Church Requel Blog - Writings of Mark Pierce

Remember To Set Your Clocks Back

Good Friday morning Church Requel!

First things first. Remember to set your clocks back one hour Saturday night. Though, as far as I'm concerned, anyone wanting to join us an hour early will be most welcome. Yours truly and all the praise team and tech team will certainly be at church more than an hour ahead of time. The more the merrier!

The Midnight Theologian. How have you been enjoying our sermon series from the Gospel of John? I know I have. Each time I pick up John's Gospel, I imagine the sermons that he must have preached about those special Jesus moments he remembered. This week is no exception as we consider the nighttime visit from Nicodemus. Herein we find the most memorable verse in the Bible: John 3:16. Make sure you come Sunday morning to find out some incredible things about how God has been spreading the Word about John 3:16!

For those of you who would like a head start on the sermon, you'll find all my notes here: http://bible.com/events/48980210.

The Songs We Sing. I know I brag about Brandi all the time - but really we are quite fortunate to have her as a team member. This week she has outdone herself once again. We will be singing 7 songs in total. Wow! One will be a brand new song for our Church. On two of them, she has asked me to play the keyboard so she is freer to lead our worship time. I'm excited to see how that goes! Also we welcome Dave back to the band after a well-deserved vacation.

Here are the songs we plan to sing: "Church (Take Me Back)' by Cochran & Co.; (NEW) "Sing Hallelujah" by Kingdom Kids / Shane & Shane; "Jesus" by Chris Tomlin; "I See Grace" by Micah Tyler; "Holy Spirit" by Francesca Battistelli; "Spirit of The Living God" by Vertical Worship; and "God So Loved" by We The Kingdom.

For those who will be watching our worship service online, you can log into our Facebook page or our YouTube channel shortly before 11am. Here is the link to YouTube: https://youtu.be/FCPi5dS5Quo.

Largest Sequels Group Yet! Congratulations go out to our Students Ministry Director, Eddie Walker, and his team. This past Sunday was the largest Sequels group yet! Yay! Eddie began the Sequels ministry just a little over a year ago and we are beginning to see the fruits of his labor. If you know of a student that isn't already going to church somewhere - invite them to Church Requel! I believe we are on the cusp of some great things in our student ministry. Congrats Eddie!

A Week Of Thanksgiving Services. Above you can see the schedule of Thanksgiving services in our fair city of Mansfield, beginning Wednesday November 16 and ending Wednesday November 23rd. 

Church Requel's Thanksgiving Service will be Saturday, Nov. 19th, at 6pm. 

We encourage you to attend as many of these as you are able. This is a great way to worship in different ways with different churches all praying a thanksgiving prayer to our Lord. We especially invite you to come Saturday night to our church as the praise band will be leading us in a very special Thanksgiving service with the music and enthusiasm you've grown to know and love. For those who cannot be here in person, we will also be streaming this special night. So put this on your calendar! Don't miss!

(I have added a download link at the bottom of this letter for the PDF flyer if you'd like to share this with someone else or put this reminder on your refrigerator.)

Thank you for your prayers and condolences. Finally, Mary Kay and I would both like to thank you all for your many thoughts and prayers for us as we attended Patrick's funeral this past Monday. Patrick died way too early - in our view - leaving behind a young wife and daughter. Many members of Mary Kay's family were there to support Amy and to celebrate Patrick's life. The photo above was taken at the dinner which followed the funeral. These are 8 of the 21 nieces and nephews on Mary Kay's side of the family. You can see two of our daughters, Jillian and Jennifer on the left. Amy is in the middle, four from the right.

Hope to see most of you - one way or the other - Sunday morning at 11am EST. Love you much! Pastor Mark

Download THANKSLIVING '22

Chris & Brian Lead Community Meal

Good Friday morning Church Requel!

The picture to the right shows that we all have hidden talents. Here Brandi is demonstrating her pizza making abilities. Tomorrow evening is our church's opportunity to serve a warm hearty meal to our neighborhood. Chris and Brian will be demonstrating their own hidden talents as they take the lead. Let's not leave them alone in this endeavor. Volunteers should show up by 4pm. We are usually finished by 6:30pm.

