Good Friday morning Church Requel!
I have so much to write to you about today. (Really! This is a long one. But maybe one of the best news newsletters I've ever composed. Read the whole thing!)
Where shall I start? How about with the most obvious - Set you clocks back an hour before Sunday morning worship. OR... here's an idea... come an hour early and just enjoy the party! You won't be the only one there for sure. The praise team will be rehearsing, and I bet you a dollar to a donut that someone else will forget and come an hour early. Yours could be an act of grace and kindness to not let them be alone!
What's happening Sunday? Sunday's worship team will have everybody back this Sunday. (The picture above left is from last Sunday - thanks Don and Brian for keeping me company up front!) I loved worshiping with the guys last Sunday, but admittedly I love the vocal talents of the ladies when they sing too!
Here are the songs we plan to sing together Sunday morning: "Amen" by Micah Tyler (I so love to sing this song!!!); "Gracefully Broken" by Matthew West, "How Great Is Our God" by Chris Tomlin; (NEW) "Might Get Loud" by Elevation Worship (I don't think I've ever seen Brandi more excited about a new song than this one!); "Open The Eyes Of My Heart, Lord" by Michael W. Smith (believe it or not, this will be the first time the band has ever played it - of course we have sung this song many times together. And it will be the topic of our sermon); and "Revival Anthem" by Rend Collective. That is one diverse mix of worship songs! Aren't you glad for Brandi Walker, our worship leader?
Speaking of worship leaders, I have a real pleasant surprise in store for you all this Sunday. First some background, and then the surprise. Our sermon Sunday will be on the next few verses in Ephesians 1, specifically verses 18-20. This is where we get the words to that infamous song I mentioned earlier, "Open The Eyes Of My Heart, Lord."
There is a part of these verses where Paul prays that his friends in Ephesus may know the hope to which Christ has called us. I started thinking of all the people I know who remain hopeful and positive, regardless of their circumstances.
Then my mind narrowed in on my good friend, Kristy Hergatt. Kristy is the worship leader at another church, Freedom Ridge Church. We have partnered together many times with Godsfield events over the years.
I don't think I know anyone who exemplifies this hope more than Kristy. She has been through so many difficult physical battles, both personally and with her son, that it would be so easy to give in to despair (and I'm sure she sometimes does - she is human after all). However, she always rallies. She always looks for hope.
So right in the middle of my sermon prep, I picked up the phone and called her. I asked her how she remained so hopeful despite her many challenges. Rather than give me a quick answer, she asked if she could think about it for a day. The next day she sent me some of the most practical advice I've ever seen for keeping hope alive. I wrote her back and told her it would mean so much more coming right from her rather than me repeating her experience. This Sunday you will have the privilege of hearing from Kristy. When we get to the part of my sermon where we talk about the hope we are called to remember - I'm going to play Kristy's video for you. You will be so blessed!
Here are the sermon notes for Sunday if you want an advanced look: http://bible.com/events/48792677
Here is the link for Sunday's live worship service on YouTube if you will be watching from home. https://youtu.be/ra_ie1Sgsmk
Tonight! Sand The Floors of Elijah House. When I stop and think about it, I am surrounded by so many positive, hopeful, Christian acting and thinking people. None more than Don Angel! This evening Don will join folks from many churches to help sand the floors of Elijah House, the new men's homeless shelter Downtown Mansfield. These Godsfield churches have rented a floor sander for the weekend. Each person (or small group) are taking down a two-hour shift to sand all the floors. Don has not only committed to a two-hour shift, but he has told Paul Lintern that if there is a two-hour shift still open - even in the middle of the night - that he will come and fill the shift personally! Wow! That's commitment! Let's not allow Don to be committed alone. Let's partner up with him in this worthy endeavor. Contact Don directly for more information. (If you need his number contact me.) Thanks again Don for your passion and commitment!
So Much More Happening in November!!! Make a note of these special dates coming up:
- Special Night Of Worship - Saturday November 13th at 6:30 pm at Grace Church in Lexington (215 W. Main)
- Godsfield Thanksgiving Week services - 8 worship services, 8 different churches, all to say "thank you" to God. There is a signup in the lobby of Church Requel. We would like at least one representative from our church to attend each one. So far we have two services accounted for. Would you pick one you will attend this Sunday morning? Personally, I'm committing to go to all of them if I can. Don't let me go alone!
