Church Requel Blog - Writings of Mark Pierce

Jam Band Is Back Sunday!

Good Friday morning Church Requel!

Looks like it's going to be another awesome Sunday morning. First thing this morning I checked my weather app and discovered the high temp on Sunday will be 48 degrees! Then I remembered the Jam Band will be playing and I thought, 'For February, this really will be a hot Sunday!.'

May I just say that I LOVE being part of this Jam Band group. I look forward to it all month long. I remember my dad telling me once how much he loved being a part of the Jam Band of which he was once a member. I let it go in one ear and out the other. Now here I am - once again - just like my dad.

Here's what I love about them. They each come to the practice session on Saturday with something they've been working on for the past month for the songs we're going to sing. I never really know what that will be until Saturday. Then we get together for practice and someone will say, "What do you think if I do this?" Then I'm blown away by what I hear.

Yet there's no pressure and there's no egos involved. Someone might say, "I've been really busy this month and just need to play along with you guys." That's just hunky dory. Also there's never any hurt feelings if something doesn't work out. Yes, more than once Dan has suggested in his loving, calm, encouraging manner that maybe, just possibly maybe, my ukulele strum... is too fast... doesn't work for this song... is hard to play with. We all just laugh and then I try something different. Ha!

But in one way or another that has been true for all of us. This whole thing has been a huge stretch. Brandi had never played keyboard and sang at the same time (she's great at both - just one at a time.) On the other hand, Dave loves to sing while playing his guitar. But there has been the occasion when we will ask him to sing without playing. Not his fav, but he does it. Don had not played bass since he was in high school. And Brian? He never even played drums before Jam Band! Can you imagine? There just aren't any egos involved. We all want our worship music to sound as good as it can - all for the glory of God.

This Sunday we will be playing a couple new songs for us. (Not new for you - you've sung both of these many times. We've just never played them.)

One of these songs is "Revelation Song" sung both by Hillsong and Kari Jobe. At the end of our last practice, I asked the team if there were any songs they would like to be added to our list and Dan right away said, "Revelation Song!" What an awesome song! So much worship! Holy, Holy, Holy! Wow!

Then Don chimed in. "We have 'Oceans' on our list, but we've never play it. I think it's such an awesome worship song and would love to do it." We looked back and found he was absolutely right. We had worked up the arrangement and had practiced it in the early sessions, but never brought it out for Sunday morning. 

That song so fits in with our theme Sunday morning about God always being there for us when our plans don't work out. I've named the sermon Sunday, "The Perfection of Plan B," from the back half of Acts 11. The lyrics of this song are really amazing for those Plan B moments in life.

"Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders.
Let me walk upon the waters wherever You would call me.
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior."

The Perfection Of Plan B.  I want to tell you all a little bit about the background to this week's sermon. This is supposed to be a newsletter, after all, so why not be a little "newsy" with it? (... for those of you who've actually read this far!) We are continuing on with our Acts study. I've been reading the back half of Acts 11 for a few weeks now and wondered what direction I might go with it.

Then Monday morning, one little part of verse 19 caught my attention: "Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed..." I asked myself why this was included? Luke had already told that story back in Acts 6. For us reading it today it's like, 'I just read this a few pages back.' But for those living it out, it had be years - many hard, difficult, challenging Plan B years.

What do I mean by Plan B?

Life often looks so very different than we hoped or expected. We were so sure the path we were on for job, family, relationships for life... was just the way it was supposed to be: our Plan A. Then suddenly everything changes. We feel disappointed and disillusioned, and we quietly start to wonder about the reality of God’s goodness and what we thought was His plan for us. 

Surely that was true of those who were forced to relocate from Jerusalem to Antioch, right? Their families had lived in Jerusalem for generations... going back a thousand years! Now their world was turned upside down. They fled for their lives, leaving behind houses and businesses and family and friends. Surely they asked, "Why God?"

That moment and little sliver of verse 19 sparked the entire sermon this week. (You can get a head start by checking out the sermon in the Bible app or by clicking here.)

Here is where this little story gets really good. Each week, when I finish my sermon outline, I email it to Brandi. We have done this for years so that when Sunday morning comes we can both be on the same page.

