Church Requel Blog - Writings of Mark Pierce

The Morning After

Good Friday morning Church Requel!

What a night! What a blessed night! What a glorious, blessed, holy night!

Thank You Most Holy Father, Son and Holy Spirit! We prayed for You to come and You did in such a powerful way!

There is so much on my mind this morning. Without meaning to be crude, I feel like I'm experiencing a Holy Spirit hangover. And that's a good thing, right? Now I can understand most fully when the Scriptures tell us to be filled with the Spirit rather than with wine. Amen.

I am almost tempted not to write this morning because I just don't know where to begin. Somehow, though, that just seems unfaithful. So I'm going to write down my random thoughts - sorry Julie Andrews - not starting at the very beginning, which admittedly is a very fine place to start. But this morning that would be just way too much work. Since I am a man of order, I'll at least number them. 

#1 - Thank you all. You really came through last night. You showed up early. You stayed late. You rolled up your sleeves and did the work. You cleaned. You practiced. You baked. You welcomed. You loved. You worshiped. You prayed. You were One Body with many hands. I've said it before but I can't say it enough: I am such a fortunate pastor.

#2 - We make our plans... and then God shows up and changes them. It's a good thing to plan ahead. Too many in spiritual leadership just wing it in the name of allowing the Holy Spirit to have His way. Brandi and I started planning over a month ago and worked hard each week refining and polishing. And I'm sure that God will still use what we didn't use last night - all to His glory. When so many people wanted intercessory prayer - so far beyond what either Brandi or I could have imagined - we stayed with the prayer requests.

#3 - People are hungry... no, desperate for authentic, personal prayer. I haven't counted them but I believe we received over 80 prayer requests last night. Waaaayyyy more than I ever thought. I did some math in my head to prepare for this intercessory prayer segment. We usually have 50 to 70 people in church on a Sunday morning. We usually receive 6 to 8 prayer requests, sometimes much fewer. So with 150 people there last night I would have thought 18 to 24. Boy was I wrong!

#4 - Boy, I'm so glad I was wrong... I don't think there has been a night in this March of Prayer, where I haven't heard, "If my people will humble themselves and call upon My Name, I will hear them..." Is that just a great verse about prayer? Or is it a solemn promise from our Lord God? Imagine what would happen if out of His Benevolence, He specifically answered each one of those prayers last night in exactly the way the requesters wished it? Wouldn't we be glad we changed our plans?

#5 - I was so moved by the prayers, especially when I learned some of the back stories. They are still emerging and I'm sure we'll hear more. God's hand was so in the distribution of those cards. I passed them out randomly and mostly to people I didn't personally know. We DO know Saudaie and we DO know her regular prayer request. God gave her the charge to pray for someone else's addiction issues. And how about that longest serving postal worker who received the card to pray for someone's cancer disease. What an emotional, powerful prayer! I learned afterward that he is struggling with his own cancer disease. You think these are just coincidental? One more - I can't tell you how moved I was when I saw all of you get up and pray over one of our own with addiction. Oh Lord, may his prayers (and ours) be answered!

#6 - Speaking of Saudaie... we at Church Requel have been saying and practicing for many years that our children are not the church of tomorrow, but they are the church of today. We include them in our worship. They take up every service role that our adults do. We saw the results last night! Not only Saudaie's prayer was effective but what about little 10-year-old Leia? Singing. Worshiping. Praying. She's one little mighty warrior for Christ. Oh Lord may all our children continue their zeal for you for the rest of their lives!

#7 - And how about that worship singing? Do you recall that our little "Jam Band" was still in the rehearsing stage one year ago? We spent the first 4 months of 2018 just getting together for Sunday lunch twice a month and then jamming together. Paul Lintern was honest in his assessment of those first days as he listened from the other side of the wall: "I just knew your heart was in the right place." Ha! Our little church has been blessed with singers and instrumentalists all beyond any reasonable ratio for a church our size. People were surprised and blessed last night. You should see all the texts I'm reading this morning. You would be so encouraged.

