A VISION UPDATE THAT WILL BLOW YOUR SOCKS OFF!

On behalf of the Vision Implementation Team, I have been asked to give you a full update on where we are regarding our Vision Plan as a church and what our direction is in continuing to implement this plan as we move into 2105.  In case you are unaware, the Vision Implementation Team is led by Josh Kent and includes myself, Glen Catt, Bill Blaker, Steve Dipzinski, and Dave Baragrey, Jr.  This is not going to be a short update but it will be a very exciting one.  I hope that you will read it carefully, prayerfully, joyfully and repeatedly. 

It is amazing what God has done since we launched our original 3-year Vision Plan back in 2013.  Let me review with you what God has already accomplished as we took steps of faith as a church regarding the following aspects of our original three year vision plan. 

A Technology Upgrade with an estimated $220,000 cost including new lighting, environmental projection (in both the Gospel Center and the Chapel); and all the equipment needed to broadcast to the Chapel as well as to begin to broadcast on the internet.  BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THIS UPGRADE WAS FINISHED AND COMPLETELY PAID FOR THROUGH DESIGNATED GIVING!  Praise the Lord!

The hiring of a part-time Technology Director to launch our broadcast ministry.  BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THIS WAS PROVIDED THROUGH THE HIRING OF DAVE MINIER AND WAS PAID FOR THROUGH 2014 BUDGETED GIVING!  Praise the Lord!

Broadcasting the message to the Classic Service in the Chapel so that this important service was not interrupted by having to walk down to the Gospel Center.  BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THIS WAS COMPLETED!  Praise the Lord!

The expansion of our nursery to allow us to bring all of our nurseries into one secure area and provide room for the many young families God has been and continues to bring into our church.  BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THIS OVER $600,000 PROJECT WAS FINISHED, INCLUDING A LOWER LEVEL GIVING US THE LARGEST CLASSROOM IN OUR CHURCH, AND WAS COMPLETELY PAID FOR THROUGH DESIGNATED GIVING!  Praise the Lord!

The hiring of a part-time Facility Director to help us better care for and use the wonderful facility that God has given to us.  BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THIS WAS PROVIDED THROUGH THE HIRING OF CHRIS OLDS AND WAS PAID FOR THROUGH 2014 BUDGET GIVING!  Praise the Lord!

The implementation of a much needed building restoration and maintenance program to bring our facility up to the level where it needs to be.  BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THIS HAS BEEN FINISHED AND COMPLETELY PAID FOR THROUGH DESIGNATED AND 2014 BUDGETED GIVING!  Praise the Lord!

Broadcasting our Sunday worship service on radio.  BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THIS HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND PAID FOR THROUGH DESIGNATED AND 2014 BUDGETED GIVING!  ALONG WITH BROADCASTING OUR SUNDAY SERVICE LIVE ON THE EAGLE 101.5 WE ALSO HAVE A WEEKLY TAPED SERMON PROGRAM ON THE PROMISE FM!  Praise the Lord!

Broadcasting our Sunday worship service on the internet.  BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THIS HAS BEEN COMPLETED ALONG WITH A VIDEO ARCHIVE OF PAST SERVICES!  Praise the Lord!

The hiring of a full-time Children’s Director to oversee our growing Children’s Ministry.  BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THIS WAS PROVIDED THROUGH THE HIRING OF JULIA RUPP AND WAS PAID FOR THROUGH 2014 BUDGETED GIVING!  Praise the Lord!

 

Increasing the Outreach Budget of our church to 20% of our General Fund Giving.  BY THE GRACE OF GOD, WE ARE NOW UP TO 17% OF OUR GENERAL FUND GIVING BEING GIVEN TOWARD OURTREACH!  Praise the Lord!

Seeing 80% of the Adults who attend E-Free connected to our ministry through Life Groups and Equip-U Classes.  BY THE GRACE OF GOD, WE HAVE MADE GOOD PROGRESS IN THIS AREA.  WITH THE GROWTH OF OUR CHURCH, HOWEVER, THIS IS AN AREA THAT WE ARE STILL WORKING TO SEE INCREASED PARTICIPATION IN TO REACH THIS LOFTY GOAL.   Praise the Lord!

