Gateway Mission: Connecting People to Jesus Christ and to One Another August is Missions Month THE GATE August 2014 The mission of Gateway Church is to connect people to Jesus Christ and to one another. Our mission is not something we randomly decided to adopt because it was a cool saying or politically correct. This statement is derived directly from the words of Jesus: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations -Matthew 28:19 (ESV) Our passion as the Gateway Church leadership is to reach the next generation for Christ. We desire to proclaim the gospel to them in a clear way that speaks to them right where they are. That is why we do what we do as a church: i.e. have modern music, relaxed dress, the manner in which we preach, utilize videos, have a welcome crew (parking attendants, ushers, greeters and café workers), have dynamic ministry to children and youth (and college students), provide life groups, etc. But our mission is not limited to northwest Ohio. We are called to reach all nations. Our missions committee has put together a Missions Month where, for the five Sundays in August, we will highlight one or more missionaries Gateway supports over 30 missionaires or mission agencies. or mission works that Gateway supports each Sunday. A number of our missionaries will be with us for you to meet. We take reaching out to the world beyond Gateway seriously. Our leadership has committed to invest fifteen percent of our general budget to missions. This translates to: Over $270,000 committed in 2014 to missions Support for over 30 missionaries or mission agencies Over $2 million invested in missions in the twelve years of Gateway s existence Thank you for your support of God s work here and throughout the world! For God s Glory, Pastor Craig Cramer The Gateway App If you haven t yet, download the Gateway App to your smartphone to access sermon audio and video along with quick access to the Bible. Click here to download the Gateway App: App Store or Google Play.
Gateway Staff Volunteer for EPC Outreach in Budapest On Saturday July 5th, 2014, I boarded a plane with three other Gateway friends to fly to Budapest, Hungary. Youth Pastor David Rath and his wife Tracy, Middle School Director Jared McBride (later to be joined by Pastor Ben and his wife Kathy) and I had volunteered to serve at the EPC s (Evangelical Presbyterian Church) World Outreach (WO) Family Gathering. This event happens once every four years and it serves to give the WO missionaries, who are spread all over the world, a chance to get away, relax, refresh and resume their calling back in the field of ministry. Several of these missionaries serve in closed countries, which means they are in cultures which are hostile to the Gospel. Best case scenario, they would be either imprisoned or thrown out of the country. Worst case scenario, they would be martyred for their faith if their identity and mission were ever made public. The EPC and WO are extremely sensitive to all the environments in which our missionaries serve, which is why they felt it so necessary to provide for them a retreat to refuel. The Family Gathering started in 2010 and was held at Keystone Resort in Colorado. The distance from the multitude of mission fields and cost of getting there made it difficult to attend for many. This is the reason why in 2014 it was decided to pick a central location in Eastern Europe where many could affordably attend. On Wednesday, July 9, missionaries from all over the world began to arrive at Margitsziget (Margaret s Island) Budapest, Hungary. The Danubius Grand Hotel played host to the WO with its Central Park like atmosphere, thermal spa features in the hotel and resort setting. Ron Webber, Director of WO Family Gathering, assembled a team of volunteers from EPC churches all over the United States to come and serve at this event. Ron and his team thought of everything that would meet the needs of the missionaries who desperately needed a time to relax and recharge. There were medical doctors and family counselors flown in from the States to tend to the many ailments these missionaries were enduring. There were VBS like activities specifically designed around what is know as TCK or Third Culture Kids. The children of the missionaries were able to attend activities throughout the day. Events and activities were scheduled from breakfast till dinner, everyday, for all age ranges of kids (infant through college). In speaking with a few of the missionaries with small children I was able to hear how thankful they were that the EPC and WO had thought of everything they would need to be able to truly relax and recharge. From the children s ministry, to counseling sessions, medical attention and most importantly, worship time. This event served to give back to those who, in some cases, give everything to make the name of Jesus Christ known around the world. I was fortunate to serve at this event as the technical adviser through providing audio and video support for all the worship events throughout the week. I personally was blessed by the teaching of Sandy Wilson, Senior Minister at Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis, TN. His teaching in 1st & 2nd Kings on being bold messengers of the Word to the world, was appropriate and empowering given the audience. I am excited to know that our denomination places such a high value on our missionaries throughout the world. WO and the EPC are ferociously committed to meeting the needs and serving those in the mission field for the sake of the Gospel. Praise God for His calling and enabling of us to work alongside Him as He draws people to Himself and transforms lives across the globe. Mike Norman Production Technology Director Gateway Church PAGE 2
