For the ONE

On November 10th, 2019, we had one united service in the Curtis Culwell Center that culminated the launch of our Unfinished Vision Initiative. We knew the day would be significant, and Pastor Bryan had a message burning in his heart, but I had no idea how one simple sermon illustration would become a battle cry that would shape the destiny of this church. For those of you who were there, it will be a shared experience we will never forget.In a world that is spiraling downward faster than we could ever imagine, the church is the lifeboat that rescues the perishing. Here’s the question we asked ourselves that day: Do we have enough lifeboats?Toward the end of the message, Pastor Bryan started calling people forward to get in small stationed lifeboats upfront in the arena. We crammed as many people as we could over the course of several minutes. His plea during that time was “Just One More!” Surely we can get “one more.” As people tried to press in anywhere, there was room, and it was apparent many would be left out.Somehow, at that moment, in that very powerful visual, God used a simple illustration to break our hearts for people far from God. Hardly a week has gone by since that day when someone hasn’t sent us a note or email with this statement: Just One More!You’re going to be seeing that phrase a lot over the next few months. FOR THE ONE. It’s the vision of this church. It’s the heartbeat of God. Just one more! It’s all about one more changed life!For the one, broken in your sin. For the one blinded by your addiction. For the one, imprisoned in your unbelief. For the one, that’s always searching and never finding. For the one that’s always traveling and never arriving. For the one that tried religion, and it failed them. For the one angered byinjustice. For the one that feels used up, wasted, overlooked, and forgotten. For the one, far from God. You are the reason God put Northplace Church here almost 100 years ago. You are the reason we are still here today. We exist: FOR THE ONE.