OneChurch.ca is holding its annual 4-Week Challenge through the church's Carlyle and Redvers campuses until Oct. 1. This year's theme is entitled 'Death to Selfie' and Executive Pastor David Baldock says, “It's not just a campaign to quit taking so many pictures of ourselves. It's a talking point...As we do every year, we hope to start people talking: sharing their stories, asking questions and thinking beyond themselves.”
“We've been doing the 4-Week Challenge for some time,” says Baldock. “We run it at the church annually and it's fairly simple. It's basically a challenge for people attend church for four consecutive Sundays - and we also encourage them to invite people who may not have attended a service before.”
“It's really a life-changing experience and the 4-Week Challenge is intended to make it easier for people to invite people to church and easier for everyone to attend. And our services during the 4-Week Challenge are designed with newcomers in mind.”
“We also livestream our Sunday content on our website,” adds Baldock. “Our first service message is at 9:45 a.m. and our second service starts at 10:45 a.m.”
“The 'Death to Selfie' theme is a talking point that we address in the messages at our services for those four weeks,” explains Baldock. “Our culture here in Canada is very self-focused and a lot of us are often looking in a mirror more than what is healthy.”
“We also include conversation questions following the message each Sunday of the Challenge. All of our Sunday messages are made available on our website, YouTube channel and Facebook page, and the discussion questions will be posted along with the videos.”
Some of the questions addressed in the 'Death to Selfie' campaign are: 'Do you ever compare yourself to others?' And: 'Do you ever feel like you don't measure up?'
The campaign urges people to consider: 'When we compare our unfiltered lives to our friends' cropped, edited and Photoshopped lives we are met with emptiness, inadequacy and frustration' and encourages participants to “Take the Challenge – and discover your picture-perfect purpose, identity and life!'
“Everything we do at OneChurch.ca we do because we want to be part of our communities and to make a difference in our communities,” says Baldock. “Our 4-Week Challenge is life-changing.”
“It's one program we run, but soon we'll be starting our bouncers for kids (inside the church) again and we're excited and busy getting our kids' club started.”
“We've got some great things planned and we look forward to welcoming people to OneChurch.ca at either our Carlyle or Redvers campuses.”
For more information, visit: www.onechurch.ca
