Summer Kids Club
This summer our kids will continue to learn more about the Bible through a series called “What’s In The Bible?” It’s a fun curriculum from the creator of the VeggieTales. So, even though AWANA is over for the school year, please continue to join us on Wednesday nights at 7:00pm throughout the summer.
Click here for more information about the exciting “What’s In The Bible?” curriculum.
Missional Agreement (A Reflection on Ps 42:7)
Reading of Psalm 42:7
Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
Reflection on Psalm 42:7
This is a stretch to be sure, but this could also be taken to refer to a church service or body of believers. “Deep calls to deep” …in other words, in a river, “depths” of many rivers converge into one, until they all fall together off the edge of a cliff, making the resonant chorus that is a waterfall. The many rivers must all converge and go in the same direction, they must all take the plunge together as well. Then at the base of the waterfall, they achieve their greatest power and beauty, as “deep calls to deep.” God’s presence and power will be strikingly absent unless our churches accomplish three things. One, our rivers must converge. We have to have the same mission and be going the same direction. Two, “deep” must call to “deep.” God didn’t say “shallow calls to shallow.” We have to get in on each others lives, on the depths, really understanding who we are, connecting with, and praying for one another. Finally, we must all take the plunge together. All the rivers of the waterfall have to dive together, take the leap of faith together, in order for the waterfall to achieve maximum force. If a river cuts out early, it’s taking some force with it (not to mention other rivers). Our churches must be defined by missional agreement, true love, and risk taking faith. Only then will we begin to hear the depth of God himself in our choruses.
(This reflection was written by Chris Coultas, Worship Leader of the 10:0am Service)
2012 Man Up Men’s Conference
Man Up!
On April 20 & 21, 2012, a group of men from our church attended the 2012 Man Up Men’s Conference here in Orlando, FL. The conference featured powerful and insightful messages from Jerry Thorpe & Jim Groves.
Our guys had a great time getting to know each other better and learning more about how to be the men that God has called them to be.
If you would like to review the notes from the conference, please click the links below. These notes were compiled by one of our pastors. They may be hard to follow, but feel free to browse them for insights. Especially, check out the “Notes & Quotes” section at the bottom of each entry.
Conference Notes
Man Up Men’s Conference – Session 1
Man Up Men’s Conference – Session 2
Man Up Men’s Conference – Session 3
Man Up Men’s Conference – Session 4
Man Up Men’s Conference – Session 5
PS: Thanks to everyone who prayed for our safety and our growth while we were away!
Pastor Williams will be on the radio!
Sunday, March 25, at 2:00pm on WTLN 950
If you are in the Sanford-Orlando area, check out WTLN 950 on the AM dial today at 2:00pm. They will be airing an interview and a message from Pastor Williams. Pretty cool, huh?
You can also visit WTLN on the web at http://www.wtln.com
Spread the Word!
Tell your friends and family about this by Faceboook, Twitter, and text!
2012 Missions Emphasis Weekend
Missions Emphasis Weekend is March 30-April 1
We invite you to take part in this year’s Missions Emphasis Weekend. It’s this coming week! Our special missionary guest for the weekend is Nathan Foltz, missionary to Tanzania. Here are some of the events that we encourage you to be a part of during the weekend:
- International Dinner 6:45pm on Friday Night (March 30)
Pick an international region and bring an international food to share.
- Bill Simpson’s Class – Asia
- Dave Schnelle’s & Nick Williams’ Class – Africa
- Youth Group & Don Ador – USA
- Don Bodin’s Class & Carlos Duncan’s Class – Australia
- Jane Unsworth’s Group – Central & South America
- Victoria Lemois’ Group – Caribbean
- Teresa Hansen’s Group – Europe
- Ladies Luncheon (Patio Grill) 11:30am on Saturday (March 31)
- Men’s BBQ (Shane Stewart’s House) 5:00pm on Saturday (March 31)
This will be held at 250 Art Lane, Sanford, FL 32773
The church will provide the meant. Men should bring sides & drinks.