Usually Mary Kay and I love to help out with this meal too, but we will both be gone ... for good reason. I'm joining all my high school classmates up in Norton, Ohio to celebrate all our 65th birthdays this year. We'll be playing all our 1970s era music while catching up with one another. We are very deliberately NOT naming this a reunion, because no one likes reunions. But everybody LOVES a birthday party - especially at 65 years of age! About 75 of my classmates are coming. How fun!

Our Plans For Sunday Morning. I've really been enjoying our study from the Gospel of John. This Sunday we will wrap up chapter one with a focus on verses 12 and 13. I'm calling Sunday's sermon, "The Divine Paternity Case." Think of all the celebrity paternity cases you have heard. How many of them are about the Dad proving his paternity of his children? Isn't it usually the other way round? Yet in the Gospel of John we learn that our Father God has been chasing after us - the children of God! 

I'm particularly excited to talk about our Bill of Divine Rights as children of God. I've come up with seven of them, but these are not an exhaustive list. John 1:12 tells us the that Jesus (the Word) "gave the right to become children of God." What rights can you think of that you possess as a child of God?

Want a preview of this truly good news sermon? You can find it in your Bible app or you can use your browser with this link - http://bible.com/events/48965705.

Here are the songs we plan to sing Sunday: "Might Get Loud" by Elevation Worship; "Open Up The Heavens" by Meredith Andrews; "I Speak Jesus" by Charity Gayle; "No Longer Slaves" by Bethel; "Who You Say I Am" by Hillsong; and "God Really Loves Us" by Crowder. Thanks Brandi for arranging such a marvelous group of songs for us to sing! 

If you can't make it to church in Mansfield Sunday morning, you still have the alternative of streaming it on Facebook or on YouTube. Here is the link for YouTube this Sunday - https://youtu.be/HtnFrOmuoPk.

Thank you for your prayers for Mary Kay. A week ago last Tuesday Mary Kay fell and broke her wrist trying to catch her fall. Unfortunately it was a pretty bad break and required surgery. She now has some pretty impressive hardware holding everything together. She wanted me to tell you all that she is feeling much better now.

With that good news out of the way, it was a pretty tough week for us. We both greatly appreciate all your thoughts and prayers on our behalf. Your calls, cards, and meals were most appreciated. It's times like these that we know we are part of the family of God!

Blessings! Love you much! Hope to see you Sunday morning! Pastor Mark

Who Is The Maker And Who Is The Made?

Good Friday morning Church Requel!

We continue our new study in the Gospel of John by asking a most important question: "Who is the Maker and who is the made?" This may seem like an easy question and answer - but the asking and the answering of this question makes a profound difference in the way we live our lives and the way we see the world around us. This is why the Gospel writer John writes about this so early.

In preparing this sermon for this week, I found myself thinking that 'I know this stuff.' And 'you all already know this stuff.' So why spend time on it? As I continued my preparations I began to understand why we need to invest this week's sermon time into these verses. We know this truth. And we never really forget this truth. But it sure is easy to drift away from this truth in the day to day pressures of living.

If you'd like a head start, you can read this Sunday's sermon about the Maker and the Made in your Bible app. You can also click here: http://bible.com/events/48959149.

The songs we will sing... I'm happy to announce that Dave Johnson will be back with the band this coming Sunday. Dave is one of the original Jam Band members when we got started back in 2018. Welcome back Dave!

Here are the songs we plan to sing this Sunday: "The Heart of Worship" by Matt Redman; "Way Maker" by Leeland; "Revelation Song" by Kari Jobe; (New for us) "I See Grace" by Micah Tyler; "Here I Am To Worship" by Chris Tomlin; and "What A Beautiful Name / Tremble" by Hillsong and Mosaic MCS (arrangement by Brandi!)

If you would like to watch the worship service from your home, you can do so on our Facebook page and on our YouTube channel. Here is the YouTube link for this Sunday: https://youtu.be/ggcitwNAGJw.

Great Response From The Sequels! Last Saturday was the first student ministry outing at Kelly's Dairy Bar and Putt Putt. I'm thrilled to report to you that it was a huge success. Also good news, several of the new students also came back Sunday morning for the Sequels teaching ministry. Way to go Pastor Eddie! Look for more social times for our students coming up. Keep inviting students in your family and friends and also keep praying that this student ministry will grow. Keep praying also for Pastor Eddie!

