Your Mission Field

I'm looking forward to this Sunday. I hope my last post got you thinking. The formal part of PCF, which is for about an hour at 12:00 noon on Sundays is not your mission field. Your mission field is where God has you right now. It's your everyday life in the world, demonstrating the Love, Forgiveness, Compassion, and Healing of Jesus with everyone you meet.

Pray daily that God will show you how to be Jesus to someone. It doesn't matter were you work you are probably dealing with people. Every single one of them is a child of God whether they act like it or not. The real issue is there are a ton of people who do not realize they are a child of God. And the other huge problem is, not too many Christians are helping them to figure it out.

Our light will shine when we learn just how crazy Christianity is!

I'm going to talk about that very thing this Easter Sunday. Christianity is Crazy and that's why I love it!

There will be a Maundy Thursday Service which commemorates the Last Supper with the Disciples at 7:00Pm and a Good Friday Service also at 7:00pm. all are invited.

See you soon!  Love, pastor kent

Does God Really Care if It's Easter this Sunday?

I thought question  that might get your attention. My answer: I don't think so! And here is why. Easter is a calendar date for most people. A time to easter Egg Hunt, have people over for Dinner, and celebrate life. Nothing wrong with any of that. But as far as God caring if it's Easter Sunday….I would say  no more or less than He cares about your heart and your love for Him any other day!

So this Easter, what do you expect? I'm afraid to ask what you are thinking! But that's OK because we are all human. Here is what I know, "There is something more than what we know about this life here on this earth". There is a Spiritual reality that cannot be explained but it sure can be felt. I have learned, and am still learning, "The more I love people, and the more I serve with a willing loving heart, expecting nothing in return, the more I feel the reality of God's love and the spiritual connection.

So, Easter! Yep it's a great Holiday! But it can be so much more than a chocolate bunny and eating delicious deviled eggs. I wonder if we should call them "deviled" eggs on Easter?

This Sunday 12:00 noon, ….I think it won't be what you might expect!
See you Easter!  Love, pastor kent

Anticipation!

That is the best way I can describe my emotions about PCF and the prayer we have for our church. Adopting new people who God puts into our path. It has been very interesting to me to have many of you telling me about the people you are inviting and asking to come check us out. I know at the Garden Club (Wednesday night small group gathering at 6:30 in church basement. All are invited! )  there has been a pretty lively discussion about reaching out to people. 

I want to share something with all of you that may take the pressure off if you find it hard to talk with people about joining our church family. First, let your prayer be the primary work you do for our church. Pray for God to move in our church. As you pray this prayer become aware of what God is doing in your life! God works through us. I think you will find some very interesting "coincidences" as you stay focused on this prayer.

Why more people? First and foremost it is what Jesus asked us all to do as Christians. To bring the Good News of the Gospel to everyone! 

What is the Gospel? The word Gospel means "Good News!" The Good News is:

John 3:16-17 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

As a pastor I am contacted by many groups and organizations needing support. Currently we, Praise Community Fellowship Family, have been supporting many worthwhile causes. As we expand our family, we will also expand our resource pool which will allow us to serve even more people. 

PCF family we are very unique!

We are able to serve our community and many organizations because we are approaching this ministry in a very unique way.

1.) We do not have any debt!

2.) We do not have pastor salaries, or support salaries, we are volunteers.

3.) We do not have the huge operating expenses of maintaining a facility. We pay rent, which is very reasonable, but we will not go into debt!

4.) We are trying to exemplify what Jesus taught by serving others and bringing the Good News to people who have not understood the Christian message.

5.) We offer a way for people to come and be part of a Christian family in a very relaxed, but God focused organization.

6.) We do not require membership. If you come to our church and want to be part of our family we consider you a member of our family.

7.) We are NOT competing with other churches! We are seeking the unchurched and are relying on God to bring us the right people.  

What is our future plan? To seek God's direction for everything we do, and to continue to support one another so that we all experience God's love!

Now, if you want to see a really cool way to present who we are to someone, click the link below and enjoy!      Funny but powerful! 

How to explain the church!

See you Sunday! love, pastor kent

I can See it, I can Feel It!