When I went into my email program to send off the email to Brandi, I found another email waiting for me from Amazon. This email told me that a book was coming my way: "It's Not Supposed To Be This Way" by Lisa TerKeurst. I had not ordered it. Mary Kay had spoke with a friend the day before, who told her about this book and she ordered it. Mary Kay didn't know about my sermon. I didn't know about the book. Yet God arranged both separately, independently, coincidentally, and I believe... purposefully.

Just to make sure I got the confirmation message from Heaven on Wednesday night, Mary Kay and I went to Brian's Bible Study on the Holiness of God (this study is excellent by the way - you really don't want to miss it). During the study Cindy chimes in with, "I was just reading this book about finding unexpected strength when disappointments come our way."

I couldn't believe it. I ventured the question: "Hey Cindy what's the name of the book?" She thought for a moment and then replied, "It's Not Supposed To Be This Way" by Lisa TerKeurst. I think God is telling me something - and through me... also to you. Life doesn't always work out the way we want it to, yet God has a way of working it out if we'll only see Him at work, if we'll only look for the opportunity, if we can only celebrate the victories we do find.

Oh... one more thing... for those of you who like to check out the sermon notes in your Bible app, you know that I always try to include a Bible study for follow up, right? It's pretty cool. I type in some key words about what the sermon will be about and the Bible app recommends a good study to go along with it. Guess what popped up this morning when I put my sermon notes into the Bible app? "It’s Not Supposed To Be This Way: A 5-Day Challenge By Lysa TerKeurst." I kid you not!

A Big Thank You To Juanita! I can't write this newsletter without a big, super, HUGE thank you to Juanita. She showed up last Sunday with all of her baking gear and took all our children downstairs during the sermon. She and they baked Valentine's cookies together. I have heard since that for some of these children, it has been their favorite church experience yet! I don't know about you, but I LOVE the fact that our kiddos are associating church with life lived well! 

I have some other really great photos of last Sunday's cookie extravaganza. I'll try to get them posted on Facebook for you later today. They really are just super cute!

One last word - March of Prayer begins in one week! I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about this more-than-a-month-long church-to-church event. 

Starting March 1st, our church will join 33 other Mansfield congregations to form the March of Prayer.  That's right! 33! Two more have joined in since last week, so we'll be going into April. I'd love to see as many of you as possible to go to as many of these worship and prayer events as possible. Each one will be different and unique.

We'll be reminded about the diversity and richness of the larger church and Kingdom of God! That's got to be really healthy for us, right? Plus it will allow us to fellowship and worship with one another and with other Christ-followers as well. Make sure to pick up a schedule this Sunday.

For those of you on Facebook, each evening has a separate event in Facebook. Look for them and click that you're coming to the ones you can make. That will be encouraging both to those individual churches and could also encourage some of your other Facebook friends to attend as well.

Church Requel has agreed to host this event on Thursday, March 28th, so please plan to come and be a part of that too. Together, let's turn Mansfield into Godsfield!

Well I was certainly long winded today! I hope you liked it and read it and maybe even will share some of the good news. So many wonderful things are happening. Let's celebrate each opportunity we can! Love you much, Pastor Mark

New Bible Study Next Wednesday

Good Friday morning Church Requel!

I had quite a surprise yesterday. My Alexa rang her quirky little sound in my kitchen. I asked her about my notification. She answered, "The Holiness Of God will arrive later today." Nice to know. Ha! She meant, of course that our Bible study books were arriving and she gave me the title of the book. Still - how would you like your smart device to announce God's Holiness arriving soon!?

This study will be led / coordinated / moderated by Brian Betts. The book - picture above right - can be purchased online for $10 for an e-book version or $15 for a paperback version. We have purchased a few extra for those who don't have the ability to buy online or for those who cannot afford it. Brian will have all books to give out on Sunday.

This book was written by one of my favorite authors, R. C. Sproul, back in 1985. There are 11 chapters ranging in length from 15 to 30 pages long. Here are the topics (chapter titles) this Bible study group will be discussing: (1) The Holy Grail; (2) Holy Holy Holy; (3) The Fearful Mystery; (4) The Trauma of Holiness; (5) The Insanity of Luther; (6) Holy Justice; (7) War and Peace with a Holy God; (8) Be Holy Because I am Holy; (9) God in the Hands of Angry Sinners; (10) Looking Beyond Shadows; (11) Holy Space and Holy Time.

