God Came Near – Matthew 1:18-25: Do you remember the story of the origin of the word "bedlam?" Its origins lie in a hospital in London called "The Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem." It was one of the first hospitals dedicated to the care of the vulnerable, dispossessed and the emotionally distressed. In the language of the day, it was called a lunatic asylum and over time, the name became shortened and slurred in the common language of the day and eventually was called, "Bedlam." If you look the word up in your dictionary, one of the definitions you'll likely see is the name of the hospital. Look up bedlam in your thesaurus and you'll find words like "chaos, disorder, pandemonium." Go to Market Mall this weekend and you'll find bedlam at its finest! What happened to that heavenly peace we so love to sing about? Come this weekend and find a respite from the craziness around the communion table as we remember again who Jesus is and why he came to earth. It will be good for your soul!

God Came Near – Christmas Production: Have you ever wondered if God still speaks? We read all these fantastic stories in the Bible of the strange and unusual ways God spoke to his people: from a burning bush, in writing that mysteriously appears on a wall, through a stubborn talking donkey, in miraculous demonstrations by his prophets. But doesn't it seem sometimes, like God's stopped speaking that way? Or could it be that maybe we've stopped listening for God? We've stopped looking for him in the most unusual places because we don't really expect to hear from Him.  Foothills proudly presents our original production, Down to Earth. Our worship arts team has put together a powerful experience, you won't want to miss. With a message, we believe, straight from the heart of Jesus.

God Came Near – Isaiah 9:6: Kids.  What would Christmas be without them? (Besides infinitely more affordable!!)  Whether it’s a child, a grandchild, a niece or nephew or friend … they seem to bring so much joy to Christmas.  One of the really GREAT traditions around Foothills is our Annual Christmas presentation by our children.  Some will sing and some will dance and some will act and some will embarrass their parents but they will all make us smile!  And there’s one more thing they’ll do … they will minister to our hearts and souls.  They will help us understand and gain a new and creative perspective on Christmas.

God Came Near – John 1:5-14: Advent.  It always seems to sneak up on us!  If we're truly honest, it tends to draw us more towards preparing for the coming of Christmas than the coming of Jesus to earth.  We're consumed with tasks to be done:  shopping, baking, decorating, how to deal with "that" crazy relative!  (You know who I'm talking about!) The early church had far fewer distractions and began the practice of Advent as a way for preparing our hearts for the significance that Jesus came to be "our Immanuel - God with us."  This weekend we begin a series of services over the next month to help us understand the wonder of the truth that "God Came Near."  Prayerfully, we'll remember that he still comes near.  He is still Immanuel.  He still moves into our neighbourhoods and changes our stories.

Global Impact Weekend: "Starving and scared in East Ukraine." "Honduran Beauty Queen Found Dead." "Egyptian terror group Ansar Beit al-maqdis pledges alliance to ISIS." "Out of Control:  As Ebola spreads." Today's headlines from CNN make us wonder, "what is going on in our world and how do we even begin to make sense of it all?" We are so excited to have Dr. Mabiala Kenzo speak to us this weekend and share with us an African perspective on God's work in the world. Dr. Kenzo serves as the President of the Evangelical Community of the Alliance in the Congo in Africa. His work includes teaching theology, providing leadership for the larger church and facilitating partnerships for community development programs. He is a great leader, a great teacher and a great servant of God's people.  You will be informed and insprired by Dr. Kenzo's heart for God and for the world. Looking forward to worshipping with you this weekend!--Pastor Ian

Let Hope In – Acts 3:1-10: What would it take to make your life better?  A nicer home?  Newer car?  Kinder Spouse?  Smarter kids?  Warmer weather?  Better job?  Bigger bank account?  We all have our definitions of what a better life might entail but how often do we think "a deeper connection with Jesus" is really what we need most in life?  Is hope an assurance of God's intervention in our lives or is it just wishful thinking ... like I hope the Flames will make the playoffs this year?  I'm convinced Jesus longs to do so much more in my life than I ask or expect.  I'm too easily satisfied with temporal comforts and experiences.  This weekend we'll consider how God stepped into one man's life in a pretty spectacular fashion and we'll be encouraged to allow him to do the same in our lives. --Pastor Ian

Let Hope In – John 18:15-18 // John 18:25-27: "Regrets ... I've had a few ... but then again ... too few to mention."   Personally, I think Frank Sinatra was lying through his teeth when he sang those infamous words in his My Way diatribe!  I'm guessing, that if Ole Blue Eyes was being completely honest, his life was filled with regret and he should have said, "too many to mention"!  Something about his being married four times and his alleged mob connections just screams regret!  What do we do with those moments in life we can't have back: those words spoken without thought ... those choices without consideration ... those actions embraced without care for the corresponding consequences?  At the very heart of our very amazing gospel is something we call forgiveness.  God longs to extend it to us graciously and once received - it's incredibly liberating and transforming.  We'll talk about the connection of a life marked by hope with the reality of a life marked by forgiveness.  I hope you'll be able to join with us this weekend!

Let Hope In - Psalm 138: We've been thinking about hope these past several weekends...now, we'll shift our focus to the expression or manifestation of hope in our lives:  gratitude. People who are living out of the hope we have in Jesus become profoundly grateful people. Grateful people are great to be around ... grumpy people? Not so much! Let's learn together this weekend and discover the key to living a grateful life. Just maybe, people might like being around us a little more if we discover this truth in Psalm 138!

Let Hope In – Marriage: This weekend, we're joined by guest speaker, Mark Gungor, who shares a practical and humorous message of hope for navigating relationships.  Mark is a highly sought-after speaker on marriage and family. He is pastor of Celebration Church in Green Bay, WI. Each year thousands of couples attend his Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage® seminars.

Let Hope In – Matthew 8:1-13: From the time we were kids we were encouraged to make a wish! We sang "When you wish upon a star..." and looked up into the night sky to declare our wish to the heavens. Fairy tales and Disney movies produced genies and lamps and godmothers and magic wands and three wishes ... and our imaginations expanded to believe that maybe dreams do come true. But as we grew up, the glow faded. Hope became dim. We started to face stark reality: not all dreams come true. And so we gave up wishing. This weekend we're going to take a look at Jesus granting three wishes! Three hopes, desires, heartfelt pleas for help. We're going to see that He was more than able, and more than happy to do it! Come to church, bring your hidden hopes with you; maybe once again you'll raise your eyes to heaven and whisper, "This is my wish!" Maybe once again, with the faith of a child, you'll see that hopes and wishes and dreams can come tru