You have to learn to see what cannot yet be seen!  That is what faith is. The book of Hebrews says it like this:

Hebrews 11:1"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week! 

Come be part of the Miracle story of Easter. 

I'm believing that we will adopt 50 new families by Christmas. That is my prayer and I'm sticking to it!

See you Sunday at 12:00 noon. Immanuel Methodist Church 800 North Main Edwardsville.

Love, pastor kent

The Sun is Always Shining!

It's cold and dreary today. I'm talking about the weather but it is also cold and dreary in too many hearts and lives as well. Praise Community Fellowship has a focus and a prayer. To bring 50 new families into our congregation. People who need the warmth and sunshine of Gods love.

Remember this prayer? "Thy Kingdom come Thy will Be Done ON EARTH as it is in Heaven! Who is going to bring God's Kingdom to this earth? We are! That is what we are called to do. We are the church. We are the hands, the feet, the voice, the mind of Jesus. It is up to us to bring sunshine to those who are living in the darkness, the cold, the dreariness.

We have a very, very important mission. We cannot solve all the world's problems but we can greatly and significantly affect the lives of 50 families! The parable I used the last two weeks of Jesus feeding the 5,000 gives us the perfect motivation to keep us focused. If God can take a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread and multiply them so that 5,000 people were fed and filled and still have left overs, He can multiply our love to shower onto and into the people we will be adopting soon.

We will see the impossible! Come be part of our mission and prayer and dream. Come join us as we pray 50 families into our family and let's watch how God showers all of us with His warmth and love and blessing! Come help us help others to bloom! We are going to bring Gods Kingdom to this earth with our love for others.  Come and be part of the miracle! We are not offering fancy programs, fancy services, or big productions. What we want to offer is love. God's love to one another and to those He is sending our way! It's that simple!

Love changes everything! See you soon! Love, pastor kent

The Promise is on the Way!

Praises and Concerns for PCF family members.

First I want to lift up Ryan and Jamie Stunkel and congratulate them on becoming our church family's first married couple. Ryan and Jamie Got married this past Saturday March 21st. Both Jamie and Ryan have been getting involved in our church and we look forward to seeing them grow in Jesus with us!

Please lift up Stan Rutkowski, Butch Peterson, and Chuck Wiess in prayer. All need Gods healing touch.

Please continue to pray for our vision.

The prayer: Father, please bring us 50 new families this year. Families that we can minister to, love, share with, grow with, and care for. Bless our church God so that we may be a blessing. Let us see your amazing work of grace in action. Thank you for hearing our prayer.

It's OK to question things! 
It's OK to get frustrated!
It's Ok to become discouraged!

All these feelings are part of our human nature, especially when we are wanting to see what we think is the impossible. I don't know how God will bring about your dream. My experience is that God does not give up on us or our dream, we do!  We are the ones who throw in the towel. We are the ones who say it's over, not God. 

Here is what I know. We are created in Gods own image. He gave us the desire to dream big, and to want more! We are His children. When a child asks a parent for something that would really make them happy. Something that would be good for them, and not harmful. What parent, if it is in there ability to provide that desire, would purposely withhold such a gift? The only reason you would deny a child of something they really want is either because you do not have the means of providing it, or, it is something that you know as a parent may not be in the child's best interest. 

Here is what the bible says about this: 

Matthew 7:11

11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

The one thing that some children and adults are not good with is patience. Our prayer for God to send us the right 50 families for our church to adopt is so we can share His love with people who need to know Jesus and the peace He can bring to their life. I am believing!
Will you join me in this prayer and believe with me. As you can see below, the promise is on the way!

Hope to see a bunch of new faces this coming Sunday which is Palm Sunday! 
See you soon! Love, pastor kent

This Sunday we will continue with our theme, "With God All Things Are Possible!"

So there is no misunderstanding, Praise Community Fellowship has a purpose and a vision:

The purpose as stated in our mission statement is to open a conversation about Jesus with as many people as possible. The vision is to have our sanctuary filled every Sunday by Christmas of this year! As I calculated we will need approximately 50 new families to accomplish that goal. Which means we are seeking to adopt about 200 people into our family who may not know the saving grace of Jesus. 

