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Baptism and Children

During a Sunday School class, young Cassie folded her hands and bowed her head as her class watched a story about Christian missionaries.

This is one of the greatest reasons why we are ministering the way we do in Kershaw!

And just this past Sunday Beverly led the children’s class in a program.  This program expressed that our children need their parents to lead them to Christ and live out the spiritual walk.

A special part of this Baptismal service that you see in the picture is that Kershaw First Baptist allowed us to have the baptism in their church building. Just as their lettering above the pool suggests, we are in this together.  Thanks so much for letting it show!

Dedicating Your Family

 

 

 

We are always excited to join in when parents and grandparents formally dedicated their little ones to the Lord!  Four families took part in this celebration Sunday.

You can see below what dedicating your family means as a part of Team Church.

 

Child Dedication, October 21, 2012

 

Child Dedication

Child dedication is taking a moment with the church and your child to pledge to raise him or her according to Christian values and practices. It includes taking seriously your personal role in praying for him or her, making a home that blesses him or her, and the primary responsibility to lead your child to know and love Jesus Christ to the best of your ability.

Also this service offers your church fellowship, and others of your family, the opportunity to pledge a similar commitment. In the Bible, Jesus himself was dedicated in the Temple, and as an adult, he welcomed children warmly, held them, and taught them about His Kingdom. The church you belong to promises to welcome, care for, and lead your child in the example of Jesus.

At Team Church, a child dedication does not include baptism. We wait until a child is old enough to believe and understand the true meaning of salvation and baptism. Once a child has made the personal decision to trust Christ, he or she will have the opportunity to request to be baptized. Then, we can celebrate that too!

Sermon Audio: Do Hard Things (Part 2)

Scott Whaley’s two part series from the Sermon on the Mount is online at the Team Church Sermon page:  http://teamchurch.org/sermons.html#DoHardThings

or you can stream the second sermon below by pressing play:

Press Play here

Question:  In Scott’s Sermon he played a movie clip from Facing the Giants.  Comment below whether you’ve seen this movie or not.  Or just let us know you stopped by.

Make plans to talk more next Sunday

Awesome Things

I’ve been really encouraged over the noticeable spirit Team Church has had over the last two to three months.  We are seeing people receive salvation, newcomers in almost every service and people joyfully serving in new roles, and those who come to the small group on Sunday nights are consistently vocal about being true disciples of Christ.  Man, this is terrific!  That is the real stuff that churches should be seeing–just like the church of Acts 2… people coming to Christ, sharing with and serving one another.

Need to Share

One thing that regularly comes up in our Sunday night small group is people want to talk more with one another.  Sundays aren’t always the easiest to sit and chat.  That time is set aside for creating an atmosphere of praise and worship to God, and for us, it takes a lot more than just showing up.

Make Plans Now (No Small Group Oct. 21)

Small groups have been essential for Team Church for people to talk more and share more life with one another.  If  you haven’t been showing up on Sunday nights recently at the Methodist Church, please consider coming Oct. 28.  We won’t be meeting next week however.  Instead we encourage you to make afternoon or dinner plans with someone you want to get to know better!

So make plans right now!  Call up or text someone with who you can invest some extra time.

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Fasting Challenge – Pentecost

Over the last two Sundays, I introduced the discipline of fasting to Team Church.  This is a special time of giving up food or other meaningful things to seek the Lord for something you need.

I am really grateful that so many of the Team Church folks, and even those outside our community, are fasting.  God is answering!

Yesterday’s message came from Isaiah 58.  It gives many promises for those who will fast with the right attitude, but it also gives many precautions for those who practice religious things but won’t drop their pride and self-righteousness.  That persons fasting only results in an empty belly.

Part of the fasting that pleases God is for us to be actively taking away from ourselves and giving it to others.  One example may be to not just abstain from food, but to give away what you would have eaten.  It’s not a rule because there are many examples in the chapter, but that’s the idea portrayed in Isaiah 58.  How we treat others is so very important when we are trying to connect with God.

I didn’t mention it yesterday, but it was Pentecost Sunday which commemorates the day that the Holy Spirit came down to empower the Church.  Keep praying that the Holy Spirit will not only lead us in Kershaw but empower us!

Have a great Memorial Day and demonstrate the Gospel to others!

