Over the past few weeks, I have been reading a book by Francis Chan titled, Letters to the Church.
The book takes a deep dive into the current state of the church and seeks to remind us how powerful, how glorious the church once was...and calls us to be once again the church God intended us to be. I thought I would share a brief excerpt with you... "You are part of something much bigger than yourself, something sacred. Through Jesus' sacrifice you have been joined to His Church. Because of this, you are not only a part of God's sacred temple but also a part of the heavenly community. Take some time to read Revelation 4-5 as it describes the scene in heaven. This section begins with a majestic picture of God on His throne. The scene is busy and intense: the four living creatures are declaring His holiness, the seven spirits of God are blazing, myriads of angels are praising Jesus with loud voices, and the twenty-four elders are flat on their faces while laying crowns before Him. Then in Revelation 5:8, we finally appear." (Read it for yourself) There you are! Did you see it? Those are your prayers in the bowl of incense! Isn't that awesome? We get to be a part of this unbelievable scene! What is a tremendous, unspeakable honor may feel insufficient for those who are used to being god of their own blogs and twitter accounts. It feels insignificant to those who have erected their own shrines on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, filled with beautiful pictures and videos of themselves. Gathering with the church should lead us to holy ground. You get to come and worship Someone else, with someone else. You get to pour out love to Him by serving those around you and considering them more important than yourself. It's not about you. And you are glad it's not about you. Because this is something far greater than you. It is sacred." Join us online this Sunday at 10:00am, for a "sacred" gathering of God's church as we worship our Lord and Savior. Larry Annes will be speaking on our need to keep God in sight and to run into his arms, allowing Him to bring us peace, hope and love, especially during this season of unrest. As always, you can access our online service by going to our webpage, www.parksidefellowship.org. Once you are on our home page, simply scroll down to where you see "SCHEDULE". You can then click on either the "streaming on youtube" or "streaming on facebook" and you will be automatically directed to the service. After the service, please join us at 11:00am for our "after-church" zoom gathering. There are two ways for you to join us on zoom. 1. Set up a zoom account prior to the meeting. Open the attachment below and follow the instructions for setting up your zoom account. We have included step-by-step visuals. Please allow 10 minutes to set up your account. Once your account is set-up, simply join us by clicking on the meeting link Sunday at 11:00am. Here is the link. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84196749573 2. Click on the link below, approximately 5 minutes prior to the meeting and follow the prompts in order to install the application. Here is the link for you to click on. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84196749573 NOTE: I have set-up this meeting so the link above will be the same link EVERY Sunday. Finally, thank you for being a church that prays! "See" you Sunday. Pastor Doug I'm so excited for our Parkside Parking Lot BBQ that will be happening this Sunday (tomorrow) from 11:00am to 1:00pm in our church parking lot. Below are all the details you need to know.
What: BBQ and Social Distancing Fellowship Time: Who: You and the rest of our Parkside Fellowship Family When: Tomorrow (Sunday) from 11:00am to 1:00pm. Where: Parkside Fellowship Parking Lot Why: Because we miss everyone and want to say "Hi", pray for and encourage everyone! Things to Bring: You, a drink and possibly a chair so you can sit outside of your vehicle and talk with others while maintaining a 6 foot distance. (not required) Come join us as we stay COVID compliant while telling our crazy 2020 stories. You need to stay 6 feet apart from people but not from your hotdog. NOTE: The bbq will take the place of our normal "after-church" zoom meeting. There will be NO zoom meeting this Sunday (tomorrow). Before joining us for our Parkside Parking Lot BBQ, be sure and watch our worship service online, beginning at 10:00am. This week, as we wrap-up our series in Titus, we will focus our attention on Titus 3, looking at 4 things Paul wants us to remember as we live-out the gospel in our daily lives. As always, you can access our online service beginning at 10:00am, by going to our webpage, www.parksidefellowship.org. Once you are on our home page, simply scroll down to where you see "SCHEDULE". You can then click on either the "streaming on youtube" or "streaming on facebook" and you will be automatically directed to the service. Thank you for being a church that prays! See you Sunday. Pastor Doug I want to begin this week's edition of TAB by addressing what we are currently experiencing as a nation. The death of George Floyd was wrong on every level and it has brought to the forefront an issue that has long been ignored by the church, and that is the racial inequality that exists in our country. Let's be honest, we have a race problem, and now with the senseless killing of George Floyd, one of many individuals who have been killed for the color of their skin, it is time for the church to respond.
What should our response be to those who suffer injustice? First of all, we must stand united in prayer for our nation and for those who are being overlooked and mistreated in our society. It should be our desire that everyone finds peace, love and hope through Jesus Christ. Secondly, we must strive to live justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God, seeing others as greater than ourselves and fighting for social justice. So, how do we begin to show the love of Jesus to others? It starts by listening. Racial reconciliation begins with relationships. It starts with inviting someone of a different race to sit down and share how they are feeling and what they believe is needed in order to fix what is broken. Let them know that you are truly interested in being a part of their lives. Building loving, caring relationships with others is how the church can be an agent of change in our society. Please spend some time this weekend in prayer, asking God to show you who he wants you to extend this type of love too and also pray that God would heal our land. Finally, join me this Sunday at 10:00am as we continue our study in the book of Titus. As always, you can access our online service by going to our webpage, www.parksidefellowship.org. Once you are on our home page, simply scroll down to where you see "SCHEDULE". You can then click on either the "streaming on youtube" or "streaming on facebook" and you will be automatically directed to the service. I also want to invite you to join us at 11:00am for our "after-church" zoom gathering. There are two ways for you to join us on zoom.
NOTE: I have set-up this meeting so the link above will be the same link EVERY Sunday. Finally, thank you for being a church that prays! "See" you Sunday. Pastor Doug |
Our PastorDoug Boyd - Sr. Pastor Archives
February 2023
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