Isn’t absolutely amazing what God has already done?  It should in no way surprise us.  After all, He is a God that can do super abundantly beyond anything we could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20)!  In fact, this was especially evident as our Vision Implementation Team sat down this past week to put a strategy together to see our 2015 Vision Items implemented.  As we met, we discovered that almost every aspect on schedule for 2015 has already been paid for including the following:

New Seating for the Chapel.  BY THE GRACE OF GOD, WE HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED A DESIGNATED GIFT TO PAY FOR THESE CHAIRS TO BE PURCHASED!  Praise the Lord!

The hiring of a part-time Classic Service Worship Leader to enhance the music and worship in our Classic Service each Sunday.  BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THIS HAS BEEN PROVIDED THROUGH THE HIRING OF MARY ELLEN JOHNSON AND IS PAID FOR THROUGH THE 2015 BUDGETED GIVING!  Praise the Lord!

The hiring of a full-time Technology Director.  BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THIS HAS BEEN PUT INTO THE 2015 BUDGET AND THERE IS CURRENTLY A SEARCH TEAM CONSISTING OF DAVE MINIER, JOSHUA RUPP AND GEORGE LAKE JR THAT IS COLLECTING RESUMES AND WILL BRING A FNAL RECOMMENDATION OF A CANDIDATE TO ME FOR HIRING.  Praise the Lord!

The hiring of a full-time Facility Director.  BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THIS HAS BEEN PUT INTO THE 2015 BUDGET AND CHRIS OLDS HAS AGREED TO STAY ON STAFF AS OUR FULL-TIME FACIITY DIRECTOR.  Praise the Lord!

The hiring of a Pastor of Adult Ministries whose main focus will be in helping to lead our adult ministries and to develop and implement an effective strategy for seeing people connected to our ministry here at E-Free.  BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THIS HAS BEEN PUT INTO THE 2015 BUDGET AND MARCUS WEGMEYER WILL BE LEADING A SEARCH TEAM WHOSE TASK WILL BE TO BRING UP TO 3 FINAL CANDIDATES TO ME FOR FINAL INTERVIEWS.  Praise the Lord!

Phase 1 of a 3-part flooring replacement plan throughout our church facility.  BY THE GRACE OF GOD WE HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED A DESIGNATED GIFT TO PAY FOR THIS PHASE OF THE FLOORING UPGRADE TO BE COMPLETED!  Praise the Lord!

The remaining vision items scheduled for the 2015 portion of our vision plan include the following:

OUTREACH GIVING!  While we want to continue on the path to see 20% of our General Fund giving going to outreach, we realized that trying to make that increase in just 3 years was quite a step.  We are grateful that we have been able to increase this to 17% and will continue at that percentage in 2015.  We will then look to increase this by 1% each year afterwards until we reach the 20% goal (18% in 2016; 19% in 2017; and 20% in 2018).

TECHNOLOGY!  Because our future vision plan includes making more steps in saturating our county and northern Michigan with the Gospel through technology, including a television ministry, our vision plan for 2015 includes doing a full technology evaluation so we know exactly what our needs are.  We estimate this evaluation to be a cost of around $5,000.  This will allow us to then make a 3-year technology upgrade strategy for 2015, 2016 and 2017.  We will wait to conduct this evaluation until our full-time Technology Director has been hired and can spear head this element of our vision plan. 

As you can see, we have some exciting times ahead of us as a church.  God has already proven Himself faithful to us and He has already shown us that if we will step out on faith, He will part waters and open doors!  Please continue to pray specifically that God will be honored and glorified in all that we do and that He will use us to meet as many people as possible right where they are and help us to move them to where He wants them to be!  Let’s together believe God for even greater things and let’s be sure that we give Him all of the glory for any good thing He chooses to do in and through us here at E-Free!

On behalf of the Vision Implementation Team,

Pastor Scott

Ingathering Sunday at Gaylord E-Free

Tomorrow morning, November 23, will be our annual Ingathering Sunday here at Gaylord E-Free Church.  This is a special Sunday here at E-Free.  Please find below all of the details:

We will have all three worship services as usual including our 9am Classic Service in the Chapel and our 9am and 10:30am Contemporary Services in the Gospel Center Auditorium.  There will be nursery and our children's ministries for all three of our services but there will be no Adult Equip-U Classes this Sunday.

