Wednesday, June 27, 2012

mid week review

It has been pretty much non-stop around Foothills Community Church. Instead of summer slowing things down, I think things have actually sped up.

* Our church is spread out all over the map this week. We have a group of teenagers at camp in Tenn. We have a group of 3rd-6th graders at a camp in Alabama, and we have a team doing ministry in Haiti. (We have another team leaving this weekend for Harlan County KY as well!)

* This past Sunday was an awesome day at FCC. Worship was led by Pastor Bill Swindle and our talented team of singers and musicians. They did an incredible job in Pastor David Odom's absence. David and Amanda just had a new baby last week, so they were a bit preoccupied.

* I wrapped up the Urban Legend series with a message called, Saying a Prayer makes You a Christian. Of course, this is an urban legend. I am attaching the video in case you missed it.

* I had planned to do the Urban Legend series for 1 more week, but the more I prepared, the more I sensed God's leading to go in a different direction. This puts a lot of stress on our team, but they do whatever it takes to make it happen. I like that!

* The new series is simply called, Spiritual Warfare. Believe it or not, we are in a war, spiritually speaking. It is the war between good and evil. There are way too many casualties in this war, so this series will help you understand the battle, the enemy, his tactics and how to overcome him. YOU DON"T WANT TO MISS!

* On Monday my friend Pastor Shannon O'dell from Brand New Church in Harrison Arkansas came by and spoke to our staff and Sr. management team. God really used him to speak into my life. Pastor Shannon has a heart for doing ministry in small towns, and has written a book to help other churches. I highly recommend it.

* I know I have mentioned this before, but if you have not used our online giving, you might want to consider it. You can use it one time, or every week. This is especially helpful during the summer months when people are in and out of church on vacations. Why not sign-up now?

* One last thing I want to leave you with. This Sunday I have a very important announcement that I'll be sharing. God is at work and we have a very exciting opportunity that will extend our reach like never before. Can't wait to share it with you!


Thursday, June 21, 2012

Is Church for perfect people?

This is from last Sunday at Foothills Community Church. We deal with the myth that church is for "perfect people"


Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Awesome Father's Day

It was an awesome Father's Day at both campuses of Foothills Community Church.

* In Seneca we had a lot of Dads in the house, and we had a lot of fun with them. If you missed it, we gave away several very nice gifts. But before you could claim a prize you had to win a little friendly competition. Whoever could eat a hotdog the fastest, would win.

* I was actually surprised  how long it took for them to eat the hotdog. I was getting a bit nervous watching them and actually was thinking we might have to use the Heimlich technique on one of the contestants!! Fortunately everyone survived.

* We had some great worship, and then continued the Urban Legends series. The Urban Legend we debunked was, "The Church is For Perfect People" The bottom line is there is no such thing as perfect person.

* I'm not sure, but I think that could be the most feed back I have received about a message in quite a while.

* After the service was over we had free ice cream, which went over big!

* All in all, a terrific day.

* Over at our Toccoa campus they had a great day as well. They ha a few fun things planned and gave away a newgrill to one of the Dad'.

* Later that day they had a huge party and the best part was that they baptized 11 more people!! God is at work at both of our campuses!

* You don't want to miss this Sunday. The Urban Legend we will tackle is, Saying A Prayer Makes Me A Christian. Prepare to be challenged. This is going to rock some people's world. Don't miss it.

Monday, June 11, 2012

sunday review

It's been a busy time around Foothills Community Church. Here a few highlights:

* Last week we held our annual SonSports kids event. It was a huge success. Over 200 kids participated and 100 adults volunteered.

* 15 of those kids indicated that they were ready to begin a relationship with Jesus!

* Yesterday, was a fun day at FCC. Our attendance were definitely affected by the weather, but the services were great. It has always been a mystery to me how a little rain can deter some people from coming to church. To me, Church is the best hour of the week. No way am I missing it!

* We tackled the urban legend, Faith Fixes Everything. Faith is extremely important, but it doesn't fix everything. To watch the message you can check it out here. (It will be online by Wednesday)

* The weather also caused a little change in plans for our baptism party. With the forecast of 100% chance of rain, we decided to move it indoors to our concourse.

* I must say, I think having it inside worked awesome. Lots of people showed up, and it seemed like everybody had a good time.

* The best part by far, was that 21 people were baptized! It was so moving. I can't think of anything I enjoy more than baptism services. Congrats to all of  those who stepped out in faith.

* I am really pumped about this Sunday--Father's Day. We are giving away some sweet prizes. Every man 18 or over will be eligible. In case you're wondering why? It's because unlike Mother's day, Father's Day is one of the least attended Sundays of the year, so we are giving Dad's a reason to get their families to church this Sunday. Let's face it, Dad's are instrumental in the spiritual direction of their families, and unfortunately many dad's have relegated their responsibility to their wives.

* This week's urban legend, The Church is For Perfect People. We are going to seriously debunk this myth.

* Make sure to be there Sunday, and bring a friend.

Tuesday, June 05, 2012

summer time

Can't believe it's summer. But at Foothills Community Church things are in full swing. One thing for sure, things never get boring around here.

* This past Sunday was incredible. From the time you entered until the time you left, the experience was phenomenal.

* Having Brian Rhodes in the kiddie pool as you entered the concourse got some strange looks (and a whole lot of smiles) He was promoting our Baptism party. If you haven't been dunked", this is your opportunity!

* Some of the guest services team put 150lbs. of ice into the pool between services (which would explain Brian's grimace :-) )

* I LOVED the music. Having the choir up there always adds so much.

* The Rascall Flatts tune to kick things off was awesome!

* The Urban Legends series continued wit the legend, God's Will Is The Safest Place To Be. Sounds true enough, but what the Bible teaches is that the will of God is not the safest place to be, but it's the BEST place to be.

* This week the Urban Legend is Faith Fixes Everything. You definitely do not want to miss!

* SonSports began yesterday afternoon. We have been doing SonSports for several years, but I think this year is going to be the best ever. Thanks to the 100 volunteers that are serving this week, and a special thank you to my amazing wife, Liz, who has spent probably hundreds of hours organizing it.

* I'm praying that many of the kids will begin a relationship with Jesus!

* By the way, it's not too late to have your kids participate. Just get them here this afternoon!

* As I mentioned earlier, this Sunday at 4:30pm at Biggerstaff Retreat Center on Lake Keowee, we will have our next baptism party. It is going to be a blast. Bring enough food for your family + 1, your friends and a lawn chair. Come and support those who will be stepping up and proclaiming their faith in Christ through baptism!

* If you would like to be baptized, show up ready to get dunked!

* On Father's day (June 17th) we are going to be giving way some fantastic prizes. Both campuses will be doing the give-aways. To qualify for the prizes you must be a guy (18 years or older). These are some serious big-time prizes, so bring your Dad's. Who knows he may walk away with a killer prize.

* We are exploring a couple of extremely exciting opportunities. I can't go into much detail just yet, but I can tell you this much, if the Lord opens the door, it will be the most amazing thing FCC has ever done!!