- Faith Promise Commitment Sunday Sunday Morning (April 1)
1st Anniversary Celebration
Anniversary Celebration
This Sunday, March 10, we’re celebrating our one year anniversary with a special church service and a BBQ & Baptism. Please invite your friends to come to church with you this Sunday. You don’t want to miss this awesome celebration and the special cardboard testimonies presentation.
BBQ & Baptism
Plus, everyone is invited to join us at Austin, Sandy, and Tonya’s house afterward for BBQ and Baptism. They live at 2845 Pine Way in Sanford. At the BBQ, the church is providing the hamburgers & hotdogs, and you can us out by bringing a side & a drink.
After we eat, we’ll baptize several new Christ-followers in the pool. It’s wonderful to see people take the next step in their spiritual journey.
After that, we’ll all break out the bocce ball and horseshoes for an afternoon of relaxation and fun.
This will be a great day of inspiration and fellowship. Join us!
Small Group Opportunities
Join a Small Group this Spring!
Did you know that we meet here during the week for Bible Studies? We meet together for encouragement and learning. Click the link below to see a full list of Small Group Bible Study Opportunities that are available to you, and then plan to join us this week. It’s a great way to connect with other Christ-followers & share life together.
Click here to see the list of Small Group Opportunities
Most of these Bible Studies will run through May. Then, they will break for the summer.
Church At The GYM was featured in the USA Today!
Our church made the national news! We were recently mentioned in an article that was posted on the USA Today website on Wednesday and appeared in the Thursday print edition. The article is about churches, like ours, which are meeting in non-traditional spaces.
As many of you know, we are doing church a little differently here at Church At The GYM in Sanford, FL because we are reaching out to the un-churched (people who have never attended church) and the de-churched (people who used to attend but have stopped).
Over the next few days, we’ll be highlighting a few of our distinctives, and we’ll be sharing why it is that we do things the way that we do. Stay tuned for more!
In the meantime, check out the USA Today article!
Rick Biven – Our Special Guest on February 19
Rick Biven is here in Sanford!
Did you know that our missionary to Mexico, Rick Biven, will be our special guest speaker on Sunday, February 19? He has been staying here in Sanford, FL this winter, and he has set aside this special Sunday to be with us. This is an excellent opportunity to hear an update regarding what God is doing in Mexico. It is pretty awesome to know that our church has had a part in the spread of the message of Jesus all around the world!
Here is his 2012 Ministry Video. Check it out!
Thanksgiving Food Drive (Saturday, Nov 12)
Canned Food Drive
My heart was deeply touched as new friendships were formed and old friendships were strengthened while we gathered together once again to become the hands and feet of Christ, handing out brown paper grocery bags to every door in three neighborhoods in Sanford this Sunday past, just trying to make a difference. Doing everything we can to make sure that (at the very least) the 40 families we promised are going to have that Thanksgiving Dinner this year, in their homes, with their families and loved ones!
You Can Get Involved!
I encourage everyone who can to come out and help us this coming Saturday at 10:00am, to come and gather the Blessings God will provide through people in these neighborhoods. Just meet us at the church, and we’ll go out to the neighborhoods together. You can be a huge part of this blessing for the folks we provide Thanksgiving Dinners to! This 3 or 4 step process is exciting and rewarding every step of the way, knowing that you helped not only in delivering the meals to someone, but that you actually helped in acquiring the meals as well. That it took hard work and dedication, makes it that much more memorable for years to come! What an amazing Thanksgiving you will have! What an awesome God we serve when He will see to it that those empty bags are filled with food! And what an amazing role you can choose to play in feeding the hungry! Please pray about this opportunity and make every effort to come out and help on Saturday God Bless!
(Contributed by Sandy Adcox, CATG Volunteer)
You can also help us deliver the Thanksgiving Meal Packs at 4:00pm on November 20!
