The LOOP at Sycamore Creek Church 9.15.11

It seems like we are constantly trying to find ways to make our lives more convenient…and why not? What’s wrong with making our lives better? If we make life more convenient, then we have more time to spend doing the things we enjoy with the people we love. It may come as a shock to you, but when it comes to following Jesus and being a true disciple…there is no path of convenience. It’s not about finding the easier, quicker, faster, express route to be a committed disciple. Being a follower of Jesus is INCONVENIENT. Join us this weekend as we begin this challenging 3-week series. This weekend’s message: DENY SELF.

Missed last week? Listen at... http://www.sycamorecreek.org/resources/podcast/

Request the midweek devotion, "Wednesday's Word"... bjennings@sycamorecreek.org

Meet the Pastor Potluck…
This Sunday at 6pm, Sycamore Creek is hosting a potluck dinner to give you an informal opportunity to meet my family and me. We look forward to the opportunity to meet more of our church family. Come out with your family and bring one of your favorite dishes to share!

E-Give…
You can pretty much do everything electronically this days…even giving to the church! In case you are not aware, SCC offers e-giving. This is an excellent safe and secure way to be consistent in your regular giving. My wife and I have been using e-give for about 5 years and it helps us to keep our giving a priority by setting it up on automatic draft. Check it out here: https://www.egive-usa.com/account/login/

Save the Dates…

• Sunday, October 16^th - Football Sunday with the Buckeyes at 11 am Service
• Sunday, October 23^rd - Fall Festival 4:00-6:30 pm
• Christmas Weekend Services – Saturday only at 4:30 & 6:00 pm
• New Year’s Weekend Services – Saturday at 6:00 pm and Sunday at 11:00 am only
• Friday-Saturday, January 13-14 - 2012 Marriage Retreat

The LOOP at Sycamore Creek

The Loop
Keeping you in the Loop at SCC
www.sycamorecreek.org

Doors…

• Join us this weekend as we continue our new series.  God has given us an open door for a great work to be done here in our community.  Don’t miss this weekend as we open theDoors of Obligation.
• Missed last week?  Listen at... http://www.sycamorecreek.org/resources/podcast/
• Request the midweek devotion, "Wednesday's Word"... bjennings@sycamorecreek.org

 Labor Day Parade…
Join us on Monday, September 5^th as SCC participates in the Pickerington Labor Day parade.  The parade begins at 10am from Pickerington Central.  All SCC participants should arrive around 9am for instructions. Park in the parking lot and look for the SCC float.  SCC peeps should wear an SCC shirt (Bring an extra SCC shirt if you have one to share)

NON-MELTING CANDY is needed to give away during the parade.  You can drop off a bag of candy in the foyer this week or bring it with you on Monday morning.  Thanks for your donation!

FCA Game Day…
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is hosting the first ever “FCA GameDay” at Pickerington North on Friday, Sept. 9^th from 1pm – 4pm. Immediately following school on Friday, Sept. 9^th, Pickerington North students will be invited to play video games, eat pizza and snacks, cheer and be challenged by a special guest speaker!

FCA has asked for our help. They have asked us to provide chips and cookies, as well as volunteers, both adult and high school students, to help with the event. If you are willing to help out monetarily or volunteer, contact Scott Stem (sstem@sycamorecreek.org or 614-920-4020) for more info.

Hope to see you this weekend!  Do you have plans for Sunday and Monday because of the holiday???  Come and worship with us Saturday night at 6 pm!

Steve

Last E-NEWS to LCC

To the people of LCC:

This Sunday at LCC we will be saying goodbye after over 9 years of ministry together.  We are excited about what God has for us in our future, but at the same time we are very sad to leave you.  I will be preaching from one of my favorite passages this Sunday – Philippians 4.  The message is titled: WHY WORRY?

