Posts tagged Kemper DeGroot – Assimilation Coordinator
Conversations Recap
May 9th
Conversations is the church-wide RBC production which takes place annually the week before Easter. All about stories, Conversations is a performance incorporating elements of music, drama, and real life testimonies – all interwoven into a unified production. The ultimate goal of Conversations is to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ clearly in a non-threatening environment to those who may otherwise not attend church.
This year, Conversations took place on a city street – complete with a billboard, café, movie theater, vendor cart, and an impressive street band. With a balance of humor and emotional intensity, the scenes told stories of scavenger hunts, forgotten anniversaries, blind dates, awkward meetings with “the in-laws”, and long days.
Our band performed a great mix of songs – from artists like U2, The Beatles, Coldplay, and Jackson Browne and others. And the real life stories were powerful accounts of God’s loving pursuit of individuals and families… through His provision, redemption, reconciliation, and satisfaction.
This year, about 3300 people attended Conversations throughout the week! There were well over 300 people who participated as volunteers, doing everything from baking, to serving coffee, to providing childcare!
As we reflect back on the week, we continually see the grace of God in every step of the process. He is faithful to remind us that we are overwhelmingly dependent on Him and that His word will not return void.
Thank you to everyone who participated in volunteering, attending, and inviting your friends and family to Conversations this year. We trust that God will use this production for His glory and look forward to seeing what He will accomplish with the seeds that were planted through this production!
(Photos by Mike Kelly. You can check out his gallery of Conversations photos here.)
REVEAL Spiritual Life Survey
Mar 1st
We wanted to remind you about the REVEAL SPIRITUAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT, which is available online NOW through Sunday, March 13th.
We are asking everyone who regularly attends RBC to set aside 30-35 minutes to complete this anonymous, online survey. This is a very special opportunity and we need your feedback about your spiritual life and the role RBC plays in it.
It is important for every person who attends Reston Bible Church to complete this survey so we can get the most accurate picture of where we are as a church.
The findings from this survey will help shape our decisions about ministry strategy at RBC and your participation is essential. Please take the survey and encourage your friends, spouses, and Shepherd Groups to do the same. Thank you for your participation!
Please go to http://www.restonbible.org/reveal for more informationand or click the TAKE THE SURVEY graphic above to take the survey.
2010 Ministry Year in Review
Feb 1st
As we continue into 2011, I wanted to take a minute to reflect on some of what we saw God do here at Reston Bible Church in 2010. I do pray this will be an encouragement to you, and while we don’t want to focus too much on numbers, it can be helpful to quantify some of what we have observed in 2010.
Guests:
- From January-July 2010, at the old campus, we received completed Visitor Cards from 145 guests.
- From August- December 2010, as we’ve been in the new facility, we have received completed Visitor Cards from over 300 guests.
- Since August 2010, at least 100 of the guests who have completed Visitor Cards have become regular attendees and involved in ministry at RBC.
- We have had 50 guests from our new surrounding neighborhood since we moved into this facility in August.
- Since August, we have added 333 regularly-attending adults to our database.
Host Team:
- Since the beginning of 2010, we have 100 new volunteers on the Host Team (almost 200% more volunteers than we had 12 months ago).
- Since August 2010, we have added 2 areas of service under the umbrella of the Host Team – the Parking Team and Coffee Ministry.
Transition:
- Since August, our Welcome Desk Attendants give information to an average of 14 guests each weekend.
- In the old building, our Greeters were greeting and Ushers passing out bulletins to an average of 1650 people each weekend.
- In the new building, our Greeters have been greeting and Ushers passing out bulletins to an average of 2042 people each weekend.
- Our Coffee Attendants serve an average of 27 gallons of coffee each weekend – about 400 cups.
- Our Parking Attendants manage traffic for about 1050 vehicles each weekend – this is just our traffic alone (not including traffic for other businesses off Oakbrook Ct.)!
- During the transition of buildings, we have had volunteers serving more frequently. Some Ushers serve for up to 3-4 months straight to assist with the flow of people. We have two Parking Attendants who serve almost every week (and in all kinds of weather)!
Ministries:
- Our Children’s Ministry has jumped 31% in attendance since moving into our new facility – from an average of 231 children to 303 children each weekend. Our AWANA ministry has seen significant growth as well.
- Our Junior High Ministry has increased 69% since our move in August – from an average of 49 to 83 students attending each weekend.
- Our Senior High Ministry has increased 26% since the move in August – from an average of 75 to 95 students attending each weekend.
- Ladies Bible Studies have increased about 72% in the past year in attendance.
2010 was a dynamic year, and we are thankful for the blessing of seeing God work in significant ways. It is a joy to be a part of what God is doing here at Reston Bible Church!
Host Team Celebration
Jun 17th
Last week marked the first annual Host Team Appreciation Celebration – this year in the theme of a Fiesta!
The Host Team is the group of volunteers made up of Ushers, Greeters, and Welcome Center Attendants who serve at the services for us each weekend. In thanks for their service, the Host Team and their spouses were invited to attend the Fiesta – an evening of fun including dinner, games, thanks and encouragement for our volunteers. We even ended the evening with piñatas, stuffed to the brim with candy…and yes, three (clearly inadequate) sticks were sacrificed on the piñatas this year.
In attendance to the Fiesta were volunteers who have been serving anywhere from the past couple of months to those who have been serving at RBC for more than 20 years.
The Fiesta was a wonderful celebration of how God has used this ministry for His glory and an opportunity to celebrate those who serve Him so faithfully through this ministry.
Interested in serving on the Host Team (Coffee Team, Greeters, Ushers, Welcome Center, or Parking)? Or just interested in attending the celebration next year to encourage our volunteers? Contact Kemper DeGroot at kemperdegroot@restonbible.org for more information or to learn more about how you can serve here at Reston Bible Church.
Sharpie Party
May 11th
After many years of praying and planning, Sunday, May 2nd was the first church-wide event at the new building. RBCers were invited to tour our new buildings then grab a sharpie and leave messages of gratitude to the Lord and thanks for the construction workers on the cement floors of our new church home.
Underneath the carpet and tiles of the floors of our church are now written many verses, prayers of petition and thanksgiving to God for His blessings to us.
Walking around the building, you could almost feel the pleasure of the Lord while reading the graffiti-laid floors as children and adults alike wrote notes of thanks to the faithful men who are working so hard to build this building. Prayers for guests, the leadership, the congregation, and all who will enter through the doors of RBC were written everywhere, often in significant places throughout the building. Verses of thanksgiving, requests for wisdom, commands, and the Gospel mark the floors of our building as prayers for RBC and reminders of what God has called us to at Reston Bible Church.
The Sharpie Party was a great joy as our congregation united together to celebrate what God has done and will do in this place.
