Easter Reflections

We had an awesome Easter weekend at Restoration. Here are a few of my reflections.

* Our Good Friday service rocked. Many of us needed that time to slow down and center on the story of Jesus. We needed to enter into the darkness of Friday before we could enjoy the light of Sunday.
* Serving the homeless is humbling. When you serve people who have lives that are messier than tangled fishing line it breaks you a bit. You realize how fortunate you are in many ways and how you could be them. Our homeless Easter service was a great time to connect with each other and our common humanity.
* People need a church. We had TONS OF NEW PEOPLE who came this Sunday. We doubled our regular attendance. I am so grateful for everyone who brought someone. We had one person become a follower of Jesus and many more who will in the weeks to come. It was great to remember the Easter story together and re-orient our lives around the soul expanding love of Jesus

Making the Most of Easter Week

5 Suggestions on how to make the most of the week leading up to Easter (aka Holy Week).

1. Read the story every day. Take one of the gospels and read the last few chapters that describe what Jesus did and said at the end of his life. Pick a character, other than Jesus, like Peter or Thomas, someone you identify with, and experience the story the way they would have.
2. Pray. Ask Jesus to reveal himself to you this week in a fresh way. Ask God to help you experience his love.
3. Go to a church. God's Spirit shows up when people gather to remember his Son.
4. Invite a friend. God's love is something to be shared. Write down the names of a few of friends who need encouragement, hope, love and bring them with you.
5. Serve. We see Jesus in others when we serve them.

For more information on Good Friday Services, Worship opportunities and ways you can serve the homeless this week go to restorationcc.us.

Praying you have the most meaningful Easter ever!

Starting a second worship service FAQ's

SECOND SERVICE FAQ’S

Why are we doing this?

1. We are running out of room for people to bring their friends. Most worship services stop growing after they are 70% full. People just feel too squished.

2. We want to see more people discover the love and hope of God.

3. We all grow more when we are serving and reaching out.

When will we make the move? Palm Sunday, April 17^th.

What time will the two services be? 9:00 and 11:00

What do we need to make this successful?

* Lots of prayer.

* Volunteers in key positions for new service.

* People willing to take a risk.

* New people attending.

What if it does not work? This is an experiment. If it does not work we will go back to one service and try later. We will fail forward.

How will this affect our Family Life Ministry?

* It should make it easier to volunteer. People can go to one service and volunteer in another.

How will this affect the unity of the church?

* Most people are close to 8 to 12 people if they are really involved. Those friendships will remain in tact through transformational communities and informal opportunities for connecting and our service projects.

Let’s pray, trust, take a risk, invite our friends and see what God does.

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