Good Friday morning Church Requel!
Easter is only 3 Sundays away! Yay! We have decided to do something differently for our children this year. Rather than an Easter egg hunt after the service, we will be giving goodie bags away to each one of our students and children. This way we can make this event more Christ focused. Also many (not all) of our children are getting older and will appreciate the goodie bag more.
This is DeeDee's brilliant idea! Thanks DeeDee! She has gone shopping (one of her favorite things to do - by her own admission) and found some Easter appropriate items to include in each bag. Now the rest is up to us! For the next two Sundays we invite you to bring in wrapped candy donations to add to the Easter goodie bags. Also, on March 25th (Palm Sunday), you are invited to stay for a few minutes after church to help fill up each baggie.
Easter Invites! Speaking of Easter - this is the perfect time to invite your family and friends to church. We have created post card sized Easter invites for you to give away. (Thanks Brandi!)
We included these invites in last Sunday's program and will do it again this Sunday. You'll find extras on the communion tables. If we need more - just let us know! We'll print up as many as we need. Don't let these invites go unused. You'll be surprised how very likely your friends will be to say "yes" on Easter - if only you would invite them!
This Sunday. Brandi, Trish and Missie will lead our worship singing this Sunday morning. We open up with a new song, "Control," by Tenth Ave. North. Check the song out on YouTube - you'll really like it! Our ladies will also be leading us in an a cappella "Hymns Mashup" by Anthem Lights and "Gracefully Broken" by Matt Redman.
Our singing won't be finished yet, but we plan to invite Mark Baserman up front to share a few words to lead us into communion. This will be the second time Mark has made his way to the Church Requel platform. Some of you might remember what an awesome job he did when he and Loni lit one of our Advent candles during this past Christmas season. Personally, I'm really glad to see Mark taking a more active role within our church!
When we finish communion, we'll come right back to our worship singing with two celebratory songs: "Forever Reign" by Hillsong and "You're Worthy of My Praise" by Big Daddy Weave." We're really in for a wonderful singing praise time this Sunday morning!
We will continue to celebrate after dismissing our students by greeting one another to the sounds of "Happy Dance" by Mercy Me. How can you keep your feet from dancing when you listen to this? We'll collect the offering - thanks so much for your generosity so far this year! Remember you can give online using give.churchrequel.org. Brandi will lead our prayer time. Loni will read our Scripture reading.
Sunday's Sermon - "No Basis Exchange." From childhood’s earliest days we know the meaning and expectation of “fairness.” How many times have you heard a child cry out in frustration: “But that’s not fair?” There’s just something about rightness and wrongness that is built into our human psyche.
That’s why Sunday’s sermon is so important. There was just nothing fair about the exchange of Jesus for Barabbas. Yet, as unfair as it was, it was the best possible exchange for each one of us. Want a head start? Open your Bible app and click on "Events' and you'll find all the notes. Or you can open up the sermon notes in your browser here.
JAM Band meets for music and pizza! We are putting together a JAM band to play during one of the Sundays in April. If you know how to strum a few chords, you're welcome to join us! Our next practice is this Sunday after church. We plan to bring in a few pizzas and enjoy some lunch with some music. We would love for you to join in with Brandi on keyboard, Dan on guitar, Don on bass guitar and Mark on ukulele. (This just in... Brett will be joining us Sunday too!) Students - you are also most welcome to join us! Talk about your "ground floor" opportunities!
New Book Exchange Launches! Each week you'll find a good selection of Christian living and Christian fiction books available to you in the back corner of the sanctuary around the baby grand piano. If you see a book you like, take it with you. Read it. Share it. Own it. Give it away. Your choice. We're hoping to be an exchange - a place where books will pass from one hand to another.
We ask that you bring books to church that you are willing to share. Kay Butts had this dream for us and will be overseeing the exchange. Would you like to partner with her in this new ministry? You may start bringing and taking books anytime.
Every Friday morning I sit down to write this newsletter to you and start off by wondering what in the world I will write about? Then I start thinking and praying and my fingers start to fly. Really - we have so much to be thankful for at Church Requel. I am so blessed to be your pastor. Can't wait to see you on Sunday! Love, Pastor Mark
