Dear Church Family,
The big reveal! If you’ve ever seen shows on TV like Fixer Upper (a home renovation show) you know that the dramatic moment is when they come back from the commercial break to show you the difference between where they started and where they finished. It’s that moment when people’s eyes grow wide and jaws drop. It’s that moment when you just have to stare and say, “Wow! That. Just. Happened!”
Pentecost was a moment kind of like that—both in the life of one particular person, Peter, and in the story of the Christian church. The before and after was dramatic! And in a way this is what our series Act II – The Rest of Your Story is all about too. Each of us has a before and after story by God’s grace and the working of God’s power in our lives. And here’s some more good news…God’s not done with you yet, not by a long shot!
This Sunday we’re going to study Acts chapter 2 from the Bible and look at how Jesus is still at work in people’s lives today. He continues to pour out the Holy Spirit who renovates hearts (our own too!) and helps us as a church to be bold in sharing God’s Word with the world that Jesus so dearly loves.
I hope you can join me for worship this Sunday at 9:30 AM for our English service, or for our Spanish service at 11:30 AM. All are welcome!
Journey (Middle School / High School Group) will be serving our community by cleaning up our section of road here in Doral on Sunday afternoon from 1-3 PM. Will meet in the HS Commons at 1 PM and then drive over. Please wear comfortable clothes and sunscreen. Bring a water bottle if you would like. Choir people, if you would like to help, Ms. Scharf will drop you off after you return from your gig up in West Palm. Contact Dr. Landwehr with any questions.
Rooted (20s and 30s Group) – This Saturday, April 14, join us for an afternoon of art, live music, and food trucks in the Wynwood Arts District! Meet at church at 4 PM to carpool or meet us there: 4854, 2250 NW 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33127. Please RSVP to Becca, Ana, or Melanie and indicate whether you are carpooling or meeting the group in Wynwood.
Building Volunteer Teams – As a church we want to provide you with opportunities to worship, connect, and serve. Thanks for the feedback you’ve given me on connection cards by checking that you want more information on Volunteering Opportunities. That is awesome! Please be patient with me as we work towards this together…but one of my goals over the next 18 months is to help build healthy teams of volunteers to serve in all areas of the church—especially as we look to building a Worship Arts Center that will allow us to impact our community in exciting new ways!
Musicians, Unite! Thanks for your positive feedback on the last couple worship services. One thing that’s become obvious to me quickly is that God has richly blessed our church with musical gifts. And we want to use them! We want to help make Sunday a gospel saturated, joy-filled morning and our church a place that you don’t just love to attend yourself but also look forward to inviting your friends. A couple ways we want to do this is by bringing together groups of musicians each week as part of a music team full of many volunteers. We have a new worship planning website to help us do this called Planning Center Online.
So do you play an instrument? Do you love to sing? Would you enjoy learning how to help with audio / visual aspects of worship? If so, please contact me or reach out to my wife Sarah who will help you find your place on the team. We will work together to use the gifts that God has given us as a church. A humble worship goal is that we might blend the best of what is contemporary with the best of what is traditional in a way that gives all glory to God and allows the joy of the gospel to shine out clearly.
Divine Savior Church – We are one church with multiple campuses in Doral, Delray Beach, and West Palm Beach. It was exciting for me to spend a day this week meeting with the staff from each of our campuses. We took next steps on how we can continue to collaborate, share and work together to expand God’s kingdom here in South Florida and beyond. And a shout out to our campus coordinator Dawn Schulz who is doing a fantastic job of organizing details around our shared philosophy of ministry. In the next couple months we will be rolling out a new website, shifting to a new church database program that will allow us to do much more together as a multi-site church, and planning sermon series together with shared graphics and communication.
Church Hacks – Kinda of like “life hacks”. Got a suggestion of something we can tweak or change to do ministry more efficiently and effectively? Please don’t hesitate to share with me. And I always appreciate feedback and what I’m doing too. Help me be a better pastor.
Weekly Shout Out – Our church’s mission is changing lives with Jesus as we worship, connect, and serve. That’s why each week I want to highlight one person or story that shows how we’re doing this. And it can be a “small” thing too because “small” things become important in the kingdom of God. For example, this week I want to give a shout out to Staff Minister Becky who made delicious treats appear on a nicely laid out table before our Meaning of Marriage Book Club. This allowed the English and the Spanish group to mingle and get to know each other before we split out for separate discussion. Great job, Becky! Thanks for always considering the details that help make a difference.
Sunday Playlist – Here are the songs coming up in this Sunday’s service. Check out the YouTube videos, sing along ahead of time, and help fill God’s house with praise on Sunday. Gathering Song: Same Power. Forgiveness Song: Holy Spirit Living Breath of God. Hymn of the Day: When God the Spirit Came. Sending Song: To Live Is Christ
Changing Lives with Jesus,
Pastor Ben
