March 11 Highlights
What a week! Several families in our church are facing some daunting circumstances and last week proved to be emotionally draining for many people. We are praying for God’s peace and strength across the board this week.
Simply Worship was on Friday! My favorite part of having a life devoted to Jesus is that He meets you wherever you are. If things are going well, worship becomes uplifting and fun. If there are struggles in your life, worship becomes deep and healing. For me, Friday was a much needed time to just cry and let God carry the burdens of His people. Thank you to our worship team for creating an environment where God can do what God does best!
We had our first work day at Battle Ground on Saturday. We didn’t have any major construction projects, so it was a fairly easy jumpstart. We cut down some bushes so that people driving by can see the building better. If you have a truck or tractor and a chain, we need 10 stumps pulled out. Let me know at stacy@coffeechurch.com. We also began to strip the interior for painting in a couple of weeks. It looks a little bare right now! Our biggest project is our advertising campaign, so we started assembling that. More info to come on how you can help!
Sunday we invited both campuses to Hazel Dell. The 9:30 service was PACKED tight, but we all fit in! I passed by Tim and said, “Put down your scone and start setting up more chairs.” Might be my favorite comment of the morning! It was awesome to meet new people and give the Battle Ground people a look at how we do things. Most noted comment: “It’s a little dark in here.” Yes, we know! Bright lights make guests feel like they are REALLY in the spotlight when they visit. If you are a guest in our church, you can easily feel like nobody is staring at you, which is a nice way to feel when you are new. We do put the Bible verses on the screen so that people can not only hear the Bible, but see it as well. We also encourage people to read along with us on their phones.
Wayne and Jenny (pastored the Battle Ground church) left yesterday for a couple of weeks. Wayne is going to Haiti for a missions trip and Jenny is spending time in California with friends. We wish them a relaxing and incredible time!
Mark preached an AMAZING message yesterday on Nehemiah 2. We KNOW that we KNOW that we KNOW that if our two campuses will unite, set aside weariness, fear, and comfort, and charge ahead on the mission of God, our community WILL be changed. That is a conviction that is not waivering in our spirits.
On that note, be blessed this week! When God is for us, who can be against us?