We will be welcoming new members into our church family in all three of our worship services as well as dedicating hundreds and hundreds of Operation Christmas Child Boxes.  I will be leading the worship in our Classic Service which will also include Angela Wideman providing special music and Pastor Jim leading in a pastoral prayer time.  In our 10:30 service only, we will be seeing several people following the Lord in water baptism.

Along with our regular offering, we will be taking a special Ingathering Offering in all three of our worship services.  It is our tradition that we do this on Ingathering Sunday which goes toward a major project or ministry.  This year's Ingathering Offering will go towards paying off the remainder of what is owed on our recent nursery renovation and expansion.

The message in each of the three services will be the conclusion of our "Keep Calm and Journey On" series as we wrap our this series in which we have been reminded of our purpose as followers of Jesus on this journey called life!  This Sunday's message, entitled "The Journey Continues" will focus on the influence of Joshua seen in Joshua 23-24 and the need for confidence, courage and commitment as we "Keep Calm and Journey On!"  As part of this message we will be reflecting on all that God has done in and through E-Free Church over the past year!

Following the final service of the morning, we will all move down to the gymnasium end of our facility where we will be enjoying a full Thanksgiving Dinner together as a church family.  This dinner is free and everyone is invited to stay and enjoy this time of food and fellowship as we wrap up a great Ingathering morning.

As always, all of our media ministry will also be operating Sunday.  Our 9am Contemporary Service will be aired live on The Eagle 101.5FM.  There will also be our video livestream of the 9am Contemporary Service on the web.  At 11am on Sunday we will once again be broadcasting our "Folks Listen" radio show on The Promise FM featuring part 2 of the message, "Timeless Truths for a New Generation" which I preached here at E-Free last spring.

It is going to a great Ingathering Sunday at Gaylord E-Free this Sunday!  Be sure to join us either in person, on the radio, or through our live stream!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gaylord E-Free Making a Difference in Nicargua

It was more than a privilege to be part of our team from Gaylord E-Free that went to Nicaragua last week.  In case you are not yet aware, our church is part of a “church-to-church” partnership through World Orphans with a small church in Managua, Nicaragua called “Verbo Sur.”  

This church is led by a wonderful man named Pastor Jairo.  They are located in one of the poorest communities in Managua where they also run a Child Development Center (CDC).  This CDC involves academic programs for preschoolers and a safe place for elementary aged students to come to when they are not in school as their parents are at work.  

The CDC also involves a feeding program where up to 150 children each day come to receive a hot, nutritious meal.  This is crucial as the average child in Nicaragua only gets one meal a day at best.  The CDC allows these 150 children to avoid the malnutrition and disease that runs rampant among children in this poor country. 

Our partnership involves supporting Verbo Sur’s CDC each month but the key to our partnership with Verbo Sur is relational.  That is why we send one, sometimes two, teams to Nicaragua each year.  

In the past we asked Pastor Jairo if it would be more beneficial to send the money we spend on these trips rather than taking the trips.  He insisted that our presence is what they need much more than our money.  He and his staff are starved for encouragement and soak up our love and encouragement like a dry sponge while we are there.  

This was especially seen in the life of Pastor Jairo’s wife.  She was in desperate need of encouragement and love from a godly woman which she found in my wife.  Though they could not speak the same language, they connected in a very special way.  Pastor Jairo shared how much Laura’s presence met to his wife.  I did not think Pastor Jairo’s wife was going to let go of Laura when we were saying our good-byes at the end of the trip.

 Obviously, the most enjoyable part of the trip was spending time with these precious children which included playing with the children and doing crafts with them that we had brought with us.  

I think each of us on the team was drawn to one specific child.  For me it was a boy I affectionately called "onion."  I couldn't understand what he said his name was but it sounded like "onion" so that is what I called him.  He would come over to me and point at my water bottle and say "agua."  I would then have him tilt his head and open his mouth and I would pour some water in it.  We did this for hours along with playing with paper airplanes and paper footballs!

We also participated in a two day medical clinic in which 190 people (adults and children) from the community came to get free medical treatment that included doctors from Nicaragua.  Each person that came had their height, weight, blood pressure and temperature checked.  