There are a few discussion questions at the end of each chapter. However, I doubt the questions will be necessary for those reading the chapters each week. Sproul is definitely a deep thinker - and not without challenges. That's not to say that it's difficult to read him or that you'll need to know a lot about theology to understand. He has a gift for writing in a way that communicates well. The challenge is in his deeper teaching about the holiness of God. You will come face-to-face with the awful splendor of God's majestic holiness in a new and fresh way. Sproul is one of a kind in the way he combines depth and clarity and Biblical realism to every topic he addresses.

Bottom line - this study will be a real opportunity to take your Christian faith deeper. The first study group will meet this coming Wednesday evening, February 20th, in the Chome (behind the sanctuary) at 6:30pm and is expected to last two hours. The study will continue weekly and is open to both men and women alike. Thank you, Brian, for your faithful leadership.

March of Prayer - Turning Mansfield Into Godsfield.   I am most happy to announce a new initiative for next month: 31 evenings of prayer, 6-8 pm at a different church each night of March 1-31! Imagine the positive effect on our area if 31 different congregations each hosted a two-hour, music-based prayer service on a different night in March!

Starting March 1st, our church will join 30 other Mansfield congregations to form the March of Prayer. Each church would use their own style when hosting. We are hoping for 31 different but authentic events to lift up the Lord in prayer. Some may be loud, others quiet. Each church could include music, Scripture and psalm readings, intercession. The music could include praise songs, worship songs or simply instrumental background music. 

We want to encourage folks from all congregations and the community to come together to pray for the community, the Kingdom, God’s Creation, to whatever God’s calls us.  For those of you who use Facebook, you can follow along with all the developments - just search "March of Prayer."

Church Requel has agreed to host this event on Thursday, March 28th, so please plan to come and be a part! But also know that you are invited to join every other church for this 31-day event too. In your program on Sunday (and also on the communion tables) you'll find a schedule of churches for each day in March. This schedule is also in the picture above right - click on it to see a larger version with all the churches and addresses.

Paul Lintern and Jordan Baker are leading the charge for the March of Prayer. There will be a prayer time / organization time / fellowship time at our church (Point of Grace) in the Chome this coming Sunday evening, March 17th, from 6pm - 8pm. If you'd like to pray for and help with this incredible prayer event in March, please come. We need all the prayer warriors we can get! Let's turn Mansfield into Godsfield!

Worship This Sunday. So many new, big things are going on that we just now come to what we usually write about at the top of the newsletter. (That's a good thing, right?) Joining Brandi on the Praise Team will be Brian, Amy and Bessica. Together we'll be singing "God of Wonders" by Paul Baloche, "God of All My Days" by Casting Crowns, "Glorious Day" by Passion, and "Good To Be Alive" by Jason Gray. Our sermon Sunday will be the final part 3 of "Following God's Plans" and will be mostly from the first part of Acts 11. Brandi also has a very timely special song planned for us: "Be One" by Natalie Grant.

Valentines Cookies Sunday For Students!!!  This Sunday Juanita will be making Valentine’s Day cookies with our students!! Our students really enjoyed this at Christmas, so she’s going to bring in all her supplies again and make Valentine’s Day Cookies with them!

Students, make sure your parents get you here on Sunday morning so you don’t miss out!! And, of course, we thank Juanita so much for blessing our church with all the goodies she makes and for including our students in her love of baking!!

Final Notes. Each week I promise myself that this week the newsletter won't be too long. And then by the end I find that I've written another thousand words! I can't help myself. With you all there is just so much to write about!

I hope you all know how thankful I am for each of you. I watch with delight as each one of you discover God's plan for your life and - with the help of God's Spirit within you - boldly go forth for the benefit of us all. You (collectively) are my God story week in and week out! I so appreciate the encouragement of your lives upon mine! Love you much, Pastor Mark

Neighborhood Meal Saturday Night

Good morning Church Requel!

Tomorrow evening - Saturday - we will once again be serving our neighbors a delicious, hot, free meal! All of you are invited to participate! Things are just a little different in 2019 than they have been in the past. Let me tell you about it.