#8 - Small IS mighty when God is there. We talk about our size sometimes and often say, "We're small but mighty." We saw what "mighty" looks like last night. When we come together in Gods power and our unity of mind and purpose, well... the results are just stunning.

#9 - When we commit to blessing others, God blesses us right back. We cannot out-give God. We cannot out-bless God. Of all the texts and messages I received last night, this one from one of our own was my favorite. (I'll leave the identity anonymous since I haven't received permission to share it publicly.) "No words for what I witnessed tonight! So glad to be a part of it. I am transformed! Thank you." How can you not just weep for joy when you hear something like that?

#10 - Be prepared for more. God does not move like He did last night just for a one night stand. God's Spirit IS moving. Yes, through all the March of Prayer! Yes also, through Church Requel. We cannot and we will not shelf this experience as one wonderful celebration. We will not just live off it as a fond memory. We continuously need the fuel of the Holy Spirit today and each day in the future. We are now and will be again... TRANSFORMED! We have smacked our spiritual lips upon what the sweet and tart taste of "surprised by the Spirit" and we like it! No, we love it! And we want more. We will pray for more. We will desire for more. We will expect for more.

#11 - Expect the counter attack. Remember this isn't Heaven. Not yet. If we have learned anything from our study of the early church in Acts, it is that the spiritual enemy is never happy when God's children are obedient and faithful and worshipful and victorious. Know it's coming. Keep on the full armor of God. Keep up with your prayers, your devotions, your service, your charities, your love for one another. Now more than ever, be purposeful. This is not the time to relax. This is the time to charge forward in Christ's Name, the Spirit's Power, and the Father's Holiness.

Love you all much more than you'll ever know, Pastor Mark

March of Prayer - 3 Weeks In!

Good Friday morning Church Requel!

I'm NOT EVEN looking out my window right now. I'm NOT EVEN going to comment on the snow falling. Come on already! It's Spring already! Right?

What I do know for sure and what I want to write about for sure is the warmth springing up inside my soul after 21 days straight of worshiping and praying every evening. I don't know what I thought the outcome would be exactly. I knew we were praying for the community. What I don't think I expected (but totally should have expected) was the revival in my own experience of God's Holy Spirit! Wow!

I'm also so very happy for so many of you, who I know is experiencing this same phenomenon. For all of you Church Requelers who have made it out to at least one (and some of you many) nights of this March of Prayer - thank you and blessings!

I don't know of another church who has been better represented as much as we have been. I've said it before but I'll repeat again - I am so lucky to be your pastor!!!

I have some excellent news. The March of Prayer will continue all the way through Easter! So yes... there will be March 32nd, and March 33rd... all the way to March 52nd! Isn't that grand? 52 different evenings. 52 different local churches. One Lord! I plan to have a new schedule for you at church this Sunday morning.

Remember - no guilt or pressure here. Come when you can. Leave when you must. Just don't miss out. I believe God is doing something really special here. For His own good reasons, He's starting this in Mansfield, Ohio. No one's ever seen or heard of this happening before. You'll want to be a part of it. You'll want to tell you grandchildren's children about it someday!

March of Prayer at Church Requel - Next Thursday! We are now down to less than one week until we host the event ourselves at Church Requel. I am confident that more than 100 will come. Our church pews will be overflowing.

Brandi and I have done as much as we can do. The evening will have some great surprises, but in many respects it will be a worship service just like what you've come to expect at Church Requel.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE - don't just come. Come EARLY! If at all possible plan to arrive at 5pm or as soon as you can after work. We need help setting up two snack areas - the normal one in the back and another one in the front of the sanctuary. We need help with coffee. We need help with cleaning and setting up. We need help with greeting. We need help with parking. We need help cleaning up afterwards. Do you see a theme here? We need help!!! All hands on deck kind of help. Just show up, roll up your sleeves and look for a way to help out!

Be an ambassador that night. You don't have to be on the greeting team to greet. If you see a face you don't know, introduce yourself. Tell them you're glad they came. Let's make sure that everyone who comes says, "Wow - those people at Church Requel were SOOO FRIENDLY!"

