But What Do I Do With This?

For those of you who are regular attendees of a church, my bet is 99% of you have accepted that Jesus is your Lord. Good. I would also bet that most of you go to a church where the preacher is preaching sermons about things which you agree.  So here is the question, "What are you doing with the Christian message?"

That's our problem. We don't know what to do with all the good news that we have heard over and over at church. Here is a clue:

Ephesians 2:1010 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Pastor Jackie and I are investigating the needs of our community. We will be sharing this information with our boards soon. In the mean time, ask God to open your eyes and ears so that you see and hear what He sees and hears.

This Sunday Praise Community Fellowship will be leading worship. Come join us and find out what you can do with the Good News! We will be meeting at 8:45am at 800 North Main Street Edwardsville. See you Then. 

Love, pastor kent and pastor jackie

What You Need on a Rainy Monday!

If you could get on an airplane this morning and fly high enough, the sun is shining very bright above all this rain. There are perfectly clear blue skies if you go high enough. 

So, if your feeling a little low, you just need some spiritual altitude. It can be found by reciting these words with enthusiasm. 

Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made; We (I) will rejoice and be glad in it.

Right now in this very moment, you can connect with the God who created everything. All it takes is an open mind, a receptive heart, and a real desire to hear from Him. Take the time now if at all possible and say this prayer.

"God, I am feeling (........) please make yourself real to me today. Open my ears and my eyes and my heart to your presence. I need you every minute. I want to walk close with you today and everyday. Help me to stay close to you and help me to know your voice and your promptings so that I can fulfill what you have planned for my life!" Thank You! Amen

The people you see winning the medals in the olympics started their journey by making a decision many years ago. The decision became a commitment. And the commitment became the journey. Take one step toward God and His way of life and peace today. Trust in that decision and then every minute of every day continue walking toward Him in everything you do! Someday you too will be standing on the podium of  success, Peace, Love, and Joy! 

See you this Sunday! Love, pastor kent

This Sunday, "Who Are The Least Among Us?"

Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

Pastor Jackie will be leading the service this Sunday and her message is, "Who Is The Least Among Us and Do We Welcome Them?"

God will provide plenty of opportunities for us to serve, but we must become Spiritually aware so that we don't miss these opportunities. here are several scriptures that speak of this. One of my favorites is, found in Matthew.

Matthew 25:40  "The King will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

When we participate in being a blessing to these "Angels Unaware" we are actually blessing Jesus! You are participating with Him ad the blessing will be expanded and shine back on you.

Come join "The Church" where two congregations have come together to expand God's love in one another and the community. Praise Community Fellowship and Immanuel Methodist. We can do more together!

Announcement: There will be a brunch following the 8:45am service this Sunday. It will be a celebration brunch for the beginning of the new school year. All school aged children are encouraged to bring their back to school back packs for a special blessing during the service.

See you soon. Love, pastor kent and pastor jackie

Practice Walking On The Water

Matthew 14:28-31

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

Jesus calls us to trust Him in All circumstances even when things look to be impossible. The crux of this biblical story is simple, when you stay focused on Jesus, not the fear, "All things become possible!"

Easier said than done, you might add! Yes, much easier said than done, but anything that you can now do without thinking was learned thru practice. Faith can be learned and experienced with practice. "Can we really trust God?" is always the hidden question behind our lack of faith. And there is a question behind that question, which is, "Is there really a God?"

I built my faith in God by reading the bible and many many books about the bible. But my experience with faith came when I began "experimenting" with the teachings of Jesus. My first experience of "Walking on the Water came when I stepped out of the safety and comfort of my boat and  forgave some people who I didn't think I would ever forgive. I did so to see if God would come into my life in a real way. I figured if I was asking God to help me, I needed to step out onto the water in faith to see what would happen. I did, and it changed my life forever. He was real. There is peace which cannot be understood until you step out onto the water trusting Jesus.  

