CONNECTING PEOPLE TO JESUS CHRIST AND TO ONE ANOTHER.

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1 THE CONNECTING PEOPLE TO JESUS CHRIST AND TO ONE ANOTHER. Statistics Matter We conducted a Congregational Questionnaire during our Sunday morning services on April 21. Why? We want to see how we are doing at reaching our culture for Christ. The mission of Gateway Church is to Connect people to Jesus Christ and to one another. Our mission comes from: the number one reason people first visited Gateway was because someone invited them. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 How are we doing? Based upon the statistics from the questionnaire, by God s grace, we are doing very well. 36.4% of those coming to Gateway were not attending church on a regular basis when they first visited JUNE In this issue Congratulations Pastor Scott - 2 Upcoming Events 2 Backyard Mission Day 3 Youth Trip to Cedar Point 3 Connect with Us 4 Congratulations Graduates % came to Christ through Gateway. Early 30 s The average age of those who attend Gateway (Ouch! That means I am one of the older ones). We have a wide range of ages, but God is using us to reach the next generation. Thank you Lord! By a wide margin, the number one reason people first visited Gateway was because someone invited them. Great job church! You are living the Great Commission. The number one reason people stay at Gateway is the preaching. That may sound self-serving to mention, but, as a church, proclaiming the good news of Jesus is our primary work. There continued next page

2 Statistics Matter (cont.) are many other reasons, however, why people stay at Gateway. Here are a few I found quite humorous: cookies (I agree), cute pastor (I pray that was one of the pastors wives speaking of her own husband), humor (we do think we are funny) and my wife likes the music (apparently he does not). These statistics do not imply that we are a perfect church, the best church or a church that deserves God s blessing. The Lord has His hand on Gateway for His purposes and His glory. Sinful people lead Gateway Church. We have imperfect pastors, elders, deacons, staff, life group leaders and teachers. But we seek, through the leading and the power of the Holy Spirit, to be a church that obeys God and follows His commands to make disciples. Thank you for being used by God for His glory! Pastor Craig Congratulations Pastor Scott! Scott Long, the administrative pastor at Gateway Church, was approved as a Candidate Under Care at the May 10, 2013 presbytery meeting in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. This is part of the process to become ordained in the denominational family (the Evangelical Presbyterian Church) of which Gateway is a part. Please congratulate Pastor Scott on this step in his journey as a leader at Gateway Church. UPCOMING EVENTS Saturday June 15 7:00 p.m. Chonda Pierce Live Monday June 17 7:00 p.m. VBS Volunteer Training Mon. & Tue. June 17 & 18 Middle School White Water Rafting Mon. - Fri. June :30 p.m. Vacation Bible School Refer to the new Events tab at for full event details. 2

3 Backyard Mission Day On Saturday, April 27, several Gateway life groups joined other area churches and mission organizations in the Findlay Backyard Mission Day. Teams were assigned to a variety of service projects throughout Findlay. &#!,)/*Youth Trip to Cedar Point On Monday, June 3, the Gateway youth took a road trip to Cedar Point. The skies were sunny and lines were short as 45 Gateway kids enjoyed America s Roller Coast. 3

4 connect with us With so many activities and events happening at Gateway, what s the best way to know the who, what, where, when and how? Get plugged in. Get the Gateway Weekly . It s a chronological list of all current events and serving opportunities sent in a convenient weekly . Visit our website. We have recently updated the website to include an events tab that lists all event details. Download the free Gateway Church App. You can watch/listen to sermons from any mobile device. Arrive a little early for our Sunday services. Before the worship team takes the stage, we share some of the highlighted events on the screens. Join a Life Group. It s a great way to meet people who share common interests. Like us on Facebook. We often post information about things happening at Gateway. Plus it s a great way to ask and invite your friends to upcoming outreach events. Congratulations to Gateway Graduates Ciara Atkinson Kyle Bowsher Jared Brachok Logan Brand Marisa Burkett Alex Distel Sam Duling Audrey Evans Shelby Eddington Alex Farmer Zachariah Garber Meghan Gray Philip Jewett Paige Kinsinger Erika Nigh Hannah Ratnasamy Thomas Ricketts Allyson Sabo Christine Schrock Bekah Shultis Emily Sprague Caitlin Stahl Larson Storer Seth Thomas Tyler Tomlins Matt Wayland Sarah Yeo Brandon Youngpeter Julia Zelinsky Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. College Grads: Rebekah Moorhead Kim Schmitt Philippians 4:6 4

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10 Congratulations Graduates! 10