Pecan Street Mission
Preview Worship Season

When I arrived at FUMC Decatur 13 months ago, one of the first questions someone asked me was, “So, when is the new worship service starting?!” I’m incredibly excited to share that this month, (in just over a week!) we will host our very first “Preview Worship” for Pecan Street Mission! On Sunday morning, August 12, 2018, at 10:45 a.m., Pecan Street Mission will gather in Asbury Hall for the first of four Preview Worship services this fall!

These next four months will be a soft-launch or preview season for us. Much like when a new restaurant comes to town, there are all sorts of logistics to work through as we prepare to launch weekly worship in December 2018. We’ll be working through questions like, “How do we help new families find their way from the parking lot to the nursery and back over to Asbury Hall?” or “Are there enough empty spaces in the parking lot for new people and families with young children?” or “What sort of breakfast snacks can we provide to help make everyone feel welcome and at home in the new space?” We’ll also be discerning what a modern style of worship looks, feels, and sounds like. Sean Henderson, our new Worship Leader for Pecan Street Mission, is already at work collaborating with gifted musicians. Sean and I have been praying and planning together about what worship might look like. We are incredibly excited to jump into this great creative work of God!

Over the next four months, I want to ask three things of you:

Pray

Cover this endeavor with unceasing prayer throughout the fall. Pray for Sean and I as we collaborate with the launch team, pray for the people who will be walking through these doors for the very first time, pray for those whom we don’t even yet know in whose hearts God has already planted the seeds of love. Pray, pray, pray.

Show Up

I’m asking everyone to attend one of the four Preview Worship opportunities throughout the fall. As part of the FUMC Decatur family, I want you to be able to speak first-hand about what’s going on! When you meet folks around town or find yourself in a conversation with family and friends, I want you to be able to speak first-hand about Pecan Street Mission. I also want all the feedback you are willing to share — send me an email, give me a call, or meet me for coffee one day! Your constructive feedback will be invaluable as we prepare for launch in December 2018.

Extend an Invitation

Our driving mission behind planting Pecan Street Mission is to reach the 35,000+ people across Wise County who are not meaningfully connected to a faith community. Look deeply at your life — who around you are you willing to extend an invitation to come and see this new work of God? Who in your family, at work, and in your social network is hungry for the love of God in their lives? Be brave, be bold, and invite them to come check out a Preview Worship service with you! You never know how God might work through you!

This is such an exciting time in the life of our Church. I cannot wait to see how God continues to do life-transforming work in and through our faithful acts of service. It is such a gift to be in ministry and on this journey together!

In Christ,
Ricky Harrison