They also received a “d-worming” pill due to the parasites that are in the ground and the small children also received some vitamin A.  

Each person also had their blood sugar checked and met with a doctor.  They then received any prescriptions they needed and everything was free.  Our partnership paid for all of the medicine that was given out over these two days.

The most beautiful part of the medical clinic was watching a dear lady from the Verbo Sur church named Veronica.  The last station in the clinic for adults was meeting one-on-one with Veronica who talked with them about their spiritual lives.  

Veronica prayed for each one of them individually and over the two days she personally led 11 adults to Christ.  When I saw her Bible I knew exactly why she was so effective.  Her Bible was literally falling apart due to her excessive reading of it.

We also were part of a food distribution day.  Our partnership provided rice, beans and sugar for 50 of the poorest families in the community around Verbo Sur at the invitation of the church.  These families came to a program put on by the church which included a message from pastor Jairo before they were each given a bag of much needed food.  Though we provided the food, everything we provide is given through the church and the staff at Verbo Sur so the people make the connection with them and not with us.

We also were part of the Sunday morning service at Verbo Sur.  What a joy it was to be part of their lively worship.  I could not understand one word they said with my ears but I understood every word with my heart.  It was truly beautiful to watch these very poor people who are dedicated to the Lord singing praises in Spanish to the Lord.  

Pastor Jairo was also able to present 7 of the 11 people who prayed to receive Christ at the Medical Center that were at church that morning.  There were also several who had come to the food distribution that were there as well.  

I had the privilege of preaching that morning through an interpreter.  Our team got a real kick out of Dennis (the interpreter) as he did not just repeat my words in Spanish, he mimicked every move and motion I made as well as all of the up and down inflections of my voice.  Both of our interpreters as well as our bus driver was a very fun and valuable part of our trip.

On Sunday in front of his church I also presented Pastor Jairo a plaque I had made that included a stone I picked up in a creek at the Valley of Elah in Israel where David most likely picked up his stone to kill Goliath.  On the plaque I had the verses in Spanish were David picks up the stone and uses it to kill Goliath.  I told Pastor Jairo that my hope was that it would always remind him that there is no giant that can come into his life or ministry that is bigger than our God.

Our team gelled real well on this trip and Brent Holmes, who is the Team Lead of our Mission Team and who led the trip did an outstanding job.  

It was a joy to surround Pastor Jairo and the special staff at Verbo Sur and pray for them before we left them.  They will remain in our hearts, our thoughts and our prayers!

I came home with great joy in knowing that E-Free Church is making a significant difference in this poor community in Managua, Nicaragua!  

Sexuality: Honest Questions; Honest Answers

We live in a culture today that has lost its moral compass.  Unfortunately, this truth about our culture has also very much influenced the church in America.  Many today that are regular church-goers lack a definitive understanding of where “true north” is when it comes to Biblical morality and human sexuality.  Beginning this Sunday, July 20, at Gaylord E-Free Church we will be starting a new 7-week series that we are entitling, “Sexuality: Honest Questions; Honest Answers.”  The goal of this series is to give a clear overview of what the Bible teaches about human sexuality. 

We will begin this series by looking at human sexuality as God intended it.  Remember, God is the one who created sexuality.  If we are going to be able to identify the counterfeits to God’s intention, we must first have a solid understanding of God’s original pattern and purpose for human sexuality.  From there we will answer the question, “What does moral purity look like?”  Has God's original pattern and purpose for human sexuality changed?  Are there lines that should not be crossed when it comes to human sexuality?  If so, where are those lines?  We will also be taking two weeks during this series to examine closely what the Bible really teaches about homosexuality.  And just as important, we will be answering the question, “How should the church respond to homosexuals?”

On the final two weeks of this series, I will be doing something I have never done before in 28 years of being a pastor.  Over the first five weeks, you can submit questions you have about the Bible and human sexuality.  For the message portion of our services on the last two Sundays of our series, I will be giving honest answers from the Bible to your honest questions.  You can turn in those questions in one of several ways.  You can email me at sdistler@gaylordefree.org. Or you can write down your question and put it in the box located at the Welcome Center outside our church auditorium or place it in a sealed envelope with my name on it and drop it in the offering.  It is fine to submit questions anonymously. 

