New things

Day 1 - The Anticipation of Ascension. I pray that we can move from the place of defining expectations according to history and prior experience to the place of anticipation and imagination... Luke begins Acts by recording that after Jesus' suffering, he presented himself alive to his disciples by many convincing proofs, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God. Imagine that season. No more fear of death or defeat. Here they were, on the precipice of a new day. They'd never been this way before. No one had. The resurrection and promise of the Father did/would change everything. The old rules were gone. The limitations, the fears, the routines... did not apply any more. The canvass of the future would not be painted with the brush-strokes of the past. As we observe this season of Ascension and celebration of Pentecost, I pray that the same sense of wonder and anticipation will capture us and compel us to dream of new things.

Preparing for Pentecost and Saturday Night Church

Dear Church family, I pray the Gracious Hand of God rest powerfully upon you today. Some great things are just ahead on the church calendar, and I’d like to take just a moment and share a couple of them with you. First, the annual observance of Pentecost falls at the end of May – Sunday the 31st. Pentecost, as many of you know, is the event 7 weeks after the resurrection of Christ when the Holy Spirit was first poured out upon the church. As Pentecostals, this annual observance holds particular value. This year I hope that we will celebrate Pentecost with more than observance of a day on the calendar, but instead take advantage of this season to seek for a fuller, richer experience and awareness of the Spirit’s presence in our lives individually and as a congregation. As such, I am inviting you to participate in 10 days of prayer at the end of May. Why ten days? It is traditionally understood that Christ ascended (Acts 1) ten days prior to the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), indicating that for a season of 10 days the disciples gathered for prayer and waited for the fulfillment of the Promise of the Father. In similar manner, I am inviting you to make the last ten days of May a season of prayer. Jesus promised in Luke 11:13, “How much more will Your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask?” So, I am opening the church auditorium in the mornings (6:00am – unless there are some that need it earlier) for prayer. The church will remain open for prayer each day and each evening* will be a prayer service at 7:00pm (Sunday night at 6:00pm, Saturday @ 5:30pm). This of course is only an invitation, and I understand that many of you have multiple pulls on your schedule. However, considering the importance of the Spirit’s role in our lives and our vital need for His ongoing influence and infilling, I invite any who can and will to participate at whatever level you’re able. Sunday Evening the 24th we’ll host a youth choir from Bethany Assembly of God in Everett, and Friday night the 29th we’ll have guest ministry in Worship and prayer. Sunday morning, the 31st, our guest will be Dr. Joe Castleberry, president of Northwest University, a champion of Pentecostal message and ministry. Soon after, on June the 6th, we will launch a Saturday evening service at 5:30pm. The objective of this service is two-fold: First, to invite those who need or prefer a Saturday evening opportunity to gather for worship and fellowship, in particular those who are without a church home yet. And second, to provide opportunity for those who occasionally are unable to come on Sunday mornings. As the Saturday service gets underway, you may notice that at first we’ll have a little more room on Sunday mornings as some choose the Saturday night option. This means you may see some people less often. However, this will allow for more room for more people to love and serve on Sunday mornings, while the Saturday service also grows. I hope, by the end of the summer, to have three vibrant worship services, burgeoning with passionate followers of Jesus Christ. Then, we’ll start planning a fourth service… There are more things underway with regard to classes, workshops, and small groups, but this note has been long enough. The church website will be updated regularly in order to communicate all that is happening. Thank you all for being a part in your own way of making Heritage Church the great place it is. It’s an honor to serve you.