when their problems arise? Love requires that our actions line up with what we say. How aligned are your actions and words?
• Love requires a filter. Jason said this best. We don’t get to pick and choose who is deserving or worthy of our love. If we are supposed to love everyone in “the room”, then we need to ask is our room big enough to let those that annoy us in? Who do you need to give yourself the opportunity to love this week?

Three very clear and potent things that love demands of us. So, this week, if you were to take just one of those three to work on, what would it be?

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My heart and mind are filled with so much as I personally think about what will happen through our BranchCreek Campus. I have absolutely no doubt that this is a game changer for us at LCBC. There is a statement that I have been repeating over the last couple of months to anyone that would listen. Here’s the statement – “I’m convinced we haven’t even scratched the surface yet as far as what God wants to do through our church.” Launching LCBC BranchCreek on January 6th opens up whole new pathways to reach thousands upon thousands of people in the Philly region and beyond. Thousands more marriages that will be healed. Thousands more addictions broken through the power of Jesus. Thousands more friendships reconciled. Thousands more rescued from boring, self-centered lives. Thousands of more men and women pursuing purity. Thousands more having their lives absolutely changed by Jesus Christ.

Nope, we haven’t scratched the surface yet.

People have been asking me over the last couple of weeks what they should expect when we launch LCBC BranchCreek on January 6th. First, don’t expect the building at BranchCreek to look much different than it does today. But the church never has been and never will be a building. In fact, the very name of our church, “Lives Changed By Christ”, has no tie to a geographical location or place. Rather, church is a collected group of people who are having their lives changed by Christ. And as we gather as a group of people having our lives changed, there are a few things you’ll experience.

You’ll experience worship that is full of energy, life, and honest expression of gratitude to the God who has shown his love through Jesus.

You’ll experience acceptance and warmth wherever you turn. We will roll out the red carpet for all the guests we have on the campus.

You’ll experience being challenged. We don’t back down from talking about the life that God calls us into. Sometimes that message has sharp edges and can sting a bit. But we believe that while Jesus might confront us on where true life is found, there is a deep reward for anyone willing to trust.

Bottom line is that come January 6th you can expect a church that is passionate about inviting everyone to becoming more fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. You can expect a church that will always think about people who are outside of faith and unfamiliar with church. You can expect a church you will LOVE inviting all your un-churched friends to. And you can expect a church that will push you to trust God and follow Jesus more closely than you ever have.

My heart has been so full the last couple of months as I have gotten to know the people at BranchCreek who believe along with me that we haven’t scratched the surface of our potential yet. There are hundreds and hundreds of people at BranchCreek who have stepped up to write this new chapter in our story together. And now the only thing left to do is go for it!

Our best days are truly in front of us.

1. Explain what you do as a volunteer at LCBC.

We are the Cleaning Coordinators for the LCBC York Campus. We have 4 teams that alternate every other Sunday morning starting at 7:00 am and another team that cleans Monday evenings at 6:00 pm. We serve by resourcing our volunteers so we can make this place shine.

2. What was it like to get involved and volunteer?

It was totally fulfilling. We were excited about volunteering, a new campus just opening in York close to our home and a way to give back to God for all that he has done for us.

3. What one concern did you have about serving?

The big concern that I had was why couldn’t I do everything? I wanted to clean, be a greeter, work in the cafe’, and be a program stuffer. But, I knew that was not possible so I picked the one thing that I’m gifted in and that’s cleaning. I can spot a piece of lint on the carpet from 100 feet away. Seriously, getting enough volunteers was my concern. Needless to say, not everyone has a cleaning passion like I do. As for Dan (whom is a bit more shy then me), his concern was meeting new people and not knowing what to say.

4. What’s one cool thing that’s happened because of volunteering at LCBC?

Since we’ve opened the York Campus, we’ve had such a great opportunity to meet and develop real friendships with other volunteers and even staff members. It’s really cool to strike up a conversation with someone you say “Good Morning” to in the bathroom and talking to them about their experience at LCBC. (as I’m wiping down the countertop)

5. What would you say to someone who is thinking about serving at LCBC?

Go for it, you won’t find anything more rewarding then serving at LCBC. If you find out you don’t enjoy cleaning, we’ll continue to talk with you to see what other ways you could serve. God gives all of us many gifts and talents, we just can’t be afraid to use them. There is nothing more fulfilling than serving God in any way we can.

If you are interested in learning more about serving at LCBC check out when the next 14 is happening at your campus! Check out other spotlight posts here. 

We are currently in the midst of a series at LCBC, The Art of Ending, that has been chalk-full of wisdom of this nature as it relates to the relationships in our lives and the people we get to do life with. Most would probably agree that when it comes to relationships of any kind, we tend to be great at starting out but come up short when it comes to the difficulties associated with endings.

