A Note From Chris - April 14, 2022

EASTER IS HERE!

I hope you are praying, inviting, planning, and worshiping your way to one of the most important and powerful weekends on our calendar as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus this Sunday, Easter Sunday! Here are a few thoughts heading into the weekend:

1. Pray, Invite, Attend
More than perhaps any other time of year, people outside of Christ are more open at Easter. As a simple formula for the next few days, my encouragement is to very simply:

Pray – Pray for your Ones, pray for your neighbors, pray for conversations, pray for open hearts, pray for our volunteers and staff, pray for the message to be clear and meaningful to hearts. Please pray!

Invite – You’ve probably seen the stats and heard the encouragement to invite. Who do you yet need to follow up with or ask to come with you for Easter?

Attend – I hope you are planning to come in person to Easter services. If you have not made plans to do so yet or have been hesitant to get back in person, this is a great weekend to come. What we are doing together and celebrating together is a huge pillar of the Christian faith and is worth our commitment and presence.

2. Good Friday
Join us Friday night at 7pm for our Good Friday service, which will be a prelude to Easter by reflecting on the cross of Christ and his sacrifice. Death and resurrection are completely tied together. We can’t have Easter without Good Friday. It will be a time of reflective worship and prayer, and I will share the last part of our “Famous Last Words” with Jesus’ statement: “It Is Finished.”

3. Baptisms
Currently, we have a couple of people planning to be baptized this weekend. I’ve been praying and hoping to have one person in each service at each campus. The message of new life in Christ is contagious and compelling. Perhaps you’ve been putting off baptism or realize you need to take that next step. Please respond to this message if you’d like to have a conversation about being baptized this Sunday!

4. Easter Services
Our teams have been working hard to prepare to receive guests in Shiloh and O’Fallon. Each campus will have petting zoos out front and multiple photo spots available for you and your people. We are making space and expecting you and your Ones. Our first time guests are being entered into a special drawing for a gift. Our elders and others are literally praying over every chair. I’ve prepared a challenging and encouraging message which will be based out of 1 Corinthians 15. We are expecting life change and a move of God. I for one can’t wait to celebrate with you.

See you Sunday!

Yours and His,
Chris VandeLinde

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