Easter 2013

Wow- God gave us a great Easter!  Thank you Jesus for the gift of Eternal life!  I also want to thank the hundreds of volunteers that made our Good Friday and Easter Sunday services rock!  We had an “all hands on deck” call out and you served in droves.  How fun is it to worship in a full room with people celebrating our risen Lord?  We had 12 people indicate that they trusted Jesus as their savior for the first time- that makes our Easter Celebration even bigger.

I love watching the kids get the Easter Eggs!  The older kids cleaned up over 500 eggs in minutes and the younger kids- lets just say they are into certain colors and taking their time.  One of the more competitive moms told me she had coached up her kids in the art of picking up eggs.  She said the strategy was- “Go to the farthest point and work your way back – and then she taught them the art of the double pick up”.  All I can say is wow! And I thought I was competitive.

I am sure you have read enough and you would like to see some pictures- so here you go.

If you don’t see the slide show- click here.

You Have The Power!

It seems like weekly we hear a story about the abuse of power in our country and around the world.  These men or women have power because of position, name and or money and their stories of theft, abuse, enslavement and intimidation all find their roots in the abuse of power.  These people take their power and use it to meet their selfish needs.  Such are the stories that riddle our world and bring us to disgust.

How different it was with Jesus.  We read in Philippians 2:

(6) Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. (7) Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, (8) he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Rather than use His power to save himself- Jesus used His power to save us.  Jesus surrendered his position as Lord to become one of us and die on a cruel cross for our redemption. That doesn’t make sense in the world we live in and yet that is the call of Christ for us as well.    We are called to use our power to help people discover the love and forgiveness of God found in Jesus Christ.

I asked you to make a list of people you are going to pray for and invite to Easter Sunday.  You have the power of influence- will you use it this week to invite someone to hear the “good news” of Easter?  Make your list- pray for these folks daily and then invite them to come with you this Sunday.

Do you have a high-schooler in your home?

Church at the Bay High School Students and Parents trip to Haitihaiti

 

There is a great opportunity for high-schoolers and their parents this summer.  We are planning a mission trip to Haiti, July 18th, for students (8th – 12th grade) and their parents.  One of my great memories from high school was going on a mission trip with my dad to Cuba.  It was a time of spiritual growth for me and some great memories for us both.  Mission trips have to ability to disconnect you from the world and connect you to God through serving others.  If you are interested in being a part of the trip or would just like some more information, we are having a meeting this Sunday, March 24th, at the Church Office to go over trip details and answer questions.  The meeting will start at 3pm in the “warehouse” section of the office.  If you have any other questions, please feel free to call the office (813.579.3978) or email me @ hmayer@churchatthebay.com.  Below you will find a short video of the last trip to Haiti made by one of our students, Michael Chandler.   For more information about the organization that we partner with or our village that we sponsor, go to catborphanproject.com.

Trip Meeting:

Who: 8th- 12th graders and their parents

When: Sunday, March 24th at 3pm

Where: Church Office – 12700 Dupont Circle, Tampa FL 33626

Hal Mayer

Student Pastor

Here is a video update from our last trip:


No Video?  Click here

Get Your Invite On … EASTER!

Easter Mailer Front 2013

Easter Mailer Back Top

Page 2 of137«12345»102030...Last »