Good Friday morning everyone! Pastor Mark here with your weekly "What's Happening" blog post. It seems like every week I'm writing to tell you about something new at Church Requel, and this week is no different. Let the bells toll! Let the people rejoice! We have a new WiFi installed at CR! Yay!
Jonathan and Steve are pictured here on the right working on the installation. Steve put in lots of hours running the CAT6 line from the back, where the modem is located, up through ceilings and walls. Now the router is located inside the sanctuary itself, right behind the pulpit, so everyone can have a great internet signal.
Why is this a big deal? Because we want everyone to be able to read their Bible app with the sermon notes installed. Those who have the Bible app on their smart phones could access via their 3G or 4G connection. But those who depend on a WiFi connection for their tablet devices, especially, have just been out of luck. Until now!
So Sunday when you come to Church Requel, bring your iPads, your Nexus 7s, your Kindle Fires and link them up when you come in! You could even bring your laptop with you if you want. Let's see as many Requelers as possible linked up to God's Word Sunday morning. And make sure you give a big thank you to Steve and Jonathan, both of whom made this possible. Thanks guys!
"Sequel" Sunday At Church Requel. What do I mean by a "sequel" Sunday? That's actually the title to the last talk in the My Story sermon series: "The Sequel: How To Reproduce My Faith In Others." This talk will be about the long-term goal of mentoring other Christ-followers. Think of your children and grandchildren. Think of friends and family members. How do we go about helping other people to become the Christ-following people that God has created them to become? Our teaching will come from 2 Timothy 1:3-7.
In addition to our teaching time, I'm looking forward to hearing Nancy read our Scripture and Steve lead our communion time. I'm also looking forward to returning to my prayer leadership role on Sunday. I love to have others take a part in leading our prayer time, but as your pastor, I especially look forward to my turn to pray for you and your needs too!
"Toxic" Sermon Series Launches on Easter. This Sunday you'll also get a preview of our new sermon series, "Toxic," which launches in two weeks. This 5-part series reminds us of the toxic environment we often find ourselves in - and most importantly - how we protect ourselves. Think of some of the toxic thoughts, influences, relationships, and words that form your environment.
On Sunday we'll pass out a brochure that you can give to family members and friends to tell them about this new series. Here's an excerpt:
"Need a little personal poison control? Are there relationships thoughts, or behaviors that quietly compromise our well-being? How can we learn to recognize and remove the hidden dangers in our lives?"
Sound good? I'm really looking forward to this new teaching series, because I think this is something with which we all struggle. And I'm sure that you have friends and neighbors, who would really appreciate the Easter invite as well. We also will be advertising this new series on the Google search pages in Mansfield. Let's do our best to make this available to as many people as possible. I'll tell you more about it Sunday.
In other news...
Children - This Is Last Week To Practice "Talents." Moms and Dads, don't forget to be working with your children this week to practice the parable of the talents. Three weeks ago I gave them all $10 and asked them to invest it and multiply it. Last weekend I told them what we were going to do with the money they raise. We plan to buy NIV Bibles for every pew. What a great opportunity for our kids to apply a great Christian teaching AND to be reminded of it as they grow up and see the pew Bibles every Sunday.
Membership Class - March 23rd. We plan to offer our next Membership Class this coming Saturday, March 23rd. At this point we have seven people signed up - but I'm sure we can add a few Sunday morning. We'll hold the class at Church Requel on Saturday and will begin at 8:30 am with a continental breakfast. We'll be together all morning and will serve a noon Subway lunch for all who come. If you'd like to be an official member of CR, this class is a must. You can come even if you are not sure you want to be a member. We'll have a sign up sheet Sunday so we can know how many notebooks to print and how much food to prepare.
Flowers on Palm Sunday. You are invited to bring potted flowers with you on Palm Sunday, March 24th. Specifically, tulips, lillies and hyacynths would be greatly appreciated. Our plan is for us to decorate the inside of the church for Palm Sunday and Easter. Then, when the Easter service is concluded, you may take your flowers home with you. Or, if you prefer, any flowers left at the church will be planted outside to beautify the appearance of our property. Thanks Amie for this great suggestion! Let's start a new tradtion here for Church Requel at the Point of Grace!
Listen to the Podcast. I had a lot of fun recording the podcast for you this past week. If you have a chance, you should listen to it. I talk about some of my personal fitness goals and about some of the back story of what's going on these days at Church Requel. The back half of the podcast is last week's CR sermon: "Character Driven: How to Develop a Christ-like Character." I've heard from several of you how helpful these weekly podcasts have been to you. If you're not listening, why not give it try?
Zumba Class Tuesday!!! Our own Sara Scott is the Zumba instructor. She is offering weekly Zumba classes in the downstairs fellowship hall at Church Requel every Tuesday. Meet her and many of your friends at 7pm. The cost will be $5. The class lasts for one hour. This is a great way to support one our own members, as well as to enjoy some fitness, fun and fellowship! Thanks Sara!
Women's Bible Study - We hosted a dozen ladies at our home this past Wednesday night. I'm told over and over about how much you are enjoying the excellent teaching provided by Beth Moore. The ladies will meet again at 6:30pm on Wednesday evening, March 27th. The study is called "Esther: It's Tough Being A Woman." If you're not already involved, this would be a great opportunity to join this wonderful group of ladies. Good food. Sweet fellowship. Great learning!
Spring Fling Game Night - April 12th. I know it's a month away, but it's not too early to get this fun date on your calendars. Our first game night in February was a great success. Kids of all ages had so much fun! So schedule your April 12th Friday night now so you can join in the fun and fellowship. Diana, Sara, and Paul have even more adventures awaiting you!
So what do you think? Is there enough happening around this old church building? As much as is going on, we have only seen the beginning! The men are enjoying fixing up our church home. The women are enjoying their Bible studies and their hosting Saturday night meals. The children are learning about Jesus and his important teachings - first hand! It's just going to get better and better!
I can't wait to see you on Sunday morning. Bring a friend with you! We still have plenty of seats available... but they're going fast! With great affection, Pastor Mark