I am confident that God has great things in store for both my family and for Life Community Church.  I love the promises of God’s Word…especially Philippians 1:3-6 which says “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

I want you to rest assured that things are under control and there is a solid interim plan in place upon my departure.  The board has been meeting tirelessly to ensure a smooth transition.  I have provided the board and the staff with as many details as possible to help in the process and I will remain a resource that is only a phone call or email away.  If you have any questions about what is happening in the church or about the process, email the board at any time: bod@lifecc.us.

Here are a few bullet points to bring you up to speed:

• The SEARCH TEAM has been formed and will begin meeting this upcoming week.  They have already been reading the top 30-40 resumes (out of over 500).  These top candidates have already received a questionnaire from LCC and many have already completed this questionnaire.  There are some excellent candidates in the mix.  I personally am very excited about the potential of some of these guys.  I firmly believe that God is in complete control and there will be a great new lead pastor for LCC.
• The PROCESS PLAN is aggressive.  The team desires to work as quickly as possible so that the interim period is as short as possible.  At the same time, they want to be thorough, so keep them in prayer.  Ideally, they would like to have the top candidate here to interview and preach by early October.  The church would then vote on this candidate the following week.  You’ll hear more details from the search team, but I just wanted you to know that things are happening!
• INTERIM SPEAKERS are lined up.  LCC will be blessed with a variety of guest speakers over the next 2 months.  Each of these speakers will bring their unique style to our congregation and I’m sure you will be blessed by this variety during this time.
• STEPPING UP…some of you should use this opportunity to step up your commitment to the church in attendance, giving and serving.  Now is a great time to make yourself available to do more for the kingdom.  Send an email to staff@lifecc.us to find out how you can get more involved in serving.
• POWER OF PRAYER…the most important thing you can do is to PRAY for the church at this time.  I want to encourage more of you to come out for the 10@10:10 gathering every Sunday morning in the library.  This is a dedicated 10 minutes of prayer together each week.

Please be there on Sunday if you are in town!  Don’t forget to COME EARLY because this is our MONTHLY COFFEE FELLOWSHIP with all kinds of tasty treats!  The coffee and refreshments are ready at 9:30 am.  I hope to see you then.

Steve

What's Coming at LCC

This Sunday at LCC we’ll conclude our JOSHUA series by talking about FINISHING STRONG.  Joshua died at 110 years of age, but remained a strong leader until the end.  Want to read ahead…check out Joshua 24. Be there Sunday!

Here’s what coming in the days ahead…make your plans not to miss a single thing!

Sunday, July 31^st

·         Jeff Keeny, our Next Gen Pastor will be preaching

Sunday, August 7^th

·         Josh Einwechter, our Worship Pastor will be preaching

·         I will be performing my last baptisms at LCC, send me an email to sign-up!

·         There will be a brief business meeting after the service to approve the annual budget for 2011-12

Saturday, August 13^th

·         Jan & Lisa Downing are graciously hosting a farewell party for our family at their home from 2-6 pm.  If you did not receive the Evite, no worries…you are definitely invited.  Send Lisa an email at downinglisa@gmail.com to receive the Evite and RSVP.

Sunday, August 14^th

·         Come early for our monthly Coffee & Refreshments fellowship before the service starting at 9:30 am

·         I will be preaching my final message as the Lead Pastor of LCC

*** Please note that while the pastor search process is progressing, the board of directors, in conjunction with the staff, is lining up a great schedule of interim speakers beginning Sunday, August 21^st.  You’ll be blessed by the variety!

Sunday, September 4^th

·         Outdoor Service – bring your lawn chairs

·         Cookout after the service followed by a Softball game

·         Don’t miss the annual Labor Day weekend bash!

Major Personal Announcement

Today was an extremely emotional day as I shared about our family's future at the end of the service.  I appreciate the outpouring of love and support from our great people.