One more important detail. The weather report says 60 degrees next Thursday. Add to that 100-150 people in our sanctuary and you have a hot mess! I've asked Chris Thoman to get a team together this week to replace the storm windows with screens so we can have some Spring air circulating around us. If you can help Chris, let him know!

One last request. Tell your family and friends about this important event. Let them see your home church in a positive light! They will be glad you told them. You'll be glad you told them. You don't want to leave that night saying to yourself, 'That was so good. I wish I would have invited...'

What's Happening This Sunday At Church Requel. With everything I've just told you about next Thursday, you might think that Sunday is taking a back seat in our thoughts and planning. NOT SO!

The Jam Band will be playing and singing and leading you in worship. I've added a banjo ukulele just for the occasion! We will be singing "Build Your Kingdom Here" by Rend Collective. That song just begs for a banjo! I'm planning to play it for the first time in public Sunday morning!

We also will be singing together: "You Never Let Go" by Matt Redman; "Revelation Song" by Kari Jobe and Jennie Lee Riddle; and "Greater Things" by Mack Brock.

Our sermon Sunday morning will be from the next section of Acts and I've named it: "Ministry Strategy." You might think that this isn't something you need to know about since you're not a minister. WRONG! Everyone in our church is a minister, right? Want a head start? Click here: http://bible.com/events/587217

Lots of participation of ministers Sunday morning too! Chris and Tamara will run our tech. Don, Dan, Dave and Brian will play their instruments and sing. Ken and Karen will be bringing the communion bread. Mary Kay will set up. Juanita will bring our snacks. Roger and Juanita will be our greeters. Cindy, Karen and Mary Kay will teach our students. Chris will make sure everyone is accounted for.

These are really good times for our church! We are seeing good results everywhere we look. Keep praying. And thank you - so many of you - who have told me you're praying for me! I really do need God's strength now more than ever. Hope to see most you real soon! Love you much, Pastor Mark

March of Prayer Marches Onward

Good Friday morning Church Requel,

Last evening we completed two weeks worth of the March of Prayer. What a two weeks it has been! Friday night I discovered a new church I didn't even know was there - Ambassadors of Christ Church.

Then Saturday night I discovered another church I didn't even know was there - The Way. Both are really close to us in downtown. Both are doing really good work. Both renewed my love for our close-to-downtown location.

Both Pastor Jody Odom and Pastor Matthew Parsons reminded me of my initial zeal for ministry. They are both so sold out to reach people for Christ and to grow His church. I left inspired by God's calling.

Sunday night and Tuesday nights were both really special to me because both were churches of which I have been an active member in my past: Mansfield Alliance Church and Crossroads. Stepping into these churches reminded me of where I've come from and the way our Lord has been working on my soul and my pastoral calling for decades.

I enjoyed the largeness of both churches, the beautiful music but also the quiet spaces both churches provided room for genuine prayer. I appreciated the special public guests invited by Crossroads to lead prayer for our community.

I left both churches confirmed in God's calling.

I enjoyed the tradition of the Lutheran worship on Monday night when we went to Holy Trinity Church. Pastor Pentti Maki led a service filled with prayers, Scripture readings, reflection AND sharing!

What a wonderful evening of sharing!

Each person stood up or went to the lectern to share what the Holy Spirit had been saying to them about the Scripture reading. They just kept on coming - person after person!

I enjoyed the surprise expressed by the reserved pastor when he finally said, "Oh my - this is just like a Billy Graham Crusade!" I left Holy Trinity feeling a part of God's beautiful, extended family.

Wednesday night we attended the First Evangelical Presbyterian Church. What a grand and beautiful and long and white sanctuary they have! I thought to myself, 'What bride wouldn't love to walk down this aisle?'

As formal as the church building appeared, the two pastors leading the service were just as comfortable and friendly and inviting as could be. They both wore jeans and played guitars, sang, and took turns leading our prayer times.

Thank you Pastor Denny Finnegan and Associate Pastor (and firefighter!) Brad Williams. You reminded me that our worship time can be intimate with our Father God. You reminded me of the miracle that God is doing both within and between our churches. 

