Today was a great start to our Man Vs. Wife Series.  We had a record non Easter attendance in Derby and waiting to see the reports from all of our other locations.

Here are some of the comments we heard today:

“I actually liked church.  Didn’t expect that.”  ~ Guy that hadn’t been to church in 20 years.

“I learned so much about our marriage today.  Can’t wait to learn what men think next week!” ~ Wife of 6 years.

“Bro, I never laughed so hard in church in my life!” ~ Husband married 11 years.

“My mom and Dad came to church today.  They really need this.  We all do.” ~ Daughter who has been inviting her family for months.

This was a great start and it’s only getting better.  I hope you will invite someone to come with you next week.  If you are inviting online use this link: http://Aviatorchurch.com/currentseries

If you are married, I also want to encourage you to consider attending The Marriage Advance.  It is a couples get away for two nights to gain new ground in your relationship.  You should sign up online.

I’ll keep you posted this week as we find out how things went church wide and please pray for our son, Koehn.  He has surgery on his hip this week in Dallas, TX.  I’ll have a progress report on Sunday.  See you next week.

Don’t forget, we want to reach over 1000 people in regular attendance.  Keep inviting, we are getting so close.

Today we kicked off the series “Church in the Wild” at Aviator Church.  If you missed it, you should get to church next week because the train is rolling but you can still jump on because January 8th is going to be incredible.

Today we saw people break down and leave the masks behind.  We even interrupted the 9:30 worship experience and laid hands and prayed for people.  One of the best moments in our church history.

Let’s get in gear and get together next Sunday.  See you there!

Thursday and Friday I spoke at the InDepth Youth Conference in Topeka, KS and rented a car for the trip.  While we were driving back home, my iPhone slid off the dash and fell under the passenger seat of the car.  When i got home, I forgot to look under the seat and returned the car to the renter.  Ouch.  Now they are closed until Tuesday.  So please do 2 things for me:

1. Pray that i get my iPhone back.

2. Forgive me if I don’t get your call.

See you tomorrow morning at Aviator Church!

The Christmas Eve experiences were amazing and we saw almost 1000 people over the past two nights across three locations!  God is so good.  Many people received Christ this year and we were blown away by the families that shared their stories.  I am so thankful to be part of Aviator Church.

I am even more exited about next year.  We will not have worship on the 25th but we will start a new series on January 1st at all three locations.  We will see you in 2012!

December 23rd - 7PM

Aviator Church North Wichita

December 23rd - 7PM Doors open at 6:30PM

Aviator Church Derby Rock Opera 

December 24th - 7PM
Aviator Church Wellington

December 24th - 7PM Doors open at 6:30PM

Aviator Church Derby Rock Opera

Today I was asked if people need a ticket to attend the Derby Rock Opera, which is Aviator Church’s 2011 version of a Christmas Eve family experience.  The Answer is yes and no.

Every year, we face this crazy Christmas Eve dilemma when we plan the worship experiences.  The age old questions are “How many people are coming?” and “When is the best time for families to attend?”  This year to be family friendly we are offering two nights so that those who are heading out of town can attend and those staying in town can invite their friends and family.  Since we are a young church, we expect a lot of people to go out of town but every year we are surprised by people and our attendance break downs.

We also like to know a count so that our greeters and hospitality teams can prepare for guests and have enough refreshments and gifts for visitors.  So knowing how many to prepare for helps.  That is where the online free ticket idea came in to save the day.

Do you NEED a ticket to attend?  No, it’s free and as long as there is space, we are happy for anyone to attend.  We want everyone to attend.  We opened up to the whole city and anyone and everyone is WELCOME!  But we also want the experience to be amazing and we want to make sure everyone is cared for and has enough to eat after the Rock Opera.

So we asked everyone to get free online tickets here, so we can plan ahead, let everyone know it is open to the public, and that this is a special event like nothing we have ever done before.

So the answer is “No. you don’t have to get tickets for the Rock Opera.” and “Yes. If you will get free tickets online, it will ensure you and your guests have a seat and really great treats after the Rock Opera.”

Oh, what is the graph above? This is the break down of attendance patterns so far.  We have a 60%/40% split on the nights and that is helpful to know that so many people are going out of town.  Glad we added the extra night.

Keep inviting your friends, it is going to be great!

Tonight, our home was visited by several families from our church who were taking their kids around town singing Christmas carols and it was really cool to see kids singing and having a blast.  I was so touched by the gesture and really loved the experience.

Michelle and I are excited to welcome everyone over to our home for an open house.  From 6-8pm we will have Christmas treats and time with friends.  Bonus that night?  Survivor finale!

Knock Knock.  Who’s there?  It’s Christmas!

Don’t forget to invite your friends and family to the Rock Opera.  Almost 600 tickets gone and we still have a week to go!

I want to personally invite you to Derby’s Christmas Rock Opera.  This is Aviator Church’s version of a modern musical about Jesus. It is based on the question, “What if Jesus was born today in small town Kansas?”  The story is an original narrative based on the birth of Jesus as told in the Bible.  The rock opera will feature local professional actors and singers and will be engaging and enjoyable to the whole family.  We welcome everyone to experience the Christmas story in a fresh new way this year.  Please click the button above to reserve your free tickets for you, your family, and your friends.  Tickets are going fast.  We have already reserved over 500 seats for this year’s Rock Opera.