Let me begin with this...

YES...we will have the air conditioning going on Sunday, so please join us for the 9:30am service in our fully air-conditioned worship center AND stick around for the bbq at noon in our fully air-conditioned Fireside Room. 

Did I mention that we will have the church cool on Sunday and ready for your arrival!  Please join us!

That's enough about the weather.  As we conclude our series in the book of Acts, I would like to make one specific observation.  While the book of Acts provides us with details and stories surrounding the launch and growth of the early church, this was not Luke's purpose in sharing this narrative with us.  It also wasn't to highlight the incredible missionary journey of Paul and the other disciples, who risked their lives to preach the gospel.  While most of us, myself included, like to think of Acts as a church history book, this was not the reason behind its inclusion in the New Testament canon.

The book of Acts is first and foremost, about the Kingdom of God.  In Acts 1:3, we read that Jesus spent 40 days after his crucifixion and resurrection, talking about the Kingdom of God.  Acts concludes with Paul, in Rome, boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God to anyone willing to listen.  The purpose of Acts AND the local church is to glorify God and proclaim His kingdom.  In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said, "Seek first the Kingdom of God...and all these things will be provided for you".   

I want to invite you to join us this Sunday at 9:30am, as we wrap-up our time in Acts and transition to our next series, called FOCUSED.  When we seek first the Kingdom of God and focus our lives on Jesus, transformation will take place in our lives and in the lives of those around us. 

Reminder:  Plan now to join me and others in my office at 8:45am for a brief time of prayer before our worship gathering.
 
As a reminder, individuals attending church services at Parkside Fellowship, who are fully vaccinated, will not be required to wear a mask or social distance from others who are fully vaccinated.  According to the CDC, a person is considered fully vaccinated 14 days after their second dose series, such as Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or 14 days after a single dose vaccine, such as Johnson and Johnson's Janssen vaccine. 
 
We ask those who are not fully vaccinated to continue to wear a mask and social distance for your own health and the health of those around you.  In addition, anyone who does not yet feel comfortable attending church services without a mask is encouraged to continue wearing a mask or face covering.
Note:  Our Sunday service continues to meet at 9:30am, with two options for participating.

1.  Attend our live "in-person" gathering.  No reservations are required and we will continue to follow all necessary COVID guidelines.  Please wear a mask so we can keep everyone safe and healthy!

2.  We value our online church community and will continue to livestream our church service at 9:30am for those who wish to participate. 

After our worship service, consider joining our discipleship class led by Trudy Reusser.  Trudy is leading a discussion based on the book of Revelation.  The book of Revelation unveils the glory of Jesus Christ.  Written by the Apostle John, Revelation is a reminder to remain faithful and trust God, even when things around us don't make sense. 

See class details below:

Discipleship Study:  Revelation (The Christian's Ultimate Victory)
Facilitator:  Trudy Reusser
10:45am to 11:45am
In-person and on zoom
Zoom Link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/ j/84125779768  

Finally, continue to pray for those in our church family.  

See you Sunday.

Pastor Doug

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to attend the SBC Annual Convention in Nashville.  One of the speakers I had the privilege of hearing from was Dr. Hearshel York.  Dr. York is the Dean of the School of Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  Dr. York preached on Psalm 44 and the title of his message was, The Humiliation of Rejection.  Preaching on a passage that deals specifically with God's rejection of his people seemed odd, and even out-of-place at a time when so many of us were looking for hope in the midst of chaos and division.  However, through his message, Dr. York reminded all of us that "The cross is the answer to Psalm 44, because while we don't always know why at times God seems so distant, we do know that while we may feel defeated, humiliated and rejected, God is at work in order to redeem us through the cross".  Dr. York's words are an important reminder to never lose faith that God is still on His throne.

This Sunday at 9:30am, Pastor Roger will be continuing our trip through the book of Acts.  His focus this week will be on Acts 20:13-38.  As you prepare your hearts for Sunday, take some time to read Acts 20:26-27.  With these two verses, Paul provides us with two convictions that had been with him since his conversion.  First, he had deserved to die on the road to Damascus, but the Lord extended mercy; each day after that was a gift of grace.  Second, he had to preach Christ with every day given to him.  Very little mattered to Paul beyond these two convictions.  What convictions dictate how you live your life?  Do you live your life knowing that each day is a gift from our Savior, Jesus?

Plan now to join me and others in my office at 8:45am for a brief time of prayer before our worship gathering.
 
As a reminder, individuals attending church services at Parkside Fellowship, who are fully vaccinated, will not be required to wear a mask or social distance from others who are fully vaccinated.  According to the CDC, a person is considered fully vaccinated 14 days after their second dose series, such as Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or 14 days after a single dose vaccine, such as Johnson and Johnson's Janssen vaccine. 
 
We ask those who are not fully vaccinated to continue to wear a mask and social distance for your own health and the health of those around you.  In addition, anyone who does not yet feel comfortable attending church services without a mask is encouraged to continue wearing a mask or face covering.

Note:  Our Sunday service continues to meet at 9:30am, with two options for participating.

1.  Attend our live "in-person" gathering.  No reservations are required and we will continue to follow all necessary COVID guidelines.  Please wear a mask so we can keep everyone safe and healthy!

2.  We value our online church community and will continue to livestream our church service at 9:30am for those who wish to participate. 

After our worship service, consider joining our discipleship class led by Trudy Reusser.  Trudy is leading a discussion based on the book of Revelation.  The book of Revelation unveils the glory of Jesus Christ.  Written by the Apostle John, Revelation is a reminder to remain faithful and trust God, even when things around us don't make sense. 

