Whatever it Takes- Cell Phones???

January 23, 2012 in tampa church with Comments Off

Last Sunday and next Sunday will be formative days for Church at the Bay.  We are explaining Part-ner-ship and then inviting people to become Partner’s at CATB.  For more information about this just click here…

We had a great response to the cell phone sign-up.  Basically we will send you a verse to meditate on and memorize each week.  We may also notify you of something important.  But- we will not spam you.  This plan also lets you opt out at any time.  I know some had problems texting the number and name… if you did just fill in this app below and you will be signed up to receive a weekly text.

Partnership is a Verb!

January 16, 2012 in tampa church with Comments Off

We have all heard the statement, “Love is a verb”!  We believe that love is something that you live, do and act.  At Church at the Bay we believe Partnership is a verb.

From the beginning of our church we moved away from the term of membership and went with the verb partnership.  Why? (Thanks for asking).

I think often membership is thought of as:

  • Something you attain- you know you complete something or join something and you have a card or certificate
  • Something that has benefits- whether it’s a gym, golf club or credit card, we often consider the benefits of membership before we sign on the dotted line
  • Something that gives you influence- the belief is because you are a member you should not only be treated differently than others (better of course) you should also have influence to change things through a vote or registering your complaint.

Rather than try to change the meaning of the word membership we have opted for the word Partnership at Church at the Bay.  The Apostle Paul says in Philippians chapter one that he is grateful for their “partnership” in the gospel.  The Philippian people prayed for Paul, encouraged him, gave him money and worked alongside of him as he planted churches.  They saw themselves as co-laborers with Paul not merely a group that supported him.

So we believe Partnership at Church at the Bay looks like this:

  • It is something you do- if you are a partner it means more than showing up to worship, it means showing up to worship as you work!  We have scores of people that show up every Sunday to prepare Sickles High School for our weekend worship experiences.  We have a team going to Haiti to make a difference in the lives of orphans.  We have groups that go out to help other pastors start churches.  . We have people who serve at Metropolitan ministries.  There are people serving in the tech team, band, kids areas, parking lot and all over our campus every Sunday. Partnership means serving is a lifestyle.
  • It gives you huge influence- we believe that when you see something that needs to be adjusted or fixed it does not mean it’s time to lodge a complaint rather, it’s time to get in the game.  Step in and help, step up and engage and do something to remedy the problem.

There are 5 commitments of a Partner at Church at the Bay.  Over the next 2 Sunday’s we will discuss them and give all of us an opportunity to Partner together to reach the mission God has given us.  You want to be here the next two weeks because we are taking Partnership to a whole ‘nutha level. We want YOU to Partner with Church at the Bay and we seek to fulfill the mission of God.

My Facebook Plan for 2012

January 9, 2012 in tampa church, Vision, What kind of church with Comments Off

I have been active on Facebook for years and I want to be more strategic in 2012.  I want my personal account and Church at the Bay account to be a place to find wisdom and be encouraged.  I/We am/are doing several things in 2012 that, to be honest, need your help to succeed.  Here are the plans:

 

Wisdom for the Week

Each Monday morning I will make a post asking you to comment with verses that help you focus your week or encourage you to go strong.  The verses you post may be ones that you have memorized or came to “life” from your time with the Lord.  So on Monday’s especially- I need you to stop by my Facebook page and give us all your verse.  And, if we are not Friends on Facebook- hit me up, I would love the connection.

 

Daily Verses from my Quiet Time

Each day (that is my plan) I will post a verse on Facebook that God used to speak to me in my time with Him.  I have been spending time daily with God for over 30 years.  A friend of mine in college challenged me to start- and he was right- God used it to change my life.  So my verses may or may not fit your “moment” but I want to be transparent with some of the things God is teaching me.  The outcome I hope will be more people spending Time with God on a daily basis.

 

Encourage People to “Like” us on Church at the Bay’s Facebook page

Our hope is to make this page a daily conversation about what God is doing at CATB and answer questions you may have.  So if you are not yet a friend- go here and hit us up on the “Like” button.  In 2012 we want to help you use Facebook as a tool to invite and connect your friends to CATB and hopefully Jesus Christ.

 

Enlist a Facebook Team at Church at the Bay

I want to enlist a group of people to help Church at the Bay be strategic on a daily basis with Facebook.  No I don’t want you to start spamming people’s pages!  What if- you made “personal” invites with video and or articles that we post that your friend might be interested in?  Then every week this group would make at least 3 personal Facebook invites.  This action could prove to be life changing for your friends.  Sound interesting?  Watch for more….

 

Whatever it Takes!

January 2, 2012 in tampa church, Vision, What kind of church with Comments Off

         

Happy 2012! I love New Year’s, fresh starts and challenge!  We are starting this New Year with a message series called- WHATEVER IT TAKES!  If there is one phrase that defines our culture at Church at the Bay- WHATEVER IT TAKES may be it!  We will do whatever it takes (short of sin) to reach people for Christ and help believer’s take their next step with Christ.  Our history has shown that we are a WHATEVER IT TAKES kinda church!  We have had challenges and your response has always been… you guessed it- WHATEVER IT TAKES!

  • When we launched CATB I asked for 50 more volunteers and you responded in droves with – WHATEVER IT TAKES!
  • We added a service and the retort was – WHATEVER IT TAKES!
  • We needed to sponsor a Haitian Orphanage and CATB said – WHATEVER IT TAKES!
  • We have moved from a cafetorium to a gym to a school to another school and Church at the Bay exclaimed – WHATEVER IT TAKES!
  • We have raised money for equipment, church plants and disaster relief and our church has said every time – WHATEVER IT TAKES!

I think you get my drift- Church at the Bay will do WHATEVER IT TAKES short of sin to help people “know” Jesus Christ.

We are going to shake things up a little this new year in the arena of Partnership.  We will redefine what it means to be a Partner at Church at the Bay.  We will re-work the way people make a commitment to Partnership.  We are going to challenge you to stretch and engage your heart, mind and bodies in ministry.

So if you need to miss- I recommend it not be during the month of January 2012 because… Well you will need to attend to understand that!

I look forward to seeing you Sunday and please bring a friend… I promise the message will challenge you!

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