“I’m In” – Why Your Presence Matters This Year (4/1/2026)

On Sunday, Mark spoke to us at the start of a new year about something very simple and very powerful: showing up.

There’s something about January that feels like a fresh page and a clean diary. Some of us arrive excited, some tired, some hopeful, some unsure what God will do next. Wherever you are on that spectrum, this message is for you.

This year at Redcar Baptist won’t be built on good intentions or spiritual superheroes, but on ordinary people who say, “I’m in,” and show up.

You can follow along with the audio above, or read a summary of the sermon below.

Here are some of the key themes and highlights.

1. “You matter in this place”

Mark shared how, before Christmas, as the leadership team planned the new preaching series, he sensed God highlighting something very simple: your attendance matters.

This isn’t about church growth targets or bums on seats. It is about this:

• You in this room matters.

• Not the person next to you, not just the “keen ones” – you.

• God is singling you out to say: “You matter in this community. Your presence makes a difference.”

There’s a line often quoted in different places:

“The world is shaped by the people who show up.”

Not necessarily the brightest, strongest, or most gifted – just those who keep turning up. In the same way, this church is shaped by the people who show up.

2. God works through presence

All through Scripture, God does significant things through people who simply turn up:

• Moses shows up at the burning bush.

• David shows up to deliver food to his brothers and ends up facing Goliath.

• Esther shows up before the king “for such a time as this”.

• Mary shows up with a simple “let it be to me as you have said”.

• The disciples show up in the upper room (Acts 1:14), praying together before they have any idea what Pentecost will look like.

God’s pattern is not perfect plans and flawless people; it is ordinary presence. People who say:

“Here I am, Lord. Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)

This message isn’t aimed at those who never come. It is aimed at those already in the room, because the enemy’s subtle lie is often: “It doesn’t really matter if you go this week – they won’t miss you.”

Scripture says something very different:

“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together… but encouraging one another.”

(Hebrews 10:24–25)

When you show up:

• When you worship, faith rises.

• When you pray, someone feels supported.

• When you speak, someone feels seen.

• When you’re present, someone feels like they belong.

You may never know this side of heaven how many people stayed because you did.

3. A community for people who are searching

Mark shared his conviction that this year people will walk through our doors who:

• Have never prayed before

• Have never opened a Bible before

• Have never been in a church before

• Have never felt truly welcome before

When they arrive, they won’t just need a sermon. They will need:

• A smile at the door

• A conversation over coffee

• Someone who notices that they are a bit lost in the noise

• A “Come and sit with me, I see you’re new”

• “I’ll help you with the kids, this is what happens next…”

Paul writes:

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

(1 Corinthians 12:27)

Every part matters. Every person matters. Every week matters. Every “yes” builds up the body.

Mark reminded us that church is not something we consume, but something we build together. Just as this very room was transformed before Christmas by people who simply turned up with tools, paint, and time, God is building his church through people who show up.

4. Planted, not just passing through

This isn’t about guilt or pressure. It is about being planted, rather than treating church as a backup option.

“Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish.”

(Psalm 92:13)

Planted people:

• Grow

• Connect

• Bear fruit

Pull up a plant too often, and it doesn’t thrive. In the same way, constantly drifting in and out makes it hard to grow roots.

Showing up this year might look like:

• Making Sundays a priority, not just something you fit in if nothing else is on

• Joining a team and serving regularly

• Staying for coffee and noticing who is on their own

• Joining a small group, so you’re known and supported

• Praying with someone when they share a need, not just saying “I’ll pray” and walking away

Mark also honoured those who are very much part of our church but can’t physically attend because of health or other limitations. They show up through prayer, connection online, and presence in the ways they can. This message isn’t a threat to those who can’t be here. It is an invitation to those who can.

5. Shared faith, not private religion

From the beginning, God has never designed faith to be a solo project:

• “It is not good for the man to be alone” is about community, not only marriage.

• Jesus did not call one disciple, but twelve.

• The early church grew not through private, hidden faith, but through shared life.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer… And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

(Acts 2:42–47)

Notice the order: devotion, fellowship, prayer, presence… then growth. Growth follows commitment, not the other way round.

In our culture, and particularly in British culture, attendance at anything feels optional. If you miss it, no one fines you or sends a warning letter. But Scripture calls us to something deeper: being present so that others can be encouraged.

And when people do come to faith, it is usually not because of a single sermon, but because:

• Someone invited them

• Someone welcomed them

• Someone sat with them and carried their questions

Your smile, your faith, your “I’m glad you’re here” may be the sermon someone remembers.

6. A simple invitation: “I’m in”

The message ends with an invitation, not a demand.

If, as you look ahead to this year, you find yourself saying:

“I’m in for this house. I’m in for this community. I’m in for what God wants to do here.”

…then take a moment with God – whether in the service itself or quietly at home – and simply say it:

“I’m in.”

Like Joshua declared:

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

(Joshua 24:15)

Mark led us in prayer, thanking God for this church, for all that God has done and all that is to come. The prayer was not just that we would attend, but that we would belong, serve, and be used by God in whatever way God chooses this year.

Respond

Ask God what “showing up” looks like for you this year – in Sundays, in serving, in small groups, and in everyday life.

However you do it, you are invited to be planted, to be present, and to say with faith:

“Here I am. I’m in.”