Neighborhood Meal - October 8th. It's hard to believe, but our October Neighborhood Meal is right around the corner. This time the meal will be led by Brian Betts and Chris Thoman! Let's hear three cheers for Brian and Chris stepping up to serve! Of course they cannot do this by themselves, so let's make sure to show up with our servant hearts (and desserts) at 4pm on Saturday, Oct. 8th.

More Security Measures. Beginning October 2nd we plan to lock the front doors (at the rear of our sanctuary) by 11:30 each Sunday morning. So to review the new security plans, we will lock the side door shortly after the worship begins at 11am and we will then lock the front doors (back of the sanctuary) at 11:30 each Sunday morning. We will put signs up this week and announce the new security plans this Sunday and then implement the new changes the following Sunday, October 2nd. Thanks for understanding.

Love you all! Have a great weekend! Hope to see you Sunday! Pastor Mark

Sequels Go Putt-Putting Saturday!

Good Friday morning Church Requel!

Does anyone else love this picture of Tre putting through the outhouse back in 2018? I pulled this photo from our Facebook page. What's even better than the pic itself is his momma's comment: "How did Tre get to be so big?" Ha! Has anyone seen Tre lately? 

Why this stroll down memory lane? Our students - also now known as the Sequels - are going on another Putt Putt adventure tomorrow (Saturday.) Here are the important details:

• Meet at 2pm at Kelly's, 1280 S. Main Street
• Fun Fellowship Activities
• A round of putt putt golf
• chatting while enjoying an ice cream treat together
• FREE to students
• Bring friends!
• Plan to come to church on Sunday too!

I'm wondering if we'll get another photo of Tre? Ha! Seriously, if you know a student who might be interested in joining the Sequels at Church Requel this year, this putt-putt outing would be the perfect event to join up! If you want more info, contact our Student Ministry Pastor, Eddie Walker.

Our Plans For Sunday. As far as I know, we will have a full praise band Sunday morning.  We have plans to worship with lots of songs: "Sing Wherever I Go" by We The Kingdom; "King of Kings" by Hillsong; "See A Victory" by Elevation Worship; "The Whole Earth" by Gateway Worship; "Word of God Speak" by MercyMe; "Loving Word" by Jeremy Camp; and "Whom Shall I Fear" by Chris Tomlin. Wow! Brandi has outdone herself again with these worship plans!

If you will be watching the worship service stream, check out our Church Requel Facebook page OR you can tune into our YouTube channel with this link - https://youtu.be/CsKDzZLMHZo

We will be continuing our new Gospel of John sermon series this Sunday. Our second sermon will cover just the first two verses - John 1:1-2. There is a lot there and I can't wait to share it with you. Want a head start? You can read Sunday's sermon here: http://bible.com/events/48955432

Side Door Locked After Worship Service Begins. Remember that this is the first week that we will be locking the side door soon after the worship begins. We are doing this for security purposes. I was talking with another local pastor this week and he told me something that I didn't know. He said that besides us he knows of only one other church in Downtown Mansfield (including his own) that doesn't lock all their doors once the worship begins. Sadly, this is the world we live in now. So do your best to arrive at church on time... or maybe even a little bit early so you can visit with all your friends.

Love you all much! Pastor Mark

New Sermon Series - The Gospel Of John

Good Friday morning Church Requel!

I'm pleased to announce to you all that Sunday morning we will begin a sermon series from the Gospel of John. The first five sermons are all laid out and will get us all the way to John 1:14. Actually that's the verse we begin with this Sunday.

So why John's Gospel? Lots of reasons. I'll start with this one - it's my favorite. When you get to be 65, I figure you get to the point where each sermon is precious and one had better be preaching from the verses in the Bible that mean the most.

The Gospel of John is so unique! It's different than the other 3. Most scholars tell us that John's Gospel was written after the other 3 gospels. In fact, it may have been written later than most of the other books in the New Testament. We learn things about our faith and about our Savior that we discover no where else besides the Gospel of John.

For me, each week will be pure joy to write and to preach. This week is no exception. I've been digging deep into John 1:14 for several decades now and still don't feel like I've hit bottom. I am very excited to share with you all this Sunday morning.

For those who wish to read the sermon you can do so in your Bible app or by going to this link: http://bible.com/events/48951306

The songs we will sing Sunday include "Great Are You Lord" by All Sons & Daughters; "Who You Say I Am" by Hillsong; "No Longer Slaves" by Bethel; "Even If" by Mercy Me; "The Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns; and "Living Hope" by Phil Wickham.

