Brad Wilkerson // COC Metro

Greater Things!

Can you believe it?  Our year contract at Savannah Elementary is already up.  It seems like just yesterday we were unloading the trailers for the first time for our practice set up and service on Feb. 2nd of 08.  Even those hot summer, Saturday afternoons unloading for Saturday night services seem like a distant memory.  However, it is time to move on.  That is right, this Sunday we move to our new home in the Paloma Creek Elementary.  We are looking forward to making some great memories in this new facility as we set up camp there for the next year!  As we look to great future days ahead at Paloma my heart remembers and is stirred by some great memories at Savannah.  Here are just a few of my favorite:

1. Night of Vision on Feb. 9, 08 ~ Our very first public worship service.  148 were in attendance.
2. March 22, 08 ~ Our first Easter Weekend service.  71 were in attendance
3. August 2, 08 ~ Commissioned Amy Kirkland, our first foreign mission’s project, to Botswana, Africa
4. August 31, 08 ~ Our first Sunday morning service.  71 were in attendance and it was Labor Day Weekend
5. September 7, 08 ~ Grand Opening / Launch Sunday.  184 in attendance. (11 brand new families walked in for the first time)
6. October 5, 08 ~ Pastor Dane’s Ordination Service
7. October 19, 08 ~ First CORE 4 Class and opened COC Metro for membership ~ Over 40 stepped up to commit to membership
8. Our first Communion Service
9. December 24, 08 ~ Christmas Eve Celebration and Candlelight Communion ~ 203 in attendance
10. January 09 ~ Averaged 149 in weekly worship attendance and broke 150 twice with a high of 165
11. All the new families that have entered not only into worship but have become a vital part of the COC family
12. Watching the Launch Team transition into a church and include all the new folks into the family
13. Over 10 receiving Christ as their Savior during the Worship Service or Celebration City
14. All the fun and laughter of doing ministry together
15. All the creative and cool ideas that we have used to bring God’s Word come to life in the lives of the congregation!

Many of you have other great memories over the last year that I am sure you could add to this list.  These are just a few of my favorite moments.  It is good to look to the past and see how God has worked and moved in our midst.  However, we cannot stay in the past but we must look to the future and what Christ has for us in the days to come.  Paloma Elementary is a great facility and God has great things for us to do through Him there.

There's No Place Like Home

Well I arrived home from Phoenix, AZ on Sunday night about midnight.  I had a great trip and enjoyed my time with Josh Barrett, the pastor of our sister church, The Church of Celebration, in Maricopa, AZ.  We had a great Assessment Center week and it was a privilege to meet such fine young church planters that have a burning desire to help in building the Kingdom of God.

Thanks to all of you on the COC metro team who made Sunday a great day.  I heard nothing but good coming from everyone that was in attendance.  Thanks to our Executive Pastor, Dane Blankenship, for a great sermon.  I know he was nervous but my wife said, “He rocked!”  I have big shoes to fill this week.  I hope I can come through!  It was awesome to welcome our new Children’s Pastor, Brian Holt, to his first day on the job as well.  It is such a blessing to be able to add Brian to our Pastoral Staff Team.  Brian, Amy and their entire family bring so much to COC.  We are glad you all are here!

Of course, as usual, I heard the worship was fabulous and the Student Ministry had a wonderful day as well.  Thanks Rob and John and Jess for all the time you put into your areas of ministry.  You guys are awesome.

Thanks also to the entire set up team, media team, sound team, Shuugi Land volunteers, break down team, greeters, hospitality team and everyone who helps in those areas of ministry.

It is great to be involved in such a wonderful church with such a wonderful team.  I am glad to be home and be back with our people.  There is no place like COC metro and there is no place like home!

Team COC

Two and a half years ago, Sarah and I, went to a church planting assessment center called TEAM AMERICA.  After one long week we received a green light that we were ready to go and get busy about the work of church planting.  Within six months we were busy laying the groundwork for COC metro.  I tell you all of that so that you will understand what I am doing this week in Phoenix, Arizona.  This week I am at Cornerstone Christian Fellowship Church for a Converge USA (formerly TEAM AMERICA) assessment center.  However, this time I am on the flipside.  I am an assessor.  What is really cool is having the opportunity to share with these fresh, future church planters that their dreams and visions can come to fruition if they will just get out of the boat and walk on water.  It is really cool to be on the other side of the assessing table and look back to October of 2006 and see what God has done in us and with this incredible place called COC metro.  God rocks and it is just a privilege to be involved with what He is doing.

I was reminded this morning in our assessor’s daily devotion time that no great church plant has ever reached its fullest potential without a great team.  Yes, all great teams have to have a great coach or leader but if no one is in the game playing their parts then victories will be hard to come by.  As I heard our Southwest Director, Bruce Sumner, share those words I was immediately moved to think of COC.  No doubt we have a great God and it is all about Him, but He has also put together an incredible team of people who are passionate about seeing Him change lives and build a great and mighty church. 

I am so privileged to be the leader of a great team that truly has a passion for putting others first.  Since I am in the role of an assessor this week, I am giving the COC team an A+.  Keep it up folks…God is on the move and it is an awesome ride.

We Need More Donuts!!

When I was a kid there was a commercial on tv where this guy was trying to figure out how his dry cleaners got his cloths so clean.  He obviously was never allowed to know because as the lady behind the counter told him, “It was an ancient Chinese secret!”  Well, one day he walks in to the dry cleaners and the man in the back comes out from behind the curtain and says, “We need more Calgon!”  To which the customer replies, “Ancient Chinese secret huh?” 

I tell you that and if you are pushing 40 like me you remember that commercial because it reminds me of yesterday at COC.  Let me explain.  There are many ways to chart a church’s growth.   There is spiritual growth, numerical growth, youth ministry growth, children’s ministry growth and of course Life Group connection growth.  I have charted numbers and averages for years as an Associate Pastor and now as a Lead Pastor.  It is pretty obvious that COC is growing and it is happening fast!  We averaged 68 in August of 08 and in December of that same year averaged 136 with a high attendance of 203 at our Christmas Eve Celebration Service.  However, in the midst of all the numbers and averages I found a new and pretty accurate way to chart a church’s growth yesterday at COC.  I am walking across the auditorium when our hospitality leader, Robin Booker, says to me, “We need more Calgon!”  Actually she didn’t say that but what she did say was, “We need more donuts!”  To that I replied, “You mean we are going through 4 dozen donuts and 2 dozen donut holes every Sunday.”  She said, “Yep, that’s crazy isn’t it?” 

So here is the deal…you know that the church is growing when you need more donuts or it could just be that everyone is already off the wagon with their big New Year’s resolution to loose weight.  Either way, I’ll get more donuts.  Because if there is one thing you need in this day and age to have a culturally relevant church it is, great coffee and warm donuts!

Yesterday was great.  We had 134 in attendance for worship with 27 of our regulars out with illness or traveling.  God is up to something huge in 09 at COC.  Keep on keeping on and I’ll keep on ordering the donuts!