Church Requel Blog - Writings of Mark Pierce

Vision for 2009 - The Big Four!

Today, on this last day of 2008, I've been reflecting on what I'd like the new Church Requel to look like this time next year.  What are the distinctives of Church Requel?  What will it be about?  What won't it be about?  It seems to me that people making a decision about joining me in this new endeavor have a right to know what I have in mind when I think about Church Requel.  I'm sure, over time, I'll add to this list.  Today, though, let me tell you about THE BIG 4 distinctives of Church Requel.

First and foremost, Church Requel will be about Jesus.  I know at first blush this doesn't sound all that revolutionary.  It's a church.  Of course it's going to be about Jesus.  While many churches give lip service to the concept that it's all about Jesus, it doesn't always seem that way to me.  In reality many, if not most churches, are centered around things other than Christ.  Tradition, personality, finances, programs, buildings, events or even the unchurched spiritual seeker can take center stage of why a church exists.  I know that some people right now are thinking about Church Requel as just the label pasted on to "Mark's Church."  I NEVER want it to be about me.  I always want to be pointing the way to Jesus, about our worship of Him and our service and obedience to Him!

Second, Church Requel will feature the teaching of God's Word.  Again, I know this sounds like what many churches would say.  But after careful consideration, listening to hundreds of teaching pastors, some from what most would consider "very successful" churches, I am appalled at what passes these days for teaching and preaching.  "Relevant" is the modern buzzword, as if somehow the written Word of the Creator Himself to his creatures could ever possibly be anything other than relevant.  My task, as your pastor, is NOT to figure out what is happening in your life right now and then to try to find a passage of Scripture that seems to fit.  My job, as your pastor, is NOT to discover the best parts of the Bible, or my favorite parts of the Bible, and then teach only from those sections.  My job is to make sure that you have a well balanced instruction in the whole Word of God.  God Himself still speaks through His Word.  I need add nothing to it.  I simply need to be faithful in teaching it all, and trusting the Holy Spirit to do His work in the lives of those who hear it.

Matthew Study #20

Matthew Study #20 from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.

Today we finish chapter two of the Gospel of Matthew, specifically 2:19-23. Why did Joseph, Mary and Jesus not return to Bethlehem when they returned from Egypt? Who was Archelaus and why would Joseph have been afraid of him? Finally, why did Joseph and Mary pick Nazareth for a hometown for Jesus? Join me this morning as I share the last Bible study of 2008.  You can watch the video above or watch on Vimeo or on YouTube.

A Bit Overwhelmed, But Optimistic

Good morning, my friend.  It's always great to have you here on ChurchRequel.com.  I hope you come back everyday.  This morning I made my way back to Panera Bread, my old stomping grounds.  I used to come here almost every morning for my quiet time.  I would reflect on some Scriptures, write in my journal, plan my day, read my Google Reader, and then head in to work.  I don't think I've been here for about three weeks.  My last journal entry until today in my personal journal was December 16th.  And my Google Reader is backed up to 701 unread articles!  I guess my life has been a bit hectic of late in my efforts to get the new Church Requel up and running.

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed, but not particularly anxious.  There just are so many projects that I want to get off the ground.  I feel like the construction worker, who wants people to immediately start driving across his bridge.  But the bridge isn't built yet; he's working on the pillars.  Yet at the same time he wants to tell everyone how great the bridge is going to be someday.  That may be true, but for the time being people need to find a way to drive around.  They're certainly not going to wait until the construction worker finishes his bridge to begin driving. 

In the same way I'm working on the foundation of a great church.  I know it's going to be great someday, because I believe with all my heart that God is in this.  I'm optimistic about the things He will accomplish through Church Requel.  In the meantime, I need to be faithful every day to keep working on the pillars. 

Matthew Study #19

Matthew Study #19 from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.

This morning we consider the difficult Scripture of Matthew 2:16-19. Herod, in his anger, killed all the infants two years or younger in the little town of Bethlehem. How do we handle such horrible events, which sadly still happen today? If you have any difficulty watching the 8:17 Bible study video above, you can see it here on Vimeo or here on YouTube.

Opened Vimeo and Dreamhost Accounts Today

Greetings!  I realize that for some of you this post may be too tech-oriented and boring.  But, this blog is meant to be my story and now also the story of the new church, Church Requel.  And using web technology to reach the world for Christ will be a big part of the Church Requel story.  