KidCheck is Coming! KidCheck is a secure children s check-in system that will allow Gateway to provide a safe, simple and quick check-in and check-out process for our Sunday school program. We will implement this new electronic system for children ages birth through 5th grade on Sunday, August 31. It is important parents create a log-in account prior to this date. Once you have created your account, you can add your children s information and any pertinent medical/allergy alerts, as well as designate authorized guardians for your children. You can create your account from the comfort of home. It is simple and will only take a few minutes. By creating your account prior to August 31, you will help us have a smooth transition and your check-in will go much faster on Sunday mornings. Sign-up 1. Go to https://go.kidcheck.com 2. Select I Am a Parent and Want to Create a Free Account. 3. Enter your email address (the system is verifying you do not already have an account) 4. If no account is found, click Continue to New Account Registration. 5. Fill in the requested fields and create your password. (Choose Gateway Church (Findlay, OH) as the organization that referred you.) Click Register. 6. Agree to the license agreement. 7. Your account is now set up, but you can add more information (your address, additional phone numbers or upload a photo). 8. Click on the Kids tab. This is where you will input your children s information. Please input important information such as allergies here. Select Save Changes after adding each child. 9. Click on the Guardians tab. This is where you will input additional guardians. (You do not need to add yourself as a guardian, but will want to add a spouse, grandparents, or trusted friends any other adults you may trust to pick up your child from a Children s Ministry activity.) Remember to Save Changes when you are done adding guardians. Your account is now complete! When you check in at Gateway for the first time, type your 10-digit phone number onto the check-in screen, and your account will appear. If you would like a Gateway keytag to use for quicker check-in, one of our KidCheck assistants will be glad to issue you one. Remember to keep your information up-to-date. You can easily make changes to your account at any time by signing into your account at https:// go.kidcheck.com. If you have any questions or have difficulty creating your account, contact Laura Moore (Children s Ministry Director) at lmoore@gatewayepc.org or Dale Briggs (Business Manager) at dbriggs@gatewayepc.org or by calling the church (419-423-5947). GriefShare Class Planned Fall 2014 This fall, Gateway will be offering a second GriefShare grief recovery support group. This group is exclusively for those working through the challenges of dealing with the death of a loved one (child, spouse, parent, family member or friend). This 13-week facilitated, DVD/workbook discussion group will help you face those challenges and move towards rebuilding your life. Signups will begin in mid- August, with the class kicking off in early September. For more information about the ministry, contact Jenny Shorter at (919) 602-5400 or jennyshorter73@ gmail.com. PAGE 3
Gateway Building Update The purpose of this periodic update is to give you a brief look at how the construction process is moving along. They are making good progress and things are moving along smoothly at this time. Thank you for your continued patience with parking and periodic stone drive unavailability, dirt/dust and communication along the way! The additional stoned/graveled parking areas are now complete, and include more spaces than just the lot to the southwest of the property. More information will come in the near future on how to navigate and utilize them if you so desire. The next month, weather permitting, will see: foundation and stage-area concrete block work, preliminary electrical and plumbing work all continuing, as well as initial shipments of structural steel pieces which actually has already begun. As August progresses, be on the lookout for increasing structural steel delivery, around the end of the month. That can only mean one thing that you ll begin seeing actual erection of the sanctuary structure beginning to go vertical during the early fall! Please keep in mind that everything planned is weather-permitting, and adjustments may need to be made based upon what transpires. Please continue in prayer with us for Midwest Construction and the contractors/subcontractors involved in the project, for their diligence, safety and well-being as they serve. Pray for the wisdom of the Building Committee as they keep an eye on things and address items as they arise with construction. Pray as well for those handling the financial/business side of this project, that all is kept in order, i s are dotted and t s are crossed as work with all principals involved, is navigated. PAGE 4
Connecting to Grow What does it look like to follow Jesus? We may say, I go to church; I serve; I pray; I read the Bible. What am I missing? Following Jesus is much more than a checklist of activities. It is more than a one-time experience or even a weekly meeting. Living as a Christ-follower is a discipleship relationship, fueled by love and held together by the unbreakable bond of grace, which God offers us through Jesus sacrifice on the cross. I ve heard it said that being a disciple of Jesus is to be evangelized by the grace of God, edified by the Word of God, and equipped to do the work of God. It involves living a lifestyle of knowing Jesus and making Him known. We do not suddenly arrive as complete disciples of Christ; rather, we are always in process. Some of us are at the beginning of the journey, others have been following Jesus for years. Regardless, God is always at work with us. He molds, shapes, and forms us into the people He desires us to be. One of the best ways we grow spiritually is to do so with others. That s why Gateway has Life Groups! God has designed us to be in community with others, where we can constantly be connecting to grow to become the people God desires us to be. Will you commit to connecting to grow in a Life Group this fall? To join a Life Group: (1) Sign up online at: http://www.gatewayepc.org/#/connect/find-a-group or, (2) Fill out a sign up form in the lobby. Questions? Contact Rosemary: RLyon@gatewayepc.org, 419-423-5947. LIFE GROUPS 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 Email. It s a chronological list of all current events and serving opportunities sent in a convenient weekly email. 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. PAGE 5