40 days for growing

Michele Marr

Pastor Kent Sparks, his pastoral staff and his congregation at

Beachcities Community Church have long built their church vision and

mission using blueprints called the Purpose-Driven Church, a plan for

church growth and development -- and a book by the same name

developed by Rick Warren, pastor of mega-church Saddleback Church in

Lake Forest.

Their mission is to help people “find Christ and to grow.” Their

vision commits them to accomplishing the purposes of God through

worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and mission, “reaching

out with a heart for the lost.”

Last Saturday, 350 of the church’s members joined an estimated

500,000 other Christians in nearly 1,600 churches in all 50 states

and 10 foreign countries to begin an intensive campaign of spiritual

awakening and growth called 40 Days of Purpose. It is a six-week

series of lessons based on Warren’s new book, “The Purpose-Driven

Life.”

The program launched with a simulcast of Warren speaking to the

timeless questions the campaign aims to answer: What on earth am I

here for? Why am I alive? Does my life matter? What is my purpose?

The theme for the first of six weeks is the question, “What on

earth am I here for?” The next five weeks will look at the answer in

five themes: worship -- you were planned for God’s pleasure;

fellowship -- you were formed for God’s family; discipleship -- you

were created to become like Christ; ministry -- you are shaped for

serving God; and evangelism -- you were made for a mission.

Each day participants in the 40 Days of Purpose will read a

chapter from “The Purpose-Driven Life.” Each week they will hear a

sermon on the theme of the week. They will meet in small groups --

women, couples, singles, high school and college students -- for

in-depth study. Young Sunday school students will cover the same

material as the adults in lessons tailored especially for them.

Though the series is already underway, Roger C. Hooker Jr.,

director of the 40 Days of Purpose campaign at Beachcities Community,

said newcomers are welcome throughout all six weeks.

The materials for the series -- the book, a companion workbook and

a key chain aid to scripture memorization -- are all free.

“I am excited about the challenge,” said Steve Woodson, who helped

organize the small groups for the campaign. “It’s a fantastic way to

give ourselves a spiritual boost as we dig into the word of God

everyday and memorize scripture.”

Dana Kroeger is organizing a celebration party to be held Sunday,

Nov. 24, at the end of the campaign. Her goal, she said, is to

“create a memorable gift from Beachcities to its people, celebrating

what God has done for us during the 40 days.”

The church will host the party at Edison High School. There will

be a worship service, personal testimonies and baptisms in the Edison

pool and then food and live music.

Kroeger thinks the 40-day study is for everyone -- for

non-Christians to learn about the faith, “for the person who has been

a Christian for a while and wants to focus on their spiritual

growth,” or “for the new Christian who maybe who has accepted the

Lord as their savior and yet they don’t know what to do now.”

Warren sees people trying to use God for their own purposes, while

life is about letting God use you for his purposes, he says. In the

campaign’s small group curriculum he wrote, “God designed you to make

a difference with your life.”

* MICHELE MARR is a freelance writer from Huntington Beach. She

can be reached at michele@soulfoodfiles.com.