Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Return to the Fairgrounds - A Sequel 75 Years in the Making!



2012 is the 75th anniversary for the Gaylord Evangelical Church here in Gaylord, Michigan.  It all started in a dance studio at the local fairgrounds.  This Sunday, 75 years later, we return to that same fairgrounds for a very special Sunday.  This Sunday is Heroes Sunday!  What a great day it is going to be.  Here are some questions and answers making sure you know all the pertinent details:

When and where will this Sunday’s service take place?  Heroes Day this Sunday will start at 10:00am (not 9:30am as usual) and will be held at the Otsego County Fairgrounds (not the church).  In case of inclement weather our Heroes Day service will be moved back to the Gospel Center.



What will be the main emphasis of Heroes Day?  Our main emphasis this Sunday is to recognize and honor all past and present military personnel, law enforcement officers, fire-fighters, and other first responders.

What will be included in the service this Sunday?  The service will include a good mix of worship and patriotic music; an honor guard made up of individuals from our own church who have served in the military; recognition of all past and present military, law enforcement, fire-fighters, and first responders in attendance; the 8-person men’s ensemble will sing the same song they sang on Resolution Sunday (“A Few Good Men”); a special monologue explaining the Pledge of Allegiance that is very similar to the monologue that Red Skelton would often perform; and I will also be sharing a short message.

Will there be any childcare?  No!  This is a family event.  As a result we are designing the service to be less than an hour in length.

Will there be an offering?  Due to all of the visitors that we are expecting we will not be passing offering buckets as we do not want this morning to look like we invited the community to join us under the pretense of honoring our heroes, only to ask for their money.  We will, however, be announcing a designated spot where those who are from E-Free Church can take their offering that morning.

Will there be anything following the service?  Yes!  We will have a free cook-out following the service including hot dogs, brats, chips and ice cream.  There will also be a bouncy house for the children to enjoy.

What should you wear?  We will be outdoors with a picnic following so please feel free to wear picnic attire for the entire morning.  If you have ever or are currently serving in the military or in any agency that is mentioned above, we encourage you to wear your uniform so we can identify and recognize you.

What should you bring?  You need not bring anything.  There will be plenty of seating in the grandstands.  If you would like to bring lawn chairs or blankets please feel free to do so and to set them out on the grassy area in front of the grandstands.


How should you prepare?  First, pray!  Nothing of eternal importance happens apart from prayer.  Pray that God will use this coming Sunday to allow us to make contact with hundreds of people in our community!  Second, invite everyone that you know!  Outside of Easter Sunday this will be the easiest Sunday you will have this year to get people you know to attend church with you!

2 comments:

Glen said...

A dance studio???

Pastor Scott said...

I guess technically it was a dance hall