This was also the evening when I saw the most number of my fellow pastors. Before we left someone grabbed us all to take a picture. I left 1st EPC feeling like I was really a part of God's team!

Last night was just utterly delightful at Southside Christian Church, where Paul Lintern is also the pastor. Yes, in case you didn't know it, Paul's creativity and enthusiasm cannot be contained by only one church. Each Sunday he heads north to Oakland Lutheran and then heads to the other side of town at Southside Christian Church.

Is it ok to have fun at church on a Thursday night? Well if last night was any indication, the answer is a resounding "yes!"  Check out this fun video as Paul and the assembled congregation say the Al-le-lu-ia poem to get the night started right. I dare you to watch this only once!

Paul is so creative! He showed me last night that one doesn't have to have a huge worship budget or large praise band singing the latest songs. We sang enthusiastically out of the hymnbook, which Paul reminded us each song was a contemporary favorite... centuries ago. We went to different "prayer stations" around the church to pray for para-church ministries helping those who need help here in Richland County. We prayed for our country by singing prayerfully the national anthem, including a new third verse written by Paul! I left Southside last night feeling pure joy!

I have also been so delighted by the many of you from Church Requel who began attending these nightly meetings. We have actually been filling two or three pews! I'm so thrilled and encouraged by you all. Keep coming! And if you haven't made it yet, it's not at all too late. Start tonight. We will meet tonight at 6pm at Sar Shalom, 2510 W. Fourth Street.

This location used to be the UAW Hall, now converted over to a Messianic church. I'm really looking forward to it! I had the privilege of helping my son, Jonathan, wire up this church for sound.

I promise you this evening will be soooo special! But only come if you want to leave feeling inspired, confirmed, surprised, a part of God's extended family, a part of God's team, and filled with pure joy. 

One more cool thing that's been going on... Paul wrote the lyrics to a song, "Mansfield Into Godsfield." It can be sung with seven different hymns and that's totally cool. We've been singing it a different way almost every night. I came home Wednesday night thinking we needed a new way to sing this new song. So I wrote up a few chords, staying up past midnight because I was so excited about it. I'd like to teach it to you after the sermon this Sunday morning. But you can get a head start by watching the song lyric video here:

Sunday Morning At Church Requel. I've written so much about the March of Prayer but I haven't lost any enthusiasm for our very special worship time planned together this Sunday morning. Our praise team will be made up of Brandi, Brian, Amy and Bessica. We will sing "King Of My Heart" by Bethel, "Ever Be" also by Bethel, and "Open Up the Heavens" by Meredith Andrews. Brian will sing a special song for us: "Sea Of Faces" by Kutless.

We will continue the Sequel and Requel sermon series - this will be our 30th! - from Acts 12:19-13:3. The title of the sermon is "Voice of God, Voice of Man."

Do you know the difference between the voice of God and the voice of man? Can you recognize God's voice to you? Jesus taught that those who belong to God hear what He says. Did you know that it's possible to tune God's voice in so you can hear God better? Sunday we'll talk about the dangers of confusing man's voice for God's voice and four ways to remain focused on God's voice.

Want a head start on Sunday morning's message? Open your Bible app and click on "More" and then "Events." Click on Church Requel and it will pop right up for you. Or you could check out the sermon notes here: http://bible.com/events/582514. I am praying that God's Spirit will be with us all again as we study His Word together.

Love you all much! Hope to see you at one of the March of Prayer events this weekend or at church Sunday morning at 11am! Pastor Mark

Reflections From Week One Of March Of Prayer

Good Friday morning Church Requel!

What a week! I hardly know where to begin writing. Last night Mary Kay and I and several other lovely souls from Church Requel attended the 7th evening of the March Of Prayer. 

Honestly I never originally intended to attend them all, but now I can’t imagine missing.It feels to me like God is showing up in Mansfield at a different specific location each evening. Who am I to decide that I will do something else? Who am I to make being there with Him an optional activity in a busy week?

I have to admit to you that every evening has been uncomfortable for me - at least at first. New place. New people. Different styles of worship, music and praying. Every evening I feel like I’m fighting to break through a barrier to attend. Yet every evening afterward I am so glad I was there!

