Good Afternoon Church Family!I can’t believe next week is September. I don’t know about you, but when I saw Costco already had their Christmas section in full swing my heart cried a little bit! Summer has seemed to go by so quickly and I hope and pray you have soaked it all up. I’m really excited for this weekend that we have to enjoy together. All summer long we have been encouraging you to engage in our “A Summer in the Psalms” series by expressing your own psalms. And this weekend, we get to hear from you, our church family, through art, testimony, poetry and music. It’s going to be a special weekend together, and then to top it all off, on Sunday, after the service we are celebrating with baptisms outside, and a full blown church family BBQ in our back field! So come hungry, but more importantly, come ready to see and hear how God has been working through our body these last weeks. Blessings on you church family, as things start to ramp back up, and a return to rhythm and routine once again set in. Pastor Brod.A Summer in the PsalmsWe hope you enjoyed our A Summer in the Psalms series. It has been so wonderful to partner with Jason Hildebrand and his team at Jason Hildebrand Creative Arts to share with you some of their Psalms Microfilms. These scripture-based microfilms welcome heart engagement and connection with God, encourage us to reflect on how these living ancient texts can speak to us today.BaptismBaptism says I believe that Jesus died and rose to new life for me. I want to publicly declare my faith in Him and my commitment to follow Him. Baptism is a celebration of this commitment and a time to share how God is transforming us.On Sunday August 28 we are celebrating baptism a little differently and will be celebrating this immediately after the service outside. A Baptism Prep Class will be offered: Saturday, August 27 immediately after the service. See spac.ca/baptism for more information. Summer BBQThis Sunday, after the 10 AM service, Sherwood Park Alliance Church is hosting a picnic at 11:30 AM, which will include a free hot dog and hamburger BBQ lunch. All food and drinks will be provided (gluten free and vegan options will be available). There will also be games for all ages! Please bring your own lawn chair or blanket to sit on.Come celebrate together, with your church family, as we wind down the summer!Fall Service TimesAs we move into the fall, we have decided to keep our summer service schedule going and stay at 2 services - 7PM on Saturdays and 10AM on Sundays. We are exploring what possible changes to this schedule could look like - and we will be engaging with you later in the fall about this as we want to make thoughtful informed decisions if we are going to make any changes - so for now... we will keep going as is!Staffing UpdateAfter serving on staff as the Kids Pastor for a year, Pastor Kent has resigned and his last day on staff will be September 8 – but he and is family will still be a part of our church family so expect to see him in the congregation and volunteering. Pastor Kent deeply loves the staff he has gotten to work close with as well as the tireless volunteers that have blessed his life with their incredible passion and dedication to children.Kent, we are deeply grateful for your time and service with us. We wish you God’s richest blessings now and wherever He may lead you in the future.Online Ministry EnhancementThe public weekend gathering is no longer the front door - the digital presence and online experience of church is overwhelmingly our first point of connection with the spiritually curious, and an essential method for initiating and fostering discipling relationships within our congregation. Streaming online is more than a broadcast - it's a platform with which to nurture meaningful connections with online viewers.The hybrid church is the new normal.To help support this new normal, we are launching an Online Ministry Enhancement campaign. For more information please see spac.ca/online.