Churches around the nation are unifying their efforts to invite their communities back to church on September 15. Rallying around a common cause, churches are signing up at BacktoChurchSunday.com, then are participating together in creative ways with other ministries in their area.
A group in McKinney, Texas is hosting a multi-church, multi-denominational outreach event for Back to Church Sunday in a local park, welcoming everyone in the city looking for a church home. The informal picnic is designed to allow attenders to mingle with others, enjoy special speakers and live music and connect with churches that suit their needs. Event co-chair Rolanda Greer told the local media that she wants the people of McKinney to know that they “care not only about their physical well-being and their mental well-being, but we also care about their spiritual well-being.”
In Champaign County in Illinois, nearly 20 churches are joining forces to promote Back to Church Sunday in the city of Urbana. Mike Stewart, pastor of Urbana First Christian Church, and Jim Lillibridge, pastor of Urbana United Methodist, agreed that the event is not merely an attendance drive, but is intended to show the community that different congregations can work together to promote the common goal of the Christian church: spreading the gospel of Jesus.
“We do this because we believe the message that Jesus is the answer and in him we find purpose and meaning in life,” Stewart said in a local news story. He also said he hopes the citywide effort will “lower some of those barriers for those who want to come back” but “not stick out like a sore thumb.”
“We’re just broken, worn-out dents-in-our-fender people,” Lillibridge said. “We’re a community of broken people who found hope in Jesus Christ. You’ll fit in.”
To find out more about Back to Church Sunday and to participate, click BacktoChurch.com.
