VBS Success

As we are getting ready to enter our final night of Operation Overboard, I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for their help, support, encouragement and prayers during this time. Yes, it has been a labor of love for me. I have enjoyed every minute of getting ready for this week and I hope you can see where this event can take our church every year.

The kids have loved it! We have reached 40 children for Christ so far this week. It has been an amazing time of learning and laughter. For our missions project, “His Hands”, has the kids using their hands to be Christ’s hands by helping to supply less fortunate children with medical equipment, medicines and doctors. They have jumped right in to make this a success. So far the children have raised almost $250. The boys are ahead after last night’s offering. Our goal for this project is $600. Who knows what will happen tonight?

I encourage you all to come out on Sunday night at 6:30pm for the kids to be able to share with you what they have learned this week. It should be a great time of fun and fellowship!

Enjoying the Ride at Rosedale

As our church prepares for the second night of Vacation Bible School, I reflect back on all the hard work that has gotten us to this point. It is a team of 20-25 people being dedicated to the cause of reaching kids for Christ and showing them that we love them also as well as all the hours of prep and sweat equity that goes into the project that has become our superbowl of outreach. You would think that positive response would be 100 percent, participation would be 100 percent, and the excitement of the end result would be 100 percent. The longer that I pastor, the only thing I know 100 percent is that you will not get 100 percent.

I quit struggling and worrying and taking myself so seriously– well, at least becasue I have a great team of leaders around me, I am getting better at not worrying!  We let God build His house. We work hard, do what we know to do, and commit all the circumstances over to the Lord. We’ve quit living and dying on every sermon and every worship song and started to enjoy where the Lord is taking our church. When someone leaves the church or some visitor doesn’t return, we let them go in our heads and in our hearts, thanking the Lord for the opportunity to minister but also realizing that the Lord is the only One who can change a heart. We are enjoying the people who are here–who choose to be here, and not so much on the ones that you have to beg. This is a freeing moment! The moment you begin enjoying the ride is the moment you begin to walk with the Lord on a journey of faith.

Enjoy the ride, Church.

Pastor  Tony

Operation Overboard Live Picture Feed!

If you’re not here at Rosedale this week for Operation Overboard, look at all the fun you’re missing!

Up-to-the-Minute Instagr.am Feed!

Click on the media below to view a larger version.

[instapress userid=”jmarch_rcn”  piccount=”70″ size=”300″  effect=”fancybox” title=”1″ tag=”rcn_vbs2012″]

Goliath Defeated

I was so excited for the celebration service on Sunday. It was and is a dream come true for the faithful at Rosdale who never give up on what God is doing. It was alot of work for so many to put feet to what the Lord has allowed us to have. It was and is a sacrifcie to those that every week invest in what God has been doing at Rosedale. I know that I cannot thank each of you for that sacrifice; but I can tell you that the Lord sees and He can and will bless you for your faithfulness. How many people will be in the kingdom because we have given them an opportunity to experience the Lord in a fresh and new way? How many people, because of your investment, will see the love of Christ through the life of those who believe in them?

Goliath was defeated because a body of believers stood up to him in the power of God believing that God had more for us and we wanted it! Would not be intimadated by defeated words like “we tried that before and it won’t work” or “We don’t have the money to do that”. While we enjoy the moment of victory, remember that it is the Lord who gets the glory; and that, if we want to see it continue, we have to be mindful of  His kingdom work.

Thank You! Thank You!  Each one of us has a place in this family and each one of us has a job to do. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord”

Looking forward to what He has for us!

Pastor Tony

Thank You

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has worked so hard over these past months and dreamed so big over these past years toward making our projection system a reality.

Today we celebrate what the Lord has done–what He has brought us through. And there is much to celebrate as His faithfulness is amazing!

However, He has brought us this far for a reason; He has given us this new projection system not as a trophy but as a tool for reaching our community. So, while we celebrate today, there is kingdom work to be done tomorrow!

Let’s continue forward, keeping our eyes on the prize!