It’s like I have a ringside seat to see all the different ways we humans worship our Lord. They don’t all worship like me? No! They don’t all pray like me? No! They all don’t like the same style music as me? No! In fact I have yet to see a ukulele played! Who could imagine? Ha!

Every night I remind myself that our Lord is a great God Who enjoys a great diversity of worship and the most important aspect of worship isn’t the outside style but the inside clean heart. Then I examine my own critical heart focused on the differences of people and purposefully refocus my attention on the Same God - the Alpha and Omega.  Then I realize I am part of One body and we all possess One Spirit, that we are all called to One hope!

Then something melts inside me. The barriers between me and others that I alone am responsible for erecting and maintaining are torn down. Does that mean it’s now comfortable? Oh no. But when did coming into the Presence of the Holy Creator Lord of all, the King Of kings, require MY comfort?

As a result I’ve participated in worship in ways that are very different for me... and thus not always within my comfort zone - but it has so enriched my experience of our Lord Jesus. I’ve sat inside a cathedral for a solid hour of quiet prayer and meditation, possibly the longest 60 minutes of my life. I have written down my confession upon a sticky note then affixed it to a wooden cross. For the first time in my life I received the imposition of ashes upon my forehead on Ash Wednesday by my good friend, Pastor Paul Lintern. For the first time in my life I marched around a sanctuary with other worshippers six times quietly and then shouted out praise on the seventh round.

I feel both stretched and blessed. I knew that God would do something special in our city, if 31 different churches and 21 different denominations opened up their doors for worship and prayer. I hadn’t anticipated the work God would perform upon my own heart. I’m undergoing a spiritual cardiac bypass surgery by the Master Surgeon Himself, bypassing my preferences and my biases in favor of a clear artery of prayer straight to the throne of Heaven.

If you are wondering if you and your family should make this March Of Prayer a priority, then wonder no more. I want you to experience these evenings with all my heart. Don’t sit back and allow this special movement of God to pass you by.

Tonight’s meeting is at Ambassadors of Christ, 152 Cline Avenue. Saturday’s meeting is at The Way Church, 172 Sturges Avenue. Both begin at 6pm and end at 8pm. Come when you can. Stay as long as you can. But do come!

Sunday Morning At Church Requel. Brandi, Trish and Missie will lead our worship singing with "No Longer Slaves" by Bethel Music, "Mighty Cross" by Elevation Worship, "Tremble" by Shane & Shane, and "Trading My Sorrows" by Darrell Evans. Roger will lead our prayer time. Nancy will share our announcements.

My sermon this Sunday is titled, "The Surprise Of Answered Prayer." The sermon is about our prayers when our difficulties seem most hopeless - when our faith is tested... when our lips pray "please" but our minds wonder "why"? We'll examine Acts 12 and discover that the early church continues to pray for the imprisoned Peter. Even when Peter is standing right at their door knocking. We will learn four faith-increasing lessons about God's surprising answers to prayer. Want a head start? Open your Bible app or click on this link: http://bible.com/events/578053.

We Host March Of Prayer March 28th. In the back lobby this Sunday, you'll find five signup sheets for our host night for the March of Prayer - March 28th. Please sign up for multiple teams.

This is an "all hands on deck" kind of event. We need people to bring snacks, to help prepare the church and others to clean up afterward.  We need greeters and people to help park cars and direct people to the right doors.

Please please please make this evening a priority. Come and help. Invite neighbors and friends. This is a great opportunity for us to participate in our community's goal to turn Mansfield into Godsfield!

Spring Forward This Sunday!!! One last special word of advice to you all - don't forget to set your clocks ahead one hour before you go to bed Saturday evening. You don't want to miss Sunday morning at Church Requel!

Blessings upon all of you. Know I love you. Know Jesus loves you even more! Pastor Mark

March Of Prayer Begins TONIGHT!

Good Friday morning Church Requel,

Today the calendar page flipped over to March! You know what that means! No, I’m not talking about St. Patrick’s Day. No, I’m not talking about college basketball. And no, I’m not even talking about the glorious fact that later this month Spring replaces Winter after the long, cold freeze. I’m talking about the March of Prayer, which begins TONIGHT!

