Easter weekend was packed with incredible events that left me arm in arm with hundreds of new faces. I shared a good hand shake, warm smiles, enthusiastic greetings, directions for the lost, kind words to a girl that scrapped her knee, and the most important words we have in life… Jesus loves you.
Hunting with the Masses
We helped host an easter egg hunt at our local YMCA Adventure Camp (along with one other church… a note on partnerships will come later). We did some advertising, stuffed some eggs, and prayed the rain would hold off for just a couple hours (we needed the rain, that’s why it was only a request for a delay). The turn out was much more than we anticipated. Originally I thought it would be nice to have a couple hundred people enjoy the camp and the festivities. Well over 600 people joined us for this great day. Overall, we learned that 9000 eggs isn’t nearly enough. We dropped over 1200 eggs at one hunt and the field was picked over in 20 seconds! The coolest thing was to see kids sharing with other kids throughout the event. It happened more than once… in fact I lost track of how many times I saw one child give another child something that they had found. My immediate thought wandered to an idyllic life were adults did the same thing. What happens when we grow up that makes us so greedy?
Making A Big Move
Volunteers are a critical part of POCF. Almost everything we do has a wonderful group of sacrificing people behind the scenes that make it happen. From 6 – 8 PM on the day of the Egg Hunt we had a church full of people show up to help load, unload, and set-up our local middle school for Easter services. While a storm was threatening there was a flurry of activity taking place. The group worked together, everyone did what they were assigned, and the end result was a much less hectic Easter morning. Thank you to each and every volunteer that showed up to help us move, set-up, tear-down, and move again over the weekend. The massive ministry that took place the next morning would have never been possible without you.
Sunday’s Coming
“Not a typical Easter morning,” was what I expected to hear people say as they left our service on Sunday. However, there was so much to be learned and the message could not have rung truer in the hearts of those who joined us. Jesus dies on the cross so sin would be defeated, and while we may be carrying some massive sin luggage…God forgives and restores! The life of Peter provided the backdrop for this truth. The result was transformation. Eternity was changed on this Easter and we ALL got to be part of that miracle. From cleaning crews, children’s workers, movers, musicians, techies, refreshments, and greeters… everyone played a part and shared in the joy of this new birth.
I think one of the most impressive things was the way God answered both our prayers for people and transformation. We could have NEVER handled everyone who showed up to worship in our other space. Looking back (and looking forward) the move to Anna Middle School was the right thing to do. The “church” was FULL. No joke, it was packed out. Humbled by God and His ability to draw the hearts of men, we left Sunday tired…but ALIVE! What a joy to be able to share in this great work of making the Gospel known in Anna. Helping people meet Jesus and grow in that relationship is at the heart of all we will do in the months and years ahead. I hope you will join us for this great journey.
I read this on a blog I follow and thought it was a fitting way to wrap up this great weekend:
Hallelujah, Christ is risen
You who are the gardener of the new creation,
Cultivate the new seeds that have sprung into life,
Bring growth, bring blossom, bring fruit,
May your new creation flourish
in us, through us, around us,
So that all the world may say
Christ is risen indeed Hallelujah.
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