We had a wonderful Easter weekend. We had a new attendance record. We have not compared attendance notes like we usually do on Tuesday yet but it looks like 208 for now.
What was really great was to see so many people that we and other friends had personally invited. It makes everything so much more meaningful for everyone involved when there have been personal invitations!
Worship was great. There was an amazing attitude of worship on Sunday and it was beautiful to end the service with communion.
We started a new sermon series, something that is a bit strange to do on Easter Sunday, I know. It is called the Pentecostal Parish. This series will run till Pentecost Sunday. The first message was, The Pentecostal Parish is Christ Centered. If you don't know anything about Washington, Missouri, then you may not understand why we are doing this series. It is a town with a very strong German liturgical church tradition.
A Pentecostal Parish is Christ centered. It is exemplified in Peter's address to the crowd on the Day of Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus rose from the grave. In Peter's address to the crowd on the day of Pentecost he did not explain the details of the Holy Spirit's work, he pointed to Jesus.
In Peter's message he pointed out, Jesus is Real (Acts 2:22-23), Jesus is Risen (vs. 24-32), and Jesus is Relevant (vs. 34-39). As a Pentecostal Parish following the example of the early church, we believe that Jesus was a real man from a real place. We have committed real sins, they are historical facts in our lives. We need a real savior, that invades history, for real sins to be covered. We believe that Jesus rose literally and bodily form the grave. Finally, we believe that Jesus is relevant today because he is Lord, he is still speaking, forgiving and empowering.
We serve a wonderful God. His plan of salvation is amazing! It is also available for more than just us. "All who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
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