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

Father's Day at LCC

This Sunday at LCC we are excited to have a guest speaker sharing the message with us.  Jason Rhodenhizer has been a pastoral staff member at churches in Idaho and Alaska and for the last 5 years at Calvary Road Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia.  (This is the same church where I served for 6 years before starting LCC.)  He has recently resigned his position to plant a church this Fall in the Leesburg area, which is one of the fastest growing areas in our country.  Jason is going to share a little about his vision for church planting and then preach a Father’s Day message entitled, “Never Too Late.”  Jason and his wife Mandie have 5 children…so he’s definitely equipped to speak about fatherhood!

Don’t miss this Sunday!  We’ll be giving away a great gift to one special dad and we’ll also give every dad a gift as they leave the service.  Bring your dad to church this Sunday!

Weekend Review

An amazing weekend for our family...watching our son graduate from high school on Saturday was a surreal experience.  It seemed like it all happened so fast...the time just flew by.  In reflection, I can say that I feel extremely blessed and have no regrets.  I know I was far from a perfect dad, but I am so thankful for all the incredible times that we had through Zac's childhood - all of his teams that I was able to coach, all the great family vacations, all the holiday gatherings, and even the ability to share the church planting experience as a family.  I am also so thankful for all the family, friends, coaches, teachers, etc that made a positive impact on Zac's life.  We are looking forward to what the future holds for him.


We experienced a great day Sunday at Life Community Church.  God's presence was definitely there in the service.

• 2 individuals prayed to receive Jesus as Savior in the service!
• 2 new first-time families
• Awesome time of fellowship and coffee before the service - thanks to the Bells for the great food!  I loved the peanut butter cake :-)
• Several people told me how timely the message was for their lives...so if you missed it, you can listen or watch the message on our website (or iTunes).

It's Graduation Day!

We're so proud of our oldest...Zac graduates at 2:30 this afternoon at the Patriot Center on the George Mason campus.  We are proud of all of his accomplishments athletically (making the all-district and all-area baseball team) and academically (ended his 4 years, ranked #8 in his class of 540).  But...we are more thrilled with the man of God he has become.  We thank God for Zac's integrity and strong moral character.  We cannot wait to see what God does in his life in the future and he heads off to Liberty University this August.  Great job son!

* The picture is from the Senior awards ceremony yesterday at Forest Park.

COME EARLY FOR COFFEE & REFRESHMENTS THIS SUNDAY…this Sunday is our monthly Coffee & Refreshments at 9:30 before the service.  Come out early for incredible coffee, delicious refreshments, and great fellowship.  We are serving Thousand Hills Coffee and selling bags for $11 each to help support missions in Rwanda.  Read more here: http://www.drinkcoffeedogood.com/

Riding the Waves...this Sunday!

Life comes at us in WAVES...the ups and downs, the ins and outs, the highs and lows.  How do we handle the waves?  Do we focus on our circumstances and our surroundings or do we focus on God?  Do we panic in fear and have an emotional overreaction or do we relax knowing God is in complete control?

This Sunday, June 12th, I am sharing a message entitled, Riding the Waves of Life.  We'll be looking at the story of Jesus and the disciples on the waves.  Check out Matthew 8 if you want to read ahead.

This is a time of year when many of us are going through changes with the end of another school year.  For us personally, we are watching our oldest graduate on Saturday and dealing with the WAVES of emotion and change.  It's all good and part of God's plan.  Be there Sunday!

3:05 & 4:12

Those were the times on the digital clock when I've woken up during the night recently.  I've personally been falling asleep easily, but with much on our minds these days, I find myself waking up in the middle of the night or extremely early with lots to think about.  Anyway, I had this thought this week that instead of lying there stressing over stuff, think of a Scripture verse with a reference that coincides with the time. 

4:12 - When this time came up a few nights ago, I thought of  1 Timothy 4:12  "Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity"  I began to use that time to thank God for my oldest son Zac, who is graduating this Saturday and is living as a great example for his peers and other believers as a true follower of Jesus.  I am truly blessed by how he lives his life.