Also please make your plans to share this Thursday evening together:

Prayer and Strategy meeting Thursday, May 31st @ 7pm

Everyone is invited to the meeting at the Timmons’ home next Thursday night for a prayer and strategy meeting.  Plus, we have encouraged everyone to pray and fast for the church in three specific ways.

  • Direction for the Church in Kershaw
  • We see people come to know Jesus in Kershaw
  • God send more workers for the mission in Kershaw

I encourage all of us to fast and pray during that day prior to the meeting and we will have food to share together at the meeting. ( heavy hors d’oeuvres).  Childcare will not be available, so please make  arrangements for sitters.

Make plans to attend the Prayer and Strategy Meeting

Prayer and Strategy meeting Thursday, May 31st @ 7pm

Everyone is invited to the meeting at the Timmons’ home next Thursday night for a prayer and strategy meeting.  Plus, we have encouraged everyone to pray and fast for the church in three specific ways.

  • Direction for the Church in Kershaw
  • We see people come to know Jesus in Kershaw
  • God send more workers for the mission in Kershaw

I encourage all of us to fast and pray during that day prior to the meeting and we will have food to share together at the meeting. ( heavy hors d’oeuvres).  Childcare will not be available, so please make  arrangements for sitters.

We believe God is going to speak to us through this time of seeking Him.

Fasting Challenge

Yesterday, we began a two-part message on fasting.    I call it “We Need Help:  Fast.”

Here is a copy of the hand-out asking that people would fast for Team Church.

How you begin and conduct your fast will largely determine your success. By following these basic steps to fasting, you will make your time with the Lord more meaningful and spiritually rewarding.

STEP 1: Set Your Objective

People fast for many reasons:  spiritual renewal, for guidance, for healing, for the resolution of problems, for special grace to handle a difficult situation.

In addition to any personal reasons…

Team Church is asking that you fast specifically for

  • Direction for the Church in Kershaw
  • We see people come to know Jesus in Kershaw
  • God send more workers for the mission in Kershaw

If possible, please fast at least one meal weekly for the next two weeks.  Or you can fast for 24 hours (see back for a suggested schedule). Another recommendation would be to abstain from something meaningful besides your diet for longer periods such as a week-long fast from television, Facebook and other media.  Choose the type and duration of fast that will be most significant to you.

STEP 2: Prepare Yourself Spiritually

The very foundation of fasting and prayer is repentance. Unconfessed sin will hinder your prayers. Here are several things you can do to prepare your heart:

Ask God to help you make a comprehensive list of your sins.

  • Confess every sin that the Holy Spirit calls to your remembrance and accept God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
  • Seek forgiveness from all whom you have offended, and forgive all who have hurt you (Mark 11:25; Luke 11:4; 17:3,4).
  • Make restitution as the Holy Spirit leads you.
  • Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit according to His command in Ephesians 5:18 and His promise in 1 John 5:14,15.
  • Surrender your life fully to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Master; refuse to obey your worldly nature (Romans 12:1,2).
  • Meditate on the attributes of God, His love, sovereignty, power, wisdom, faithfulness, grace, compassion, and others (Psalm 48:9,10; 103:1-8, 11-13).
  • Begin your time of fasting and prayer with an expectant heart (Hebrews 11:6).
  • Do not underestimate spiritual opposition. Satan sometimes intensifies the natural battle between body and spirit (Galatians 5:16,17).

STEP 3: Prepare Yourself Physically

Fasting requires reasonable precautions. Consult your physician first, especially if you take prescription medication or have a chronic ailment such as diabetes. Some people should never fast without professional supervision.  Please do not let yourself become dehydrated while on a fast.

Physical preparation makes the change in your eating routine a little easier so that you can turn your full attention to the Lord in prayer.  Do not rush into your fast.  Prepare your body. Eat smaller meals before starting a fast. Avoid high-fat and sugary foods.  Eat raw fruit and vegetables for two days before starting a fast.

Prepare yourself for temporary mental discomforts, such as impatience, crankiness, and anxiety.

Withdrawal from caffeine and sugar may cause headaches. Physical annoyances may also include weakness, tiredness, or sleeplessness.

STEP 4: Put Yourself on a Schedule

For maximum spiritual benefit, set aside ample time to be alone with the Lord. Listen for His leading. The more time you spend with Him, the more meaningful your fast will be.

