How We Celebrate
Our deepest passion is to celebrate the Lord. And oh, what a festival we have when God’s people gather to worship! Just one touch from Him can lighten the heavy burdens of twenty-first century living. As we begin to relax in His presence, those tense, anxious feelings seem to melt away.
This divine encounter is similar to the mysteries of the space shuttle. While being transported to the launching pad, it creeps along about 5 miles per hour. But when that magical moment of liftoff arrives, powerful rockets free the craft from earth’s gravity at a speed of 17,000 miles per hour! While waiting inside the cabin for takeoff, astronauts struggle to lift heavy objects. But once the shuttle is free from the pull of gravity, those same objects can be lifted with a single finger.
Sound familiar? At times, our spiritual progress seems to be zero . . . no movement at all. However, when our spirits connect with His, burdens that had weighted us down now seem light as a feather. Each time we reach upward to touch Jesus, He responds in a multitude of ways that truly make life worth living
Lively Worship
Through active praise, worship and song, we celebrate the goodness of God. Some will express their freedom with hand clapping or raising their hands, but no one is ever pressured to participate. We just do what feels most comfortable. When His Spirit comes so close and personal, we simply lay aside our worries, problems, and stressful situations and allow Him to minister to our souls. This is how we break free of anything that has made us fearful or afraid . . . and relax in His presence.
Charitable Giving
To show our appreciation for God’s bountiful blessings, we celebrate with our financial gifts. With grateful hearts, we bring the tithe (“tenth,” or ten percent) of our income to Him (Malachi 3:10; Luke 11:42; Matthew 6:21). Since God’s nature is to always bless the giver, His Kingdom is built on the principle of multiplication, rather than division. So, He allows the first tenth of our income to become an investment. Everyone involved gets a return on their investment, which not only blesses the church, but the giver as well (Luke 6:38). The success of His financial plan can clearly be seen in our individual checkbooks. Therefore, we gladly celebrate with our tithes and offerings.
Passionate Teaching
A major benefit of “touching Jesus” is His provision of godly instructors. Our congregation has been highly favored with caring pastors who offer support, encouragement, and sound teaching from God’s Word. They are all gifted communicators, but with a variety of teaching styles. Some are candid and outspoken, others comical, but all strive to be transparent and offer down-to-earth counsel that is easily understood. Because our leaders also deal with weaknesses, temptations, and failures, they can easily relate with listeners, right where they live.
