This Sunday we are test driving CATB @ The Food Court! We meet a half of a mile from Citrus Park Mall and this Sunday we are going to “do lunch” in the food court. We figure the Mall spent all that money to build a food court for us- let’s use it. It will give us a chance to connect and the kids can play.
Here is the 411:

• After Church Sunday go to the Food Court
• We will have a marked table where you and your family can get name tags
• Get your food and hang out
• I hope to see you there.

Finally, here is a video of just the Baby Dedication from the weekend. I believe the count was 19 kids. See you this weekend…

This weekend was slammed with babies and hope- we had Baby Dedication! Later this week I will post the video segment from our baby dedication- I am sure you will enjoy it.
So here was the weekend:

• We had the first Block party on Friday night- my block. I am guessing now-40 people showed up and we had a ball. Met a bunch of neighbors and we closed it down around 11:30pm. By the end of the night the adults were sitting in chairs at the end of my driveway just talking. We decided we needed to do this again. Have you scheduled yours?
• The energy rose quickly at CATB on Sunday- even before the service started. People were coming early to make sure everything was in place (some saving places) for the baby dedication.
• Church at the Bay is committed to creating environments that will help children understand God’s Love in age appropriate ways.
• The message was about- How to Pass on You Faith (as opposed to passing on your religion)
• The video should be posted later today in the upper right hand corner of this blog
• NEXT WEEK- right after the worship service we will head over to the mall to eat- everyone will come(we hope). As you already know, Citrus Park mall has all kinds of cool stuff for the kids. We will do name tags and I hope you get a chance to meet some new people.
• Next Monday Hal4, Neal and I will be headed to Haiti for 3 days to line up child sponsorships. I am really pumped about this. The group we are working with makes it possible to sponsor a child and then go on a mission trip to meet the child and work in their village. I will come back with a challenge for individual sponsorships. So start praying now! We also plan to take a team this fall to Haiti to meet their sponsored child and do some work- maybe you can go.
  

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We want you to throw a Block Party this summer! We have a bounce house and a small trailer (soon) that will allow you to get the Bounce House to your neighborhood. So why would a church encourage this? I believe we have been on a disconnection path for years, as a society. Interesting article in Parade Magazine about this very idea… click here for Parade article. How in the world can we ever make a difference if we don’t know our neighbors? That’s why the Block Party. Sandy, Susan, Justin and I are going after our neighborhood this Friday night. I will let you know how it goes. Let me be real clear, with some dos and don’ts of a Block Party:
Do

• Enlist the neighbors to help and bring food
• Put out a fliers on your block
• Schedule the use of the Bounce House with Don (Don@churchatthebay.com)- soon
• Choose any night of the week
• COLLECT CANNED FOOD FOR LOCAL FOOD BANKS INCLUDING METROPOLITAN MINISTRIES. (Put the food collected in the trailer and we will get it to the food bank.)
• Have a ball

Don’t

• Try to pimp Church at the Bay. This is about you connecting.
• Procrastinate

My hope is we will have 25 Block Parties this summer. How about you- why not step up and connect your neighborhood? Can we count on you to organize one in your neighborhood? Please email Don now- Don@churchatthebay.com

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