Countdown to Kickoff

Okay, so only 3 days, 22 hours, and 11 minutes until we launch The Gathering!  I am so excited not just for the sake of starting a new service, but because it will give us, as a church, new opportunities to reach more people in the new year.  Check back tomorrow where I'll have a post on "new" things.  Keep praying for everything that still needs to be accomplished, pray for my sermon preparation (this is one of those weeks where my computer is inhabited by demons!) and ultimately, pray that God's glory will be top priority and that the gospel will ring in the hearts of everyone in attendance! 

January Series

   As I begin to think about the first sermon series that I'll be preaching through in January, I am totally excited because we're going to be studying the New Testament book of Philippians.  Philippians has always been one of my favorite books of the Bible and I'm really excited to teach through it.  We're calling the series: 'Overwhelmed by Joy'.  In the series, we'll be looking at the one theme that runs throughout the entire book- joy.  Everyone in our culture is pursuing joy but very few people actually seem to find it.  People turn to culture, religion, and medication in an attempt to find joy but the problem is that none of these solutions bring true and lasting joy.  In this series, we'll see how true joy is found in Jesus.  I hope you'll take the opportunity to invite friends, neighbors, co-workers, family members, and classmates to join you for this series.  Only 11 days until launch!!!

Ernie Marcum

Today I'd like to highlight our Communications Team Leader Ernie Marcum.  Ernie has devoted a lot of time, energy and effort to The Gathering and brings a great deal of technical knowledge and wisdom to the team.  I asked Ernie a series of questions and I've posted his responses below. 

What is your favorite color? Yellow (like my bike)

What is your favorite band? Reilly

What are some of your hobbies?  Motorcycles, photography, music

What instrument do you play?  Soundboard

What is your favorite vacation spot?  St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

What is your favorite sports team?  University of Michigan football

Share one random fact about yourself: I DJ in my spare time!

Quote from Ernie: "The worship team has been a huge blessing to me.  These gifted people have continuously grown and show me Christian love at its finest.  I am proud to be a small part of their worship."

Progress

I am really excited about how things are progressing for The Gathering!  We had a volunteer meeting last night and nearly 20 people came out and there are still more who want to help but couldn't make it to the meeting.  There's still a lot to be done, but God has it all figured out and things will fall into place.  Please keep a couple of things in prayer leading up to the launch in January- 1. We need an accomplished pianist/keyboardist for the worship team.  2. We need to figure out timing/set up for the transition from the 9:30 to 11:00.  I continue to be encouraged and greatly look forward to launching this new experience in January!

Katie Renee Bankert and Dan Bortz

Today I'd like to highlight two members of our worship team- Katie Bankert and Dan Bortz. 
We'll start with Katie...

What is your favorite color?  Pink
What is your favorite band?  Rush of Fools, Switchfoot, Skillet...basically everything!!!
What are some of your hobbies?  Photography, cheerleading, camping, fishing, singing, hiking, biking, hanging out with friends, shopping.
What instrument(s) do you play?  Vocals, learning guitar
What is your favorite vacation spot?  Ocean City, MD; Cancun, Mexico
Who are your favorite sports teams?  Ravens and Orioles
Tell us some random facts about yourself:  I have one kidney, I love nature, I can't drive


Now for Dan...

What is your favorite color?  Black

What is your favorite band?  Skillet and Breaking Benjamin

What are some of your hobbies?  Listening to and playing music, playing football, hunting, going to creation

What instrument do you play?  Bass guitar

What is your favorite vacation spot?  Colorado Springs, CO or Long Beach, NC

What is your favorite sports team?  Pittsburgh Steelers

Share one random fact about yourself:  I love the tv show 'The Office'

Sunday

This past Sunday was awesome!!!  The preview service went well and I think, created a lot of excitement for The Gathering.  There were a number of people who volunteered to help out as well which is an answer to prayer.