To God's Beloved At Cloverdale Baptist:
It is a lot of fun for me to meet new people in our church and to hear them talk about us. Sunday, I had the privilege of interacting with a new family, who has found a home here. They love that we are authentic in our pursuit of multi ethnicity, and have felt truly welcomed and loved at CBC. Praise God! Interacted with others who brought their friends, and rejoiced as I heard that their friends loved the service, and found us open and welcome! As we continue to become who God wants us to become, please make it your goal on Sunday mornings to find someone you don't know, and get to know them. Our longing is to be known for our love for God and His Word, but also our love for one another. Your role in this is key! Thank you for already displaying God's love so richly, and be encouraged to not only carry it on, but increase it! Was an encouraging day, and I love being a part of this family!
Spring Break is not only a time of refreshment for our kids, it is a time to break from regular life for young families. I know this is not always easy, but a great time to reset our value of choosing the right friends. Who we are friends with at any age makes a tremendous difference in how we live our lives! Mark Twain said, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with". That may be a little bit of an exaggeration...but worth considering. Pastor Andrew Fuller, said, "The company we keep and the books we read, insensibly form us into the same likeness". So read God's Word, and other amazing books, and keep growing in your life and walk with God! Make sure the people you are hanging out with are being drawn to God through you, or drawing you to God! Who we are friends with definitely impacts how we live
We are looking to build a CULTURE OF EVANGELISM. What does this mean? Great question, first, it means that those who are in our church family know and have experienced the Gospel richly. So, may I encourage you today, to think through the Gospel in terms of content, and then to review your own story of who you were before you believed the Gospel, how you came to know Jesus as your LORD and SAVIOUR, and lastly the change that has made in your life. If you are unsure how to do this, please talk to one of your elders or pastors, as for us to become who we believe God wants us to be this knowledge and experience is essential! We would like every person in our family to be able to describe the Gospel in a simple manner, and be able to share their own story of how God has worked in their life!
Baptism Service: April 30. A few of our people have asked when the next baptismal service is, we will be having our next baptismal service on April 30. Please contact a pastor if you are ready to follow Jesus in this act of obedience.
This is Dean's last Sunday before he heads off to Ukraine. Please be in prayer for him as he travels, and then engages with people for God's glory in another culture. It has been a joy to have him with us, please pray he would learn the language quickly, adjust to the new culture in a healthy way, and have success in an Easter outreach! Dean, we will miss you, and we will join you in your struggle there by praying for you.
Last Sunday, we kicked off the book series, this Sunday we will continue it. We are excited to see so many people interacting with the book together, and one of my boys said, "dad we should work through the questions as a family"...so we will. What a great idea, for growth groups, friends, and families to seek to know and apply God's Word together! Please use this tool to grow in our knowledge of God's Word and application in every day life! Thank you Elias for the great work you did on the creativity of the book...has helped us pursue excellence with your gifts!
Sunday Is Coming:
Title: Freedom In Christ Displayed:
:Text: Galatians 5:1-15
What does a life of freedom actually look like?
Why is it important that we let God's Word define this for us?
What does it mean to be God Centred?
What is, "faith working through love?"
How can we as a church (you as an individual) be known for our love?
How can we make sure we are serving one another in love?
Have a great week, excited about another wonderful Sunday!
Freed, to focus, love and serve with you,
Pastor Rob