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ALTON - Abundant Church’s Super Sunday event promises Super Bowl fun for the whole family on Feb. 11, 2024.
The church will host games, tailgate food and giveaways throughout the morning on Feb. 11 in between services at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. According to Pastor Joe Banks, the goal is to bring more people to the church and provide a fun space for young families and others to enjoy on Super Bowl Sunday.
“Something really unique and really special is happening at our church,” Banks said. “We’ve grown by 150 people in just the last five months, and it’s mostly young families, young adults, millennials, and it’s super cool to see what’s happening.”
Super Sunday is the perfect exemplar of the church’s growth. There will be kid-friendly services and special activities for the youngest congregation members to enjoy, as well as a Field Goal Challenge and giveaways for the adults.
Banks hopes these fun activities will make Abundant seem more welcoming to those who might be nervous about coming to a new church. Banks compared church to a dentist’s office, where people know they should go but they’re nervous about what will happen when they get there. The goal of Super Sunday is to take away some of that apprehension and show the fun of church instead, Banks explained.
“We want to disarm it as much as possible with just a fun thing where families can be excited,” he said.
Banks, who has a young family himself, said this is especially important with young people and families. He said Abundant Church appeals to a lot of people because it offers stability and support for families, especially as families are being “broken down” in the U.S.
The stability in the church family is similar to redwood trees, Banks said. Like redwood trees, the church has close knit roots that allow it to weather the storm together. This “redwood faith” has guided the church over the years.
“There’s a lot of instability in our country, there’s a lot of instability just in our land, even hearing the news today, and people are looking for stability. And a lot of that has to do with truth. In a sea of misinformation and people not really knowing what to believe, when they hear truth that’s presented in a loving way, they’re responding to it,” Banks said. “But then at the same time, young families don’t want to be isolated. It’s hard to go through life with a young family alone. So we’re seeing all these young families come to our church and they’re starting to establish roots together and they’re doing things together. It’s been really special and unique.”
For more information about Abundant Church, Banks encourages people to check out the church’s official website. You can also learn more about Super Sunday and all of the fun planned for Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024.
“We want people to have something they can go to that’s safe for their kids, that’s fun for their children, but it also speaks to adults too. It doesn’t feel like a kid event,” he added. “This is a family event where we feel like men will be reached, women will be reached, kids will be reached, families will come together. And it’s going to be really cool.”
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