Good morning Church Requel family!
I am excited about this weekend! How about you? This week has held more than enough challenges (more on that in a bit), but now we are ready to relax and celebrate! I am so looking forward to our opportunities to spend time together this weekend.
Game Night Tonight. This has become one of our favorite events at Church Requel. We have discovered that we are a church filled with kids of all ages. Maybe you're one of them. How can you know if you're a K.I.D. or not? You are a K.I.D. if you...
Keep active so you don't become bored.
Imagine the fun you'd have if you played with other kids.
Decide to come to Game Night at Church Requel tonight at 7pm!
Bring a snack or drink to share with others. AND bring your favorite games to play. Diana, Rachel and Sara have also designed some other group "minute-to-win-it" games for us to play. Sounds fun! See you there!
Update on Marilyn. Marilyn Bauman lost her home to an early morning fire this past Tuesday. She escaped with only the clothes on her back. What you have done for Marilyn as her church family in the 3 days since has been such a confirmation of your love for one another. You have overwhelmed her with clothing, money, gift cards, and personal time and visitation. As a result of your help, yesterday Marilyn received the keys to a beautiful apartment at Covenant Christian Community across from the Springmill Drive-In.
We feel that Marilyn is now well on her way to being back on her feet financially. We will still collect a special offering for her from those who haven't had the opportunity to share and still feel led to give. Any funds that come in on her behalf we will use toward her electric utility bill, which she will need to get paid to turn on the electricity at her new place. Marilyn has asked me to thank each one who has prayed for her or helped her through this tramatic experience. She told me last night that becoming a member at Church Requel was the best decision she has ever made. Yay God!
Beautiful Funeral. Aimee's mom, RoseAnn Daniel, was eulogized at her funeral Monday at Church Requel. As you can see from the photo on the left, the church looked beautiful. Mrs. Daniel was a lifetime member of St. Luke's Lutheran Church. We were so honored to be able to hold her funeral in the Lutheran tradition she would have wanted. And we're thankful for Paul, who donned his Lutheran robes to officiate. I was especially moved by Aimee's comments from the pulpit at the end of the funeral, when she so beautifully connected the past to the present, thanking her new Church Requel family.
This Sunday - Six New Members Join CR. Speaking of Aimee, she is one of 6 people, who have taken the steps of membership to join Church Requel. Joining Aimie is Brandi Walker, Dan and DeeDee Logan, Dinah Stanfield, and Leiloni Nauman. This past Saturday was an exciting day as we 5 1/2 hours talking about what it means to belong to Church Requel. This class of new members is a particularly motivated group. We will welcome them into our church family this coming Sunday morning.
Singing and Skit On Sunday. I am looking forward to Sunday for a few other reasons too. For the first time ever at Church Requel, I'll be joining Brandi Walker on the Praise Team. She asked. I said yes. Brandi completely changed up the song list for this weekend, when she found out I would be singing with her. We practice later today. Can't wait!
Nancy will keep us posted on some cool things coming up in April. Randy will lead us in prayer to our Lord. Jana will read our Scripture. And before the sermon, you'll watch a funny skit featuring our own Bryan Trubachik and Jessica Johnson, along with another dozen congregation actors in the background - doing some pretty humorous things.
During the sermon we'll finish what we started last weekend, talking about the 8 habits we each need to practice if we want to be financially fit. We'll talk about some pragmatic advice from Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. You'll walk away Sunday more encouraged to practice your Christian faith in your finances than ever before. It's going to be a good morning!
Encore anyone? Do you need to catch up? Or do you just want to watch or listen again? Last Sunday we watched Steve and Cindy share an awesome testimony. You can watch it again here. We have all the sermons so far in this financial series available in video format. Watch them here. And make sure you don't miss this past week's podcast with Brandi Walker as our special guest. You can listen here.
Folks, I've never been more proud of you than I am this week. I've never been more happy to belong to a church than I am to belong to you. What a privilege it is for me to be your pastor! Yesterday we hosted many area pastors for lunch at Church Requel. It was great showing them all the improvements and telling them your story. Last night I took my dad out for dinner to celebrate his 83rd birthday. I used most of my conversation telling him all about you. Be encouraged. God is using you for His kingdom in Mansfield, Ohio.
With loving affection, Pastor Mark
