New Years Eve

Have fun, be careful, know that God loves you and ask your self the the mission statement question in all circumstances:

"Am I living my life as a demonstration of Jesus' love, forgiveness, compassion, and Healing!"

See you next year!

Love, Pastor Kent

Monday Morning Thoughts

Our new Mission Statement:

Praise Community Fellowship seeks to be a demonstration of Jesus' Love, Forgiveness, Compassion, and Healing to one another and to everyone who crosses our path; those who come to us, and all those God will lead us to.

Applying this mission statement to our lives individually and corporately will be our compass as we move into the new year.  We are to become Jesus to one another. That is the goal. We come together to learn and to "practice" what we are learning.

Lets move forward into the new year expectantly. With God all things are possible.

Are you ready to become all that God wants you to be?

See you soon. Love, pastor Kent

I'm too Excited!

OK for those of you that just got the blog, I know that I goofed.  It's not tonight but tomorrow.  I'm so excited about church I thought it was tonight.

Bonni was sitting on the couch and just got the blog and said, "Kent, today is Saturday!"

"How in the world did I miss that?"

Oh yea.  Ok see you tomorrow!  Love, Kent

Last Chance for 2013

Tonight's Sermon, "How in the World did I Miss That?"

This evening we are going to look at a wonderful parable many of you are familiar with and look at where we are as a church and where we are going as we enter 2014. The sermon will look at just how easy it is to miss God in our lives even when we are focusing on Him.  Sounds unlikely doesn't it but the truth is we are blinded many times to the things of God even when He puts things right in front of us.

Why not join your church family tonight as we close the door on 2013.
Hope to see you.  Love, pastor Kent

Last Sunday of 2013

What will you do on the last Sunday of 2013?  When ever I do a funeral or a memorial service one of the things I always think about is "When was the last time?"

I wonder about about the last time the deceased mowed their lawn, had a piece of chocolate cake, saw a sunset or heard a flock of geese flying over. I wonder about the last time they had a cup of coffee and a doughnut, or caught a bluegill, or put gas in their car.  All just ordinary stuff one may do in life yet there will be a last time for everything we do.  There will be a last time we see someone, and a last time we tell someone we love them.  There will be a last time for all things for all of us here on this earth.

This Sunday will be the last Sunday in the year 2103. I will be talking about a parable from the new testament. With Gods help I am hoping to see Praise Community Fellowship impact more people in more profound ways this year.  I think we are already off to a great start.

There is also another thing I think about regularly when I see a new baby. I think about the first time of everything that little child will experience. The first time they see and smell a cow, the first time they taste a pancake or cool aid. I wonder what their first day of school will be like or their first visit to a zoo.

Our young church is full of possibilities just like a young child. Our lives as a church family will consist  of first times and last times. I hope you will join us on this journey. The more I study and read the more I find out just how little we know about God and all He has for us. I think religion has put most of us into such a small box that we cannot even imagine what life would be outside that small box.

I am asking all of you to help me break out of the small box this year. Let's do something radically wonderful for the love Jesus.

Hope to see you this last Sunday at 6:30 PM.  Love, Pastor Kent

Why not Today?

First of all do not put your tongue on a flagpole this morning.
But even more important than that, why not make today the the day that you decide to make love the center of your life. Love in tangible ways. For some it may mean letting go of past hurts, troubles, failures, …. For others it could be changing the way you look at the world. You know what it means to you. Ask God to help you live in this world with a new heart. A loving forgiving heart.

And then, for icing on the cake, do something wonderful for a complete stranger once on a while.  When you open your heart to love, kindness, and forgiveness, the Holy Spirit will prompt you to when and where you can make it a tangible expression.  Don't miss the blessing.

See you soon. Love pastor Kent

Two days until Jesus' Birthday

Thank you to everyone who joined us last night in a wonderful Christmas celebration. We are blessed to have such a wonderful church family.

I am excited about all the possibilities for the coming year. The board will be finishing up on a mission statement and we are continuing to look at our future and the possibilities that God may have for us.

If you know of someone who needs a pastoral visit please contact me. I can be reached at 618-334-3575.

Have a blessed and wonderful Christmas.  Love, pastor Kent

Tonight our Christmas Celebration Service

 Tonights Sermon:         Why I believe in the Christmas Story.

Come join us tonight at 6:30 for a wonderful Christmas celebration of music, worship and communion.

Tonight Praise Community Fellowship will gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Bring your family and friends to this beautiful celebration. I look forward to seeing all of you.

Change your life with the love of Jesus, come celebrate with us.

See you tonight, love Pastor Kent

Christmas Service this coming Sunday

The very first King Size Bed

Let us worship Him, our Lord and Savior!

See you Sunday. Special music, special message, candlelight service.

Love, pastor Kent

Urgent Prayer Request

Hello PCF Family!

Kent is traveling and asked me to send out an email update on David Reece.

For those of you who have not met David he has been a part of our RTP family for years.  David lives in Louisville, KY and looks forward to the RTP concerts every year.  Unfortunately, he was unable to attend this year as a few weeks prior to the concert David was diagnosed with a non-malignant brain tumor.

