I found out this week how easy it is for someone like me who has been to our church building literally thousands of times over the years, to stop noticing something that is in your face every day. Just this week at our team staff meeting, Tim Kim, our new pastor, brought up a couple things in the parking lot that he noticed. The rest of us (four of us!) didn’t know what he was talking about. There was a sign in the parking lot that was seriously out of date. All the rest of us didn’t see it even though it was in our faces constantly. The Lesson: familiarity can be wonderful, but it can cause you to start overlooking something right in front of you!
This helps me address our upcoming GLOBAL IMPACT CELEBRATION season at LifeWay. We often call it the ‘GIC’. For years now we have said unapologetically and with sincerity that this is the most important week of the year in our church. It shapes us. It is in the ‘DNA’ of our church by design. For ‘old-timers’ like me (and some of you!), you might think —- ‘it’s just our annual missions conference.’ And if you are relatively new at LifeWay it might be easy to assume — ‘many churches have a couple missions highlights, this is just the one for LifeWay.’ Well, let me try to straighten us all out and bring some clarity to this crucial week in our church.
Beginning with a Worship Service on Wednesday evening October 15th; running through Thursday and Friday evenings with small groups hosting missionary guests; Saturday morning missions workshops; Saturday evening international dinner; and the finale of Sunday morning October 19 worship and commitments — GIC week is far more than just a courteous glance at some random mission work in the world. It is week of rubbing shoulders with some amazing global Gospel workers, and ultimately seeking what God wants our church to do, and what God wants to do with us individually in His great Gospel work in this world. It’s a big deal. It’s a huge deal. It is the most important week in the life of our church family because is a time of personal and corporate commitment to the work of Christ in this world.
This Sunday morning officially launches our GIC season with the first of a series of biblical messages around the theme “Made for This.” Heather will take some time this Sunday to walk us through the GIC booklet that you will all receive. Over the next three Sundays you will hear sermons from Heather, Tim, and myself to challenge us. Then our GIC will officially begin on Wednesday October 15.
Even though I may overlook some signs and items around our property because of my personal familiarity, I tell you that I never overlook the meaning and commitment that we make to those clocks on the wall in our auditorium. More than 20 years ago, we began to ask God what He would have us do in this world for the Gospel. 15 years ago, we launched our first GIC. This year, 2025, is not just a renewal of an old commitment, but a time to seek out God’s calling for our church family, as well as each one of us individually before God. We are made for this!
I pray this helps you understand the importance of what you will hear beginning this Sunday.