I am asking all of you to pray with me that God will put the right families into our path. Families that He knows we will be able to serve and to love. The reason we have this mission is to fulfill Jesus' great commission,  to go into the world and bring the Gospel to those who need the Good News of Jesus in their life. 

Everything we do at PCF will be focused on this mission. Adopting new people into our family who need the Love, Compassion, Forgiveness, and Hope that Jesus offers. We come together on Sundays to celebrate and practice that Love, Compassion, Forgiveness, and Hope. Get ready to love more, share more, get involved more. We are not a passive church! And here is the real cool thing, We are seeking to fulfill our purpose with the help of God by expanding our love to those who do not yet have a church home. We are not looking for people who already attend another church. I believe God can fill every church in town and that He will put the right people in the right church families! Praise Community Fellowship is in competition with no one! Our prayer to is be as effective as we possibly can at loving those who need God's love and sharing the Gospel who need to hear the Good News! 

Sunday I will be sharing God's word about the miracles of Prayer, Hope, Vision. We will come together with expectant hearts eager to see how our God will begin answer our prayers! 

Sunday Service 12:00 noon, Immanuel Methodist Church, 800 North Main, Edwardsville.

See yo soon. Love, pastor kent

We're Gonna See What We're Praying For!

The vision, What I picture: A full church every service by Christmas this year. That means having 250 people in church every Sunday!

Desire: To have 50 new families, who currently have no association with a church, join our church family so that we may all help them get to know the love and saving grace of Jesus.

The Action: I am asking the entire congregation to pray with me everyday for God to bring us these 50 new families. And, like the song we sang Sunday, "We're gonna see the impossible!"

Why? That is what we are called to do. To reach out into the world and bring the love of Jesus to those who do not yet know Him.

The prayer: Father, please bring us 50 new families this year. Families that we can minister to, love, share with, grow with, and care for. Bless our church God so that we may be a blessing. Let us see your amazing work of grace in action. Thank you for hearing our prayer.

How will this work? There is power in prayer! God will open all of our hearts and the hearts of those we will be able to love and serve. LOVE and SERVE! God will honor our true desire to love and serve. As you join me in this daily prayer become aware of the opportunities that will present themselves for connecting with someone looking for a church! God will help us achieve this vision with His mighty power! We must reach out into the broken world and share Jesus. As we grow in number we will grow in the opportunity to expand our love circle!

What can you do? 1.) Pray the prayer for God to send us families that need Him!
                                2.) Start dreaming how you will help love and serve these new people God will send us!

Please pray with me everyday. "We're gonna see the supernatural!"

See you soon! Love, pastor kent

PCF Vision! This Sunday!

             It may be rainy and dreary outside but it is bright and sunny in my heart!


                                                                     

THIS SUNDAY! A dream and vision will be presented for PCF! The board met last night and all I can say is, "I'm very excited about our future!" You won't want to miss this Sunday's service.

The Music will be wonderful! The sermon will be inspiring! The Dream will be planted! Come join us for an exciting, motivational Sunday.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: This Sunday we will be collecting soup and Ramen Noodles for the Salvation Army. They have specifically requested these items so let's make a huge donation for their wonderful ministry of taking care of people!

The PCF annual meeting has been set for April 19th. Please mark your calendars! Meeting will be held following the service.

Chili Cook off. Get your best chili recipe ready because we will enjoy a chill cook off after our annual meeting on April 19th! It is going to be a great day!

We have added new members to our board. New to the board are Jenny Baugher, Mark Reeder, Sally McLaughlin.  Kory Kuba has stepped into the role as President now that Rusty Burian has completed his term. This is an energized board full of great people and great ideas for our future, thank all of you for stepping up and serving. We have plenty of places we can use help if you want to get involved with this ministry. Just contact me or Kory Kuba if you would like to get more involved!

PCF, a place to come and bloom!

See you Sunday! Love, pastor kent

How Does Your Garden Grow?

                                                               

                              "With God all things are possible!"  

In 1958 a woman, Gene Bauer had a dream. She started planting daffodil bulbs one at a time on her property. She continued planting bulbs for 46 years! Today there are over one million flowers that come up in the spring. Through the years she opened her property free of charge to visitors who wanted to see the amazing display of beauty created over the many years of planting. Gene and her husband have retired and no longer open their property but thousands of people have enjoyed the springtime spectacle the she and her husband created over time.

