Actually Growing Over The Summer . . .

While most churches experience low attendance during the summer, Compass Point has actually GROWN!!! Don't get me wrong, as a church that is primarily made up of college students we always lose about 50% of our congregation in May. Usually we see a huge jump in attendance in mid-August when school starts again. Last summer (our first), we dropped from 60 folks to around 35 in a week. From there we declined to around 20 a week. It stunk!!!

This year we touched the 100 mark on Easter and then dropped back to around 75 until May. When the college students first left we plunged to around 35. Then things started coming up. For no other reason than prayer, some bottled water SE projects, word-of-mouth and God's blessing we started having a bunch of guests . . . and they stayed. We have been over 50 every week since the middle of June and inching upward with each passing Sunday. We have not done any special advertising, major message series pushes or special events - we just kept doing our same old thing . . . only trying to perfect it.

All of a sudden we have a need for two new Connexxion groups. We have doubled our children's program in three weeks!!! We have had to step up the date for our next Starting Point new members seminar. We are scrambling to train new folks that have volunteered for leadership. It's crazy because the major makeup of Compass Point is still home on summer break! All of this is an answer to many long hours on our knees in prayer.

We almost ran out of chairs today . . . and we know of 20 of our regular attenders that were on vacation. With our estimated attendance when school gets back in session, we expect to excede the 100 mark almost immediately!!!

I know for some that read this blog 100 people is no big deal. However, Compass Point began as a word-of-mouth Bible study with 8 people at an apartment complex three years ago. When we"officially" launched two years ago we had 20 folks the first day . . . and 10 were family members that came to help us put some bodies in the chairs. The next week we were down to 15 folks.

It has been a hard summer on the spiritual warfare front. Yet we have seen mostly unchurched folks join our ranks this summer and have baptized 9 since school let out. Even in all the muck and mire, God shows favor and blessings. I'll admit I was a little weary, but I am totally pumped today!!!