I would like to invite you to join us for this culturally relevant series, “Sexuality: Honest Questions; Honest Answers.”  Along with attending one of our three Sunday morning services here at the Gaylord E-Free Church in Gaylord, Michigan, there are also many others ways that you can be part of this series no matter where you live:

You can listen live to the audio of our 9am service on The Eagle (101.5 FM) in Northern Michigan or via the radio station’s live stream at www.radioeaglesports.com

You can watch the video of our 9am service through our church website’s live video stream at www.gaylordefree.org

At any time after Sunday you can watch the archived video of the service also through our church website at www.gaylordefree.org

An Open Letter to the Leadership of Gaylord E-Free Church

If anything, I tend to over-communicate with the leadership of our church but I can’t help but share with them what God is doing in our church here at Gaylord E-Free!  During our MINION WEEK Vacation Bible School this week, I have been sending them an update email each night to share with them what God is doing.  Today’s update was so amazing, I can’t help put post my letter to our Elders, Staff and Leadership Team publicly for everyone to see!  To God be the glory!

Dear Elders, Staff and Leadership Team:

I have been part of leading or teaching Vacation Bible Schools for 29 years but I have never seen God working in a VBS like He is this week here at E-Free.  The

stories are too numerous to tell but I can tell you that 10 more kids made salvation decisions today which means that through 4 days of VBS we have seen 91 kids make decisions to receive Jesus as the personal Savior! Way to go, God!!!

Today was one little boy's first day at MINION WEEK Vacation Bible School.  As he left, my wife heard him say to his grandma who picked him up at the end of the morning, "Grandma, now I know everything there is to know about God!"

Tomorrow is the last day of MINION WEEK but tomorrow night at 7pm is our family celebration. We have invited all of the parents to join us and all of the drawings for prizes, including the grand price of 4 tickets to Avalanche Bay, will take place then! Best of all, I will have the opportunity to share the Gospel with the parents much in the same way I have with the children every day this week! Even if you have not been able to join us for VBS this week, I encourage you to join us this Friday Night!

Now let me switch gears and show you another way God is working among our children and our young people.  I AM LITERALLY BLOWN AWAY!!!  I told you earlier in the week of the little boy who brought me 15 pennies out of his piggy bank that he wanted to give toward our nursery expansion.  Something else happened in this same arena today!

This morning, two brothers (age 6 and age 7) came up to me at VBS and gave me envelopes with money in it from their own savings that they wanted to give to our nursery expansion project. Their mother told me that they have been talking about this as a family and that it was totally these two boys idea to take a large portion of their savings money and give it to the church to help pay for our new nursery. 

I asked them if they were sure they wanted to give this money for our new nursery! They smiled and said, "YES!" I asked them why they wanted to give it. They smiled and said, "SO MORE PEOPLE CAN LEARN ABOUT JESUS!" I looked at their mother and said, "This is amazing!" Now it was her turn to smile as she replied, "They're amazing boys!" 

I went downstairs and counted the money. One envelope contained $191.00! The other envelope contained $182.00! Between these two brothers (ages 6 & 7) they sacrificed (I mean really sacrificed) and gave $373.00 toward our new nursery! 

If all of our adults would catch the vision for our church that these two boys have, nothing would stop us! Though young, these boys are examples of faith for all of us here at E-Free Church to follow! By the way, these two boys are also planning to do a lemonade stand later this summer so they can give more money to our nursery project.

That’s not it!  I saw on Facebook tonight that 2 of our teenagers are having a bake sale and garage sale tomorrow!  There will be coffee, cookies, lemonade, rice Krispie treats and much more! All proceeds from the bake sale benefit our nursery expansion. Here is what they wrote on Facebook, “This is just our way to do something big for someone little!”

Our kids and teens have caught the vision of our church! I could not be more proud as a pastor! If our kids and teens have caught the vision to the point that they are sacrificing, I think it is appropriate that I ask each of you in leadership, have you caught the vision?  Seriously, what will you sacrifice so that you can give BIG for someone LITTLE?

Blessings!