See class details below:

Discipleship Study:  Revelation (The Christian's Ultimate Victory)
Facilitator:  Trudy Reusser
10:45am to 11:45am
In-person and on zoom
Zoom Link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84125779768  

Finally, continue to pray for those in our church family.  

See you Sunday.

Pastor Doug

​This Sunday, June 13th at 9:30am, we will continue our series Fasten Your Seatbelts, where we are focusing our attention on the book of Acts and the beginning of this movement called "Church".  Through our time in the book of Acts, we've discovered that the early was not a place you went to.  The church wasn't a building or an institution.  The church was started as a movement among early believers who had committed themselves to the teaching of the Apostles, fellowship, meals (including the Lord's Supper) and prayer.  It was a movement of people centered around the message of Jesus and His resurrection.  If I had to choose one word to describe the church in the book of Acts, it would be the word "Sent".  Every single believer in the early church knew that their purpose was to communicate the message of Jesus to everyone they came in contact with. 

The question we have been asking throughout this series is this:  "What would it look like if Parkside Fellowship looked more like the church in Acts?"  What would it look like if each of us, as individuals, answered the call of Jesus in Acts 1:8:  "And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere--in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."  And, "What does it look like to live a "Sent" life?"  I understand that being "sent" and sharing about Jesus can be scary.  What would you say if you someone suddenly came up to you and started peppering you with questions about Jesus, the Bible and your faith?  How would you handle yourself? 

On Sunday at 9:30am, Mary Jo Sharp is going take us through Paul's encounter with unbelievers in Acts 17.  Through this story, Paul is going to provide us with some insights and patterns for how to conduct ourselves when we face questions about our faith in Jesus.  Hopefully through Paul's experience, you will gain confidence when engaging others with the gospel message. 

Also, Plan now to join Pastor Roger and others in my office at 8:45am for a brief time of prayer before our worship gathering.
 
As a reminder, individuals attending church services at Parkside Fellowship, who are fully vaccinated, will not be required to wear a mask or social distance from others who are fully vaccinated.  According to the CDC, a person is considered fully vaccinated 14 days after their second dose series, such as Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or 14 days after a single dose vaccine, such as Johnson and Johnson's Janssen vaccine. 
 
We ask those who are not fully vaccinated to continue to wear a mask and social distance for your own health and the health of those around you.  In addition, anyone who does not yet feel comfortable attending church services without a mask is encouraged to continue wearing a mask or face covering.

Note:  Our Sunday service continues to meet at 9:30am, with two options for participating.

1.  Attend our live "in-person" gathering.  No reservations are required and we will continue to follow all necessary COVID guidelines.  Please wear a mask so we can keep everyone safe and healthy!

2.  We value our online church community and will continue to livestream our church service at 9:30am for those who wish to participate. 

This week, we continue our brand-new discipleship class led by Trudy Reusser.  Trudy is leading a discussion based on the book of Revelation.  The book of Revelation unveils the glory of Jesus Christ.  Written by the Apostle John, Revelation is a reminder to remain faithful and trust God, even when things around us don't make sense. 

See class details below:

Discipleship Study:  Revelation (The Christian's Ultimate Victory)
Facilitator:  Trudy Reusser
10:45am to 11:45am
In-person and on zoom
Zoom Link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84125779768  

Finally, continue to pray for those in our church family. 

See you Sunday.

Pastor Doug

Closed doors and missed opportunities aren't quite so frustrating with the right perspective.  When you trust God's plan, knowing He's in control and his plans are better than your plans, anxiety seems to disappear, or at the very least, transitions to hopeful optimism.  In Acts 16, Paul's closed doors and apparent missed opportunities, offers some helpful truth to keep in mind when we feel liked we've reached a dead-end.

Three things to think about as you prepare to join us on Sunday at 9:30am for part 8 of Fasten Your Seatbelts:

1.  Before the Lord can turn us, He often has to stop us. 
2.  God never closes a door without a plan to open another one
3.  Doors open and close according to God's timing, which is perfect.  

NOTE:  Plan now to join me in my office at 8:45am for a brief time of prayer before our worship gathering.
 
As a reminder, individuals attending church services at Parkside Fellowship, who are fully vaccinated, will not be required to wear a mask or social distance from others who are fully vaccinated.  According to the CDC, a person is considered fully vaccinated 14 days after their second dose series, such as Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or 14 days after a single dose vaccine, such as Johnson and Johnson's Janssen vaccine. 
 
We ask those who are not fully vaccinated to continue to wear a mask and social distance for your own health and the health of those around you.  In addition, anyone who does not yet feel comfortable attending church services without a mask is encouraged to continue wearing a mask or face covering.

Note:  Our Sunday service continues to meet at 9:30am, with two options for participating.

1. Attend our live "in-person" gathering.  No reservations are required and we will continue to follow all necessary COVID guidelines.  Please wear a mask so we can keep everyone safe and healthy!
2. We value our online church community and will continue to livestream our church service at 9:30am for those who wish to participate. 

This week, we begin a brand-new discipleship class led by Trudy Reusser.  Trudy will be leading a discussion based on the book of Revelation.  The book of Revelation unveils the glory of Jesus Christ.  Written by the Apostle John, Revelation is a reminder to remain faithful and trust God, even when things around us don't make sense. 

See class details below:

Discipleship Study:  Revelation (The Christian's Ultimate Victory)
Facilitator:  Trudy Reusser
10:45am to 11:45am
In-person and on zoom
Zoom Link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84125779768  

Finally, continue to pray for those in our church family.

See you Sunday.

Pastor Doug