That is our church in the background. It is also a hotel, The Waterfront Inn, smack in the middle of The Villages. We rent it once a month for the preview services of Live Oaks Community Church. We pay a hefty fee to rent it but the plan has worked thus far. Everyone knows where this landmark is and it provides a neutral setting which is convenient for visitors who don’t want to get trapped somewhere. They know hotels have lots of exits. We have filled the hotel ballroom with 100 people in our previous two services and they were able to get there on their golf carts. And the generosity of those attending allowed us to cover the cost of renting the room. Our third Preview service is in two days on April 22 so pray for more visitors.
We have advertised, “You are invited to Once A Month Church (for a while)” and it has been catchy. Many have said with a wry smile, “We like the sounds of “Once a Month Church; that works in our schedule.” Of course the “for a while” means that when we have a strong enough core group, we will begin meeting weekly. But until then, it is “Once a Month Church.” It was quite humorous the first Sunday. I became confused and tongue tied when trying to explain that their offering could be made out to our church but we were operating under the tax exempt umbrella of our district office. What came out was that their gifts were “tax reimbursable,” when I meant to say “tax deductible.” So what’s not to like about this new church? You go to church once a month and you get your money back. No wonder we are growing!