If you desire to do a 24 hour fast, begin with eating supper one night, then spend the rest of the evening in prayer.  Use these reminders below for the next morning, noontime, and finally break the fast with supper the next evening, celebrating what God has done in this time with him.

Evening after supper

Get alone for an unhurried time of “seeking His face.”

Avoid television or any other distraction that may dampen your spiritual focus.

When possible, end each day on your knees with your spouse for a brief time of praise and thanksgiving to God.

Morning

Begin your day in praise and worship.

Read and meditate on God’s Word, preferably on your knees.

Invite the Holy Spirit to work in you to will and to do His good pleasure according to Philippians 2:13.

Invite God to use you. Ask Him to show you how to influence your world, your family, your church, your community, your country, and beyond.

Pray for His vision for your life and empowerment to do His will.

Noon

Return to prayer and God’s Word.

Take a short prayer walk.

Spend time in intercessory prayer for your pastor, and the direction of our church.  Ask that God would send more workers into the mission of Kershaw.

Spend time asking for revival beginning with yourself.

Enjoy dinner with others after 24 hours!

STEP 5: Expect Results

If you sincerely humble yourself before the Lord, repent, pray, and seek God’s face; if you consistently meditate on His Word, you will experience a heightened awareness of His presence (John 14:21). The Lord will give you fresh, new spiritual insights. Your confidence and faith in God will be strengthened. You will feel mentally, spiritually, and physically refreshed. You will see answers to your prayers.

–adapted from Bill Bright, 7 Basic Steps to Successful Fasting and Prayer.  For more guidelines and information regarding longer fasts see

http://www.ccci.org/training-and-growth/devotional-life/personal-guide-to-fasting/01-message-from-bill-bright.htm

My 14th Anniversary

14 years ago I married my sweetheart Alison!

God has blessed us with one another.

Series Summary…”What you bring to the table”

I believe that the Holy Spirit is leading a movement for the Church to unite over the issue of race.  Several pastors have recently highlighted the fact that Sundays are the most segregated times for the believer.  Several pastors are becoming unsettled about the fact that believers aren’t moving toward unity with other churches.

And these pastors, including me, aren’t conspiring with each other…it all just happened because we are led in that direction.  Of course the Holy Spirit is the One directing this movement.  I’m not claiming a prophecy here but I believe that something big in the area of race relations is building among the churches in our area.  The Holy Spirit is on the move.

We’ve come to the end of the collection of sermons for “What You Bring to the Table.”  For the next few days, I will review some of what we learned from the series.

First was the vision for Peter of the sheet coming from heaven in Acts 10.  He learned that “God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.”

He found out that his prejudice against a whole people group was actually hindering what God was doing through the burgeoning move of God to take the Gospel to everyone, everywhere, and even to the ends of the earth.

Satan didn’t like it then, and he won’t like it now…but trust God and follow the directing of the Spirit in this area!

Spring-a-thon May 12-13… find out how to serve

***update:  there is a lot going on here so please choose where you’d like to serve.  In other words, you don’t have to do it all.  Thanks***  Go to our facebook page to let us know when you’d like to help:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-Church-Lancaster-County/130550805890

Spring-a-thon is coming May 12-13.  It has become a joke that it always rains on Spring-a-thon, but there is a reason we’re always talking about rain…it’s because we’re always there.  You can count on Team Church pitching in and serving the town.    This is really what we love to do most in town…just serve the people we live around!  You can serve in at least three areas.

Fun Run 3k

Again this year we are leading the Fun Run 3 k.  Please come and enjoy yourself with this event.  Run or help direct the flow, pass out water, medals, and encouragement.

Check out the route starting at the First Citzens’ Parking lot here:  http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/88932743/

2011 Fun Run Participants

Bouncy House

Also we will be operating a bouncy castle and obstacle course (courtesy of Covenant Baptist in Lancaster :).  We could use plenty of help with putting up and down the equipment and supervising children.

Pro Tennis Exhibition

Team Church has also been asked to help out on Sunday evening at the Tennis event.  This will be such a neat experience!  We need some volunteers who can prepare brownies and have them placed in a snack baggie for the event.  This could be done ahead of time and we will need a total of 150.