3:05 - Last night when I woke up at 3:05, I went to John 3:5 and then James 3:5 in my head, but ended up resting on Proverbs 3:5  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding."  It was the perfect verse to meditate upon and fall back to sleep to for a few hours.

Maybe this technique could help you...you might need to keep a Bible close by!

Weekend Recap

We had a great Monday morning staff meeting.  Always fun to recap Sunday, discussing the highs and lows and the in-betweens of the weekend.  It was a busy weekend for sure for me with a wedding in the mix, but God was good and His presence was felt in our service.


We honored our graduating seniors in the service.  We had 11 seniors participating and I've just got to give them props for being such an awesome group of young adults with bright futures ahead.  We have 2 heading to West Point, 2 to Virginia Tech, 2 to Liberty, 3 to NVCC, 1 to UNC-Wilmington, and 1 to Belmont.  Please pray for them and their families as most graduate this coming week.  I know my wife and I are feeling the emotion of our first kid graduating...it just doesn't seem possible already!


This past Sunday we concluded our Q&A series at LCC.  I know many learned a lot and hopefully we did a good job of answering as many questions as possible.  As I said often throughout the series, we are just scratching the surface on most questions in the sermons...so do some deeper digging on your own!  For me personally, it has been a challenging series...especially in delivery, because the messages don't have the normal, comfortable flow.  Yep, I'm looking forward to getting back into my normal style this week!


It was great to have 2 new families this Sunday...once again that road sign at the corner of York Drive and PW Parkway is making an impact - both families came because of that sign.


I gave a challenge at the end of the message series to remember that it's not about just gaining knowledge about the Bible, but it's about living it out in our lives.  We need to remember our purposes!  

• Reaching Up in Worship of God
• Reaching In through Relationships in Small Groups and Serving
• Reaching Out by sharing our faith in our communities

Here's a little tidbit of advice about personal worship.  I said yesterday that worship is more than the 20 minutes of music we sing together with the band.  It's also our personal time of prayer, praise, Bible reading, meditating that needs to happen daily in our lives.  Another aspect of personal worship which will enhance your Sunday experience is listening to some worship songs during the week.  Did you know that Josh posts the song lists and artists each week on our website?  Click here.  I encourage you to buy those songs online,  download them to your iPod and make a "worship" playlist...and watch how God uses that in your life!  (Yes, I'm talking from personal experience!)

Want to read ahead for this Sunday's message...check out Matthew 8:23-27.

This coming weekend at LCC

This Sunday is the conclusion of our Q & A Series.  Here is this week’s line-up of questions: How did all the races come about?  What is the Christian view of things such as dinosaurs that seem to suggest an old earth?  What actions are considered blasphemy? What happens to someone who commits suicide?  How long should a person grieve?

Also, this Sunday, June 5^th, we will be honoring all of our graduating seniors in the service.  This is for both high school and college graduates.  If you have not already done so, please send me an email to let me know you or your son or daughter’s plans to participate in this.  We will have each graduate share where they are graduating from as well as their future plans.

This Saturday morning, June 4^th is the monthly Men’s Breakfast at Old Country Buffet on Prince William Parkway at 8 am.  No agenda…just show up for some good food and fellowship.

Our Student Ministry is raising funds for their upcoming Missions trip during the last week of June.  They need your support.  Feel free to give designated donations through the offering to support them.  The 23 participants have to raise a total of over $5,000.  There are two upcoming opportunities to help

• This Saturday, June 4^th – Yard Sale at the Lorton Fire Department.  If you have anything that you would like to donate, please drop it off at the Hough’s house tonight or Friday evening. They live at 9105 Ridgely Drive, Lorton, VA. Please call them before dropping things off to make sure they are home. They can be contacted at 703-690-1738.
• Saturday, June 18^th – Car Wash from 10 am – 2 pm at the 7-11 on the corner of Prince William Parkway and Telegraph Road.  Come get your car washed and tell others!