Scott

Gaylord E-Free Broadcasting Ministry to begin March 23

Our purpose as a church is to MEET as many people as possible right where they are (spiritually, geographically and culturally) and help MOVE them to where God wants them to be.  As a result, we have made the focus of our vision to saturate Otsego County with the Gospel and let it bleed over into all of northern Michigan.  A major part of this vision is technology as we seek to reach every available person by every available means with the Good News.  Our technology upgrade is now complete and we are ready to begin our broadcasting ministry.  Praise the Lord!   

We have tentatively picked Sunday, March 23, as our first broadcast Sunday with our new camera system.  On that Sunday we will look to begin broadcasting live the sermon part of our Contemporary Services down to the Classic Service in the chapel.

Why are we broadcasting the sermon down to the Classic Service?  It is our desire to see our Classic Service grow in both numbers and effectiveness.  Currently the worship portion of the Classic Service is abbreviated each Sunday so that there is time for the attendees to walk from the Chapel down to the Gospel Center in time for the message.  Broadcasting the message down to the chapel will allow more time for worship in the Classic Service and it will allow for the Classic Service to flow uninterrupted.  All of this together will enhance the worship experience in the Classic Service.

What if people still want to be part of the Classic Service worship but watch the sermon in person in the Gospel Center?  There is certainly no problem if there are some who would still want to attend the worship portion of the Classic Service and then walk down to the Gospel Center in time for the message.  The only difference will be that there will not be a set time in the Classic Service when those who would like to walk down to the Gospel Center will be dismissed.

Will this broadcast be quality?  The main reason we have not yet started the broadcast is to ensure the quality.  We wanted to be sure that the quality was set before launching this phase of our vision.  Not only will the picture be high definition in quality, you will find the quality increased in that you will be watching the speaker up close rather than from a distance.

What else will this broadcast technology allow for?  Along with broadcasting down to the Chapel we will also be able in the very near future to begin doing a quality video live stream of our worship service on-line as well as having video archive of services and messages available on our church website.  Down the road we will also be able to consider expanding our broadcast ministry to television as well as satellite campuses. 

We also continue to be excited about how we see the Lord working in regards to our Radio Ministry.  Currently, along with the three services that we have here at the church each Sunday, there is also the possibility for us to share the Word of God with thousands of others each week through the following avenues:

Pastor Scott has a weekly live radio show on The Eagle 101.5FM each Wednesday morning at around 8:20 where he talks about real life from a Biblical perspective

Our 9am Contemporary Worship Service is broadcast live each Sunday morning on The Eagle 101.5FM as well as streamed live on The Eagle’s website at www.radioeaglesports.com

Every Sunday morning at 11am our FOLKS LISTEN show is aired on The Promise FM (90.5).  This is a 30-minuted taped and edited broadcast of Pastor Scott’s past sermons.  FOLKS LISTEN can also be heard on-line at www.thepromisefm.com

PLEASE BE PRAYING THAT GOD WILL USE ALL OF THESE EFFORTS FOR HIS GLORY!

What Does Forgiveness Look Like?

I received a Facebook message this weekend from an old friend of mind who asked me my thoughts on this question, 

"How do you know if you have truly forgiven someone?  I've prayed with a sincere heart to forgive someone for a hurt they have done but thoughts of the hurt still come to my mind from time to time."

I think we were all taught a very unbiblical concept as kids when we were told that forgiveness means you “forgive and forget.”  As a result, whenever we “remember” a past hurt we struggle with the question, “Have I really forgiven that person?”

The truth is that the concept of “forgive and forget” is nowhere to be found in Scripture nor, in my opinion, is it even possible.  I can remember my past hurts – especially the big ones.  So if forgiveness isn’t forgetting, what is it?  

In 1 Corinthians 13 we learn two things about love.  First we learn that love is patient.  The word “patient” describes being wronged, having the power to retaliate, but choosing not to do so.  I think this is a great definition of forgiveness.  Forgiveness is not forgetting.  Forgiveness means that when I remember the hurt, and I am tempted to bring that hurt back up in order to use it as a weapon to get back at the person who hurt me, I choose not to do so.  That is forgiveness.

