Mid-Week Memo

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Hi Five Oakers,

There are several things I want to share with you today.

#1 – Get a recap of the Easter service with highlights of our prayers, readings and songs here.

#2 – What a great weekend of worship and the proclamation of the gospel story through our Good Friday and Easter services! It was all an incredible spiritual meal for my soul.

#3 – Here are your comments/questions from the Communication Cards:

  • Thanks for the reminder, despair and worry need not and should not consume me – I have hope! 
  • Wonderful message of hope, Henry!
  • Loved Sarah’s faith story.
  • Thanks for a beautiful service! 
  • Really like the new program!
  • Good service, thanks Pastor Henry. Happy Easter! 
  • Who am I to think my sins are any worse, I am forgiven!
  • Henry, I appreciate the personal antidotes especially the story of Russ and Lynn [from last week]– wow!
  • I really needed to hear that my failures don’t determine my destiny. I like Dan’s Mr. Roger's sweater too!
  • Great music – How Great Thou Art – wonderful worship. Moving and motivating – faith story. praise God for His goodness, forgiveness, salvation, power and love. 
  • Powerful music! Beautiful.
  • Sarah, you are a beautiful woman. A beautiful Godly woman. Pastor Henry, thank you for this message. 
  • Great choices on worship sets! Thanks for energy and joy in song. Henry, eight words led to difficult destiny – I love it! Thanks God. 
  • New program format is great, really like seeing the songs we are going to sing. The map of worship stations is good addition.
  • Thanks for the terrific, beautiful opening. Thanks Jesus!
  • Great message, Henry. Thank you so much for sharing God’s great news for us with us! Powerful testimony from Sarah Bower – thank you. 
  • Happy Easter!
  • He is Risen, Indeed! 
  • Alleluia! 
  • Thank you for the nice service! 
  • Pastor, I understood intent of analogy of Pope and beggar, but am not sure if some may have misunderstood it thinking you may be ascribing credit to Pope’s authority, otherwise I can only thank God for all your preaching and teaching. God bless. [Just need to say that I didn’t tell that story in every service because of time issues, in case some of you are wondering.]
  • Great service – loved the songs, message and faith story.
  • Willing to give it ALL for Him.
  • Great time of worship.  Thanks for sharing the faith story!
  • Wonderful service.  Thank you.
  • Great service! 
  • Great service – music and message were perfect.
  • Beautiful service Henry – BUT still appreciate the ‘Dark’ service 6 years ago that kept us here.  Worship team was fabulous – I had chills! 
  • Really needed the message today.  Thank you Pastor Henry!  Sara’s message was so touching and a great reminder/example that there is ALWAYS hope!
  • Thanks for the great service!
  • Thank you Henry, and nice Dan L.  Loved story of beggar and Pope.  Sara B’s story, too – choked me up, reminded me to never lose hope.  Have missed church w/all of you! 

#4 – Here’s the Easter Faith Story video. 

#5 – About 17 adults and children indicated a first-time decision to receive Christ and almost as many adults indicated a desire to learn more about beginning a relationship with Christ!   

#6 – Lois and I launched another Story of God small group last night with an orientation and fellowship time. I always look forward to the insights the group members bring from their reading. We discuss our first week of readings next week.

#7 - Here’s the Easter sermon in 10 Tweets, “Risen” (Luke 24:1-12):

  1. We deny death’s inevitability; God denies death its power.
  2. They came thinking death had defeated but learned that he had defeated death.
  3. You can cheat death once or twice, but eventually death catches on and beats you.
  4. “…then all who belong to Christ will be raised…” (1 Corinthians 15:23)
  5. Our hope trumps our troubles.
  6. Neuhaus: The times may be bad, but they are the only times we are given. Remember, hope is still a virtue, & despair is still a sin.
  7. Our hope trumps our troubles because it’s based on God’s Word.
  8. Your failures don’t determine your destiny. This truth is captured in 8 simple words: But Peter rose and ran to the tomb... 
  9. Apart from the resurrection, what do you think would have determined Peter’s destiny.
  10. If you're life feels stuck, meaningless, the product of your mistakes, be/ of the resurrection, your failures don't determine ur destiny.

#8 – I feel very sad that we’re wrapping up Luke this weekend. In some ways, though, this next series, “The Mission of God,” is a commentary on Luke 24:47 and we're launching the series this weekend by focusing on last passage in Luke. I’ll explain how so this week. It’s an incredible but often overlooked verse that will send us on a search of God’s mission from the entire Bible and of our role in that mission.  

#9 – Here’s the comment we received back from the cards we send first-time guests:

3/24 We loved the sermon and will come back for Easter. We are new in town from IL.  My church from there (Willow Creek Community Church) emailed me a list of churches and yours was one of them.

See you all on the weekend!

God bless you, Pastor Henry