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Singing

My earliest church memories are of me standing beside my grandmother during the congregational singing. She would always hold the hymnal down so I could see the words, and point with her finger to what line we were singing. I would listen to her singing harmony with the melody line of the hymn. To this day I love to sing harmony with others, and I believe that goes back to my grandma in church.

One of the first songs I remember singing in church is Give me Oil in My Lamp…or as it is more properly known, Sing Hosanna. (As a child, I always wondered who Hosanna was, and why she wouldn’t sing?) This may actually have been the song that my grandmother was singing in my memory. To this day I still love that song. For some reason whenever we’d sing it in church, I’d always imagine an Old West-style covered wagon coming down the center aisle, driven by a grizzled old man, saying, “Come on, Hosanna! Sing!” (I guess that’s how I imagined the children of Israel traveled through the desert…probably because of all the episodes of Gunsmoke and Wagon Train my folks watched on television…black-and-white television, that is. Yes, I’m an old guy.)

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Weekly Update for Sunday, March 30, 2025

Bible Explorers (3’s-5th) We’re back Wednesday from 6:15-7:30! We’ve got one more month together before we break for the summer. We’d love to have you with us for engaging Bible lessons, Scripture memory time, and fun games.

Youth Group (6th–12th) There will be no Youth Group tonight. We’ll be back together next week!

Operation Christmas Child OCC collection items for March are hygiene items (no soap). Drop your items in one of the boxes in the Narthex! Also, as today is a 5th Sunday, we will have a special offering for shoebox postage. You can give at the Welcome Center after the morning service.

Special Prayer Services Join us on Wednesdays for special prayer services in our church sanctuary starting at 6:30 pm. These prayer meetings will begin with a structured time of prayer. After that, individuals or groups can find a place to pray by themselves. Feel free to slip in before, during or after, and slip out when you have finished praying.

Annie Armstrong The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering is used for mission projects in North America. Envelopes are available on the Welcome Center.

Easter Candy Donation We will have an Easter Egg Hunt for families on Easter Sunday after the morning service. You can donate bags of wrapped candy at the Welcome Center until April 13.

VBS Mark your calendars for VBS, June 23-27.

Desks There are two metal desks in the Alpha classroom (down the East Hallway closest to the exterior doors) that are free to a new home.

Hospitality Committee There will be a meeting for those serving on the Hospitality Committee following the morning service

Weekly Updates for Sunday, March 23, 2025

Bible Explorers (3’s-5th) There will be no Bible Explorers this week. We’ll be back together on April 2.

Youth Group (6th–12th) Join us Sunday evenings from 6:00-7:00! We are doing a study of Colossians.

Operation Christmas Child OCC collection items for March are hygiene items (no soap). Drop your items in one of the boxes in the Narthex!

Special Prayer Services On Wednesdays leading up to Easter we will be having special prayer services in our church sanctuary starting at 6:30 pm. These prayer meetings will begin with a structured time of prayer. After that, individuals or groups can find a place to pray by themselves. Feel free to slip in before, during or after, and slip out when you have finished praying.

Easter at First Take a look at the bulletin insert for what’s happening as we celebrate Easter next month. Easter invitation cards will be available soon.

Easter Candy Donation We will have an Easter Egg Hunt for families on Easter Sunday after the morning service. You can donate bags of wrapped candy at the Welcome Center until April 13.

VBS Mark your calendars for VBS, June 23-27!

Groups God designed us to walk through life with other Christians. Those connections often happen in smaller settings. Where are you connected?

  • Sunday School for all ages – Sundays at 9:00 AM
  • Small Group Bible Study – Sundays at the ROC from 6:00-7:30 PM
  • Men’s Book Study – sign up at the Welcome Center

Weekly Update for Sunday, March 16, 2025

Bible Explorers (3’s-5th) Join us Wednesdays from 6:15-7:30 for our midweek children’s discipleship program. We’d love to have you with us for engaging Bible lessons, Scripture memory time, and fun games.

Youth Group (6th–12th) Join us Sunday evenings from 6:00-7:00! Come spend time with friends as we have fun and explore the Christian faith. We are doing a study of Colossians.

Operation Christmas Child OCC collection items for March are hygiene items (no soap). Drop your items in one of the boxes in the Narthex!

Special Prayer Services On Wednesdays leading up to Easter we will be having special prayer services in our church sanctuary starting at 6:30 pm. These prayer meetings will begin with a structured time of prayer. After that, individuals or groups can find a place to pray by themselves. Feel free to slip in before, during or after, and slip out when you have finished praying.

