Pray

All night. Friday, June 21, 10 PM till Saturday at 6 AM. This will be the power booster behind all our efforts as we enter the new sanctuary. We want to enter with the power of God’s Spirit, not our own strength. Praying all night says to God: we really mean it Lord! We want you! We need YOU!

We will meet in the new commons. Then, through the night, there will be times of praying throughout the new sanctuary on both levels. There will be communion and times of ministry to one another in prayer as well as intercession for the ministry of the church.

This is a once in a lifetime prayer night. You will look back on the beginning of our life in the new sanctuary with great pleasure and remember: “I prayed all night when we entered this building and God has wonderfully answered our prayers in a great awakening in this place.” (Lord let it be!)

Park

One service (not three) means a tremendous parking crunch at service time. But we have plenty of room if we do our part. Besides the Litho lot across 8th Street there are over 200 parking places for our use directly across 7th Street from the new sanctuary. I hope most of you park in this big lot. The only people who should park in our onsite lot are elderly, handicapped and visitors. It is a ministry of outreach not to park in our lot.

Premier Praise

The first service of worship in our new sanctuary will be Sunday, June 23, 1991 at 10:30 AM. The service will be unusual in several ways: no pews yet—we will be on chairs (no cost to the church budget); and we will dress casual with bright colors, because following the service there will be a …

Jesus Parade

Or call it a “praise processional.” After last Sunday evening’s preparation (June 16), I am more excited than ever. What a great response from the couple hundred people who were there. You would have thought they had done this all their lives. I praise God for Tom Steller who sowed the seed, and for David Michael who has watered the tilled and fertilized it, and for Dean Palermo who has pruned and shaped the sapling into a beautiful tree, and for literally hundreds of people working to transplant it before the public. And most of all I praise God for his own grace to us in making the tree bear fruit.

I have seen God’s hand in this for over a year. Already it is making us bold and creative and outward-bound. I have seen it changing people—freeing and releasing and strengthening. This could be one of the most important things we have ever done as a church. That’s my prayer. See you there.

Your partner in praise,

Pastor John