What's possible? The quote above comes from Matthew. Here is the whole quote:

Matthew 19:26

26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

One bulb at a time!  What are you planting daily in your life? You need to become selective and deliberate because God said that all things produce after their own kind! Is you day filled with anger, frustration, jealousy? Are you planting seeds of encouragement or discouragement?  Of love and peace or of anger and revenge? 

Let's create something beautiful and magnificent to reflect Gods beauty and love and grace! This Sunday we will continue our topic of Possibilities. 

See you soon! Love, pastor kent

And God said,"Let there be Light!"

                                                      

In the 12th chapter of Matthew, Jesus was brought a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see.  All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”

If you are living your life in spiritual darkness, it's hard to see the light! That was the problem for many of the religious people of Jesus' day. 

Here is the lesson to all of us, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”  Martin Luther King

When things are dark, adding more darkness is not going to make it light!

When things are miserable, adding more misery is not going to bring Joy!

When things are falling apart, bringing more destruction is not going to mend the situation!

When there is anger, bringing in more anger is not going to bring peace! 

When there is hate, bringing more hate is not going to create love!

Dream the dreams that God has placed in your heart. Plant them, water them, tend to them!

See you soon! Love, pastor kent

Monday Life Lesson "Do You Want to Play?"

An adult evening class about how to change ones life for the better was meeting for the very first time. In walked the teacher, who proceeded to ask this question, "How many here this evening have ever wanted to learn how to play the piano?" Numerous hands went up. The teacher then asked those who raised their hands, "How long have you wanted to learn how to play?" The answers varied but many said that they had a desire to want to play the piano since they were young?

She then asked those who had raised their hands to come to the front of the class. Looking at the dozen or so people standing before her she made this statement to them, "None of you here want to LEARN how to play the piano!" The class looked confused. She then added, "All of you want to PLAY the piano, but none of you want to take the time, effort, discipline or practice that it will take to LEARN how to play the piano!" 

You were created to create, to have dominion, to dream, to plan, to plant, to love, and to develop and build. What seed of possibility have you been carrying around in your pocket but have never taken the time to plant and nurture?

For those of you who were at our service yesterday here is a link that may motivate you as to what is possible.  Click here:  What One Small child with Cancer with a dream did!

Praise Community Fellowship, "What do you want your church to be?" Are you willing to commit your time, talent and resources to making that dream a reality?"

The month of Possibilities continues.

See you soon. Love, pastor kent

Move your Clocks Forward for Sunday and other stuff!

This Sunday I am going to begin a theme for the rest of March on Possibilities! One of the things I am going to need help with is the possibility of reaching the unchurched. What would a church look like that the unchurched would get excited about attending?

All things change. It is necessary for growth. There was a time in America when Buggy manufacturers did a booming business. Then came the automobile. The Buggy manufacturers had a choice, change or become obsolete. Most of them became obsolete. The Buggy manufacturors didn't know the business they were in.  They thought they were in the "Buggy" business, they were not. They were really in the transportation business.

Kodak went through the same demise. They thought they were in the photographic "film" business, they were not.  They were in the picture business. People wanted to preserve memories. Kodak went away like the buggy business.

Does the church know what business it is in?  We are in the Transformation business!  We want to introduce people to the living God so that HE can transform their lives!  Too often I think the church thinks it is in the "information business", the ritual business, the tradition keeper business. Sometimes I think we believe if we give people enough information, something good is going to happen. Information is definitely necessary in our business. We receive the Gospel by hearing the word of God. But we have to be very careful that we do not become information junkies that have stopped transforming ourselves and "others!"

When I was in High School in the early 70's everybody body wanted an 8 track tape player in their car.  Some of you know what I am talking about. There were actually songs on the 8 track tape that would be interrupted in the middle of the song because the tape had to change tracks. Oh but how cool it was to carry around those big bulky 8 track tapes.

Are we creating an environment that will draw the unchurched to want to become part of God's family?