Also, for the Sunday event we need folks to welcome and assist with crowd flow and parking and inflating helium balloons.  Get times and more info from the Tennis Exhibition Flyer.

Weekend to Remember is HERE!!!

This is a really big weekend for Team Church…but not for the reasons you normally think.  Much time, money, and a long period of fasting weekly is all about what will be happening in Concord this weekend at the Weekend to Remember Marriage Conference.

For months we’ve been offering the couples we know to go to the Family Life Marriage Event held this weekend in Concord, NC.  This is the same event that our Lead Team attended last Novemeber.  I can’t stress enough what this has meant to our marriages.

In fact, it meant so much that we decided to make a way for others to go.  We knew that most would not go simply because of the costs involved, so we offered to take that out of the equation for them.  We wanted to give every reason for the couples we know to make their marriages solid and founded on God’s Word.

Please, Please, Please pray for the couples who attend this weekend event.  Pray for the speakers too.  So much depends on the Spirit in this conference.  It is very likely that couples will be driven by so many emotions like bitterness, hurt, and selfishness.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to overcome!

New Series Begins Sunday

A few weeks back a message series idea began to stir in me surrounding racism and the church.  As I studied, I found that throughout the church’s Biblical history the issue is larger than just race…the church is divided over culture, social status, economics, and much more.  In other words, the prejudice of church people goes beyond racism.

Why is the Kingdom so divided when God placed the members in His Church just the way he wanted?  Why do church people elevate themselves and put others down?

A new series begins Sunday by asking “What do you bring to the table?”  Some things you bring to the table–or the Kingdom of God–is awesome and showcases the grand variety God enjoys.  But with great diversity, there is a great temptation for favoritism and partiality.  Those dangerous attitudes have no place at the table.

 

TC welcomes Byron Sellers

This weekend at Team Church (April 22nd)  we have a special guest.  Let me introduce you to Mr. Byron Sellers who has recently been on missions in the Dominican Republic providing wheelchairs to the poor and disabled.   He works with Joni & Friends, the ministry of Joni Eareckson Tada.  You can see some photos from the Dominican Republic here on Joni’s website.

Byron recently preached to the inmates at Kershaw Correctional, where I chaplain.  Here are just a couple of minutes of his testimony becoming paralyzed at 14 years old, and how he knows that God is working through his disability.

This Sunday, please welcome Mr. Byron Sellers to Team Church.

How many churches have you joined?

How many churches have you joined?

  1. My first church was Ashwood Church of the Nazarene.  I think of great music and powerful preaching (read shouting).  I think of volleyball and the children’s church that my grandmother led.
  2. We then moved to Wayside Baptist probably when I was a young teen.  The whole family was baptized when we joined.  This church makes me think of puppets and counting ceiling tiles (oh brother!).
  3. My later teens were spent at Bishopville Church of the Nazarene.  These were seminal moments in my spiritual life.  I knew God was real and I loved Him.  These were also the years that I sang in a family band, and the time I met the girl who would be my wife.

I’ve joined three more since becoming an adult, but I’m amazed at how these churches have molded me.  Several pastors came and went.  But still there was a spirit in each church that influenced and challenged me.

Now I wonder how does my current church shape my spiritual life?  Foremost, I believe that the spirit of Team Church leads with grace.  It challenges me to stick it out with others with the love of Christ.

In a couple of weeks, I feel the Lord leading me to speak more on grace, and I hope that it challenges and shapes everyone at Team Church to show more grace to others.  By the way, Team Church will conduct a long overdue Direct Connect…which is our way of doing membership/covenants.

What are the churches that have greatly influenced you and why?

If you missed Sunday’s message, “It Ain’t Over Yet,” you can stream it online or download it at our sermon page.
www:teamchurch.org/sermons.html#John.  You can scroll down for all of the sermons from this John series.

Or just hit the play button below.

When Tweets Clash: Paradoxes of internet truth

So many wise and inspirational sayings are shared on facebook.  So many “if you love Jesus, then you will forward it with ten friends” chain e-mails going around.

Do these bits of wisdom motivate you?  They motivate me to unsubscribe or hit the delete button more often than not.

