Dear Watermark Family,
At our last member meeting (“All Hands on Deck”) in May, we shared with you our four strategic priorities for this fall and spring. Since then, we have prayerfully sought to:
- Deepen our theology of God and His Church
- Make a big church feel smaller
- Strengthen families
- Love our city
I want to share a brief update on how we are working to accomplish each of these priorities and ask you to pray with us.
Deepen Our Theology of God and His Church
Many factors shape our understanding of God. Our childhood, church background (or lack thereof), education, life experiences, and relationships shape our perceptions of God. Ask ten people on the street what comes to their mind when they think about God, and you will likely hear ten different opinions. Some believe Him to be a cold and distant power. Others picture Him to be a weak grandfatherly figure or angry judge.
Too many also live with a “Jesus and me” mindset and have jettisoned the Lord’s call to participate and serve within the life of His Church. The pandemic only furthered our isolation from one another and promoted a consumer mindset of church, weakening our participation in the weekly, corporate gathering of the church. We dabble here and there and fail to experience the richness of living within community, practicing the “one anothers” of Scripture, the blessings of discipleship and instruction, and the reward of serving.
For these reasons, our first priority is to deepen our theology of God and His Church. This priority has shaped our Sunday morning messages. To deepen our theology of the Church and understand God’s will for His Church, we taught through the book of 1 Corinthians. Currently, we are teaching through the opening chapters of Genesis and learning about the character of God.
It is not enough to simply learn more about God through a Sunday message. We are also called to walk with Him. One of the ways we do this is through prayer. Prayer is an essential step in deepening our relationship with the Lord. Therefore, we started a weekly Prayer Service on Sunday afternoons from 5:00 – 6:00 PM in the Chapel. If you would like for someone to pray for you or are not sure how to pray, then I want to encourage you to join us one Sunday afternoon. You can come alone, bring your family, or gather with your community group. You will be given a prayer guide and are free to pray silently or with others. Either way, I am confident you will walk away strengthened and encouraged by our time together.
In addition, I want to invite you to Training Day this Saturday. Oren Martin, our new Equipping Director, will teach on "The Incomparable Christ.” Come and learn how the gospel message informs every area of our life!
Make a Big Church Feel Smaller
Let’s face it, Watermark on Sunday mornings is busy and it is easy to feel lost in the crowd. We desire for every person to feel known, equipped, and cared for. Therefore, our second strategic priority is to make a big church feel smaller.
One of the primary ways we do this is through community groups. Through the efforts of our newly formed Community Formation team, we were able to place every person seeking community into a group this fall! If you are not in a community group and would like to be placed in one, please let us know. Our team would love to help you!
For those who are members of our church and in a community group, I’m also excited to announce that we have secured the use of Pine Cove Bluffs Camp. The Bluffs is one of Pine Cove’s Family Camps and is less than two hours outside of Dallas. The camp offers many fun activities and nice amenities for your convenience. If you’d like to take a retreat with your community group or ministry team, then please let us know. (Again, we are only able to offer this for our Members who are in a community group).
Strengthen Families
Our third strategic priority is to strengthen families. To do this, we are offering you many opportunities. For one, we are hosting the Uncommon Marriage Conference on November 4-5. This will be a time of equipping, fellowship, encouragement, and a ton of fun! You do not want to miss this, so invite your community group, friends, and co-workers, and come be inspired and equipped. To our married or engaged Members, there is still time to sign up before ticket prices increase on Monday, October 24. To our single friends, we still need volunteers to serve during the weekend and we have fun surprises in store for those who serve to make the weekend fun.
We are also offering new classes like BetterMan, Parenting on Point, and DadU. All of these provide rich mentoring opportunities across generations. If you feel led to mentor and raise up the next generation of leaders or you are looking to be mentored, then be sure to join us!
Another opportunity we are offering for Dads and their sons is Trail Life USA. Trail Life offers a Christ-centered, boy-centered scouting experience.
Love Our City
Our final strategic priority for the year is to love our city. As believers, we are called to seek the welfare of our city and to serve as salt and light within our neighborhoods. There are numerous ways you can get involved in sharing the love of Christ with your neighbors.
If you want to put your business or medical skills to use in reaching our city, then I encourage you to learn about our Community Development Corporation (CDC) and Watermark Health.
Also, if you are a member of our church and a first responder (police, fire, and paramedics), then we want to sponsor your kids for Pine Cove in the City this summer. We partnered with Pine Cove last summer, and the turnout was overwhelmingly positive. You will learn more about this opportunity in the coming months, so stay tuned!
Friends, I couldn’t be more excited about what the Lord is doing in and through our church! We’d love to help you take the next step in your relationship with the Lord, so please don’t hesitate to contact us.
See you on Sunday,
On My Desk
Reactivity: How the Gospel Transforms Our Actions & Reactions by Paul David Tripp
Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms by Justin Whitmel Earley
Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work by Timothy Keller