We all show up at 4pm to help out our fearless meal leader, Sheri Nichols. There are lots of ways to volunteer: setting up the tables, passing out the food, pouring the drinks, arranging the desserts and now - providing the entertainment.

In years past we've had two stages - those coming for the meal would first wait upstairs in the sanctuary until 5pm, when they would be released to form a line down the stairs. No more waiting upstairs. There was a good reason we did it that way before. We would often have more people coming for the meal than we had seats downstairs. But over the past year we have seen the number of people coming for the free meal decline. So this year we invite our guests to come straight to the fellowship basement if they come before 5pm.

Also new this year - each serving team is also providing entertainment, both to the volunteers and to our friends coming for the food. We have placed several requests in the announcements to our congregation, but so far no one else has volunteered. It's probably just a matter of needing to see how it's done the first time, because we have so many talented people in our church! So yours truly will get out his ukulele and sing a playlist of Valentine love songs starting at 4pm. Hopefully going forward, other people will volunteer their talents for future meals.

Neither Paul nor I have any idea how Church Requel found itself off the schedule for the last 6 months of 2018. I'm thrilled that we're back on it now and also with a predictable pattern. We always serve the 2nd Saturday  of every even month. That's 6 serves altogether: February, April, June, August, October and December.

The Neighborhood Meal is always a grand time of fellowship for all of us who serve together. It is a great way for old and young alike to serve shoulder to shoulder. If you are so inclined, we could still use your delicious desserts too! I'm sure we'll be wrapping up by 6pm. So come on out tomorrow night for a great mission combined with great friendship!

The Boiler Is Fixed! The Heat Is Back On! It has been a wonderful week to work at the church. The heat has felt glorious!

Last Sunday we showed up to a cold church with a broken water pipe flooding the front stairs landing. Many thanks to Dan Logan, who worked behind the scenes last Sunday morning to find the broken pipe and get the water shut off. Many thanks to Paul Lintern, who arranged the repairs on Monday.

When I showed up on Tuesday, my office was cozy warm! So was the sanctuary and the nursery! There are registers heating up that haven't been warm all season. I'm not sure what exactly happened, but I can sure rejoice with all of you that we're back to a cozy church!

Ladies Trio Leads Our Worship! I'm delighted that Brandi, Trish and Missie are singing together this Sunday morning. They always harmonize so well and have such a great attitude. Here are the songs we'll be singing:

(1) "The Whole Earth" by Gateway Worship; (2) "Man Of Sorrows" by Hillsong; "My God" by Jeremy Camp; "You're Worthy Of My Praise" by Big Daddy Weave & Barlow Girl.

Sermon: Following God's Plans. We continue our study of Acts 10 & 11, the story of the Centurion Cornelius and Peter. In this second session we will learn more about God's plans for us. This fascinating passage tells us so much about what it really means to be a Christ-FOLLOWER. 

Valentine’s Cookies For Our Students!!! On Sunday, February 17th Juanita will be making Valentine’s Day Cookies with our students!! Our students really enjoyed this at Christmas, so she’s going to bring in all her supplies again and make Valentine’s Day Cookies with them!

Students, make sure your parents get you here on Sunday, February 17th so you don’t miss out!! And, of course, we thank Juanita so much for blessing our church with all the goodies she makes and for including our students in her love of baking!!

Holiness Of God Bible Study. We have another group study starting up soon. The details of place and time have changed so pay attention if you are interested.

New day - Wednesdays. New starting date - Feb. 20th. New place - here at church!

This will be a 12 week study going through “The Holiness of God” by R.C. Sproul. The cost of the book is $9.73. Thank you Brian for following God’s leading! Two bible studies back to back in our small little church...how about that!? God at work for sure!

More good news to come next week! Don't want to overwhelm you. Isn't God good?

Much love, Pastor Mark

Out Of The Deep Freeze

Good Friday morning Church Requel!

Congratulations for surviving the coldest days we've  had in more than a decade. As hard to believe as this is, I understand that the temperature will rocket to 53 degrees by Sunday! Wow! Make plans to come out to the church Sunday morning. Take advantage of this break in the winter weather!