Today, a blogger (nukelearfishing) I follow wrote a great post on what happens when these proverbial shares, likes, and tweets clash:

An example would be the proverbs, “Many hands make light work”* and “Too many cooks spoil the broth.” If we saw either of them on their own we might say that they are true, but when you put them together there is at least a creative tension between them, if not a conflict. We either have to decide that one is right and the other is wrong or be prepared to live with them as a paradox. For the most part we are very happy to do that. It’s like some optical illusions where the same picture can be seen in two ways.

The blogger goes on to make the point that while most people can deal with the seemingly contradictory sayings of the internet, they aren’t so quick to live with the paradoxes concerning God, such as

  • God’s discipline and love
  • Jesus is simultaneously and fully human and fully God

Christian faith has more than a few paradoxes.

  • With Jesus the way up is down or becoming lowly.
  • The way to save your life is to give it up.
  • We are to crucify self and love our enemies.

Living in tension while trusting that God knows best is part of having faith in the first place.

You don’t have to understand how it is true to trust God’s truth.  In my experience, God rewards those who choose to walk in faith by giving them more understanding only after they take their first steps.

If you are a sharer of internet philosophy, take a moment to consider if what you are saying holds true all the time.  How would a person in various circumstances practically apply what you’re saying.  And for goodness sake, please take a moment before you try to guilt people into passing this truth along only “if they love Jesus.”

Spring-a-thon Fun Run

Spring-a-thon is coming up soon and that means that Team Church will be conducting a Fun Run.

This is a 3k run that we have been asked to lead the last couple of years.  Dr. Howell, our local dentist has always supported the race with medals, trophies and t-shirts.   And the AJ Football team has always brought a team to run.

Kershaw FUN RUN for the Spring-A-Thon May 12th @ 8:00 am

Here’s an opportunity for us to provide a kind service for our community.  Let me know if you want to help with the event.

Lazy Fishermen and Dolphins

I was watching animals again on PBS last night, and I was amazed at these dolphins who have discovered a great way to catch fish.  They swim downstream in a channel at just the right time, and create a sort of temporary mud dam by stirring the ground with their tails.  The dolphins create a funnel or a “V” shape which directs the fish toward one point where they have no where else to go but up.  The fish jump out of the water and over the dam…and right into the waiting mouth of the dam’s architect.  Pretty cool.  That’s the equivalent of fish jumping right into the fisherman’s boat!

John 21 begins by describing a much less successful fishing expedition.

They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4 When daybreak came, Jesus stood on the shore. However, the disciples did not know it was Jesus.

5 “Men,” Jesus called to them, “you don’t have any fish, do you?”

“No,” they answered.

6 “Cast the net on the right side of the boat,” He told them, “and you’ll find some.” So they did, and they were unable to haul it in because of the large number of fish. 7 Therefore the disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”

When Jesus called the first four disciples, he called fisherman.  And after Jesus rose from the dead…after they disciples had received the Holy Spirit and Great Commission from the risen Savior, they went back to fishing?!

AND THEY WERE REALLY BAD AT IT TOO!  It just doesn’t add up, does it?  It seems kind of obvious that their calling in life was not to walk with Jesus and change lives, and witness the greatest promise of God come true, and then return to a normal life.

“Fishing on the wrong side of the boat” ought to be a saying that describes Christians who try to act like they are not called to live differently.  The fact is that Jesus didn’t purchase us for nothing…The price He paid for us should motivate us to follow Him where He leads us, and not always where we feel most comfortable.

Well, getting back to my dolphin illustration in the beginning of this post, you can spot the genius in the dolphins’ strategy.  It reveals creativity and the ability to plan and execute.  And it really works.  Compare that to the disciples strategy for “catching men.” It reveals a defeated attitude, and a complete lack of understanding of people who need to be “caught” or told the Good News that Jesus is Messiah.  This strategy of just going fishing with the people you already know doesn’t work!

God gave us the ability to do far more than net a load of fish for supper.  He gave us creativity, strategy, and ability to spread the news of Jesus…the question is are we doing it or are we just trying to live our lives our way?

Suffering, Death, Redemption

As Good Friday approaches we should be thinking more about the way Jesus suffered for us and eventually gave up His life for us.

Jesus was tortured and humiliated.  He took the mocking, the crown of thorns, beatings, flogging, bearing the cross, and then came the crucifixion.

