Good Friday morning Church Requel!
Did you know that today is the National Day of Unplugging? From sundown tonight to sundown tomorrow night those who make the pledge will unplug their lives from the internet and from their devices. Instead of posting to Facebook, checking their email, or playing the latest round of Trivia Crack, the "unpluggers" will create a Sabbath space for themselves, relaxing, reflecting and connecting with loved ones.
The idea sounds intriguing to this most-plugged-in pastor. I actually loved being plugged in, because it allows me to be closer to all of you. And let's face it - you couldn't read this email newsletter unless you and I were plugged in. Still the idea of taking a break from it all one day a year has merit. What do you think? Let's post comments on our Facebook page today. We have until sundown to decide if we'd like to try this as a group. (Don't have Facebook? Then you probably don't have an "unplugging" problem. LOL.)
Spring Forward!!! Don't be like the Skit Guys video we watched last Sunday and show up an hour late this Sunday. This Sunday morning at 2am we all set our clocks ahead by one hour. That means our 11am start time will feel like 10am, but alas, will be 11am. You won't want to miss. We have some great things in store. Read on!
Fish Surprise This Sunday! We continue our Signs and Wonders sermon series this weekend by considering the miracle when Jesus fed the 5,000 starting with just 5 loaves and 2 fishes. When you read John 6:5-15, do you think of a financial miracle? The disciples thought they had a resource problem. Sunday we'll look at this most famous of miracles with our money filter and learn four lessons that could impact how we see faith opportunities all around us. Oh... what's the fish surprise? Well, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you, would it? Ha! You'll just have to come and find out for yourselves!
Awesome Worship! Didn't we have a blessed worship experience last Sunday, when the praise team from Rolling Plains UMC came up to share with us? The morning snows were frigid and frightening outside, but we were rocking and rolling God's goodness on the inside!
We're not going to slow down one iota this coming Sunday. I had the great privilege of watching this week's praise team practice last night. Pictured on the left are Jeff Barnes, Ron Bolesky, Brandi Walker, Dan Logan and Tamira Barnes, who will all lead our worship together.
Want to get started with your own worship practice? We'll be singing "Come Thou Fount" by Gateway Worship, "Awesome Is The Lord Most High" by Chris Tomlin," "Open The Eyes Of My Heart" by Michael W. Smith, and "Your Great Name" by Natalie Grant.
We all such a good time together last night, laughing and singing. I hope Sunday morning you'll leave Church Requel with a song in your heart too.
KidsMin Fun. Tamira tells me that our children have been learning about the life of Jesus. Recently they talked about how Zacchaeus' life was changed when he met Jesus. Even though "Zach" was an unlikeable person, Jesus showed him love. This led to a good discussion about kids at school and how hard it is to love some, who are unkind.
Our Preschool kiddos even got into the act, learning the story of Zaccheaus. In this picture on the right, they are making mean faces as they act out the story.
This Sunday KidsMin's topic will be "Let's Do Lunch." They will be talking about Jesus feeding the 5,000 and how God can use their small gifts in mighty ways!!! (Sound familiar?) They also have been talking about serving others with a generous heart. They have some fun relays planned, a science experiment and a picnic with... you guessed it... some bread and fish!
Condolences to the Reed Daniel Family. This past Wednesday, Paul Lintern and I had the privilege to officiate over the funeral of Reed Daniel. Reed lived to 91 years of age. He was baptized as St. Luke's Lutheran and attended all his adult life. His last year he came often to Church Requel with his daughter, Aimee Medina, and granddaughter, Mari Jensen. We extend our sympathies to Aimee, Mari and all their families during this grieving time. Reed will be greatly missed in our midst.
Our 500th Church Requel Audio! We hit a milestone this past Monday as we posted our 500th Church Requel audio file. Yay! Seems to us that anything done 500 times should be celebrated, right? You can find all of our audios on the Church Requel Audio Podcast page. Our first year - as mostly a house church - we posted over 200 of them, including many 10-minute studies from the Gospel of Matthew. We also enjoyed a couple years in 2013-14, when we attempted a longer podcast-style production.
Now we post the Sunday sermon each week on Monday morning. We still have more people who listen online each week, in one form or another, than who actually come to Church Requel on Sunday morning. Would you like to be on our audio email list? We send an email each Monday morning to those who want to know when the audio is posted. Just let me know and I will include you too.
Office Equipment Ordered. Writing about those early days reminds me of just how far we've come since the early living room church. This past Wednesday evening, our leadership team made the decision to go ahead and order the office equipment for our new office space downstairs at Church Requel. Several of our men have been working this year to create an office area for our staff and volunteers. They are almost finished.
So we have gone forward with our plans and purchased a computer and high speed printer / copier. This equipment should arrive in the next couple of weeks. We could not do this without your ongoing financial faithfulness. Thank you so much. For such a small church, you donate with large and generous hearts. We have received about half the money we need to complete this special project. If you haven't been downstairs yet to see it, make sure you check out our new digs on Sunday!
In Coming Weeks... Here are some of the things we have to look forward to in coming weeks!
- KidsMin singers leading worship next Sunday. Start practicing your hand motions!
- Feeding the hungry on Saturday, March 28th, the night before Palm Sunday. This is a great first opportunity to serve and get to know some of your fellow Church Requelers.
- Easter Celebration on April 5th. Start inviting your family and friends now!
- Parenting two-week mini series after Easter, which will lead us to...
- April 19th - First Child Dedication ceremony since moving to our present location.
- April 26th - Ashland Theological Seminary Professor Dr. John Byron preaching. Do you want to know where I received my love of all things New Testament? John is a passionate and gifted teacher and writer.
- Saturday, May 2nd - Our next Belong Membership Class. This is a great way to learn all about Church Requel, whether you decide to become a member or not.
- May 3rd - Mansfield Christian School Image singing (including our own Haleigh Trubachik!)
These first two months of 2015 have literally flown by! We have endured a harsh winter and have come through it in the best shape our church has ever been. I'm looking forward to springing forward with all of you. Don't forget to set your clocks Saturday night. Can't wait to see all of you Sunday morning. With a pastor's passionate heart for you, Pastor Mark