Time Change This Sunday. We leap forward one hour.

Wow! Sunday was so fun and extremely inspiring as we celebrated 30 years of living on mission here in Western Nevada County. It was exciting to share some stories from our past as we reminisced on God’s faithful presence and provision. Let me encourage you to watch the entire service if you were not here on Sunday. We began with baptisms to remind ourselves that the main reason we exist is to lead people to know and follow Jesus. Do you realize that every person who was baptized signifies an eternity that has been determined and a life that is being transformed to look more like Jesus? At some point, we were all lost in our condition of sin. Aren’t we all grateful God used a person or church to help us see our need for Jesus? 

On Sunday, we talked about how we are here to represent Jesus as the hope of the world. He came from the glory of Heaven and Trinitarian reality to become the sacrifice for our sin. He came to make it possible for us to be brought into right relationship with God, the Father, who loves us. He came so that we could see, in Him, who God is and what He’s like. Our goal is to learn to know God through knowing Jesus. Our goal as a church is to help people see, by our trust in Jesus as our anchor, that they, too, can trust in Him. It was so good to be reminded of this on Sunday.

I want to express my gratitude to all the teams who make days like Sunday possible. There are too many people to list, but the teams that helped make Sunday happen are:

• Facility Care – who make sure our physical environment is like new and irresistible to show that we want to honor God and demonstrate that we expect something good to happen. 
• Hospitality – who make sure everyone who comes is welcomed with a smile. They provided coffee, donuts, hugs, information, connection, and warmth.
• Children’s Ministry – who serve our families by providing inspiring age-appropriate Bible teaching, music, and care.
• Student Ministry – who pray and brainstorm how to strategically reach our next generation of leaders by providing relevant opportunities for our students to know Jesus and grow in their faith.
• Worship Arts – who serve us through music, art, tech, and lead us in connection with God and each other.
• Spiritual Growth – who pray and brainstorm ways to bring us closer to God as we follow Jesus together.

We do this as we engage together to lead as many people as possible into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. We’ve been engaging together and with God to make a difference in our world, and the evidence is clear – He is using us for His glory. Let’s remember to express our gratitude for all He has done. As we launch into the next decade, let’s set our sights on Jesus and follow Him wherever He leads, no matter what circumstances we face. The goal is to BE with Jesus, Become Like Jesus, and Live Like Jesus Lived. Imagine the impact we could have in our world and community if we all made it our goal to SHARE LIFE, STRENGTHEN FAITH, SERVE OTHERS, and SPREAD HOPE. Let’s be this kind of church.

HEALTH UPDATE – Several of you have asked me to regularly let you know how to pray for me in this healing journey through cancer. The good news is that I am now swallowing easier after the stent was put into my esophagus, and I have gained FIVE pounds. Yay! I’ve now had four immunotherapy treatments, and I’m praying they awaken my immune system to tackle any rogue cells that may become cancerous aggressively. I’ve had tremendous back pain from my surgery wounds, and it appears that my health care practitioners have nailed down the cause. It seems as if one of my ribs was dislocated during the surgery and the cartilage was damaged where it connects to my spine. It appears to be easily inflamed, which causes me excruciating pain. The other side effect I’m feeling from my treatment is physical fatigue and brain fog. Thank you for your continued prayers. Please pray for all those in our circle of influence who have health concerns as you pray for me.

Here are some upcoming opportunities to SHARE LIFE, STRENGTHEN FAITH, SERVE OTHERS, and SPREAD HOPE to our family and community. 

FAMILY FILM NIGHT – Friday, March 25, 5:30-7:00pm at the church in the Student’s Multi-Purpose Room. Bring your own picnic dinner. The movie begins at 6:00pm. We’ll be watching 'Twas The Night Before Easter by the VeggieTale gang.

EASTER EGG CANDY COLLECTION – After two years off because of COVID, we’re ready to bring our families and community together for an incredible Easter experience. We want to have over 12,000 eggs stuffed with candy for the Egg Hunt. Will you help by bringing candy to church? You can order online and have your candy shipped to the church if it’s easier. Please make sure to order individually wrapped miniature candy. The deadline to receive candy is Wednesday, March 30 so we can get it stuffed in our plastic eggs. 

The EASTER EGG HUNT is on Saturday, April 16. Come enjoy the greatest Easter Egg Hunt ever at Scotten Elementary School Field! There will be a FREE pancake breakfast before the hunt starting at 8:30am. The egg hunt begins at 9:00am, but come early to park and walk into the field area.

The next DRIVE-THRU FOOD DRIVE collection day to support Interfaith Food Ministry is Friday, March 25, from 8:00-10:30am. Please bring your non-perishable foods to the church, and we’ll make sure all the food gets delivered to Interfaith. This is a huge help to the resource-challenged in our community. We’re also receiving specific items to help Hospitality House. Here’s how you can find out what they most need. Just bring items from this list with your food donations. 

MAN TIME – Saturday, March 26, 8:00-11:00am. Come enjoy a hearty breakfast, lots of laughs, and fun! Then hang out with us afterward to do some male bonding events like bowling, an adventure hike, or biking. The cost is $5 for breakfast. You need some man time!

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. We have two part-time jobs open right now for the person who not only wants to work but wants that work to make a difference in the lives of others. Here is the link to see the current job openings. If you’re interested in any of these positions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the person listed. We look forward to having you join our team of motivated servant leaders. 

THIS SUNDAY, we continue our UNLEASHING HOPE series. In this series, we’re focusing on ways the Gospel message of Jesus can change our everyday lives. The MOVING FORWARD series talked about where we’re headed as a church. It showed us just what we can expect as we walk this road together. “A good journey begins with knowing where we are and being willing to go someplace else.” I have been praying for you and me – that we will join Jesus on the journey He has for us. We can be people who continue to be transforming because of the hope we have in Jesus. This week, we will focus on how we are to be the hope for our community. God has placed us here in this place and time to be His ambassadors and represent Him to those around us. 

Here are the links you’ll need to prepare for Sunday’s Service: 

• Message Notes and Study Guide
• Weekly Spotify Playlist
• Children's Ministry
• Student Ministry 

Joyfully living everyday life on mission in intimacy with Jesus and others,

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