How to behave on Christmas Eve

by Pastor Tom Anderson

It’s been 2 years since we’ve been able to celebrate Christmas Eve live and in-person! I am so excited to rejoice in our Savior together on this Holy Night! I hope you will invite your family, friends and neighbors to light the Christmas candles and scatter the darkness in Jesus’ name as we sing carols together. Our goal is to have 300 in attendance over three services 5, 7, and 11 PM. Join in daily prayer that God will fill our worship center with visitors who want to know about Jesus. Pray and invite!

We are recruiting greeters to serve at all 3 services. Every guest should be greeted warmly at least twice on their way in and at least once on their way out. Some recent visitors have shared with me that no one greeted them in our church on their initial visit. Don’t let this happen on Christmas Eve! Let’s not leave it to the official greeters but all of us reach out on Christmas Eve to interact with people we don’t know. In fact, it’s a good habit to make the 5 minutes before and after service dedicated to greeting people you don’t know. Get acquainted. Learn a new name. Make an introduction.

Coffee and light snacks will follow after each service. A warm thanks ahead of time to our master coffee chef Nancy Beal. Cookies will be specially made and individually wrapped from Jenni’s Ugly Pies. This would be a great opportunity to invite visitors to be refreshed and have more conversation together. Begin relationships and build relationships. Who knows? You just might make a friend for eternal life!

Smile! This is our night. Our Savior is born! Studies show that ordinary adults smile about 4 times a day while children smile upwards of 24 times a day. So on December 24, save all 4 of your daily quota for church! Smile at God. Smile at each other. Smile at children. Smile at people you don’t know. It’s Christmas and no one will think you’re creepy. Besides this, smiling will actually make you feel better. Wipe away the usual deadpan and show off those beautiful choppers the dentist just cleaned for you this fall.

We want children to come! Our 5 PM service will be especially focused on young children but we will have childcare at all services, including our 11 PM Holy Communion service. We are a kid friendly church and they are most welcome in either our worship center or our nursery.

We have a gift for first-time worshippers. It our special Thrive edition NIV Bible with a brochure about our church. These will be available at our welcome center. If you meet a visitor, take them to get their gift! When visitors return a contact card, we will make a $5 donation to the Power Company Kids Club—our offering for the night. This will greatly assist us in following up with a letter or email to welcome new people. We need contact information to begin building a relationship with new folks. Help us to reach new people for Christ.

Our offering goal is to raise $3000 for the Power Company Kid’s Club in Pontiac and Detroit. The entire Christmas Eve offering is dedicated to this highly effective gospel ministry among children at risk. If you’ve not heard of the Power Company visit their website and be inspired. What better way to celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus than to reach out in love to needy children in our own backyard? Plan now to bring a generous gift on Christmas Eve, use the Vanco mobile ap or give at our website.

Everyone who attends will receive a card inviting them to our new sermon series: New Year’s Resolutions where we will focus on the 2 greatest commandments: Loving God and loving your neighbor. Start the New Year right and let’s all get back to basics. Thrive Church is committed to loving our neighbors no matter who they are and to connecting them with the transforming power of Jesus Christ.