You Are Here - Nehemiah 1-3: What if you had the chance to read your own obituary?  Back in 1888, Alfred Nobel’s brother Ludwig passed away, however, the newspaper mistakenly published an obituary for Alfred.  The article focused on how he had made a fortune by inventing powerful explosives that enabled armies to achieve new levels of mass destruction.  Alfred was shocked to discover that all he would be remembered for was being “a merchant of death.”  This realization changed the course of Alfred’s life, and he began to use his fortune to award those who worked to make the world a better place.  These awards are known today as Nobel Prizes.  What about you?  If your obituary was published today, how would you be remembered?  Come this weekend as talk about living lives that are bigger than ourselves, and how we can make the world a better place.

You Are Here - John 1:40-46: Show and Tell.  It was probably my favorite time in school ... except for recess.  That was for sure my favorite time at school!  It was always interesting to listen and learn from classmates who would share their treasures and experiences.  It was likely the first public speaking experience for most of us!  It was pretty hard then, and TBH. ("to be honest" for the less cool who don't speak with acronyms ... LOL) it is still pretty hard.  And perhaps it's hardest when it comes to speaking about our faith in Jesus.  Why is it that the thing that matters most to us in life (our relationship with Jesus) is sometimes the most difficult to talk about?  It's so easy to talk about how sweet my wife is!  It's mostly easy to tell you about how mostly great my kids are!  Why do I get all tongue-tied when I try to talk about Jesus with others?  We are going to introduce to you this weekend one of the elements of our new vision that I'm most excited about.  It's another acronym - the word BLESS - and I cant' wait to encourage you with the beauty and simplicity of this method of starting conversations about Jesus.

You Are Here - Acts 2:42-47: Better Together.  We say it a lot around here.  But what does it really mean?  What does authentic Biblical community actually look like?  Can we really count on each other…lean on each other?  From the early church and modern day life this weekend we’re gonna unpack our vision and consider what it means to do life together.  Our weekend will be so much better and more meaningful if you’re able to join us.  We truly are better together.

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!