Dear non-church

people ,

On behalf of all the churches

here in our community, I want to invite you to come and be with any of

us for a worship service this Sunday.

You decide which church might

suit you best. Perhaps it's one that is close to where you live. Perhaps

it's one where you know someone who worships there. Perhaps it's a church

that has a name with which you are familiar. Perhaps it's one that you've

heard has some good programs that will fit you and your family.

Whichever one you choose,

please know that the pastor and people of that church will welcome you

with open arms. I know that sometimes you feel that you won't be welcomed

or that you yourself might be embarrassed to go back into a church when

you haven't been in so long. But you need to know that God isn't mad at

you. He doesn't hold your past against you. We who are already in churches

are sinners just like you are.

You will be welcomed. I promise

you!

People who have gone back

to church after having been away for a long time and people who finally

go to church after never having gone report two things when asked about

their sudden attendance.

First of all, these people

say that it is not "just an accident or a coincidence" that

they went to a worship service. They say that they went to church for

a particular reason or because it was a particular time in their lives.

When asked, they reply,

"We just got married."

"We just had a baby."

"Our kids are finally

old enough for Sunday School now."

"Our kids' friends from

school invited them, so we all came."

"My dad just died."

"My mom was just diagnosed

with cancer."

"We're having real problems

in our marriage."

"I just got divorced."

"We knew we needed something

spiritual in our lives."

"We have friends who seem

so happy and they say it's because God is in their lives, and we want

that same happiness."

Or hundreds of other specific

issues of life.

The second thing these people

report is that whatever their life situation, when they connect with God

through a church their lives are given the wonderful gift of being suddenly

more happy, more tolerable, more meaningful, more purposeful, and more

enriched.

If you haven't been to church

in awhile or ever, there's probably something in your life that makes

this time right now an important and distinctive time in your life. And

whatever that "something" is, your life will be made better

and more meaningful and more tolerable and more joyful by encountering

God and connecting your life to His.

And so again, on behalf of

all the churches here in our community, I want to invite you to come and

be with any of us for a worship service this Sunday.

You'll be welcomed with open

arms! And you'll be glad you came! I'll look for the ones of you who might

come to our church. Please let me know you're here because I invited you.

See you Sunday!

Kollmeyer is Pastor of

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church on Hwy. 314 between Lowe's and The Pavilion

in Fayetteville. He invites anyone who may want to come to church or back

to church to any one of the Sunday Services, 8:15, 9:30 (Contemporary),

or 11:00 (Pipe Organ). For more information log-on at www.popdove.com or call 770-461-3403.

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