  

1 Corinthians 13 goes on to say that love "keeps no record of wrongs."  I think it is a similar concept.  I may remember past hurts, but I don’t intentionally keep that memory tucked away in my mind and heart with the motive to use it against the person at some point in the future.  Forgiveness says, “Even though I remember how you hurt me, and even though I am tempted when that memory comes to use it as a weapon against you, I choose through the power and grace of God not to do so.”  That to me is Biblical forgiveness and as well as a quality of Biblical love. 

A book that really helped my wife and I when we went through a time in our ministry when people hurt us deeply was R.T. Kendall’s book, “Total Forgiveness.”  It’s a good read for anyone who wants to know more about what forgiveness looks like!

March Gaylord E-Free Preview

God is doing some amazing things here at Gaylord E-Free and the month of March is set to be quite a month for our ministry.  Below is an update of just a few of the highlights that will happen in the coming month as we continue to strive to MEET as many people as possible right where they are and help MOVE them to where God wants them to be:

THE TRIAL OF THE AGES

Over the first 3 Sundays of March we will be completing our character study in the life of Moses.  Beginning March 23 we will start a new 4-week series that we are calling “The Trial of the Ages.”  Over the 12 hours in between Jesus’ arrest and His crucifixion He endured six grueling and illegal trials.  We will be digging into the Gospels and studying what the Bible says in detail about these trials.  Over the 3 Sundays leading up to this series, Pastor Joe will be teaching a Parallel Points Class on Sunday nights which will follow Jesus from His triumphal Entry through his arrest.  This series will help to prepare us for the Easter season. 

RADIO MINISTRY EXPANSION BEGINS

It has been absolutely amazing to see and hear the daily feedback we are receiving from people who are listening to our 9am service broadcast on The Eagle (101.5).  Beginning this Sunday we will expand our radio ministry to thousands more with our new “Folks Listen” broadcast on The Promise FM (90.5) which can also be heard on line at www.therpomisefm.com.  This will be a 30-minute taped and edited broadcast of past sermons I have preached here at E-Free.  “Folks Listen” will air every Sunday morning at 11am.  The broadcast schedule for the first 13 weeks is as follows:

·        Mar 2 – History’s Greatest Weddings (Adam & Eve)

·        Mar 9 – History’s Greatest Weddings (Esther)

·        Mar 16 – History’s Greatest Weddings (Ruth)

·        Mar 23 – History’s Greatest Weddings (Water into Wine)

·        Mar 30 – History’s Greatest Weddings (Revelation’s Wedding)

·        April 6 – Essentials: From God, Through Me, To You (Draw Near)

·        April 13 – Essentials: From God, Through Me, To You (Hold Fast)

·        April 20 – Essentials: From God, Through Me, To You (Consider How)

·        April 27 – Finding Your Style (The Straight Approach)

·        May 4 – Finding Your Style (The Story Approach)

·        May 11 – Finding Your Style (The Seeing Approach)

·        May 18 – Finding Your Style (The Serving Approach)

·        May 25 – Finding Your Style (The Social Approach)

MARCH MADNESS E-FREE STYLE:

·        March 5 – Concert of Worship

·        March 8 – Splash N Skate

·        March 15 – Men’s Conference

·        March/April – Sr High Florida Trip

·        March/April – Israel Trip

NURSERY EXPANSION MONIES

God is doing some great things in regards to the funding of our nursery expansion.  As of now we have over $227,000.00 in cash and pledges which may allow us to break ground this Spring as we look to raise the remaining monies for this needed project during construction. 

BROADCASTING DATE SET

We have tentatively picked Sunday, March 23, as our first broadcast Sunday with our new camera system.  On that Sunday we will look to broadcast the sermon part of our services down to the Classic Service in the chapel.  Below are some questions and answers regarding this possibility:

Why are we broadcasting the sermon down to the Classic Service?  It is our desire to see our Classic Service grow in both numbers and effectiveness.  Currently the worship portion of the Classic Service is abbreviated each Sunday so that there is time for the attendees to walk from the Chapel down to the Gospel Center in time for the message.  Broadcasting the message down to the chapel will allow more time for worship in the Classic Service and it will allow for the service to flow uninterrupted.  All of this together will enhance the worship experience in the Classic Service.

What if people still want to be part of the Classic Service worship but watch the sermon in person in the Gospel Center?  There is certainly no problem if there are some who would still want to walk down to the Gospel Center for the message.  The only difference is that there will not be a set time in which those who would like to do this are dismissed.  They will have to do this on their own.

