Dear Church Family,For a lot of us, this week marks a year of working from home, cancelling plans, and spending A LOT of time online. I remember being told I had to start doing youth ministry completely online, but that hopefully, it would only be a couple weeks before we could go back to "normal". Well, it wasn't very long before we knew that wasn't true and I recall having moments wondering how on earth I was supposed to run meaningful youth programming online.Now, I'm not saying it's been easy, but friends, I can confidently tell you that God has moved in ways that I never thought would happen. My wife often jokes with me because almost every week that I've come home from church late on Wednesday night she asks how youth went, and I respond with "I think that might have been the best online youth night we've had yet".Last Wednesday, again, was the best online youth night I think we've had, and I'll tell you why. We planned an online prayer time together using the chat function on Zoom. Now, I had my doubts about how this was going to work and I remember saying to Pastor James, "Hey, worst case scenario a couple leaders will submit prayer requests and maybe some prayers will come through on the chat and we'll move on".Here's what ended up happening. We ran out of time. We couldn't even get through all the prayer requests that came in. As I watched the chat, I couldn't even keep up with the prayers being prayed. We had over 50 prayer requests come in and just under 100 prayers typed out and sent through the chat all in a span of about 20 minutes. To say this was moving for me would be an understatement. Here is word-for-word some of the prayers that were prayed by our students and sent to each other:"Lord I pray for all of our mental and physical health, may anyone struggling with income be able to find a job, and may we all be able to get through school, I know how hard it is and you see it all, so I am asking you please help all our issues or at least give us some peace Lord" - Grade 8 Student"I pray for the family going through a divorce. I've gone through one and I pray that this person will feel the comfort and love of their friends and family, and I pray they can find a solid foundation within themselves and in you while the rest of their lives seems like it's falling apart. Give them strength." - Grade 12 Student"Thank you, Father, for giving us this opportunity to rejoice with each other and to pray for each other. Thank you for listening to us and never abandoning us. In Jesus name, Amen." - Grade 10 StudentChurch Family, we have a generation of students in our community who are committed to their faith, to growing in their relationship with God, and to allowing God to move through them. I'm not sure if there's anything that excites me more than that. Jesse Flim,Jr High PastorDo you replay those regrettable moments between you and your kid often? Where do we begin to redeem those moments? How do we allow Jesus to use our regrets as a way to shepherd our own hearts.The feeling of regret can be wide ranging, from the meal you ate the night before, to that impulsive purchases you made, or even that awkward text you regret sending. When it comes to parenting our teens and preteens, the feeling of regret is definitely no stranger. Regrets can create significant pain, doubt, and fear; lead to unfair and unmet expectations; adverse attitudes rather than adaptable ones; and a drift in perspective of who is in control of these precious lives that we have been entrusted with to nurture and shepherd.Faith at Home is a time for you, as parents and caregivers to come together and be in community with other student parents and caregivers to feel empowered, be encouraged, and equip each other with knowledge, skills and guidance. We want to coach, resource and pray intentionally with each other during the evening. Registration is requiredWe celebrated with Rita and Fred who added baptism to their faith stories this past month. Fred shared on that day how "you go underneath the water and leave your old life behind... and come up out of the water to a new life with Jesus". A few guys from his Life Group were there to stand with him in prayer afterwards, and the power of that encounter left us praising God for the gift of each other. Rita too, had Life Group friends by her side. Along with her daughters, they listened to Rita speak of her transformation from never feeling good enough to falling in love with a God who first loved her. If you missed any of these moments, you can catch them on our YouTube channel.If baptism is yet to be part of your story with God and you want in on the next set or would like to talk about taking the next step, let's start the conversation! Jesus's arrest was the basis of last week's teaching. Pastor Greg asked the question, "Why do you follow Jesus?" Is it because of what He can do for you, or is it because of what He has done for you? Jesus is the one who has completed the world's greatest rescue mission--the greatest demonstration of love ever conceived, or executed. Pastor Greg also spoke about the various ways we think about and describe the hostility that seemingly exists between us and God, and how the descriptions of God's wrath keep some from following Him, referring to John 18:1-14. There is a lot of hostility and anger in that text: Human anger, divine anger and mediated anger, which Pastor Greg explains. Past messages are available on-demand to watch or listen to at your convenience.The Crucifixion itself is the focus of this weekend's teaching. "It is finished," meaning "Paid in full." Jesus is talking about more than His death, He's talking about what His death is accomplishing. At the moment of His death those who were there likely concluded that His mission failed. But as He dies, Jesus is triumphant. "I've done it. I've accomplished what I set out to do."Join online on the website, Facebook, YouTube Saturday at 7 pm, Sunday 9 am & 11 amWe'll be together again soon!We are planning to welcome you back to in-person service starting the week after Easter. If everything goes according to plan, you will have the option to celebrate Christ's resurrection, Easter Sunday, April 4 at 10 am or 12 pm, in-person. The following week, we plan to resume weekend service in-person on Saturday at 7 pm or Sunday at 10 am. In-person registration is required and will be open Friday, March 26, 2021.For more information, check out some of the Frequently Asked Questions.Good Friday | 10:00 amRemember the death of Christ.We'll walk through a series of scriptures as we reflect on Christ's death. Online only. Receive Communion in-person at the 1011 Clover Bar Road Campus parking lot after online service. Pre-registration is required and will be open on March 26. The opportunity to request and receive prayer will also be available.Holy Saturday | 7:00 pmWait in the in-between.Online only.Easter Sunday | 10:00 am & 12:00 pmCelebrate new life and Christ's resurrection. Online & in-person (pre-registration required - will open March 26) We will be celebrating communion during Sunday services. Please prepare to have crackers/ bread and juice to share with one another if your joining the online gathering.