If you are watching from afar, you can tune in via Facebook or YouTube.  Here is our YouTube link for Sunday - https://youtu.be/8hF7Im1mXXo

New Security Procedures Beginning Next Sunday. Starting next Sunday, Sept. 18th, we will lock the side entrance door about five minutes or so after the worship service begins. Most of you arrive quite early and so this change will not affect most of you. But if you should come later, you will need to go through the main doors at the back of the sanctuary.

We are making this change to keep people from wandering in off the street and then wandering through the church. We can better keep an eye on the main entry doorway in the back of the sanctuary. Our students meet downstairs during the worship service and we don't want to risk unknown people going to where our students are meeting.

While I am talking about security, I would remind you all to keep your cars locked in the parking lot when you come to church. Last Sunday our Youth Pastor Eddie discovered that someone had gone through his vehicle and stolen some gift cards. I had the same experience several years ago.

We are so very blessed to be an island of grace in the midst of Downtown Mansfield. But perhaps this would be a good time to remember our Lord's admonition to be as wise as serpents (Matthew 10:16).

Still Celebrating John's Sermon and Service. 

I considered it a great honor and privilege to welcome John Vetter to the Church Requel pulpit this past Sunday morning. It was just a year ago that he was baptized in our church (also in a 3-piece suit!)

Since then John has told me that he feels called into the ministry in some fashion - either as a chaplain or as a pastor. When I heard that I knew that I wanted to invite him to preach for us. He did a wonderful job! Many young men his age would have faltered in their speech or delivery. Not John! He wrote down exactly what he wanted to say and then said it. With power and conviction.

Very soon, John Vetter will enter the Marine Corps. I definitely want our congregation to keep in touch with him as best as we are able, especially as he goes through boot camp. When I know an address I can share with you, I will do so. In the meantime, this coming Sunday morning may be your last chance to say goodbye for now.

Love you all much! See you Sunday! Pastor Mark

What A Weekend At Church Requel!

Good Friday morning Church Requel!

Each Friday morning I write you a letter telling you how great this weekend is going to be. And this Friday is no different. Just skip down a few paragraphs if you want to read about that first.

However, THIS week I want to give a big shout out to just how over-the-top amazing last weekend was for us! Last weekend was the final Saturday and Sunday of unofficial summer. As such, it was also the weekend of our summer concert. What a special time! The music was great! The food was delicious! The fellowship was fantastic!

But what I will always remember the most - the teamwork was really terrific! What could easily have taken multiple days for one or two people to do was accomplished in just a few short hours. Don and his volunteers had already built the outdoor stage. The rest of the team showed up at noon to begin setting everything up outside. I still can't believe it all went as smoothly as it did.

And it wasn't just the praise band. Bryon and his team set up the grill and cooked up loads of hot dogs and cheeseburgers. I saw folks walk back to the grill during the concert for seconds... and seconds on their seconds! Ha!

Then after the concert - I was a little in dread of the tear down. But many hands made the work go quickly. In about 75 minutes everything was set back up inside for the Sunday morning service. Wow!

Thank you one and all for making last weekend such a special time together. Not only for us - but for invited family and friends as well as for our neighborhood. Many came and just sat down and listened. We'll probably never know on this side of the divide what eternal differences we made last weekend.

Thank you also for your donations! As of last weekend we had raised between $600 and $700 for St. Luke's. We will leave the special fund open through Labor Day weekend and then we will cut the check to Paul Lintern. Once more your generosity speaks volumes for who you are inside! For those who still wish to make a donation, you can go to give.ChurchRequel.com and click on the designation, "Point of Grace."

John Vetter speaks this Sunday! I hope you all will join us Sunday morning for something really special. I've invited John Vetter to preach for us. It will be our first time to hear John bring the Word of God, but it will not be his first time. He was invited already by another church earlier this summer.

As many of you know, John graduated from high school this year. Within the next two weeks, John will be joining the Marine Corps! He has many long term goals, but one of them involves becoming a pastor or a chaplain.

It was one year ago that we had the privilege of baptizing John. Who could forget John showing up for his baptism in a three-piece suit!?