For anyone who has been disconnected the past few weeks, the March of Prayer is a daily (nightly? eveningly?) worship and prayer service beginning at 6pm and ending at 8pm at a different Mansfield church location each evening. As I write this newsletter to you, there are 34 churches involved (yes - this has now marched past March) and 21 different denominations (and NON-denominations in our case) involved! Many different styles of worship. One Lord!

TONIGHT’S March Of Prayer kicks off at Living Hope Community Church  (also known now as Real Life Community Church), 670 Kentucky Avenue, 44906. Let’s all go and bless them with our participation. Wouldn’t it be so great if all our churches were so full to overflowing that we wouldn’t know what to do with all the people and the cars they bring with them?!

TOMORROW’s March of Prayer continues at the Point Of Grace - 2 Marion Avenue! You all know where that is! Just to be clear, this one will be in the Chome, behind our sanctuary. They are setting up seats everywhere, including the balcony, expecting an overflow crowd. The worship and prayer will be led by Jordan Baker and his team, the same Jordan who is spearheading this entire 34-day March of Prayer events.

We at Church Requel will host on March 28th. Brandi and I invested two hours of our staff time this week dreaming and planning for the evening we will host. I hope you will attend as many of these events as possible (along with Brandi and me), but we surely do hope you circle the 28th on your calendar and plan to be with us that evening. March 28th will be an “all hands on deck” evening for those of us who call Church Requel home.

So what will each of these evenings be like? I don’t know. That will be part of the enjoyment. Each church is different in their style and approach to worship and prayer. Yesterday I joined many other pastors at our monthly brown bag lunch. We were told to just be ourselves. Worship the way we normally do. The two hour event is not supposed to be a performance. It’s supposed to be an opportunity for us to come into the Presence of the Lord. 

If you can’t come right at 6 - no problem. If you can’t stay until 8pm - that’s ok too.  Come when you can as often as you can and stay as long as you can.  But do come! This is special. I believe God’s Spirit is moving through Mansfield. You don’t want to miss this. 

Encourage one another as well as the host churches. If you engage in social media, like Facebook, go online today and talk about it. Search for the host churches on each day (just type in your search bar - March Of Prayer Day 1, and the event pops right up) and let them know you’re coming. Let your friends know too. Maybe even carpool together. Together we can turn Mansfield into Godsfield!

Sunday Worship at Church Requel. Sunday morning will be the first Sunday of the month and so our children will be participating in our worship experience. Grayden and Cohen will be our morning technicians running the computer graphics and sound board. Cohen will also come up at the end of the service to share our announcements. Leia and Paityn (pictured above left) will join their mom, Brandi, and their Grandma Cindy on our praise team.

We'll be singing "Fierce" by Jesus Culture, "Great Are You Lord" by All Sons & Daughters, and "Unstoppable God" by Elevation Worship. You're also in for a special treat as Leia and Paityn have been preparing a very special duet for us. Leia will sing some rap (very challenging in my opinion) while Paityn sings so sweetly in a song called "I'll Find You" by Lecrae. Even if rap is not your style, you'll love watching this - I know these girls have practiced a lot to get the timing down just perfect.

For our sermon, we will continue our 2019 Mini Resolution series. So far we've made two mini resolutions. Sunday morning we'll make our third: "Living Humbly Not Proud." Want a head start? You can find the sermon notes here. 

As we wrap up this week's newsletter, I just want to tell you how awesomely pleased I am with all of you. (Tricky - shouldn't really write "proud" of you two days before I give a sermon about living humbly not proud! - Ha!)

Consider all that's happening right now. Brian steps up for the first time to lead a Bible study on Wednesday nights and ten of you join right in. (Brian is doing an awesome job and I'm awesomely pleased with him too!)

Then Brandi takes the lead in hosting our March of Prayer evening on March 28th and every one of you that she has asked to help have responded with affirmation and enthusiasm.

I've said it before but it's worth saying again: I'm so fortunate to be your pastor! Love you much, Pastor Mark