Good Friday morning Church Requel!
I had quite a surprise yesterday. My Alexa rang her quirky little sound in my kitchen. I asked her about my notification. She answered, "The Holiness Of God will arrive later today." Nice to know. Ha! She meant, of course that our Bible study books were arriving and she gave me the title of the book. Still - how would you like your smart device to announce God's Holiness arriving soon!?
This study will be led / coordinated / moderated by Brian Betts. The book - picture above right - can be purchased online for $10 for an e-book version or $15 for a paperback version. We have purchased a few extra for those who don't have the ability to buy online or for those who cannot afford it. Brian will have all books to give out on Sunday.
This book was written by one of my favorite authors, R. C. Sproul, back in 1985. There are 11 chapters ranging in length from 15 to 30 pages long. Here are the topics (chapter titles) this Bible study group will be discussing: (1) The Holy Grail; (2) Holy Holy Holy; (3) The Fearful Mystery; (4) The Trauma of Holiness; (5) The Insanity of Luther; (6) Holy Justice; (7) War and Peace with a Holy God; (8) Be Holy Because I am Holy; (9) God in the Hands of Angry Sinners; (10) Looking Beyond Shadows; (11) Holy Space and Holy Time.
There are a few discussion questions at the end of each chapter. However, I doubt the questions will be necessary for those reading the chapters each week. Sproul is definitely a deep thinker - and not without challenges. That's not to say that it's difficult to read him or that you'll need to know a lot about theology to understand. He has a gift for writing in a way that communicates well. The challenge is in his deeper teaching about the holiness of God. You will come face-to-face with the awful splendor of God's majestic holiness in a new and fresh way. Sproul is one of a kind in the way he combines depth and clarity and Biblical realism to every topic he addresses.
Bottom line - this study will be a real opportunity to take your Christian faith deeper. The first study group will meet this coming Wednesday evening, February 20th, in the Chome (behind the sanctuary) at 6:30pm and is expected to last two hours. The study will continue weekly and is open to both men and women alike. Thank you, Brian, for your faithful leadership.
March of Prayer - Turning Mansfield Into Godsfield. I am most happy to announce a new initiative for next month: 31 evenings of prayer, 6-8 pm at a different church each night of March 1-31! Imagine the positive effect on our area if 31 different congregations each hosted a two-hour, music-based prayer service on a different night in March!
Starting March 1st, our church will join 30 other Mansfield congregations to form the March of Prayer. Each church would use their own style when hosting. We are hoping for 31 different but authentic events to lift up the Lord in prayer. Some may be loud, others quiet. Each church could include music, Scripture and psalm readings, intercession. The music could include praise songs, worship songs or simply instrumental background music.
We want to encourage folks from all congregations and the community to come together to pray for the community, the Kingdom, God’s Creation, to whatever God’s calls us. For those of you who use Facebook, you can follow along with all the developments - just search "March of Prayer."
Church Requel has agreed to host this event on Thursday, March 28th, so please plan to come and be a part! But also know that you are invited to join every other church for this 31-day event too. In your program on Sunday (and also on the communion tables) you'll find a schedule of churches for each day in March. This schedule is also in the picture above right - click on it to see a larger version with all the churches and addresses.
Paul Lintern and Jordan Baker are leading the charge for the March of Prayer. There will be a prayer time / organization time / fellowship time at our church (Point of Grace) in the Chome this coming Sunday evening, March 17th, from 6pm - 8pm. If you'd like to pray for and help with this incredible prayer event in March, please come. We need all the prayer warriors we can get! Let's turn Mansfield into Godsfield!
Worship This Sunday. So many new, big things are going on that we just now come to what we usually write about at the top of the newsletter. (That's a good thing, right?) Joining Brandi on the Praise Team will be Brian, Amy and Bessica. Together we'll be singing "God of Wonders" by Paul Baloche, "God of All My Days" by Casting Crowns, "Glorious Day" by Passion, and "Good To Be Alive" by Jason Gray. Our sermon Sunday will be the final part 3 of "Following God's Plans" and will be mostly from the first part of Acts 11. Brandi also has a very timely special song planned for us: "Be One" by Natalie Grant.
Valentines Cookies Sunday For Students!!! This Sunday Juanita will be making Valentine’s Day cookies with our students!! Our students really enjoyed this at Christmas, so she’s going to bring in all her supplies again and make Valentine’s Day Cookies with them!
Students, make sure your parents get you here on Sunday morning so you don’t miss out!! And, of course, we thank Juanita so much for blessing our church with all the goodies she makes and for including our students in her love of baking!!
Final Notes. Each week I promise myself that this week the newsletter won't be too long. And then by the end I find that I've written another thousand words! I can't help myself. With you all there is just so much to write about!
I hope you all know how thankful I am for each of you. I watch with delight as each one of you discover God's plan for your life and - with the help of God's Spirit within you - boldly go forth for the benefit of us all. You (collectively) are my God story week in and week out! I so appreciate the encouragement of your lives upon mine! Love you much, Pastor Mark
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