You Are Here - Ephesians 3:14-20: How can it be September already!  (Though, tbh, it feels like November out there!)  I love the Fall ... it has the feel of a second New Year's celebration. It's a chance to get back into our routines and relationships and enjoy the journey of life God graces us with. This weekend, we introduce a series of messages relating to the vision of our church. We've entitled it, "You Are Here" and I'm so looking forward to discovering where "here" is and comparing that to where God wants to take us. Children's programming returns to full schedule this weekend and we have so many fantastic volunteers helping make the hour our children spend at church the very best hour of their week. We'll be spending our time in that amazing prayer Paul prays for the church in Ephesus ... a prayer we need to learn to pray for ourselves, our families and our church. I so look forward to us all being together again! Much grace to you in the journey! -- Pastor Ian

Camp Freedom - Galatians 6:7-10: Have you read the book or seen the movie, Pay It Forward?  In it a boy named Trevor takes an assignment seriously and comes up with an idea to change the world; doing undeserved, unearned acts of kindness for people. He doesn’t end up changing the whole world but he makes a difference and gets an A+.  Like all feel good fiction – this one seems larger than life but it leaves you wondering, “What if?  What if I lived my life like that purposefully, making the most of every opportunity to love on people?” Trevor was just naïve enough to think this would be a good thing.  And so was the apostle Paul. In this last message from Galatians, Paul calls us to be a people set apart for greatness in the kingdom & indeed the world!  We, like nobody else, are to make a difference—a big difference—an eternal difference.

Camp Freedom - Galatians 6:1-6: Relationships. Few things bring us greater joy AND greater frustration. It's the old adage:"I really love the church - it's just the people I can't stand! "When we enter into a relationship with God, we find ourselves entangled in a web of relationships with God's people. How do we find grace in and through those friendships?What kind of friend are we to others? In Paul's final words to the churches of Galatia, he shares incredibly important, life-changing truths about how to get along with each other and how to care for each other. Come and join us for a time of worship and teaching and for the closing moments of Camp Freedom with the imminently huggable Director Harshman! It will be brilliant!!

Camp Freedom - Galatians 5:16-26: Conflict. Inner turmoil. Duplicity. Vulnerability. They are all words were not overly fond of but they're also words were sadly far too familiar with. Paul addresses these realities straight up in our passage from Galatians 5 as he teaches about the sustaining, enabling, transforming work of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life.He reminds us of the inner battle we all face and what's at stake if we fail to make good choices along the way.Our text this weekend includes one of the most beloved, encouraging passages we find in our Bibles. It describes for us the life we all long for and the pathway to experiencing it. There's a reason why this is a beloved, familiar, often memorized text and I'm so grateful we get to dive into it this weekend! I hope you'll be able to join with us and if you can't - I'd encourage you to catch it on the Livestream. Have a blessed weekend and it will be great to be in church together this weekend. Much grace and joy to you!! ---Pastor Ian

Camp Freedom - Galatians 5:1-12: Independence Day! We picture fireworks - rockets flaring till dawn's early light, and a flag that flies steadfastly through the night. We don't picture letting go of the symbols that define us, becoming deaf to the noises that surround us, shutting out the bright distractions that invade our spirits; being still, and knowing God. Independence sounds like power and autonomy. At Camp Freedom we discover a power that shines through unplugging, and wins by surrender. Join us this week as we turn our eyes to Jesus and discover how to stand firmly in his kind of freedom. --Pastor Bronwyn

Camp Freedom - Galatians 4:1-20: Have you ever wondered why our world is in such turmoil, or whether it is possible to live a truly flourishing and fulfilling life? In this week's passage (Galatians 4:1-20) Paul warns us against forces in the world that seek to enslave us, and he reveals the amazing possibility of a life as God's adopted children. This is a life made possible by God's own Spirit who draws us into the kind of relationship with the Father that Jesus himself had. It is also a life free from the control of destructive forces of all kinds. A beautiful life indeed!

Camp Freedom - Galatians 3:1-14: Danger zones. We’ve all been around them. Some of us seek out dangerous places because we love the adrenaline rush they create. Others of us shy away from them because we’re smart enough to know what might happen! Paul’s 3rd chapter to the churches of Galatia are all about a dangerous place to find ourselves spiritually. He reminds us that this life we’re seeking to make sense of is intended to be a supernatural life yet the evidence for many of us proves our lives to be far more “natural” than “supernatural.” How do we find a deeper, more vibrant and vital walkwith God? Come and join us this weekend and we’ll find out! If you can’t be with us in person, join us via the livestream link from our website as we’ll unpack a clear and present danger! It’s going to be a great weekend!

Camp Freedom - Galations 2:11-21: One of my favorite memories of being at camp was the first night hike our leaders always took us on. Now I realize they do it to wear us out with hopes that we might sleep ... but then I just loved getting out into nature. In my first year at Camp Chamisall, I remember getting lost on this hike with five other kids. At first we thought it would be cool to be lost for a night but as it got darker and colder, we weren't so sure! Around midnight, a desperate search party rescued us and we made our way safely back to camp. Every once in a while, we feel like were a little lost in our walk with God. We lose our way home. We feel vulnerable and alone. This weekend in church, we'll be visiting Galatians 3 and considering how Peter lost his way in his faith journey and how Paul confronted him in hopes of reminding him of the heart of the gospel that we often lose. I hope you'll be able to be with us at one of our weekend services ... and there will be sundaes on Saturday night after the service if that works for you! Bless you and much grace to you. --Pastor Ian

Camp Freedom - Galatians 2:1-10: Recently I was having a conversation with some friends who were telling me of an event they were training for called the Tough Mudder. Basically it's the most insane obstacle course you've ever seen. As a team, you have to climb over massive walls, wade through waist-deep mud, and run through a field of dangling electric wires, all in an effort to be crowned the "toughest mudders." While running an obstacle course to prove your strength and stamina can be fun and rewarding, what if you had to go through a spiritual obstacle course in order to prove your faith? In the book of Galatians, we learn of a group called the Judaizers who were trying to force non-Jewish people who were wanting to come to Christ, to jump through all kinds of religious hoops in order to truly be saved. Come this weekend as we rediscover the simple truth that salvation isn't based on what we do for God, but what He's already done for us. -- Pastor Scott

Camp Freedom - Galatians 1:1-23: Summer Camp-what images come to mind? If you went as a child or teen maybe it's memories of sing-a-longs at a campfire, skills training, or a summer romance. Maybe you had a spiritually defining moment at summer camp. Camp by the very nature of what it is, takes us out of our routines and presents us with new experiences. It slows us down (remember how much walking you have to do!?) and gives us a chance to breathe in fresh air. When you think about it, camp is often a first, away from home, exploration of freedom. This weekend, we'll begin our summer teaching series, Camp Freedom that will lead us through a study of the book of Galatians. In this letter, Paul challenges us as believers to not get caught or tangled up in anything, but following Jesus. After all, Jesus came to set us free! We're looking forward to this summer, praying that as we journey together through Galatians, we'll be challenged to breathe in the presence of Jesus and walk in dependence on him, every day.