To me one of the craziest things about the church today is that basically, it is a place where people who already know God, come to meet and get more information about Him. Now that is not a bad thing. It is a good thing, a very good thing. Where we fail is the commission that Jesus gave us. Go out into the world and bring the gospel to those who do not know God! That is where I think we, meaning most churches, are failing big time. Maybe every Sunday does not have to be the same. Maybe there should  several times a month where we become different to be more inclusive and inviting to those who we are called to reach?

I believe the church is in the "transformation" business. Maybe I'm wrong.  What do you think?

This Sunday, we will share communion, and we will begin dreaming about possibilities. Maybe we will be able to soon say, "PCF, a church willing to step out of the box to reach the unchurched for Jesus!"

See you Sunday! Love, pastor kent

March Possibilities

What is the meaning of Life? 
When you sit and kick this one around for awhile, as I'm sure most of us have, what have you come up with? I find that it depends on your perspective and what you believe in. According to King Solomon in the beginning chapter of Ecclesiastes, it is meaningless.  All is vanity. But after much contemplation Solomon ends the book of Ecclesiastes with these words:

"Now all has been heard;
    here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
    for this is the duty of all mankind.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
    including every hidden thing,
    whether it is good or evil."

Jesus tells us to Love God and to love others as we love ourselves. We learn in Genesis that God created us in His own image and He gave us dominion over all the things of this earth. 
Maybe the best way to find the meaning of this life is to "give our life meaning!"

Come dream with me this Sunday as we start a journey on possibilities for your life, for our church, for your family.

Have you ever thought about stepping way outside your comfort zone? African Vision of Hope is planning their 2015 summer mission trip to Zambia. They will leave on July 30th and return August 11th. If you would like more information about this trip contact African Vision of Hope office in Maryville, 288-7695.

See you Sunday at 12:00 noon.  Love, pastor kent

Beneath Lies a Promise

Beneath the snow lies a promise!

You and I are created in God's own image, come Sunday and discover the power we have all been given.

Romans 13:8-10

Love Your Neighbor

8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

No Garden Club tonight, we will resume next week!

See you soon! Love, pastor kent

Dylan's Corner

I have a 4 year old grand daughter, Dylan. She is at the age where she is coming up with some great questions for "PaPa Kent" about God and Jesus.  Her questions are so innocent and deep, I am going to start a "Dylan's Corner" where I attempt to answer some of her amazing questions. So here are the first two.

Question 1.) Why do we need builders if God made everything?
Well that is a great observation. PaPa Kent did say at one time, "God made everything!" So let me clarify. God made everything that builders use to make other things. That would be more accurate. It doesn't matter if we are talking about cars, rocket ships, houses, playground equipment, toys, everything builders use to make "things" was originally made by God. God makes all the raw materials we need to make all other things.  Dylan's response to that answer, "OOHHH!"

Question 2.) How does God make People? 
Oh this is such a good one!  Although I still haven't been able to explain it effectively to Dylan. So I will try my best with the rest of you. God the creator of all things, created a man and a woman a long time ago.  He called the man Adam, and the woman Eve. He gave this man and woman some of His creative powers. He gave each of them the ability to create people. He gave almost everyone of us the ability to create other people if we choose to. The bible says we are created in Gods own image which means he gave us many of the same attributes that God has. But with that ability to create, he also gave us instructions of how to create people so that we become loving, caring families. Just like you and your mom and your dad are a loving, caring family. God gave us the ability to create other people, and He also gave us the ability to create other things, like cars, and televisions, and phones, and airplanes. He gave us a mind that allows us to be creative. But we must be careful with this creative power because it can be used to create wonderful things or bad things. That is why it is so important for people to know God, our creator, and to learn His ways of doing things. He wants us to be happy, blessed, and to create things that will make other people happy and blessed. This is a responsibility that He has given to each of us. You and I have been given the ability to create just like our creator! What an awesome blessing and responsibility.

More of Dylan's corner will come in the future as she continues to "Think" about the things of God!

NEWS:  Brad Joiner is home safe. He is going to need time to recover but we are glad he is back home. I will have more on his epic adventure soon.

This Coming Sunday, God willing and the creek don't rise or some other thing, we will resume our worship and talk more about our creative powers. PCF, with the help of the Holy Spirit, has the "potential" to make a positive impact in many lives. "What will we create?"

See you soon! Love, pastor kent