What a glorious and toe-tapping evening!

We had a glorious and toe-tapping evening last night in the celebration of the first night of our new contract with the Lino Lakes Senior Center. Forty-five people showed up for the Cedar Lake 7 concert. That number includes the nine people from the Cedar Lake 7 and includes four new families who came to inquire about our new church that is forming in Blaine and Lino Lakes.

The evening was a celebration of faith, community and possibilities.

The Cedar Lake 7 did a marvelous job of singing and sharing their faith with us. They were excited to be with us as we continue to launch our new church. One man from the group shared that they had sang for Kwanza—another New Church Development in our Presbytery, when Kwanza started. He shared how important it is for us at Chain of Lakes to be full of faith, patience, and persistence.

Another man from the group shared his story of coming to church. His story is very similar to the stories that I’ve encountered among the unchurched in Blaine and Lino Lakes. Ten years ago he and his wife knew that something was missing in their lives. They hadn’t gone to church in a long time and their five-year old son was not baptized. They started going to different churches. One day they went to Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. That faith community embraced them. He and his family found a home. Today his son is baptized and he is an active singer in the Cedar Lake 7.

I briefly shared with everyone who attended that part of the Purpose of Chain of Lakes is to make an impact on the community. Last night we were making an impact by sharing music and by helping the poor. All of the proceeds from the evening will go to CEAP, a community-service organization who serves low-income people in Anoka County.

After the concert I enjoyed meeting and talking to the four new families who attended the concert. They had heard of the concert in a variety of ways. One family saw the sign about the concert that we placed outside the Senior Center; another read an announcement in a church bulletin; two of them saw our ads placed in different papers. With each of the families I took a risk and asked if they were currently involved in a church. None of them were bothered by my question and all said that “yes” they were shopping around for a church. I invited all of them to attend worship at our first worship service this Sunday, December 6 at 10:30 a.m. at the Senior Center.

Last night’s event is one that we will do with much more frequency at Chain of Lakes in 2010. With the start of worship we will offer many more fellowship events—opportunities for people outside of our community to get a sense of who we are at Chain of Lakes Church.