First, let me tell you about Vimeo. I knew a little about Vimeo before yesterday from seeing other blogs who use the Vimeo service.  It is an alternative video hosting site competing with YouTube.  There is so much more for me to learn, but in general Vimeo appears to offer a better quality video hosting service.  On the other hand, it is not as well known or used as YouTube.  What got me really thinking about Vimeo was the fact that Vimeo does not limit each video to 10 minutes or less, like YouTube does.  The ten-minute limit wasn't a problem for the daily Bible studies, but was a real pain for the weekly sermons.  Once I finished editing the 30 to 40 minute video sermon, I would then have to cut it into 4 individual videos of ten minutes or less for YouTube.  This was a lot of work and discouraged people from watching the video because four video clips looked so long in the blog. 

Resolutions We Can LIVE With

This is the time of year when many people make New Year's resolutions.  Yesterday I spoke to our small church about making resolutions we can live with.  Jesus told us that He came that we might have life to the full.  How can we make resolutions that will help us live that abundant life?  You can watch the 38 minute sermon, and if you would like, have the same handouts as people did yesterday at church:

• Here is the handout with blanks  - you fill in the answers as you watch
• Here is the handout with answers  - the blanks are already filled in
• Here are my own teaching notes - in case you think they would help you

Resolutions We Can LIVE With from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.

Matthew Study #18

This morning we consider Matthew 2:15, which also references Hosea 11:1.  This is a unique verse in that Matthew interprets the verse differently than Hosea probably intended.  What does this tell us about correct Biblical interpretation?  Do Bible verses have multiple meanings?  Today's study lasts 8:28, a small investment of your day. I pray this study continues to be a blessing to you.  Have a GREAT Monday!

Come to Church Requel Sunday at 10AM!

Hey everyone!  Sunday morning we have great plans for a terrific worship time together.  Mary Kay and I are hoping that if you live near Mansfield, you will come join us.  We will meet in our home at 10AM.  I've written a new message I'm very excited about - "Resolutions we can LIVE with!"  You won't want to miss it.  Afterwards, we're going to have a fun time together celebrating Mary Kay's birthday.  Today she turns XX (edited by Mary Kay :).  We're getting a birthday cake and LOTS of candles. (Not edited by Mary Kay :).  In case you want to come, we live at 1216 Butternut Court, Mansfield, OH  44906.  See you soon!

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Matthew Study #17

Sometimes we think that to do God's will always means to advance, to charge forward.  But sometimes the best thing to do is to retreat.  In today's study we learn that Joseph and Mary were told to hide from Herod by fleeing to Egypt.  What can we learn from this for our own spiritual lives?  Join Mark Pierce in this short 6:24 video Bible study.

A New Church is Born: Church Requel

It's official.  A new church is born and its name is Church Requel.  Mark shared this with our small gathering last Sunday, but now we'd like to share it with the rest of this blog's readership.  Mary Kay and Mark have decided to plant a new church in Mansfield, Ohio.  We have lived in Mansfield for 30 years and our children and grandchildren live nearby.  We love this area and the people who live here.  Our roots run deep.  If God should give us the desire of our hearts, we would like to live out the rest of our lives and ministry right here in Mansfield.  Earlier this month, we received official word that our initial articles of incorporation with the State of Ohio have been accepted.

We believe that God has given us an incredible apprenticeship at Crossroads over these past five years.  We are grateful for everything we have learned.  Now it's time to put our training to work.  We believe it would be more productive to begin a new ministry from scratch than it would to step into the pastorate at an existing church.  In addition, Mark's twenty-five years before Crossroads was spent being an entrepreneur and a businessman.  After much prayer and consideration, Mary Kay and Mark would like to combine his twenty-five years of entrepreneurship and the five years of apprenticeship together with her experience of running a non-profit organization and, together, begin a church ministry that might live long past our own lives.

Donors May Now Give to Church Requel Online

You may have seen the link in the sidebar of ChurchRequel that looks like this:

For more info, click here.

You may be wondering: 'What exactly am I giving to?'  In December, 2008, Pastor Mark Pierce established a new church in Mansfield, Ohio and named it Church Requel.  Currently there are about twenty people meeting with Mark and his wife, Mary Kay, in their home.  As the new church grows, they plan to find larger, more public places to meet.  As you might imagine, there are many expenses involved is starting a new church.  Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.  Your donation is to the church itself, established officially with the State of Ohio on December 10th.  If you have any questions, you may call Mark at 419-564-1525 or email him.  Thanks for your help.  May God continue to bless you richly.  Mark Pierce

Thriving, Not Just Surviving - Part 1

Some of the best ideas I receive come from readers of Church Requel.  Donna Payne, founder of The Web Coach and also author of The Web Coach tips n'such, wrote me a note this morning.  She had listened to me on a local radio program this morning.  She writes:

Mark, I'm so glad and tickled to hear you today on WMAN 1400 - Woohoo! I pray that you have inspired listeners across the area. Perhaps a topic/niche could be "Thriving instead of surviving... covering everything you've been thru yourself. That's definitely one reason I follow you - we've both had to pack up our offices and go home.  Happy New Year! THRIVE IN 2009!

