Easter Sunday

Thanks for doing a great job on Easter Sunday! I think you all honored God with excellence. It was a great celebration and I've heard so many wonderful comments about it. You all are a blessing to me and to the community here. Jesus is alive!

Choir & Orchestra: Practice this Sunday night from 6:00-7:30 P.M.

We'll be resuming practice this Sunday night! It's a great chance for anyone to join us for the first time. We'll be working on some new music since Easter is over. We invite anyone with a love for God and music who is high school age and older to join us! We practice every Sunday night at 6:00 P.M. and childcare is provided for every practice.

This Sunday night (March 30) we'll be working on "God is in the House" and "Hungry. Here's the tentative schedule:

6:00-6:10 Opening prayer, encouragement and special appearance by the 400 pound gorilla!

6:10-6:45 Sectionals ("God is in the House" & "Hungry")

6:45-7:00 Full group practice of "God is in the House" & "Hungry."

7:00-7:20 Prayer groups (Phill meets with any new volunteers)

7:20-7:30 Vision casting: an important announcement.

Incidentally, since the Hawk Nelson concert has been moved to April 17, we will practice on Sunday night, April 6.

Move Orchestra Platforms & Choir Risers: Tuesday night, March 25 @ 7:40 P.M.

Anyone who would like to help us move the platforms and choir risers is welcome to come out and help us then! It shouldn't take too long if we have lots of help.

Praise Team Schedules for the 2nd quarter are due today (March 24)!

If you are on the vocal team or praise band, please send me your dates when you cannot serve on the praise team. You can just reply to this email if you would like. They are due today!

Value of the Month: Excellence (March)

We have defined excellence as "doing your best with what you have. Consider again what Paul says in Colossians 3:23-24: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

I'd invite you to look through the Bible when it talks about worship. Notice that these three examples refer to giving everything to God. Not half hearted, but giving the very best effort:

1) When Abraham is about to offer his only son as a sacrifice: "He said to his servants, 'Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you' (Genesis 22:5).
2) "Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs" (Psalm 100:1-2).
3) "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship" (Romans 12:1).
The most commonly used Hebrew and Greek words for "worship" are histahawah (Hebrew) and Proskuneo (Greek). They literally mean to "bow down" in reverence and humility (Hebrew) or "to kiss towards" (Greek). It is an act of complete devotion to God. So it's probably obvious that excellence in worship is a very Biblical concept! Remember that God does not require perfection, otherwise He would not have sent His Son to be the perfect sacrifice for us. But He does not want mediocrity. Quite simply, He wants us to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (Matthew 22:37).

God bless you all! I hope you are having a great week,

Phill