MARCH 2018 NEWSLETTER SUNDAY SERVICES 9:00 & 10:30 am Nursery care available IN THIS ISSUE From Our Pastor WCC Events & Info Student Life Ministry Children s Ministry March Calendar @WOODBURYCOMMUNITYCHURCH @WOODBURYCCHURCH For all the PROMISES of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his Glory. 2 Corinthians 1:20
From Our Pastor Dear WCC Family, It s been almost a decade that I have the privilege of serving as your pastor. When this month ends, my time at WCC will be over, but my love for you will remain. On my first Sunday as your pastor, I read these words from the book of Romans to you: I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other s faith. Romans 1:11, 12 I hope that over these past many years that you have been encouraged in your faith walk. I know that you have encouraged me. And, I know that you will be an encouragement to the next pastor that God calls to WCC. As I close my time with you, my prayer continues to be that I might be able to impart some spiritual gift to make you strong. I m excited about the sermons that I believe that God has called me to preach in the month of March. We ll begin the month by examining the promises of God as it relates to His love for us, the promises of God when we need courage, and the promises of God when we need strength. My sermon on Palm Sunday will focus on making much of Jesus. From the beginning of my time here I have talked about WCC being a church that makes much of Jesus. In many ways, my Palm Sunday sermon will focus on those last things that I want to share with you as a church family, before I leave. Then, on Maundy Thursday, we ll share communion, listen to the powerful work God in each other s lives, and take a devotional look at the beauty of the grace of Jesus. My final day with you is Easter Sunday, April 1st. We ll examine the message of the empty tomb. If there is one gift that you could give me as an outgoing pastor, it would be to bring as many people with you on Easter Sunday as you can. On Easter, I will share the Gospel, with love, in simple and clear language. Together, over the years, we have seen so many people make commitments to Jesus. I d love to see it happen again. Wouldn t you? Then, on April 2, the day after I leave, a team of dedicated volunteers are ready to launch ALPHA. ALPHA is a wonderful evangelistic and discipleship program that helps new Christians grow in their walk with Jesus and helps those who don t know Christ get to know Him. Each ALPHA session will include a fabulous meal, wonderful teaching, lots of laughter and a time for questions to be answered. Will you consider attending ALPHA? Will you consider inviting a friend to attend with you? ALPHA will meet weekly, on Monday evenings, through mid- June. Finally, on Sundays, April 8 and 15, we will welcome Ron Hamilton, Conference Minister for the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference and the founding pastor of Woodbury Community Church back the pulpit. I am so grateful that Ron will be speaking the first two Sundays after I leave. Know that I am going to be praying for you in the days and months ahead. I m praying for the elders of WCC and the important decisions that they will be making. I m praying that you will all use the gifts that God has given you in the days ahead for His glory and your growth. And, I m praying for your next pastor. I m praying that God s Spirit will already be preparing him to love you, serve you, and lead you into a closer walk with Christ as you live together on mission to honor God by making more disciples for Jesus Christ. In His Service, Pastor Brian
WCC Events & Info WHIRLYBALL FELLOWSHIP EVENT March 10 / 7pm / Maple Grove All adults are invited to join us for a super fun night of WhirlyBall in Maple Grove. What the heck is WhirlyBall?!? It is an extremely fun sport that combines basketball, hockey, lacrosse, and bumper-cars. That s right, bumper-cars! This will be a great night of fun and fellowship. Cost is $20/person. You can sign-up at woodburycommunitychurch.com/events or at the WCC Welcome Desk. Contact Jim Nygren at skygren@comcast.net for more information. EXPLORE ALPHA LUNCHEON March 11 / Following 2nd Service We have an exciting opportunity at Woodbury Community Church for YOUR benefit and the building of Christ's kingdom. We are offering The Alpha Course beginning Monday night, April 2nd from 5:30-7:30. What is Alpha, you ask? It is a very cool opportunity for anyone from any background to explore all the basics of the Christian Faith. This course has been so strong and successful that it has 29 million participants from 69 countries around the world. Translated into 66 languages, it captures the TRUTHS of Christianity, and helps anyone to clarify what a life with Jesus looks like. It is a safe place to ask questions, make friends, share a laugh or two, have a GREAT meal, and talk things over in a small group. An "Explore Alpha" luncheon will be held on Sunday, March 11th following the second service. This will be an opportunity to have a "taste" of what the course will be like: lunch, Alpha intro, view a video and have a chat. Then you can decide whether you would like to continue on the 10 week course, beginning April 2nd. You can sign-up for the luncheon at the WCC Welcome Desk or at woodburycommunitychurch.com/events. Registration for the Alpha Course will begin after March 11th. Child care will be provided in needed. For more details information, please contact Sandy Nelson at 651-739-7732 or snelson4323@gmail.com. SHARE BECAUSE YOU CARE / BINGO March 12 / 2pm / Oak Ridge Assisted Living, Hastings Share Because You Care is up and running again. We had two very fun days painting and playing Bingo in February and are ready to enjoy visiting with the residents at Oak Ridge Assisted Living in March. Share Because You Care Ministry will be featured at WCC during March. Highlighting the events, the need for funds and volunteers, and how you can make a difference in the life of others. Please prayerfully consider how you can become involved in caring for these very special elderly residents, showering them with the love of Christ. Mark you calendar with the upcoming dates March 12 Bingo, April 9 Distribution and April 30 Painting. All at 2:00 pm. For more information, contact Pam Faessler at gnfaessler@gmail.com.