This Week's E-News at Life Community Church

Join us at Life Community Church this Sunday for PART 5 in our Q & A Series.  Here is this week’s line-up of questions: How long did God wait before He created anything?  How can I articulate the Gospel in a simple manner? How can God forgive a murderer?  What makes a bad word a bad word?  Is sola scriptura biblically based?  You don’t want to miss it!

On Sunday, June 5^th, we will be honoring all of our graduating seniors in the service.  This is for both high school and college graduates.  Please send me an email back to let me know your plans to participate in this.  We will have each graduate share where they are graduating from as well as their future plans.

Our Student Ministry is raising funds for their upcoming Missions trip during the last week of June.  They need your support.  Feel free to give designated donations through the offering to support them.  The 23 participants have to raise a total of over $5,000.  There are two upcoming opportunities to help:

• Saturday, May 28^th – Car Wash from 10 am – 2 pm at the 7-11 on the corner of Prince William Parkway and Telegraph Road.  Come get your car washed and tell others!
• Saturday, June 4^th – Yard Sale at the Lorton Fire Department.  If you have anything that you would like to donate, please drop it off at the Hough’s house between Tuesday and Friday. They live at 9105 Ridgely Drive, Lorton, VA. Please call them before dropping things off to make sure they are home. They can be contacted at 703-690-1738.

Weekend Recap

Well, first of all...we are all still here...no Rapture on Saturday?  Who knew!  Well, I think we all knew that wasn't going to happen.  Picking a date flies directly against what Jesus said in the Bible!  I spent Saturday morning working a big yard sale at our house and then at 6 pm I was downing a brat at a graduation party...wondering if this is what I should be doing if Jesus came back at that moment.  I did put off my final sermon prep until 8 pm, just in case.  (I'm joking...just in case you are wondering!)

It was a good day yesterday at LCC.   It was probably my least favorite of the Q & A series of messages...I realize that sounds odd to say, but compared to other parts of the Bible, it's just not incredibly enjoyable to teach on Satan, the rapture, and the coming judgments.  But God's truth in the Bible is reality...and all of it needs to be preached.  The highlight though is that God's Word never returns void...3 people accepted Jesus at the end of the message and won't have to face that terrible day at the Great White Throne Judgement!  Thank God for those victories!

I appreciate Mick Tingstrom filling in for Josh yesterday in leading worship.  Mick always does a great job when Josh is away.  Thanks to the whole crew - Mick, Britney, Tyler, Brandon, Nathan, Valerie and Rick.  Well done!

We did have a few families visiting for the first time...I love how God brings us new guests every single week!

Other miscellaneous:

• Our students made over $400 at their car wash on Saturday towards the missions trip.  They have another car wash this Saturday at the same location - the 7/11 at the corner of PW Parkway and Telegraph.  Come out and support them!
• The Next Step Fund is now over $60K.  Thanks to all the faithful givers!
• Our LCC Softball team won 2 doubleheaders to improve to 6-2 on the season.  Good job!
• I'm currently reading Craig Groeschel's new book - "WEIRD" - good stuff...I encourage you to pick it up!

This Sunday's Q & A

Our Q & A series continues this Sunday...that is if the world doesn't come to an end on Saturday as one crazy pastor is predicting :-)  Not coincidentally, I am answering a question this Sunday concerning the return of Christ to the earth.  If we are still here on Sunday...I hope to see you there - and bring a friend!

Here is the question line-up for this week:

• What does the Bible teach about angels and demons?  
• Did God create Satan…why? 
• If God is all powerful, why would he not destroy Satan?  
• When is Christ returning?  
• What is the judgment day going to look like?  
• Are Christians now exempt from any type of judgment?

Our Student Missions Trip this Summer

Please begin praying for our students and their missions trip June 27th through July 1st.  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.  This year our students will be serving in the inner city of Norfolk, Virginia.

