Using the vineyard metaphor, Jesus invites us to join Him in a mission to impact the world. This weekend we’re talking about our incredible opportunity, as well as our possible reactions. How have you reacted up till now? What is your reaction moving forward? Our prayer is that over these next four weeks, you will leave encouraged to impact your community and beyond…because of Jesus.

Gift giving is a common occurrence during the Christmas season. The best gift givers find ways to give gifts special and significant to the person receiving it. When we give well, we impact the people around us in incredible ways, so this weekend we are looking at John 3:14-18 and talking about becoming a giver who makes a positive impact on others. Chances are, you want to positively impact the world around you, so you should come and be a part of our conversation.

Have you ever been challenged to do something or try something? Of course you have! And if you tried it, what happened next? You likely told people about the experience. This weekend we are going to look at John 1:35-42a and talk about something you might want to try. Hopefully we see you there.

What happens when a tourist in Jamaica is offered a winter coat—or a freezing South Dakotan is handed snorkel gear? The absurdity highlights an important truth: context matters. In this week’s message from John 1:29-34, we’ll explore how understanding our sin deepens our appreciation for God’s gift of grace through Jesus. Only when we realize our need for a Savior can we truly grasp the significance of Christmas.

At times it can be tempting to think “I’m better on my own” or “I can do this by myself.” As Jesus was getting ready to leave his closest friends, he knew they needed help. If they were going to do what he was asking of them, they couldn’t do it alone. Even bigger than that, if they were going to become the people he knew they could be, they couldn’t become that version of themselves on their own. You can’t do all you could do or be all you can be if you’re doing it on your own. Good news: you don’t have to.

Wonderful has become an old word. It’s definitely not wonderful. One likely doesn’t hear high schoolers yelling, “that’s wonderful!” when something great happens. Merriam-Webster says it means “unusually good.” So when God through the Psalmist says we were “wonderfully made” it is as if he was saying the way we were created was “unusually good.” This is significantly better than an average creation by a typical creator. You are an above average creation, wonderfully made! We’re exploring this truth when we meet this weekend.

There can be a lot of pressure to find the right person to date as a teenager, an adult in one’s twenties or at any time, really. Like Tom Cruise’s character in Jerry Maguire there is a feeling we need someone else to “complete” us. We think we need our Dorothy. Join us as we explore the topic of singleness this weekend, see what Jesus had to say about it and learn how the Church can better support those who are single.

One of the criticism of Christians and those who attend church has been the rules. From the outside, and often from within, it can seem Christianity is full of do’s and don’ts that are preached about in church services, but not lived out throughout the rest of the week. It’s a fair critique and not unique to the 21st century. Jesus addresses rules based religion in one of his earliest recorded sermons with a variety of topics, including divorce. Hopefully you can join us and learn how this applies to your life…even if you are currently single.

In a blog post, Carey Nieuwhof reviews some information coming out of a study done by Barna Group which shows only 21% of those identifying as Non-Christian have a positive perception of the local church. As a whole, only 44% of males and 49% of females surveyed have a positive perception of the local church. While the goal of the local church may not be to make everyone like it, what should the goal be? It’s likely not what culture at large suspects. This is what we will discuss in this week’s message.

We are excited to have Pastor Zach Bauer preaching this weekend as we continue our CounterCultural 2024 series.