Endings, though, sometimes are necessary as we begin to understand that good cannot fully begin until bad ends. Depending on the relationships and circumstances being faced, this can sometimes mean ending a relationship completely. Proceed with caution, though, because more often than not, however, this insinuates the need for identifying faulty behaviors and patterns in a relationship, having tough but necessary conversations, deciding to set boundaries, and doing the hard work to follow-through with what has been established. Remember, boundaries ultimately bring freedom.

Who we choose to spend our time with matters and can have an acute impact on many facets of our lives. 1 Corinthians 15:33 reminds us that bad company corrupts good character. 2 Timothy 2 is a bit more graphic and suggests that foolish people and behaviors are like a disease that quickly and easily spreads (some translations even use the disease Gangrene to depict this…if you have a strong stomach, look it up!) You get the picture…wisdom suggests being keenly aware of what and with whom we choose to involve ourselves. Disregarding this will only lead us to a place where we must be content to reap what we sow in the long run.

As you consider all of the relationships in your life…perhaps your spouse, the people you work with, your friends and neighbors…you may begin to identify foolish people and behaviors exist that need to end. Taking an inward look may even cause you to realize that you, too, have been or fed into foolishness. Proverbs 5 and 6 include some profound truths and reminders: beware of the scoundrel, the sinister, the tempter. Beware that you may, yourself, have qualities of such people, too, that need to be come to an end.

New life, a new sense of peace and hope can be found for you and others as you evaluate the company you keep. God provides wisdom, wisdom that can’t be taken from you, and allows for you to move forward…embracing the endings just as much as the beginnings so that good can truly begin.

A phrase that I have heard floating around LCBC is that “we like to get rid of all the secret handshakes”. Secret handshakes for example are things we might say or do that an outsider would not understand, and would cause an outsider to remain an outsider. Not only do we not want outsiders to be left out, we find in scripture that God doesn’t either.

In 1 Corinthians 14 Paul was correcting the church for all of their secret handshakes. The church at Corinth had gotten so bad that Paul even said if “outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?” I also love how later in verses 24-25 the passage paints a picture of God’s vision for church gatherings and also express’s his heart for the outsider in our church gatherings.

Throughout the ages God has always spoken in a language the existing culture can understand…always. God wants outsiders to become insiders. What I love about being a part of LCBC is that we are very deliberate with how we do things and communicate so that those who are outsiders will feel welcome, be challenged (because they can understand what is being said), and be given the opportunity to have their life changed by Christ.

In recent surveys done by reputable research groups we have discovered that over 80% of Americans say that they would go to church if someone invited them. Over 90% say that they attended church the first time because a friend invited them. It is also true that most Americans celebrate Christmas, and even if they do not attend church regularly they are often looking for a place or church to go to experience Christmas…especially families with children.

Having been a part of all the planning for the LCBC Christmas Eve gatherings I can tell you that you and your friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc…will be missing out if they do not come, and they need your invitation. We’ve done our best to get rid of the secret handshakes. We’ve worked hard to make an environment that feels welcoming, where others can be challenged, and given the opportunity to change.

Now you have the opportunity to just ask someone to be a part of it.

In Proverbs 9:8-9 there are two different kinds of people described: the wise and the foolish. The foolish when corrected will resent you, while the wise when corrected will thank you.

Wise people …

• When confronted with truth, make adjustments
• Listen
• Embrace feedback

Foolish people …

• When confronted with truth, make excuses
• Ignore
• Blame others

After reading some of these descriptions, which one are you? The reality is that all of us have some foolishness in us and some wisdom. If I were honest, it’s not just in high school that I was foolish, I still am many days, but I’m thankful for the truth that to be wise I must learn to work on my own issues. As I continue to work on becoming wise and less foolish, I begin to take more ownership of who God has really made me to be. May the same be said for each of us.

Beth Hollick is a Mom of two, attends our evening She Studies and has attended for 4 years. She has been a small group facilitator for several years and offers lots of enthusiasm and heart to this ministry. She takes such a vested interest in the women in her small group and has volunteered her time and heart so selflessly. Here is are some thoughts from Beth about checking out She Studies and getting connected. -Elena

When my husband and I first came to LCBC I was looking for a place to get connected. A life group was not an option at the time for us so I approached the life group booth after service one day to see what options might be there for me. I was told about SheStudies. The semester had already started but I decided to check it out anyway and felt at home immediately.

I attended a small group and my leader apparently saw something in me and suggested I become a small group leader the following year. I had been feeling like God wanted me to be doing something but hadn’t figured out what that was and felt overwhelmed trying to navigate that in a new church that was so large. God took care of that and opened the doors for me get connected in the She community. The discussion group leaders trainings and our times together have helped me to grow immensely and to see other gifts God has given me and given me the confidence to step in to other leadership roles he has for me.

Our next session of She Studies starts Jan 10, 2013. We’d love to have you join us!