On August 19, Dionne and I attended a reception for the Centennial Celebration for the City of Snellville. We mingled with several former city councils, historical society members, and past mayors during this event. We saw pictures of old Snellville, including the Sawyer-Snell store, the first school bus, our church’s history, the first house of worship structure, and the wooden frame church building, the second church to be built in the city. 

While a concert on the Towne Green was scheduled after the event, we couldn’t help but notice that we were among the youngest people in attendance at the reception. It felt like the college homecoming events I attended while working at LaGrange College, where the older alums attended an invitational sit-down meal. The younger alums and current students participated in the homecoming football game.

This month marks our church’s 140th anniversary. And like the city, we, too, have had a storied past, through three houses of worship and riding an unprecedented twenty-five-year population growth with membership, attendance, and program expansion. And like the Centennial and college homecoming celebrations, we also have an older congregation with missing generations who attend our worship services, with fewer younger members or attendees. We must find new ways to connect with the next generation to continue our legacy.

Over the summer, we discovered how the uncomfortable journey to New Life describes our church’s story. We learned that our pre-exodus experience of growth and expansion, which helped us thrive in our history, is no longer appropriate in a culture where church attendance isn’t automatic. But what would it look like for us to be strong and courageous and use our 140-year founding history as a springboard to listen to our community's wilderness experiences without an agenda? 

For September, our sermon series will focus on what it means for our church to be FOR SNELLVILLE using Habit 3 (Sharing and Listening to stories of life) and Habit 4 (Using our gifts to serve a need in the community). We will look at building relationships with our school partners in the South Gwinnett school clusters to Do Life Together. We can transform our schools by listening to their needs and creating more partnerships with local non-profits by:

• Showing up in the Community
• Listening to Learn the Needs
• Meeting People who can help with the Needs
• Creating Partnerships with them to Meet Needs and Share a Life-Giving Impact

Following these steps helps us partner with people in Snellville. These steps also help us help the next generation through their wilderness experiences. Most importantly, the emphasis on being FOR SNELLVILLE helps us become known as the church that provides tools to help our community Do Life Together through the wilderness that leads to New Life. 

At the Intersection,

Dr. Quincy D. Brown

Senior Pastor