Will this broadcast be quality?  The main reason we have not yet started the broadcast is to ensure the quality.  Not only will the picture be high definition in quality, you will actually find the quality increased in that you will be watching the speaker up close rather than from a distance.

What else will this broadcast technology allow for?  Along with broadcasting down to the Chapel we will also be able in the very near future to begin doing a quality video live stream of our worship service on line as well as having video archive of services and messages available on our church website.  All of this will allow us to make even greater strides in our vision which is to saturate Otsego County with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and having it bleed over into all of northern Michigan.

EASTER PREVIEW

Easter this year is April 20.  Due to it being later than usual and in no way associated with Spring Break, we are anticipating the largest Sunday morning in the history of our church.  Our theme will be CSI: JERUSALEM as we set up the empty tomb as a modern day crime scene and use Easter as the first of 3 Sundays in which we follow the evidence to see exactly what happened that resulted in the tomb being found empty.

GREEN TURNING RED

Our Vision Tree in the back foyer outside the Gospel Center is continuing to see the green apples (indicating the specific aspects of our 3-year vision plan and the cost associated with each element) turn to red (indicating that those items have been paid for by someone in our church).  As God lays it on your heart to give a financial gift to see a specific element(s) of our vision take place, you can simply remove the green apple.  You can then place a check in the box that is at the tree or you may give the gift through the church offering or by contacting the church office.  Either way you give – please be sure to indicate what specific aspect of the vision plan you are giving the gift towards.  Because we don’t want to sacrifice present ministry, we do ask that all gifts toward our vision plan be above your regular giving. 

DON’T FORGET YOUR TARGET THREE

Don’t forget to follow through on these three commitments regarding your TARGET THREE.  This is MEETING & MOVING at its best!

·        Pray for each of them by name daily that they would come to know Jesus and that God would use you in the process!

·        Build bridges to them regularly!

·        Partner with E-Free to get them under the sound of the Gospel!

FOLKS LISTEN Radio Broadcast Schedule Announced

The Promise FM (90.5) has officially released the schedule for the first 13 programs of the new FOLKS LISTEN radio broadcast which will debut on Sunday, March 2, @ 11am.  FOLKS LISTEN is a professionally taped and edited 30-minute broadcast of sermons I have preached here at the Gaylord E-Free Church in Gaylord, Michigan.  The first 13 shows will feature the following three message series:

"History's Greatest Weddings" - a study of 5 great weddings in the Bible including the very first wedding of Adam & Eve; the redeeming wedding of Ruth & Boaz; the royal wedding of Queen Esther; the revealing wedding in Cana where Jesus turned the water into wine; and Revelation's wedding, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

"Essentials: From God, Through Me, To You" - a study of Hebrews 10:22-25 as we seen the need for we as followers of Jesus to draw near to God, hold fast to our hope, and consider how to stimulate other  believers to greater love and good deeds.

"Finding Your Style" - a study of 5 different styles of sharing our faith with others including Peter's straight approach, the blind man's story approach, the woman at the well's seeing approach, Dorcas' serving approach, and Matthew's social approach.

The schedule for the first 13 weeks of FOLKS LISTEN is seen below.  FOLKS LISTEN can be listened in northern Michigan on 90.5 FM or anywhere in the world at www.thepromisefm.com.

Mar 2 – History’s Greatest Weddings (Adam & Eve)

Mar 9 – History’s Greatest Weddings (Esther)

Mar 16 – History’s Greatest Weddings (Ruth)

Mar 23 – History’s Greatest Weddings (Water into Wine)

Mar 30 – History’s Greatest Weddings (Revelation’s Wedding)

April 6 – Essentials: From God, Through Me, To You (Draw Near)

April 13 – Essentials: From God, Through Me, To You (Hold Fast)

April 20 – Essentials: From God, Through Me, To You (Consider How)

April 27 – Finding Your Style (The Straight Approach)

May 4 – Finding Your Style (The Story Approach)

May 11 – Finding Your Style (The Seeing Approach)

May 18 – Finding Your Style (The Serving Approach)

May 25 – Finding Your Style (The Social Approach)