Easter Candy Donations We will have an Easter Egg Hunt for families on Easter Sunday after the morning service. You can donate bags of wrapped candy at the Welcome Center until April 13.

VBS Mark your calendars for VBS, June 23-27! More details to come in the next several weeks.

Weekly Update for Sunday, March 9, 2025

Bible Explorers (3’s-5th) Join us Wednesdays from 6:15-7:30 for our midweek children’s discipleship program. We’d love to have you with us for engaging Bible lessons, Scripture memory time, and fun games.

Youth Group (6th–12th) There is no youth group tonight. We’ll be back together next week!

Operation Christmas Child OCC collection items for March are hygiene items (no soap). Drop your items in one of the boxes in the Narthex!

Chili Cookoff Join us for our church-wide fellowship this evening! We’ll be together from 5:30-7:30 in the Fellowship Hall.

Special Prayer Services On Wednesdays leading up to Easter we will be having special prayer services in our church sanctuary starting at 6:30 pm. These prayer meetings will begin with a structured time of prayer. After that, individuals or groups can find a place to pray by themselves. Feel free to slip in before, during or after, and slip out when you have finished praying.

VBS Mark your calendars for VBS, June 23-27! More details to come in the next several weeks.

Longing

I know people groaned inwardly when I said I took over 1500 pictures while I was in the Holy Land in 2014. I promised not to make everyone look at all of them, but to my surprise, a lot of you willingly looked at a great many. When I showed some pictures in the evening service that first time, I honestly thought people would quickly get bored with them. I remember my grandparents coming home from vacation and showing us an interminable number of slides of their trip. It was all quite boring to me as a kid, and I had no desire to bore any of you in the same way.

But the Holy Land is different, isn’t it?

For my part, I’m glad I took all those pictures. And I knew this would happen, but I’m still not happy about it: we went so many places, and saw so many different things, some of the details have started to blend together in my mind. When I compare notes with my son Josh, he often reminds me of things I’d forgotten about the trip. At least, I’d forgotten them until he spoke of them. Sometimes I go back through my pictures, and even through some of the 2000 pictures Josh took, and it helps to refresh my memory.

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Weekly Update for Sunday, March 2, 2025

Bible Explorers (3’s-5th) Join us Wednesdays from 6:15-7:30 for our midweek children’s discipleship program. We’d love to have you with us for engaging Bible lessons, Scripture memory time, and fun games.

Youth Group (6th–12th) There is no youth group tonight. We’ll be back together on March 16!

Operation Christmas Child OCC collection items for March are hygiene items (no soap). Drop your items in one of the boxes in the Narthex!

Official Board Meeting There will be an Official Board meeting today at 4:30 PM in the library.

Daylight Savings Time Remember to set your clock ahead one hour next Saturday night (March 8).

Chili Cookoff Come out for a church-wide fellowship on Sunday evening, March 9! We’ll be together from 5:30-7:30 and start eating around 6:00. Sign up today at the Welcome Center to bring a pot of chili!

Special Prayer Services Beginning Ash Wednesday, March 5, on Wednesdays leading up to Easter we will be having special times of prayer in our church sanctuary. Beginning at 6:30 pm, Pastor David will lead in a time of structured prayer for the first 20 minutes. After that, individuals or groups can find a place to pray by themselves. You may slip in before, during or after, and slip out when you have finished praying. The purpose of these times is for us to humble ourselves before God and ask for Him to work.

VBS Mark your calendars for VBS, June 23-27! More details to come in the next several weeks

Weekly Update for Sunday, February 23, 2025

Bible Explorers (3’s-5th) Join us Wednesdays from 6:15-7:30 for our midweek children’s discipleship program. We’d love to have you with us for engaging Bible lessons, Scripture memory time, and fun games.

Youth Group (6th–12th) Join us Sunday evenings from 6:00-7:00! Come spend time with friends as we have fun and explore the Christian faith. We are doing a study of Colossians.

Operation Christmas Child OCC collection items for February are hats, gloves, and scarves. Drop your items in one of the boxes in the Narthex!

College Care Packages Drop off your items today or tomorrow! We will send the boxes later this week.

Little Sprouts Volunteers Meeting There will be a meeting for those working or interested in working in Little Sprouts today after the morning service.

Official Board Meeting There will be an Official Board meeting next Sunday at 4:30 in the library.

Chili Cookoff Come out for a church-wide fellowship on Sunday evening, March 9! We’ll be together from 5:30-7:30 and start eating around 6:00. Sign up today at the Welcome Center to bring a pot of chili!