Let's continue to support him and give him a grand send-off by going this weekend and hearing him preach for the first time at Church Requel. Let's also continue to support him by writing to him in the future when he will be in the Marine Corps and looking forward to hearing from home! As soon as we know his future address, we will share it with you.

A Little Grandpa News... As I wrap up this week's newsletter, allow me to share a little personal story. This was the week for many of our children to return to school. I don't know how this could be possible already, but my oldest grandson - Grayden - headed off to college (DePaul) in Chicago this week. While at the same time, two other grandsons headed off to Kindergarten and 2nd Grade (Matthias and Titus). These are wonderful times and it is worthwhile to stop and celebrate.

Love you much, Pastor Mark

Summer Concert To Benefit Point Of Grace

Good Friday morning Church Requel!

Concert weekend is here! Yay! I'm excited. How about you? Have you ever heard the expression that the stage is set? In our case it is literally true. Don and his crew have built the platform for the praise band out in front of the church.

Last night I had the privilege of practicing with the band until well after 10pm. It was absolutely a labor of love. Every single band member came ready to go. I was so impressed. Chris even brought us his famous shredded chicken sandwiches.

I also am so impressed with Brandi's leadership. She has really stepped up and matured in her role as worship and praise team leader. We swapped two of the songs we were planning to play for the concert. Remember - the concert set has been SET for weeks now. She announced (with boldness I might add) that her bandmates had spoken and we would make the changes. And you know what? They were good changes. Good for you CR praise band! I love watching you all take responsibility of our worship of our Lord.

The stage is set!

The weather is looking amazing for tomorrow too! So everything is a go for the concert. The concert begins Saturday at 6pm EDT and is expected to last two hours. We also will provide FREE hamburgs and hot dogs. Bring your lawn chairs, your appetites, and your enthusiasm.

The concert is completely free of charge so tell all your family and friends. We will have a tip jar for those who wish to donate. All donations will go to benefit "St. Luke's Point of Grace." This is the non-profit organization, led by Pastor Paul Lintern, that houses our ministry as well as others. There definitely are some maintenance needs and so we want to bless Paul and his non-profit organization as a thank-you for allowing us to worship here for the last ten years.

Some of you may wish to make larger donations. You can do so by going to Give.ChurchRequel.com and selecting the designation "Point of Grace." As of this writing we have $200 donated so far. Let's pray for generosity of heart where God has blessed.

Two Final Concert Details. 1st - some of you have asked if you could help set up. Our team will be meeting at the church at noon tomorrow to transform our front yard into a concert lawn. Many hands make the work go faster. If you'd like to come and help, you would be most welcome. We also would LOVE your help in putting everything back into the sanctuary AFTER the concert, if you have time to stick around.

2nd - Many of you in our congregation don't actually live in Mansfield, but you'd like to watch. Or you have family and friends who want to watch but they cannot come. We plan to stream the concert LIVE on our Facebook page and on YouTube. Here is the YouTube link you can use and share: https://youtu.be/jpdz4GxEAdM. (Many thanks to Leanna for making the live stream possible!)

Our Worship Plans For Sunday Morning. In all our enthusiasm for Saturday evening, we have not lost sight of our our worship plans for Sunday morning. The praise band will be back in full Sunday mode and we will be singing together again! Don and Vanessa will be joining us from Devon, England with a Scripture reading and a special song. You won't want to miss it!

We will stream this worship service LIVE at 11am EDT on our Facebook Page and on YouTube. The YouTube link for Sunday morning is https://youtu.be/FTwv7T3ifnI.

We also will hear our last Hymns 4 Him sermon this weekend. Alas, it is a summer sermon series and this will be our last Sunday in August. (We have some great plans coming up - so stay tuned for future newsletters with all the deets!) Our final sermon in the Hymns 4 Him series will be "Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing." For those of you who like to read the sermon, you can find all my sermon notes in your Bible app or in your browser here: http://bible.com/events/48944307.

Finally, last weekend you all gave Mary Kay and me the weekend off to celebrate our 43rd wedding anniversary. Thank you for that gift. The break was much needed! We both greatly enjoyed our anniversary celebration. Many thanks to Brian Betts, who filled the pulpit with such excellent exposition and exhortation. We are lucky to have a man like Brian in our congregation!

Love you all much! See you Saturday and Sunday! Pastor Mark