“Churches need to grow. One way to ensure a church grows and is healthy is to have activities for members to join. Desert Hills does just that,” shared Ray. “You can take the new member class, decide if you want to join, and still stay active in your other church, which I did for quite some time. If you are not ready to become a member, you can still be active.”
“In 2016, I visited 60 different churches and studied worship and the healthy church. You can read my paper on it but that is for another time. There are not a lot of healthy churches in the Tucson and Phoenix areas. On a Saturday at 3 pm, I sat at Desert Hills next to a dear lady who has since passed and listened to a sermon on “One More.” Pastor Martin shared that weekend how a lot of churches are holding to doctrine but are dying. He then praised another pastor who grew his church by bringing one more. During the sermon, Pastor Martin explained that members doing something in the church makes it healthy. Desert Hills needs to be like this.”
“As a church, Desert Hills has lots of things to do. Members need to do stuff, interact with others, return to the campus, and get involved for the church to remain healthy. I go to coffee fellowship after worship and meet people informally. It’s like therapy for me…interacting with people. I play pickleball and tennis with church members. I have even started working with ‘A Friendly Visit,’ visiting people in their homes, and am participating in a planning group through Pastor Mike’s invitation.”
“Now, I attend the 9:30 am service. I sit up front – less distractions – and usher on the second Sunday of the month. If I am going to be gone, I let the pastors know so they don’t worry about me. I have gotten to know people who sit around me and others who attend regularly at that time. I like to connect people through life experiences to make them feel comfortable and meet others. Even my wife has invited people to attend services at Desert Hills, something she was not comfortable doing in the past. She participates in exercise classes at the church and does other activities with people she met through Desert Hills. We participate.”
“At Desert Hills, I feel relaxed, there is a pattern, and participation is ongoing. I want to see Desert Hills thrive, especially since the pandemic. If I can assist, I am willing to help.”
Desert Hills connects people through experiences outside of service. Its calendar is full of opportunities to get involved in exercise, community service, fellowship, and education. Contact Desert Hills Lutheran Church and see which groups match your interest.