Great idea Donna!  How does one have an attitude of thriving and not just surviving?  It really is an attitude, an outlook on life, that makes all the difference.  Why is it that some people see the glass half full and others half empty?  More to the point, how can someone choose the more optimistic approach?  Over the next several posts I'll try to answer that question.

#1 - Realize that attitude is a choice.  Probably nothing else is more foundational to an attitude of thriving than this.  You must choose to have an thriving outlook on life, regardless of the circumstances in which you find yourself.  How you look at life and all the circumstances that come your way, whether desirable or rotten (yes - even the rotten, unfair, crappy times of life) is your choice.  Let's make sure what I'm meaning is what you're understanding.  You cannot choose your circumstances.  But you CAN CHOOSE how you will respond to them.

Matthew Study #16

Not everyone who says they want to worship Jesus really means it.  It's important for us to discern between true worshipers and false ones.  Today we study Matthew 2:7-12 in this brief 6:11 video Bible study.  I hope you have a FANTASTIC Friday!  Mark.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Matthew Study #15

I'm getting this up a little later than normal.  Sorry.  What can I say?  It's Christmas!!!  Good Christmas morning to you!!!  Woo hoo!  In today's 6:24 Bible study video, we look at the three gifts of the wise men.  Also as a special Christmas present to you, I have published last Sunday's sermon below.  Believe it or not, I worked well into the evening last night to get this posted for you.  I hope you enjoy it.  Just scroll down to see it.  Merry Christmas, gentle reader.  God is with us!

Christmas Sermon: Gift of Faith

Did you know that God gives us a gift at Christmas?  This past weekend I preached this sermon at my home.  But I thought it might be of interest to you, the Church Requel reader, on this Christmas day. This is my gift to you... I hope it is a blessing.  Here is the sermon handout PDF file if you want to follow along.  Merry Christmas everyone! (The sermon is 30 minutes long and in four different video files.)

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Matthew Study #14

How do we study a New Testament gospel like Matthew, without having a good grounded understanding of the Old Testament passages?  Today we look at Matthew 2:3-6, which references Micah 5:2.  This passage predicts that the Christ will come from Bethlehem.  How important is this for us to know today?  Check out this short, 6:17 video Bible study.  Hope you have a wonderful Christmas Eve!  Mark

Video Editing - I've peeked behind the curtain!

My friends, for the past five years I've lived and worked in a highly specialized church.  With a staff of 22 people, each person did what he or she was best at.  In my case I worked in my areas of strength: leadership, administration and teaching.  That meant that when I prepared a sermon or a Bible study, my job was researching and preparing the talk.  We had a whole team that developed the worship, the video support and the graphics to go with the talk.

Now I'm a staff of one at Church Requel.  So, Sunday morning when there was snow on the sidewalk, I grabbed a shovel and cleared the walk.  The night before I was up several hours past my bedtime putting the music playlist together, as well as printing and cutting the handouts.  (Cutting board?  No... Scissors.)

Over those last five years there was always one area that completely baffled me: video editing.  I'd watch our videographers, Steve and Jonathan, work their magic on the screen - always wondering how they managed to pull together video clips, sound beds, and graphic files all in one beautiful movie.  I felt like Dorothy when she first visited the great Oz, filled with both wonder and dread at such awesome power.

Office Renovation for Church Requel

Hey everyone!  For those of you waiting to see the video of the new Church Requel headquarters, otherwise known as my renovated basement, here it is.  Big kudos go out to my good friend, Cheryl Price, who is a genius decorator.  Thanks Cheryl for ALL your help!  Enjoy this 5:19 video clip.  Mark.

Matthew Study #13

This morning we consider the first six verses of Matthew 2.  King Herod rejected the Christ child and wanted to kill him.  The scribes and chief priests were indifferent.  But the magi were seeking the Christ.  What does this tell us about those who want to know Jesus?  Watch this 6:39 video Bible study to find out.  Hope you have a GREAT Tuesday!  - Mark