September 23, 2014

Unleashing Hope!  It’s our new series and it hit like a thunderstorm this last weekend.  The response has been amazing, and it’s obvious this is God's direction for us at this time.  I am so grateful for those who took the challenges from Sunday seriously and are seeking God's help to recharge their HOPE batteries.  Without HOPE, we have so little, but with HOPE, we have so much.  Along with our new series we are launching many new Life Groups, which start this week.  My group started Sunday night and it proved to be a memorable evening—great teaching, prayer and meaningful talks about HOPE in our lives.  You can still join a group if you’re interested by calling the church office at 916-726-2100 and asking for the Life Groups ministry.

This coming weekend we are working into Week 2 of our series.  We will be talking about "Raising our Expectations."  We are studying out of the story of Gideon from Judges 6 and 7.  Take an early look at this passage and see how God speaks to you about raising your expectations. 

We want to thank all those who helped us with the lobby remodel.  I am continually blown away by the amount of work and the quality put forth for our church community.  So many people helped make it happen in big and small ways.  Thank you for all your efforts!  They make a huge difference in the life of Bayside. 

Do you have a friend or family member who could use a good talk about HOPE?  Invite them to come along with you this Sunday.  We promise to be nice to them.  We look forward to seeing you all as we gather to celebrate the goodness of God, catch up with friends and challenge ourselves with the inspiration of the Bible.

Pastor Craig, Becky, Seth, Hannah and Riley the dog

September 17, 2014

I Corinthians 13:13 - “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love…”

HOPE!  Honestly, think about life without hope.  It’s absolutely dismal!  It’s difficult to think about how a person goes on to the next day when there is so little hope for that next day.  None of us would choose that kind of life.  Not only do people suffer from hopelessness, but we are battered and bruised by discouragement as well.  Life is happening and it’s not often pretty.  Circumstances in our control and circumstances out of our control are part of each day and yet the verse above speaks to us about three things that remain for us as followers of Jesus.  Right in the middle of faith and love we find hope.  We have all kinds of reasons to hope and they are all found in Christ.

Church, we are starting a brand new series called “Unleashing Hope.”  This is going to be a powerful study about hope in our lives and how we can get more of it.  Hope drives us not just into the next day but forward into eternity.  This will not be a study of platitudes about hope…it will be a challenge to understand the role of hope and how we can remain filled with it. 

Do you have a friend or a family member who needs to hear about hope?  Anyone you know feeling hopeless?  Invite them to attend with you.  We are offering Life-Groups along with this study and I am hoping you will join one and bring your friend along.  Stop by the Life Group tables, in the courtyard, on Sunday, for details about these groups.

We love you and look forward to seeing you this coming weekend as we gather to celebrate the goodness of God, catch up with friends and challenge ourselves with the Word of God.

Pastor Craig, Becky, Seth, Hannah and Riley the dog

September 2, 2014

Wow! We celebrated 5 years last Sunday! What an amazing service it was, and the Luau was a blast. At the Luau we baptized 90!! There were lots of tears. The presence of God was so strong with us, and even with 55 beach balls no one got hurt during the in-service volleyball game. I want to thank the hundreds who made the weekend so special. It could not have happened but for all those serving us selflessly.

As we begin year 6, we all need to be thinking about how we will live brave. Part of that is the service we give to others. What will be your part? Not “if” you serve, but “when” will you serve? Where will you serve? We are now a church exceeding 1,100, and the amount of people it takes to staff our ministries is only growing as well. Please take a moment to consider where you will add value by serving. We always have a need in the Patio Cafe, Media Team, Children’s, Road Warriors, Guest Services (ushers and greeters) and the Connection Cafe. There are other places to serve, but these always have room for a few more.

This coming Sunday we are going to wrap up our series WE BELIEVE with part three of “Hope’s Arrival”. You can look ahead for this Sunday by reading Revelation 19:11-16 and I Corinthians 3:12-15. Come expecting God to speak into your life.

We are also looking for about 10 more homes to open up for our upcoming Life Group launch starting Sept 21. We will have our first signups this Sunday so people can join a group. If you are willing to open your home please contact Pastor Cheryl at (916) 726-2100.

We love you and can hardly wait to see you this coming weekend as we gather to celebrate the goodness of God, catch up with friends and open the Bible to learn.

Pastor Craig, Becky, Seth, Hannah and Riley the dog