Church Family,
You might have noticed a theme through my last few articles that is now about to reach its crescendo: Easter is coming! It is now April, and we have the incredible opportunity to get people connected with our church during our Easter services on April 17.
As I shared earlier, we are going with the theme of “Hope.” I can’t wait to preach about the Living Hope we have since our Savior conquered the grave! Also, we are bringing back our hot Easter breakfast in the gym (which will be between our two services during the Bible Study hour). Please don’t come alone on Easter Sunday. Invite family, friends, neighbors, or co-workers to come with you!
Also, we want to be really strategic about encouraging any guests we have on Easter to come back again. With that in mind, I wanted to share with you the exciting news of our “Family Connection Sunday” on April 24, the week after Easter. We have found that many people, saved or lost, are concerned about being better parents and grandparents and making sure they are making a difference in the lives of their children and grandchildren. The whole purpose of this special Sunday the week after Easter is to equip families to reconnect with each other and form deeper relationships.
We are bringing in a guest speaker, Dr. Richard Ross, from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, to come and lead this special Sunday. Dr. Ross has decades of experience in connecting and ministering to families. He will be preaching a message entitled “The Hearts of Parents and the Future of Their Children,” from Psalm 110:12-4 in both of our services.
In addition, he will do a special training session for parents and grandparents during the Bible Study hour, entitled “How to Make a Spiritual Impact on Your Children or Grandchildren.” Finally, we are going to have a luncheon for parents and their kids in 5th-12th grade. After a quick meal, Dr. Ross will lead a 50-minute session called “Restoring Heart Connections between Parents and Teenagers.” He puts parents and their kids knee-to-knee and he guides them through what to say to each other. It is powerful. Tears are common. Dr. Ross has shared with me that parents talk about this session for years!
So many people want to be equipped to be a better parent and grandparent. It is our prayer that Dr. Ross and our Family Connection Sunday will be a great encouragement to our members and will also be a way to get our guests on Easter to want to show up the following Sunday. Will you join me in praying that God will move and work in a fresh way in our church and community through our Easter and Family Connection Sunday services?
In Him,
Pastor Zach Crook