Then came the crucifixion: crude and jagged nails like railroad spikes were driven into his wrists and feet.    His body was lifted up on the cross so that he would hang and suffocate, and then have to inch his body up to catch breath.

The thought of the suffering and pain of our Lord helps us to appreciate the price paid for us.  But it is not just the physical pain that Jesus suffered.  It also speaks of a greater price of his soulWe often think of the blood that he shed, but think now of the blood running through his heart which was broken and guilty of the sins of the world.

the price He paid was awesome.  If you want to listen to Sunday’s sermon in it’s entirety, you can visit the sermon page on the website or click the play below.

Below is from Spurgeon’s “Bought with a Price” that helped me (emphasis mine)

We speak of the drops of blood, but we must not confine our thoughts to the crimson life-floods which distilled from the Savior’s veins; we must think of the pangs which he endured, which were the equivalent for what we ought to have suffered, what we must have suffered had we endured the punishment of our guilt for ever in the flames of hell. But pain alone could not have redeemed us; it was by death that the Savior paid the ransom.

Death is a word of horror to the ungodly. The righteous hath hope in his death; but as Christ’s death was the substitute for the death of the ungodly, he was made a curse for us, and the presence of God was denied him. His death was attended with unusual darkness; he cried, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” O think ye earnestly on this. The Ever-living died to redeem us; the Only Begotten bowed his head in agony, and was laid in the grave that we might be saved.

Celebrating 3 Years Anniversary

I don’t know if Team Church is really having an anniversary or a birthday since we launched three Easter’s ago.

But whatever you call it, we are celebrating!

God has been so good to us over the last three years.  And really it feels like much longer than that because the core launch team has been praying, fasting, planning and working for so long before we began.

I appreciate all the hard work that has been put into creating a space for us to worship weekly.  Without your diligence, we couldn’t have the kind of services we do.  I hope you share in the joy that comes with working for the Lord.

God has created this special place for people in Kershaw.  And we celebrate that!

Come Sunday when we will be sharing in Holy Communion together.

Why we do community events

Yesterday I mentioned a couple of community events.  That got me thinking about the events that Team Church has conducted in the past.

I’ll start by saying that I am extremely proud of Team Church events beginning with the Easter Egg Hunt that launched the church in 2009.  By the way, Olivia Hann, our worship leader is hosting an egg hunt for children on Saturday, April 7th from 2:30pm to 4pm.    Bring a basket or bag.  

2011 Fun Run Participants at Kershaw's Spring-a-Thon ...0bviously caught in the middle of racing past me at high speeds 😉

I think it is helpful to express why we do what we do when it comes to community events.

  • First, we try to pick things where we can serve the community.  Movie nights, Spring-a-thon Fun Run, Blood Pressure Check-ups, volunteer at Youth Serve, serving hot chocolate at the Christmas parade, back to school shoe give-a-ways, etc.  They provide a source of entertaining or needed activity.  By the way, we believe that giving a family something fun to do together for a night in Kershaw–like a movie–serves a great need, just like a pair of new shoes serves a need.
  • Secondly, we try to offer an opportunity for the community to also serve in some way.  With every project, there should be a way that you can involve others.  For instance, when you come to see a free movie, ask people to donate school supplies.  I love giving people opportunities to feel blessed when they give back.  No joke.  People feel great when they contribute and I simply try to offer them a way to engage.
  • Third, we avoid making it self-promoting.  I can’t deny that it is my nature to want to brag on my church and also promote it, but everyone smells what a church is cooking when a “give-a-way” becomes a bargaining chip for your contact info.  It is not wrong, and I waiver with doing it in small degrees, but basically I try to avoid it at events.  We believe it is refreshing to give away or serve others without any awkward strings attached.

Finally, I believe that Team Church has a reputation for being quick to serve others, including serving other churches.  But I don’t think that it has come because of the events we’ve done.

I believe it comes more from the people of Team Church being the kind and serving people that they are in their everyday and weekend activities outside of church.  Many of the folks at Team Church volunteer their time, help with other organizations and are typically active people in the community.  The church gets some credit simply because these people are so awesome…but really the church is the people, right?

Keep thinking about some community events that would be meaningful, and make some suggestions in the comments.  I am always open to your collaboration!