The warmth in our relationship with God can unintentionally take a hit when we enter these tough winter months. The cloudy skies with little sunshine make for depressing days. And when the weather keeps us from seeing one another, we can feel alone and isolated. Know that you are not! You are loved and treasured, more than you'll ever know. Making Sunday morning church a priority is a good way to be reminded of this.

Our children lead worship! This Sunday will be the first one in February, so many of our children will participate in our worship plans. Joining Brandi this week will be Cindy, Chris, Saudaie, Bubby, Simon, Leia, Tre and Paityn. Together they will sing more songs than they ever have before. These are some of our favs!

(1) "Love the Lord Your God" by Lincoln Brewster

(2) "I Give You My Heart" by Hillsong

(3) "All the People Said Amen" by Matt Maher

(4) "Lord I Need You" by Matt Maher, and

(5) "This Is Amazing Grace" by Phil Wickham.

Also participating in our student led worship Sunday will be Grayden and Cohen Pierce joining their father, Jonathan, in the tech booth.

I don't know about you, but I just love how our worship director, Brandi, has proven herself such a great leader in our church. I know personally (because I serve on our 4th team) that there is a healthy level of excitement on our worship and praise teams.  Our  four teams receive their practice packets 3 weeks before the Sunday they sing. They spend a couple hours of practice time together during the week before and then another hour before the service on Sunday morning. Such dedication! We are so fortunate!

Sunday's Sermon: Rely Not Solo. We continue our mini-resolution series with the resolution to rely upon God and not to go solo on our own. We will consider many different verses from God's Word and discover that we were never designed to be independent from the God Who created us and loves us.

For some of us, (me included) this is a vital lesson. I'm so glad that our children will be a part of Sunday's experience. My dad described our tendency toward independent self-reliance as the John Wayne syndrome. I don't need any help is the motto of many a solo flying Christian. The truth is that God created us to be interdependent upon Him and upon other people. I'm looking forward to our time together this weekend. Want a head start? The sermon notes are in your Bible app or you can click here to see them.

Final Women's Bible Study. The FINAL Women’s Bible Study meeting will be THIS Wednesday at the church at 6:30pm. We delayed this one week because of the cold weather last Wednesday. They will be bringing in food to share as they celebrate finishing up the study! Sounds like a typical Church Requel gathering - FOOD!! We really want to thank Dinah once again for organizing and running this group! The ladies created a group message during this study and have been lifting each other up with encouragement and prayer throughout the weeks!! How wonderful! So, thank you again Dinah!!

Neighborhood Meal - Feb. 9th. Church Requel will once again be participating in the Neighborhood Meals in 2019! We will serve the Saturday evening meal the 2nd weekend of every even month. So Saturday it is our turn to serve our community! Please plan to arrive at 4pm to help set up tables and chairs and cut up desserts!

Also we will provide entertainment for our prep volunteers at 4pm and then for everyone at 5pm. If you have a song to sing or an instrument to play and would like to use your gift for others, please talk to Pastor Mark or Brandi. The meal will be served at 5pm! We are usually cleaned up and heading out around 6pm or shortly after! Thanks to Sheri Nichols for organizing these meals!

Valentine’s Cookies For Our Students!!! On Sunday, February 17th Juanita will be making Valentine’s Day Cookies with our students!! Our students really enjoyed this at Christmas, so she’s going to bring in all her supplies again and make Valentine’s Day Cookies with them!

Students, make sure your parents get you here on Sunday, February 17th so you don’t miss out!! And, of course, we thank Juanita so much for blessing our church with all the goodies she makes and for including our students in her love of baking!!

Holiness Of God Bible Study. We have another group study starting up soon. The details of place and time have changed so pay attention if you are interested.

New day - Wednesdays. New starting date - Feb. 20th. New place - here at church!

This will be a 12 week study going through “The Holiness of God” by R.C. Sproul. The cost of the workbook is $9.73. Brian will be meeting with our women's Bible Study this Wednesday evening to tell them about this new study. So come Wednesday if you'd like to know more about it.

Thank you Brian for following God’s leading! Two bible studies back to back in our small little church...how about that!? God at work for sure!

I never cease to be amazed when I sit down at my computer each Friday to write out this newsletter to you all. So many good things going on! I love your enthusiasm for God and for one another! Much love, Pastor Mark