• Pray specifically for the funds needed for the trip.  Each participant needs to raise $250 before the trip.  They are doing several car washes and other fundraisers.  Feel free to give to the youth missions trip fund through egive or the church offering.
• Pray for the safety and strength of each student and adult.
• Pray for hearts of our students to be prepared to work and minister to 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 going: 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

Weekend Recap

I'm thankful for another great weekend.  It was a busy, fun-filled momentous weekend, both personally and for our church. Here are the highlights...

• We had our NEXT STEP Celebration Event after the service on Sunday.  We devoured a lot of Papa John's pizza and delicious cake and cupcakes provided by Jason & Ashley Bell.  Thanks to Tom Einwechter for coordinating the event.
• The campaign just launched a month ago and we have already received over $58K in designated offerings...this is almost 10% of our $600K goal.  Thanks to everyone for giving sacrificially!
• We had a great worship service before the luncheon.  The band sounded great...I appreciate how they deliver each and every week.  
• The auditorium was freezing...for some reason the school had the A/C cranked way down...it's better than being hot and sweaty...and for me preaching on stage, it felt great!  It's one of those things we have no control over unfortunately.
• Someone told me they like and preferred my lower voice yesterday...that would be my "sinus-infection voice"...well, I'm just thankful I made it through the message without hacking up any mucus :-)  I'm always amazed how God gives me strength and focus to preach when I'm not feeling up to it physically...it's not about me!  It's about His word being proclaimed!
• Great crowd yesterday too!  Good to see some new faces and some old ones back that I haven't seen in awhile.

Personally, we had our oldest having his Senior Prom on Friday night.  The emotions are starting to build as his time with us is winding down.  Sherri and I are feeling it!  Senior Prom, then Senior night on the baseball field this week, then Senior Awards assembly, then Graduation, then dropping his off at college in August.  It's going to be an emotional couple of months!

Q & A this Sunday

I continue the Q & A series this Sunday with PART 3.  This series of questions deals more with God's Will, the Church, and Christian living in this world.  Here's what is coming on Sunday:

• How do we know what God wants us to do in certain situations? 
• How did God call you to start a church?  
• Are Paul’s views in the New Testament about women serving in the church still applicable today?  
• Why do pastors talk about tithing (10%) to the church when that was only applied in the Old Testament to Jews?  
• What does the Bible say about Christians serving outside the church?  
• Should Christians be involved in politics

Check out the website for a series change...we extended it one week into June.  You'll get to hear from Jeff Keeny our Next Generation Pastor one Sunday.

Free Pizza this Sunday!

I feel like I am a youth pastor again promoting a big event with free pizza...but really...who can pass up a free lunch after church?  

This coming Sunday, May 15th, we are providing free pizza, drinks and cake for everyone after the service.  WHY?  We are celebrating the successful launch of our NEXT STEP campaign.  God has done amazing things and we are going to celebrate with a Pizza Party this Sunday.

Bring your family and friends and join us!

Personal Standard - Be Authentic

It always bugs me when I meet or interact with a pastor that comes across as less that authentic.  Sometimes they act too perfect, use so much over-the-top pastor-speak language, or they even sometimes tell stories that seem to be a stretch.

Well, this guy in Pennsylvania is another bad example of a pastor exaggerating his life story a wee bit - Check it out here.

One of my personal goals is to always be the real deal...what you see is what you get....and what I say is the truth.  I never want to stand in front of people and state untruths that would obviously disintegrate their trust in me.  Of course this is not just a pastoral goal, but I think a good goal for all of us.

Baby Dedication at LCC

Here's a picture from yesterday's dedication at LCC:

Weekend in Review

I  hope everyone had a fantastic weekend.  I hope every mom out there was treated really well by her kids!  I wish I could have done more for my wife and my mother...they are both incredible and deserve so much!  My wife had to miss church Sunday to stay home with our sick toddler...sounds like a day of mom being mom :-)

We had a great Sunday service at LCC...

