These are really exciting times for me in the life of our church.  First of all, we are celebrating Easter in the coming week, which is the most powerful event in human history…enough to divide time (BC / AD).  As well, we met as Deacons last night to give family groups to each deacon to begin our family ministry plan.  Also, I have been in touch with about 14 potential host homes for our first round of LifeGroups to begin (prayerfully) in May.

Easter Week

Next week is Easter week, essentially beginning with this coming Palm Sunday.  You need to be in prayer for the church in being renewed in passion for Christ-centered, resurrection-empowered living.  We need to pray for our community and those who will visit for the first time and family who will attend with members.  The gospel, we pray, will bear lasting fruit in these weeks to come.  There are some key events you need to focus on:

Maundy Thursday Service @ 7:00 PM – Thursday, March 20th

This is a more reflective, candlelight-type service with scripture reading, hymns & songs, highlighted by the sharing in the Lord’s Supper.  Nursery will be provided.

Easter Egg Hunt, 11:00-1:00 PM – Saturday, March 22nd @ Wilson Park

This was a great time of outreach and fellowship last year and we are hoping for the same this year.   Our Children’s ministry and deacons will be providing leadership in an Easter Egg hunt, cookout and gospel presentation.  Any other volunteers would certainly be welcome.  Just show up around 10:15 either at the church or Wilson Park.

Easter Sunday Celebration @ 10:30 AM – Sunday, March 23rd

I will be preaching through John 10:11-21 on Easter Sunday morning.  Pray for me, pray for our guests, pray for who you will invite and bring with you.  We must reach out to our communities with the gospel, and while inviting someone to church is not a substitute for sharing the gospel personally, it is a good start / follow-up in the process.  I am expectant and I pray you are too.

Family Ministry Plan

In the coming weeks you’ll be hearing more about this.  Essentially, this ministry plan divides our entire membership among our deacon body and they are then responsible to be in more regular contact with our entire membership throughout the year.  This will aid in the care for this body & fortify the deacons’ triune role (1. Care for the temporal / physical needs of the body; 2. Promote unity; 3. Support the work of the Word).

LifeGroups

I know this has been a seemingly long-time coming, but the need to start on the “right foot” is essential.  I will be conducting training over the next few months to (prayerfully) launch our first 12-14 groups in late May, which will then meet through the Summer and provide a good foundation for us.  Then in early Fall we hope to launch another 12 groups, with a final 12 (at this point) launched in January 2009.  None of this is hard and fast, but goals based on the size of our congregation and hopeful growth in the initial groups that will be launched.

Again, we’ll communicate clearly with you, but to be in prayer for this please read through Acts 2:42-47 and you will get the idea of these groups.  The primary fellowship of our church will then be satisfied through these exciting cross-generational, geographic-based groups.  More to come…