NTY?
Roughly 1,000 years before Jesus, King David wrote these words:
“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)
While unity is good, getting all of us “together” is easier said than done. People are over-scheduled and hyper-busy. As such, we must be intentional at making time for the very important things of life.
The church of the first century somehow figured this out. Luke described them this way:
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.
With such a great example before us in scripture, the bar is indeed set high. The body of Christ should always strive for unity and seek to work together whenever we can. Events like the Women’s Conference, Wichita Workcamp, and other areawide events can help.
So, in the spirit of unity and cooperation, for the last thirteen years, four different Wichita area Churches of Christ (Westlink, Eastpoint, Riverwalk, & Northside) have taken turns hosting the annual Areawide Worship.
The sole purpose of the event is to bring together as many Christians as possible for an evening of worship, fellowship and encouragement. We all cease our regularly scheduled evening worship services and small groups and agree to meet for one evening of worship together.
This year, Eastpoint is hosting. They have reserved the Wichita State University Hughes Metropolitan Complex located at 5015 East 29th Street North (29th & Oliver) . The theme for the evening is timely and one of great interest concerning the next generation. Childcare will also be available.
Phil Brookman will be bringing the message of “Will They Stay? Strengthening today’s youth for tomorrow’s church” and Scott Young will be leading us in worship. I am confident that you will be blessed by the message and by the worship together. You will be both encouraged and challenged at this great evening.
The evening is not only a great opportunity to re-unite folks from your extended Christian family, but also a chance to meet new people as well.
Here are four things you can do over the next week to make this event great:
- Pray that God will be glorified and that His people might will be strengthened.
- Plan to attend on Sunday, October 21 at 5pm.
- Encourage someone else to attend.
- Make it a point to meet at least one person you know from another area congregation.
Unity is indeed pleasant, but it does happen without U and I. In fact, without u and I, unity just becomes NTY—and that’s not even a word. We must work at it—together. I hope to see YOU at the Areawide Worship!