This weekend is going to be huge in the life of The Gathering. We are going to start the weekend with an incredible time of reflection and worship at 7:00 PM Friday, celebrating Communion together.
This has always been very special to our Gathering Family and this year promises to be even better! If you have come to trust in Jesus, we invite you to share in this very special Good Friday service as we remember together the sacrifice that was made to purchase our redemption.
Our Good Friday celebration will also kick off a weekend Fast. Did that scare you away? I hope not as this is going to be an incredible time of focused prayer during the weekend as we remember throughout the day on Saturday what this weekend is really about, plus it will give us an opportunity to be in prayer together about what God is going to do in our worship celebration on Sunday morning. I want to encourage you to pray for the many people who will be with us that morning who need to experience Jesus for the very first time. I’ll be giving you a guide explaining what a fast is and how to go about it effectively at the service on Friday night.
Then on Sunday morning, we’re going to “Break Fast” together at 9:00 A.M. in the Commons (so bring your favorite breakfast dish), celebrating what God did during the fast and what He’s going to do in worship. We’ll also have another opportunity to spend some time in prayer together. At 10:45, we’ll have the big celebration. Led by one of the best worship bands anywhere, we’ll celebrate the risen Lord and then hear what God has to say to us, expecting great things.
There are two other big things about Sunday: First, we’re looking to completely “PACK THE HOUSE.” We want every member of The Gathering present on Sunday morning with at least one guest. I can’t think of a better time to invite someone to come with you to experience all God is doing through His ministry here! Secondly, we’re going to celebrate through Believer’s Baptism. There is absolutely no more appropriate day for baptism than Resurrection Sunday morning! We know of four people who will be baptized so far and are going to do something a little different: We’re going to offer spontaneous baptism. As when the Ethiopian was saved in Acts 8, in which he asked, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?”, we’re going to offer anyone who comes to trust in Jesus on Sunday the opportunity to be baptized immediately! What a cool thing that would be, huh?
So, as you can see, it’s going to be a weekend you’re not going to want to miss! Please make plans to join us and find at least one person that you know needs to be here and bring them. I can’t wait and hope you can’t either!