Below is my letter to our church family:

July 3, 2011

To the people of Life Community Church,

We serve an awesome and mighty God!  Everything He does is perfect and can be trusted.  When we seek and trust Him, He makes clear the path that we are to follow in life.  I have always clung to this passage in Proverbs 3:  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” 

I am writing to share some news with you that I shared at the end of this past Sunday’s service.  This letter is probably one of the most difficult letters I have written.  I write it with a heavy heart, but with a peace that can only come from God.  I am writing to inform you of my resignation as pastor of Life Community Church effective August 15, 2011.  I recently notified our staff and board of directors so we could immediately begin a positive and healthy transition to the next pastor.  My last Sunday will be August 14^th.  During these next 6 weeks, I will continue to preach as well as assist the staff and board in the process of having a smooth transition that focuses on Christ and the future of this church.

I understand this decision comes as a big surprise.  I want to assure you that I was not sending out resumes nor looking for an opportunity to leave LCC.  I still love LCC very much and will be praying for its’ future.  On April 26^th I was contacted by Sycamore Creek Church near Columbus, Ohio about their Lead Pastor position.  I did not desire to leave LCC, but agreed to discuss it with them.  After hours of prayer, extensive interviews, and other processes, the elders have offered me the position and the church voted last Sunday to affirm me as their next pastor.  While it would be much easier for our family to stay here, I am confident that this is a calling that God is placing upon me and therefore to stay would be in disobedience to God.

Sherri, the kids and I are excited to follow God into this new great adventure for our family.  After living in Northern Virginia since 1996, this will be quite a change.  I appreciate your prayers as I will be taking on the new challenges and responsibilities of leading a congregation of 700 people.  I sincerely appreciate all the investments that you have made in me and my family over the last 9+ years at LCC.  I look forward to spending some precious time with you over these upcoming weeks before our departure.

Please remember that LCC is Christ’s church and He is already working in the heart and mind of the next pastor of this church.  God would not lead me in this direction if He did not already have great plans in store for LCC’s future.  I firmly believe that more days of incredible ministry are ahead. 

Thank you for being such a loving church family.   You will be hearing more about the transition plan in the days ahead from our board of directors.  I have transferred my decision-making authority to our board and I have full confidence in my staff, Josh and Jeff, as well as in our board to guide our search for a new lead pastor.  A search team is already being formed and we expect a tremendous amount of interest from prospective candidates.  If you have any suggestions or questions about the process, please feel free to contact the board at BoD@lifecc.us.  Please be praying for our church during this time.

Sincerely,

Rev. Steve Markle

Lead Pastor

JOSHUA Series

Last Sunday, I kicked off a new series on the life of JOSHUA.  He was an incredible, fearless leader of the nation of Israel.  There's just so much to learn from his life.  Last week, we began the series by looking at his 40-year boot camp under the direction of Moses.  This coming Sunday we look at how to obtain courage and confidence like Joshua had.  Here's the layout of the series:



June 26th – Leadership Boot Camp
July 3rd – Strong & Courageous
July 10th - A Radical, Risk Taker
July 17th - Leading People into Battle
July 24th – Finishing Strong


If you miss a week or want to hear or watch a message online, go here:  LCC Media Player 

Please be praying for our students and adults who left today for their missions trip this week in Norfolk, VA.  We have an awesome group of students participating this year. We are going with the World Changers organization again.  World Changers seeks to provide a dynamic, week-long missions experience for Christian youth and adults with opportunities to meet the physical and spiritual needs of others through practical learning experiences that teach servant hood and personal commitment to missions.  

• Pray for the safety and strength of each student and adult.
• Pray for hearts of our students to be changed as they work and minister with the people they encounter.
• Pray for the receptivity of the hearts of the people they will be reaching out to.

Here's the list of who is on this trip: Angelo Downing, Rita Downing, Jessica Downing, Jared Downing, Lazarus Downing, Morgan Ellison, Erik Ellison, Nic Gay, Rachel Giles, Jacob Gray, Andrew Hough, Anthony Johnson, Justice Jurascheck, Loyal Jurascheck, Tesia Jurascheck, Cory Logue, Mikayla Logue, Tori Markle, Joel Sanders, Britney Tingtstrom, Caleb Feehs, Jeff Keeny, Nicole Keeny, Mike Sanders, Jessica Ellison & David Einwechter