Monday Memo

Hi Five Oakers, IMG_5051I have a few things I want share with you today:

// It was great having so many family and friends come for the child dedications. We got a lot of feedback about the service from them through our folks who had family/friends here, and it was hugely encouraging.

// Loved the wall with the pictures and profiles or our Five Oaks veterans. Great opportunity to honor folks that have served in our military. Having all the food and free coffee and people sticking around talking for so long was extra fun too.

// If you’ve dropped off or sent your FOR [  ] Campaign commitment cards already, thank you so much.

// Connecting with new folks in the service is so important. Guiding them to other connections is equally as important. I see this happen all the time. One young lady who was connected in this way this weekend--to someone who leads the young adults ministry and to someone from her home country--was so grateful. She shared that she has come many times and had not yet had a chance to connect.

// We received on comment from the cards we send first-time attenders:

11/3:  ...this was our first visit.  I’m sure we will continue to attend.  I attend ... and was pleased that they are similar.  I enjoy Bible based churches and was very impressed with this church.

// Here’s a selection from your comments, observations and questions from the weekend Communication Cards.

  • Thank you for encouraging us to trust and step onto the dry land of the sea in front of us.
  • Jeni and Tim. Great job in making child dedication a significant and God honoring moment today. Thanks! [A little behind the scenes: In an effort to speak into the lives of parents at this crucial time in their lives, Jeni initiated a new process for child dedications that includes a class and the opportunity to offer a prayer or blessing you’d like said for your child. Susan Somers is teaching the class and leading this process. I loved it all. And I had the privilege of addressing the class for about 5 minutes, sharing with them the impact the church had on my kids.]
  • It was wonderfully encouraging to hear scripture that parents had chosen to pray over their children during the dedications. Even though my children are young adults, it reminded me that the truths of God’s word still applies to them.
  • May the power and light of God shine greater than ever before through Five Oaks. Pray for revival in God’s land. Creation groans for the revealing of the sons of God. [Amen!]
  • Thanks for the great teaching. What a perfect reminder that we are all stuck somewhere in our lives, even when things seem to be going well.
  • I left this service so encouraged. I feel I was kicked into the sea and God met me there – dry land is before me – a very personal message today. [!!!!!]
  • Great worship music today!
  • Music really loud this a.m.!
  • Awesome God, awesome worship, awesome message! Thank you.
  • One of the best messages I have ever heard. Beautiful, heavy, deep and so truthful. We are all broken and this was so important for all to hear.
  • Great worship set! Response set also great! [Way to go Jeremy, worship team and tech team!]
  • Great sermon today, loved the content, didn’t care for the title.
  • It’s hard to hear the TV’s in the hallway, even when nobody is talking and no babies are crying. [Good to know. We’ll look into it.]

Thanks for all your comments.

Blessings,

Pastor Henry

Thursday Memo

Hi Five Oakers, The weekend’s coming and there are a few things I don’t want you to miss:

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THE WEEKEND

The book of Exodus offers a deeply biblical approach to recovery from the sins that derail our lives, the struggles that dog our lives, and the scars that define our lives. The new series starting this weekend focuses on the constant temptation to flee the freedom to do what’s healthy and head back to the bondage of doing what’s harmful. Cut and paste this description and the series and graphic and send it to someone you’d like to invite. Or, at the very least, go to my Facebook page and “like” my description of the series I posted today at about 11am. I think this will be a life-changing series. You won’t want to miss it and you won’t want your friends to miss it.

And before you come for the weekend, be sure you prepare to #ShowUpReady.

HELPFUL LINKS

coffee shop frinedships

// For those who are tempted to flee the church or know someone who has, there’s Replacing Sunday Mornings: Where we went when we stopped going to church…and why we came back.

// Fantastic, gospel-centered discussion of modesty by Tim Challies, “Modesty Matters: The Heart of Modesty.”

// And don't miss this. This one is huge. Get the ESV Bible with all the Notes online FREE this month only at Crossway.

ONE MORE THING

Here’s the video that was playing last weekend on the new TV monitor as you first walk into the Commons. Some great footage from then and now.

Blessings to you all, Pastor Henry