The 50th Anniversary Celebration last weekend put a fitting climax on six months of exciting interim ministry with the Holmes Road church in Lansing. Although the new minister has been in place for over a month, the anniversary was a significant part of the ministry renewal plan we initiated late last summer.
The Sunday morning attendance was 311! This is an indicator of the great potential that exists in this church. Few churches come through a time of ministry transition stronger than before. Much of our attendance decline comes “between ministers.” The church is blessed when it can move ahead healed in the broken places and strong for the future.
The weather provides an interesting sidenote. When we were planning the anniversary weekend, we were concerned about the weather. Mid-March in Michigan can mean snow–and lots of it! When Jan and I arrived on Thursday afternoon, it was 72 degrees. The weekend weather was very nice as the men of the congregation fried fish on Friday evening and cooked barbecue on Saturday. Despite a seasonably cool morning on Sunday, the day dawned bright and sunny. In fact, all was well until activities concluded mid-afternoon on Sunday, and then the cold rain began. This week, winter will prove it has not quite lost its grip, but God smiled brightly on the anniversary weekend and events.