WHY HARBORCREEK?
1. We believe God is calling us there
Again, not to over-spiritualize, but from the first moment that we began to discuss a second campus, it was as if God was burdening our heart for the Harborcreek area. So we started the ball rolling. But any exploration of demographics, community studies, etc. came after we had already decided to go there. The decision to launch in Harborcreek has been confirmed every step of the way - most recently in meeting with a number of pastors from the Harborcreek area. The reception from them has been great and the possibility of partnering with some of those churches is strong. There are a number of good and healthy churches already in Harborcreek, but still loads of people to reach (see #3 below).
2. There are lots of current Grace families who come from there.
Our best estimate is that we have 162 families from the Harborcreek area who call Grace their church home. Currently these families are driving 15-20 miles each way to come to church. Instead we're going to bring church to them! We're not assuming that all of those people will attend Grace Harborcreek, however many of them will. And it's much easier to fully enter in to the life of a church if you don't have to drive across town to get there! These families give us a good starting place - and they're also an indicator of the kind of people we might reach out to in Harborcreek.
3. There are too many people in Harborcreek without a church home.
Our studies indicate that there are approximately 25,000 people within a 10 mile radius from the center of town in Harborcreek who don't have a church home. We're hoping to put a dent in that number...
On Easter Sunday 2011, Grace Church will launch a second campus in Harborcreek, PA. We will meet at the Harborcreek High School at 11:00 AM each Sunday.
On Easter Sunday 2011, Grace Church will launch a second campus in Harborcreek, PA. We will meet at the Harborcreek High School at 11:00 AM each Sunday.
No comments:
Post a Comment