As I type this David is in surgery.  He was taken back around 7am and the surgery is expected to take 6-8 hours.  Please take a moment to say a prayer for David, his wife Sara, his daughter Gracie, and all the medical staff and surgeons involved in this complex surgery.

I'm sure Kent will be providing updates as they become available.

Thank you,

Amber

Monday Morning Thoughts

Wow…what a wonderful fellowship night last night at Praise Community Fellowship.  Brad Joiner you out did your self!  The meal was tremendous.  Thank you for all of Brads helper elves in the kitchen and for making the meal a very nice event.  We will plan on this again in about a month.

Here is what is coming up for our Christmas service on the 22nd. If you have teenagers and children of all ages this will be a great service to bring them to. It will be geared toward them.  And since most of us are children at heart, all should enjoy.

There are many many people who need a Savior as I spoke about last night. There are many Christians who need to understand what having a savior really means. That is the "Good News."  The savior not only saves but restores!

Choir and band we will be rehearsing tonight at 7:00 in the sanctuary for our Christmas service.

I'm excited about all the possibilities for our fellowship for the coming year.  Have a great Monday, know that God loves each and everyone of you, and know that you have a Savior.

Hope to see you soon, Love Pastor Kent

It's Cold, It's Snowy, and It's almost Christmas. Have I got a story for you!

Praise Community Fellowship presents, dinner, music, and "It's More than Just Good News!"

When: Tomorrow starting at 5:00.  Dinner will be served.

6:30 music and the message, "It's more than just good news!"

I hope to see you tomorrow. Love, Pastor Kent

It's just Lunch

Have you heard the commercials for the dating business called "It's Just Lunch!"  The company sets up a lunch date for single people who are out looking, for something?  Anyway, the concept is simple and because it's "just lunch", it is a non threatening way to socialize and find out if the person you are having just lunch with, might be someone you would like to see again.

Well this Sunday at 5:00 we are having, it's "just dinner" or "just supper" if you were brought up like I was.  In other words why not invite a friend, a neighbor, a family member to our fellowship supper this Sunday so new people can be introduced to the Praise Community Fellowship family.  After we eat we will have Christmas songs by our choir and band and message about the coming of Jesus, and the GOOD NEWS found in the Christmas Story.

We have a great church and a great family. There are thousands of people who are out looking for something more in their life. My guess is, many of them have no idea what that something is. Maybe a church family and a relationship with the living God is exactly what is missing. You never know unless you ask, after all it's just dinner!

Hope to see all of you this Sunday.

Love, Pastor Kent

PS….Please let Brad Joiner know how many are coming in your group so he knows how much to prepare. You can reach him at bradleyjoiner1@gmail.com

Warm Clothes

We will be collecting warm clothes for the people in northern Illinois who lost their homes in the tornado. Linda Cassens has volunteered to fly her plane to northern Illinois and deliver the clothes we are collecting.  Coats, sweaters, gloves are all welcome.   Thank you.

This Sunday the Treble Makers will be leading the worship music consisting of Emily, Ann, Kim, and Jennifer. Also Jennifer Kaburick will be giving the sermon. I hope you will join us on this second Sunday of Advent.

We will be having our Christmas family dinner on the 15th. We will eat at 5:00 and have worship following at 6:30. Brad Joiner will be leading the cook team this December and is asking for desserts all else will be provided.

Then on the 22nd Praise Community Fellowship will have our Christmas service. We will have lots of music and a Christmas message to inspire everyone for the New Year just ahead.

We are learning and growing. It is a wonderful family.

To keep in prayer:
Chuck Weiss
J'Deanna Tweston
Patty Barney's family. Patty's mother just went into Hospice Care.
Allen Cassens
Dennis Detoye
David Reece, one of our RTP singers who is going to have brain surgery

See you soon, love Pastor Kent

Monday's Thoughts

Here is the million dollar question for the season, "Why did God send His Son Jesus to us?"

The answer can be found in John 3:16

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

He sent us Jesus because He loves us and He wants an ETERNAL relationship with us!  Relationships are really really big with God.  He created us to be in relationship with one another as friends, family and the most intimate relationship between husband and wife. 

This Christmas season many of us will be gathering with friends, family, and sometimes with acquaintances. It is the perfect time to practice the love, patience, kindness, compassion and forgiveness of Jesus. It is also a great time to practice generosity.

Let me put it to you like this, I figure if I listen to the lead to Sweet Home Alabama enough times and continue to practice it over and over eventually I'll be able to play it just like Rickey Medlocke.

Does that make sense?

Love, Pastor Kent

Tonight

Advent…There is something wonderful on the way!

There is more to Christmas than meets the eye. Join us this evening and find out how to make this Christmas and the coming year the best ever. There is something wonderful on the way but you have a major role in its coming.  Come find out what you can do.

I will also be introducing a special guest.

Hope to see you this evening.  Love, pastor Kent