WCC Events & Info HOLY WEEK AT WOODBURY COMMUNITY CHURCH You, your family and friends are invited to join us at Woodbury Community Church for Holy Week. Palm Sunday (March 25th): Services at 9:00 & 10:30 am Maundy Thursday (March 29th): Service at 7:00 pm with communion Easter Sunday (April 1st): Services at 9:00 & 10:30 am with brunch between services No educational classes Pastor Brian s last sermon PULSE TWIN CITIES May 18 / US Bank Stadium Join us at US Bank Stadium on May 18, 2018 and invite your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers and classmates to an immense, unparalleled FREE event - PULSE Twin Cities. This night will include big-name artists/musicians and speaker Nick Hall, the founder of PULSE. PULSE will create an experience that will draw in skeptics and send them out with the hope found in Jesus. This is more than a big event! It s about bringing unity to the Body of Christ, impacting thousands through multiplied prayer, sharing the Gospel with unbelievers and raising a new generation committed to evangelism and discipleship. It s about equipping and empowering individuals to share their faith. It s about building the local church by connecting them with new believers. It s about making an impact on the Twin Cities. It s about God s heart for our city. For more details, go to pulsetwincities.com. Financial Update Year-to-Date Budget $62K Year-to-Date Giving $51K Year-to-Date Expenditures $54K
Students, we want to invite you on a journey that we think will help you take major steps toward becoming a fully-devoted follower of Jesus. We have adult mentors who are ready and willing to invest in you. Interested? Talk to Darrin. UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS SPRING LOCK-IN Epic games and all-night fun! Save the date and watch for details and sign-up coming soon! APR 20-21 HIKING ADVENTURE Climb to new heights, enjoy the great outdoors, and have a blast with your friends. Join us for adventure on the trail as we witness God s creation up close! MAY 6 For more information: wccmn.org/ministries/students Contact Associate Pastor, Darrin Geier: students@wccmn.org
Children s Ministry UPCOMING EVENTS CAN YOU HELP? We re looking for a VBS coordinator. Are you detail-oriented? Can you manage projects? Can you delegate tasks? Do you want to see Jesus take hold of young hearts this summer? If so, let s talk. Interested? Contact Associate Pastor, Darrin Geier - dgeier@wccmn.org. FAMILY CONNECTION TEACHING YOUR KIDS TO PRAY Children s perceptions of communicating with God change as they grow. Read more here: https://www.mylifetree.com/teaching-kids-to-pray/ For more information and to register for events, visit: wccmn.org/ministries/children Contact Associate Pastor, Darrin Geier: dgeier@wccmn.org
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 3 9:00 Service*, ABF, 10:30 Service*, ABF 4 9:00 Moms In Prayer 5 6 7 8 9 10 7:00 WhirlyBall Maple Grove 11 9:00 Service, ABF, 10:30 Service, ABF 12 2:00 Bingo at Oak Ridge Assisted Lvg 6:30 Women s Meetup at Lunds/Byerlys 13 Large Group 9:00 Homeschool Co-op 14 6:00 Elder Board Mtg. 15 16 17. 7:30 SEMS Meeting 6:30 Missions Team Mtg Small Groups 18 9:00 Service, ABF, 10:30 Service, ABF 9:00 Moms In Prayer 19 20 21 22 23 24 6:30 Women s Meetup at Lunds/Byerlys Large Group 7:00 Quilters Guild 25 9:00 Service, ABF, 10:30 Service, ABF 26 27 9:00 Homeschool Co-op 28 29 30 31 Small Groups 7:00 Service* * Communion