Good Friday morning Church Requel!
This is a week of firsts. Do you believe the previously unthinkable is now possible? Are you ready for Believeland to really mean what it says - and not the cynical opposite? Yes - one of Cleveland's 3 major sports franchises is on the cusp of winning a championship! For the first time in 52 years!
I'm excited for all of us, but mostly for Eddie and Brandi. Do you know they almost sold their tickets to last night's game? A year ago they drove up to Quicken Loans Arena and watched game 6 as the Golden State Warriors won the trophy on Cleveland's home court. Brandi told me she didn't think she could take watching a repeat this year. No repeat. Eddie, Brandi, and all of us were treated to some great basketball last night as the Cavs tied it all up! Eddie and Brandi were there in person last night! Do you think they believe yet?
The Cavaliers potential championship is not the only first for us this week. On Tuesday night we will have the opportunity to worship together with nine other churches for a Community Night Of Worship. The picture below is of the worship leaders from all the churches, including our own Brandi Walker.
I am so thrilled that we will be able to experience this together - both as a congregation (small church) and as a community (large church). I know that God has an individual mission for each of His churches here in Mansfield - but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't get together now and again to celebrate our Lord Jesus together. We share so much in common. This will be healthy for us. This will be inspirational for us. And I hope that you will make this event a priority. The community worship event will begin this Tuesday night at Crossroads at 7pm. Do YOU believe?
Father's Day Sunday - We WILL worship together as Church Requel this Sunday morning at 11am and we have lots of great things to look forward to. Brandi, Trish, Missie and Brian will lead our worship singing together for "Good Good Father," "You're Worthy Of My Praise," and "The Stand."
Our children will enjoy a great KidsMin time together (along with some last minute Father's Day creations). The kiddos will give gifts to their dads at the end of our worship together.
Brandi will lead our communion. Roger will lead our prayer time together. Ken Jacob will lead our announcements. I'm pretty sure this is the first time Ken has led in our worship since Christmas Eve. I'm certain this WON'T be his last time leading us!
Yours truly will deliver the sermon from Luke 8:40-56. We'll examine the story of Jairus as he seeks out Jesus to heal his daughter. We don't usually think of this as Jairus' story. Typically we talk about the woman with the issue of blood who stopped Jesus on his way to heal someone else. Do you remember who Jesus was supposed to heal? Jairus' daughter. Sunday we'll look at the story from Jairus' point of view. Along the way we'll learn 5 facts about great dads (and moms and other caregivers.) Would you like a head start? Check out Sunday's online sermon notes.
Baptism Next Sunday! We will fill the baptismal pool for next Sunday's worship time together! Anna Scott (pictured on the left) has made her decision to follow Christ in her life and she would like to be baptized. Isn't that great news? She has invited several of her own friends to be there to watch her baptism and to hear her testimony. What a great opportunity! We certainly all want to be at church next Sunday to hear her story of faith and to support and encourage Anna.
Would you also like to be baptized? We would certainly love to accommodate anyone else who would like to be baptized. For more information, just send me an email.
Membership Class June 25th Canceled. Our final membership class next Saturday has been postponed. A couple of our potential new members could not make it on our scheduled day. So we are talking to each participant to find a new date that will work for everyone. We’ll post the new meeting date and time as soon as we find a schedule that works for everyone.
Neighborhood Meal. Our next opportunity to serve our free neighborhood meal is Saturday, July 9th. We will need volunteers to arrive by 4 pm and plan to serve util 6:30. We would also appreciate your donations of desserts to share. Please help us share God’s love with those around us.
Church Picnic July 17th. Our next summer fellowship will be our picnic at North Lake Park after church on Sunday, July 17th. We will all head to the air-conditioned pavilion right next to the northern end of the B&O Bike Trail. Bring food to share with everyone. Come hungry. Come expecting fun and games! Should be a great day! (The promo pic above right features some photos from last year's picnic.)
Group Photo. It's been a few years since we have captured a group photo together as a congregation. Why don't we plan on getting our picture taken as a church group during the picnic? Just another reason you don't want to miss!
We sure do have a lot of opportunities this summer! Let's make the most of every opportunity! I hope to see you all Sunday morning at 11am. In Christ's love, Pastor Mark