• Great turnout!    
• The Baby-Parent Dedication ceremony was great.  Congratulations to the families who participated and dedicated their little ones to God.  
• Congratulations to Gwen Adams who won the gift basket in the service.  She is a mother of 5 kids ranging from age 22-28...I am sure she deserved the basket of goodies!
• Special thanks to Sherry Feehs, our women's ministry director, for preparing the gift bags for all the moms present yesterday...what an awesome, thoughtful gift!
• Thanks to all of our kids workers yesterday.  The preschool added several new kids yesterday...it was a good day!
• I'm enjoying teaching the Q & A series.  It's definitely a different format for me, but I'm liking it and appreciating the opportunity to answer the questions people are asking from a biblical perspective.  From what I'm hearing, God is using it to speak to people.  If you miss any messages, they are available online by Tuesday in audio or video format.  (on our website or iTunes podcast)
• It was great to have 3 families that visited last Sunday back again for a 2nd straight week...very cool.
• And it was cool to meet 2 more first time families!

Busy week ahead...looking forward to what God has in store!

Join us for Mother's Day at Life Community Church

This week's Q & A Message

I just finished my first draft of this week's Q & A Message.  While the questions are a little less theologically daunting, they are still excellent questions and once again, I'll be challenged to keep within my 30-35 minutes :-)

Here are the questions the congregation submitted that I'm attempting to answer biblically this Sunday:

1. How are we supposed to deal with annoying people?  
2. How should Christians deal with public schools teaching our kids evolution? 
3. Does the Bible really consider sex before marriage sinful?  
4. How can I tell if my marriage is built on counterfeit love?  
5. What if my spouse has a different level of belief in God?

Baby-Parent Dedication this Sunday

Almost every year on Mother's Day we have a portion of our service dedicated to a special ceremony for baby dedication.  This is an opportunity for parents to dedicate their babies and young children to the Lord.  What is this all about?  What does this actually mean?


It is actually more about the parents commitment than it is about the child.  It's about the parents making a commitment to raise their children to know about Jesus, to bring them to church regularly, and to pray with them and for them.  It is an opportunity for the church family to commit to these families to support them and pray for them in this incredible journey.  It's about committing to give these children every opportunity to know Jesus personally as their Lord and Savior.


The Bible says in Psalm 127:3 “Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.  I believe that children truly are a gift from God.  God has given them to us as gifts that we must take care of and enjoy.  Because children belong to the Lord and are given by grace as gifts to parents, it is only proper and appropriate that children be dedicated back to God.  Read I Samuel chapter 1 and the story of Hannah and how she dedicated her son Samuel to the Lord.


It is always a great time of blessing to see these kids and parents in front of the church for this time of dedication.  I hope you'll be there.  And if you want to register to dedicate your children as part of our service, email me at steve@lifecc.us.


Here's the link on our website.  

Weekend Review

We had a great post-Easter weekend at Life Community Church.

Here's a quick recap (working backwards):

• The high school life group gathered here at the church office Sunday night to resume their study of the book by Frances Chan - CRAZY LOVE.  I appreciate the investment of Jeff & Nicole Keeny into our students.  It's awesome to hear about high school students talking about Jesus for an hour!
• The service concluded yesterday with 2 baptisms - John Quezada and Anthony Johnson.   John came to the Lord a few years ago in Iraq and God led he and his wife Liz and son Evan to LCC last year.  They are actively serving the Lord here now and John was excited to make his profession of faith publicly!  Anthony is one our middle school teens that Jeff is impacting for  Jesus.  It was cool for Jeff (our next generation pastor) to perform his first baptism yesterday.
• We tackled the first Q&A message yesterday...heavy stuff.  I was in teacher-mode and we covered a lot of material...thanks for paying attention and taking notes!  If you missed it,check it out on our website.
• I appreciate Josh and the band leading us in worship yesterday - great to add another new band member...Rick on the bass!
• Yesterday was Josh Einwechter's 5th anniversary of being on fulltime staff with LCC as our worship leader.  Wow...time flies!  I remember when I met him as his youth pastor in 1996 and he was in 8th grade :-)
• Great to have 4 new families visiting for the first time!  2 came via our Road sign and 2 came via internet search.  Thanks for the volunteers who stepped up to fix the road sign which was damaged in last week's storms.
• On Saturday Ed & Jane Rotchford led 2 groups of LCC people in providing meals at the SERVE homeless shelter in Manassas.  We provided lunch and dinner for about 20-30 residents at this shelter. A special thanks to all who served and provided food!
• On Friday night, our co-ed softball team kicked off the season by splitting a double-header against First Baptist of Woodbridge.  Not a bad start considering we've moved up a division from last year.  It was a lot of fun to get our there...Let's go LCC!  

