Upcycle
We started a series called Upcycle on Sunday. In this series, we are learning how to allow God to take the regrets of our past and free us from them, then transform those regrets into something better. This three-week series is designed around the three key steps to freedom – 1) Recognize your regrets; 2) Release your regrets; and 3) Redeem or upcycle your regrets. We’ve provided a worksheet called Upcycle – Living Beyond Regret that is available at MyPantano.church to help you work through each of the three steps. You can add your notes then email the worksheet to yourself. You can also pick up a printed copy at Guest Services any Sunday. Be sure to share your journey and discovery with others.
Global Outreach
Michael Goodwin is our new interim Global Outreach pastor. Michael will serve in this role at least through the end of the year. His focus will be to serve and support our volunteer global ministry champions as well as oversee our Rocky Point trip in October 5-8, 2019. In the meantime, we are looking for a person to fill this role long-term.
For many years Michael has had a passion and the calling of God to be a church planter or campus pastor. We’ve come alongside Michael and have been mentoring him to fulfill his calling. And, it looks like we need to plant another Pantano campus. We grew 26% last year and there doesn’t seem to be a slowing of such growth. To continue to reach people, we are anticipating we’ll need to make more room by adding a campus. We are praying about and looking at opening a new campus sometime in 2020. Please pray about this and pray about being a part of starting and joining a new Pantano campus! I’ll keep you updated as plans and details become clearer.
Room For More
The outside of the Student Union should be finished this week, then we start work on the interior. We are still anticipating and hoping to occupy the building by the end of July – right as school starts up again. If you are able to give a generous gift, now is a critical time. With our loan and the funds already given, we have enough to finish the building, but we need to order the technology (sound systems, lights, etc.) and furnishings right away for it all to be installed by late July. We need an additional $300,000 sooner than later to completely finish the project. You can give digitally, by check or bank transfer. We are also able to process stock, vehicles, and property. Thank you for helping us make room for more students and children here at Pantano.
1 PM Sunday Service
And thinking about room for more…with our growth and with the heat coming, our Sunday 1 PM service is a great option. If you can attend the 1 PM service, that would make room for more at our other services. The service averages about 275 people so it provides a less crowded venue and lots of parking. And with summer here, you can do your chores or outdoor activities in the morning, come and have lunch in our cafe, then worship in the cool auditorium. And, I think my message at 1 PM is the best of the three services!
We are in a great season here at Pantano, with many exciting things happening!
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God commanded a Sabbath for physical rest but also because we need to pause at least weekly to reflect back and see all that God has done. Otherwise, we just keep running ahead and forget all the big and small ways God has guided, provided, blessed, and protected. In our work and effort, we easily miss his amazing grace. Now, Jesus and his apostles made it clear that we don’t have to legalistically keep a Saturday or Sunday or any particular day as the Sabbath. But, the principle is still important to observe. And here’s why – we need to slow down, quiet our frenetic agenda, and be still so we can practice and experience gratitude. Gratitude is a vital path to experience the fullness of God’s grace.
So as I write, it’s the Monday after Easter. I put in over 40,000 steps, climbed over 30 floors, walked more than 18 miles on Saturday and Sunday and burned almost 7,000 calories in those two days! Gotta love the Fitbit! So it’s time to slow down and take some time to reflect. Here are a few of the many things I’m grateful for:
I’m grateful for the man baptized on Sunday who decided he had his last drink. And an older gentleman was baptized Sunday who came to our church deeply wounded by the ugliness of religion and found grace and a renewed relationship with God. And a man came up at the last minute to be baptized who had been fighting surrendering to Jesus for months. I’m deeply grateful for the 94 people baptized and for the life change and new beginnings for each precious soul loved by God and the people in their lives.
I’m grateful for all of you who invited people to join you at our Family Fun Fest and Easter services. I spent a good part of both days meeting the people who were your guests. That is one of the best parts of Easter for me. I love it! Thank you all for caring enough about people to invite them and to love them to Jesus.
It’s amazing that we gave away 50,000 Easter eggs filled with scripture verses, candy, and small toys. But, what blows me away are all of the folks who spent hours filling them and taping them shut! Folks also donated water, soda, candy, and all the supplies so we could make the Family Fun Fest a free event. Wow! And how great are the hundreds of people both Saturday and Sunday who volunteered and put in long hours to serve the 5000 people who came on our campus for the Family Fun Fest and the 6780 people who attended Easter services… Wow!
I’m so grateful for our staff and volunteers who put in long hours preparing, long before Saturday and Sunday. I’m grateful for our leaders who love people and will do what it takes to make every experience the best it can be and be done with excellence. On Saturday and Sunday, I was overwhelmed by the creative gifts exercised and used by so many of our artistic folks. I’m just so proud of our whole church. I love our church!
Don’t forget to join us and invite folks to hear our new teaching series that starts Sunday – Upcycle. In Upcycle, we’ll learn how to move past our past to start again with God. We’ll tap into the transforming power of God that makes beautiful things from the ruined, used, old, or worn out pieces of our lives.
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© 2023 Pantano Christian Church
All Rights Reserved.
© 2023 Pantano Christian Church | All Rights Reserved.