- Thanksgiving Celebration Potluck and Concert at Church Requel on November 28th. We will have our regular worship service at 11am. Then we'll enjoy a potluck meal together. Then at 1pm we will come back upstairs for a worship concert. Many of our Godsfield churches will also come and join us at our concert. Let's be good hosts!
Samaritan Purse Operation Christmas Child. Take a box. Shop for a child. Bless a child somewhere in the world, who might not have a Christmas without you. Thank you so much Cindy, for heading this up for us each Christmas season. We all appreciate you! More info here: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/
What a happy birthday! Last Saturday, Mary Kay and I were invited to celebrate with Georgiana and her family. Georgiana turned 98 years old last week! She is our most senior member of Church Requel. I love that she is so dedicated and never misses a Sunday. She attends every single week at Church Requel - she puts many of us to shame with her perfect attendance!
Would you like to hear a story of God's planning and patience and perfect purpose? Way back in the early 1980s, Mary Kay and I had just moved to Mansfield and didn't have a church home. My brother, Todd, was studying to become a pastor and had just received the call to be a part-time youth pastor at Mansfield First Church of the Nazarene located on Straub Road. We decided to attend and support Todd. Our oldest daughter, Jennifer, was born then and dedicated at this wonderful church.
Do you know who else attended that church then? Georgianna! And do you know who she brought with her almost every Sunday to church? (And who was also dedicated on a Sunday morning back then?) Dave Johnson was her little grandson that she made sure was in church each Sunday morning. As you all now know the rest of the story. Dave grew up and met our daughter Jessica and the two of them were married and are also two of our most faithful members! That little grandson of Georgiana was destined to become my beloved son-in-law!
You just never know how God will reward you for being faithful. For coming to church. For supporting His work. What if we hadn't attended in the early 1980s? What if we were too busy? What if Georgiana hadn't taken Dave and made sure they were both in church? Wow! Thank you Georgiana for your faithfulness! Both then and now! Thank YOU Lord for your faithfulness to us! You alway pour out more back to us than we even know.
One last big thank you! If you've read this far, I applaud you. Let me know - it will encourage my soul. Speaking of encouragers - I want to publicly thank Chris and Steve Thoman for their help this week. You all remember your own generosity a month ago when you gifted to me an electric ukulele. (I've had so much joy with it!)
I decided to match your commitment to me by investing personally in guitar pedals that will alter and enhance the sound coming out of my electric ukulele. I've researched and studied and learned all I can about this topic over the last month. One new lesson I've learned is that one can assemble multiple pedals upon a pedalboard, keeping them all together in a logical order and making it easy to transport.
Rather than purchase a pedalboard, I decided to use some of the ancient oak that has been put aside in a corner of the church basement. Think of it. This is wood that came from trees grown in the early 1800s, harvested and built into the church building in 1886. As the church has been remodeled over the more than a century since, these few wood leftovers have been patiently waiting for someone to put them to good use.
I asked Chris and Steve if they would tackle the task. They are both incredibly talented when it comes to doing anything with wood. When I told them about my dream for the pedalboard, I think they got more excited than I did. Yesterday morning I had the privilege of watching them both work together - father and son - fashioning my new pedalboard from ancient church oak.
If I had tried to hobble it together, it would be just that - something hobbled together. These guys used their expensive tools and their many years of experience to craft something together that will be a joy for me to use in worship leadership for many Sundays to come! When they were done with their work, they were so confident in their work that they insisted that I stand on top of the pedalboard. Even with all my weight, the board didn't flex one iota! That's one strong pedalboard!
Ok! You've finally reached the end of this week's newsletter. I didn't intend for it to be so long. But what could I have left off? What God has accomplished in my life this week is so remarkable! What you probably don't know is that I left church last Sunday a little discouraged. Attendance was down. Giving was down. I know you think pastors never get discouraged, but we sometimes do. Even me.
Then God turns around and gives me a week like this one. Wow! Thank You Lord for now allowing me to remain discouraged. Thank You again for your faithfulness to me. And thank all of you, my precious brothers and sisters, for your ongoing encouragement and love to me!
See you Sunday morning! Pastor Mark
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