I'm looking forward to a fun week of preparing another Q&A message and getting ready for our Mother's Day service.  We've got a little surprise giveaway in the service this Sunday for one special mom.  All moms in attendance will be eligible to win...so plan to bring your mom this Sunday!

Are There Errors in the Bible?

On Sunday, May 1st, we begin a series called Q & A.  This past Sunday at LCC, someone submitted a question about errors in the Bible?  Check out this answer video from the truelife.org website.  (Click the link below)

Are There Errors in the Bible?

Q & A Series Begins May 1st

I'm in deep study now for this week's message...part 1 of our May series - Q & A.  Here is the line-up of questions I'm going to attempt to answer in a 35 minute message this week :-)


Sunday, May 1st - QUESTIONS ABOUT GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY:  Does God preselect people to go to heaven or do they have a free will to choose?  Why would God harden Pharoah’s heart?   Should we try to convert hard-hearted people?  Why would God instruct the Israelites to kill innocent women and children of opposing nations?  Why doesn’t God protect innocent children from abuse, molestation, and starvation?  If everything is already predetermined, then why pray for a particular outcome?

Easter Sunday Recap

What an incredible Easter Sunday at Life Community Church.  Easter is always a great day, but 2011 was truly one of the greatest days in the history of our church.  God moved in a great way and I'm so thankful on this Monday morning for what He did.

• At least 15 people prayed to receive Jesus into their life.  This is the best part by far and why we do what we do...to proclaim the resurrected Jesus!
• We set our new worship attendance record...first time over 300 with 317 people in attendance!  It was a great feeling to see the big school auditorium filled up.  This is how it should be every week!
• The worship band was amazing...they always do great, but yesterday was especially good!  Always great to have the violin in there as well.
• A HUGE THANKS to our nursery and preschool staff serving behind the scenes, giving up the service to take care of the precious kids.  Thanks for the sacrifice you made to make yesterday possible!
• A special thanks to Jason and Ashley Bell for providing an incredible spread of homemade goodies for before the service.  It was tremendous!  See the picture below.

•  The kids enjoyed an Easter Egg hunt out on the baseball field with over 1,000 eggs filled with candy and other prizes.  Thanks Jeff & Nicole for a job well done!

I was able to spend the rest of the day with family and friends...a delicious Easter dinner.  Truly grateful for all God had done at LCC and in my life.

It's Friday, but Sunday's coming

This is not a new video or sermon excerpt, but it always inspires me and gets me pumped up about Jesus and his victory over death, hell and the grave!

Celebrate Easter at Life Community Church!

Celebrate Easter with us at Life Community Church!

Easter is the greatest day of celebration for believers in Jesus.  Come and worship the risen Savior with us this year.  We'd love to have you, your family and friends join us.

Here are a few highlights:

• Come early for some free refreshments and great fellowship!  We'll be providing coffee, juice and an assortment of goodies beginning at 9:30 am.
• The service will begin at 10:30 am with an exciting line-up of music and video to inspire.
• My message is entitled, "Empty Promises."
• We'll have an OUTDOOR EASTER EGG HUNT after the service at approximately 11:45 for all kids 5th grade and younger.  The toddlers and preschoolers will get a head start.

Special Note:Because Easter Sunday is a family-oriented day, we are having a family-friendly worship service for ages kindergarten through adults.  We will not have Kid's Church this day so all families can worship Jesus together.  Of course we will still have Nursery & Preschool classes available during the service.


Spread the word...invite your friends, family and neighbors!