My ministry is simple. I want to inspire and help people discover the reality of Jesus so they can experience what "Walking on the water" feels like. It is a life style, a discipline, and it makes for an amazing journey that takes the fear out of living. So, my advice to you if you are struggling with life, "Practice Walking on the Water" and don't take your eyes off Jesus!

Announcement: Pastor Jackie and I and our respective boards have just added an important event to put on your calendars. Our two churches are going to be serving a Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday, November 20th at 12:00 noon to the families of the kids we are serving through the SAKS and TWIGS programs. This is the Sunday before Thanksgiving. We hope to serve at least 150 people and we will be accepting help for that day. We will "BE" the church that day. There will be more information on this to come!

Come join this amazing church some Sunday and get out of the boat and start walking on the water with us! Two churches coming together to expand the reality of God, and Jesus' love in our community. 800 North Main St. Edwardsville. 

See you soon. Love pastor kent and pastor jackie

Need to talk with a pastor? Call pastor kent @618-334-3575 or pastor jackie @ 618-656-4648

WOW Again!

For those who were able to attend yesterdays service I don't need to elaborate. It was wonderful! A full church filled with love, peace, joy and enthusiasm. 

We have a theme for our services now until Christmas and that theme is all about how to live life filled with Hope, Joy, Love, and Enthusiasm even if that is not what you are experiencing at the moment. 

It's about learning to believe in God's word found in the bible. 

It's about learning how to increase your faith in God which leads to trusting Him in all things.

Enthusiasm is a big part of it. To be able to wake up with enthusiasm is vital to having a positive life experience. It is believing that God loves you, because He does, and that He will take you on an amazing journey IF you allow Him. 

Enthusiasm comes from the greek word entheos, which means to be filled with the divine! Is your life filed with the divine? Divine meaning the things of God, the essence of God, Godliness. 

There is something wonderful that happens when a group of people come together on a Sunday and become one family in spirit filled with joy! That's what we have been experiencing here at 800 North Main Edwardsville at 8:45am Sunday mornings. 

For those of you who missed the service yesterday, Emily Ottwein's testimony will be on our website soon. You can listen to all the past testimonies at www.praisecommunityfellowship.com. Scroll down to sermons. Also, stay connected to Praise Community Fellowship by subscribing to this blog. Just fill in your email address to the right of this page. 

More to come! See you soon. Love, pastor kent and pastor jackie

This Sunday! "What is Keeping You Out of Your Promised Land?"

You won't want to miss this Sunday! Emily Ottwein will be sharing her powerful story of how she overcame breast cancer and went from being on food stamps to now having the career of her dreams!

Her testimony to God's grace and love will inspire and touch you! 

Come join us this Sunday at 800 North Main Street Edwardsville at 8:45am. The original Eden band will be leading the worship music. Pastor kent will have the message, "What is Keeping You Out of Your Promised Land?"  It promises to be another powerful Sunday.

Immanuel United Methodist and Praise Community Fellowship come together to worship in this special service every Sunday. We are a small church with big dreams and doing big things for God's kingdom. If you need a lift, some kindness, some love, inspiration, motivation, and touch of God's  grace, come visit us. You are welcome here!

Hope to see you Sunday 8:45am! Love, pastor kent and pastor jackie.

800 North Main Street Edwardsville

Someone You Know Needs to Know The Reality of Jesus!

The greater your concept of God, the more Peace and Joy you will experience in your life! 

Once you can grasp the absolute reality of God, the purpose of your life will start coming into focus. And when your true purpose starts coming into focus, the fears and anger and frustrations will begin to diminish. And when your fears, frustrations and anger begins to diminish you will begin to see the possibilities that exist for your life.

It's not religion that will change your life, it's Jesus. 

This Sunday the Eden Band will be back together for the first time in about three years. Rick Coy, Wally Osika, Emily Ottwein, Ann Ottwein Culp, Steve Loucks and myself. I hope you will be able to join us. We look forward to seeing you this Sunday, August 7th at 8:45 am. 

See you soon. Love, pastor kent and pastor jackie