Middle school isn’t the chapter of life some of us would care to repeat. But then, maybe that’s because we didn’t experience it the way our students in Ignition do. They’re learning what it means to unleash what God can do through them.

Earlier this month a group of our middle school students traveled to First Fruits Farm in Freeland, MD. This is a working farm that donates 100% of their produce to local food banks, like Manna Food, right here in Gaithersburg. Last year alone First Fruits Farm produced 1.2 million pounds of food for those in need!

So our group of students and parents went on a Saturday morning to pull, sort, and haul potatoes from the field. They were joined by 100 other volunteers from around the DC metro area. During their four hours of serving the entire army of volunteers cleared 4 acres, which equals about 55,000 pounds of potatoes!

Parents and students served side by side and experienced being a community that cared for each other, and cared for others. They had a chance to get muddy, to learn about agriculture, to laugh, and to take joy in the fact that they were unleashing what God could do through them!

A big shout-out to Heather Nicholson, our Middle School Director, and to all the parents and students who helped make a difference! You showed us what it can look like when we unleash the church to ignite a movement of the gospel.

And the question for the rest of us is this: “How will I unleash what God can do through me this year?”

If you have a story of unleashing what God can do, please be sure to let us know. We want to celebrate with you.

-Pastor Mark

P.S. Don’t forget to set your clocks back this Saturday evening. Enjoy the extra hour of sleep. And if you’re a morning person, enjoy the extra hour of daylight. 🙂

Last weekend many of you generously and sacrificially committed to Unleashing what God can do through you. We celebrated what God has done, and what he’s going to do. And we offered our faith commitments, believing that as a Christ-centered community, we could come together and accomplish that which would be impossible by ourselves. Here’s what we know to this point.

We received 242 faith commitment cards. I want to thank each of you who responded to what God is speaking into your life at this time. It may have been a baby step, or it may have been a giant leap of faith. But you stepped out, and you’ve begun to unleash what God can do through you! Thank you for your courageous participation.

Out of the 240 cards…

• 165 cards included a commitment to living a Spirit-empowered, purposeful life through at least one of the suggested actions steps.
• 165 cards included a commitment to igniting a movement of the gospel through at least one of the suggested actions steps.
• 179 cards included a financial commitment. The total of the financial commitments to date is: $838,511.36!!!

We’ll be sure to offer you encouragement and opportunities in the coming months to help you stay focused on your faith commitment. You’ll be able to track your progress through CPO, our online community, if you so choose. You’ll also be able to monitor our progress toward the $1.2M facility project at our Unleash website, www.churchunleash.com

If you were not able to bring your faith commitment card last weekend, it’s not too late! I’d like to strongly encourage everyone who is part of Seneca Creek to participate at some level. You can bring your card this week and drop in in one of the designated boxes in the auditorium. Or, you can put it in the offering bag when it goes by. Or you can fill in a commitment card online by clicking here.  Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of what God is going to unleash in and through our church. As you can tell, there’s room for you to step in and make a difference.

So the journey has begun, and I’m absolutely thrilled about where we are, and where we’re going. God has great things in store for each of us as we follow him into the future. As I mentioned last weekend, let’s all grab the rope, and pull. We can do this…together.

-Pastor Mark

The church is family.  And many in our family are affected by the furlough.  Here’s how we’re going to help.  Starting today, October 10th, and every weekday at 10:00 a.m., we’ll offer free coffee and refreshments (bagels, etc.) to furloughed workers connected to Seneca Creek.  We’ll have one of our staff share encouragement from Scripture.  And we’ll provide a place to talk, to pray, to share ideas and concerns, and to stay connected.  If you’d like to hop on the free wi-fi, you’re certainly welcome to do that as well.

And if you’re not furloughed, but simply want to drop in and offer to pray with those who are, and encourage them, we’d love to have you join us, too.

Don’t forget the guidelines from last week’s blog, “Shutdown lowdown.”  Those tangible actions are going to help us keep our heads and hearts in the right place during this uncertain season.

I hope you’ll join us this weekend for our worship gathering. The PowerHouse kids are going to add a special touch to our time together.  Saturday at 6:00 pm, or Sunday at 9:15 or 11:00 am.

-Pastor Mark

In case you missed it, here’s the powerful video story from last weekend…

And if you’re willing to help us Unleash what God can do through you, please sign up to pray during our 24 Hours of Prayer that starts tomorrow, Friday, at 7 pm.

And if you want a better way to deal with the government shutdown, read this morning’s blog post, “Shutdown lowdown.”

Disclaimer: I am not a political analyst, commentator, or expert.  I’m simply a citizen who is affected by the political process.

The whole world is watching what happens on Capitol Hill.  I’m pretty disgusted, actually.  From my limited understanding, this is a failure of leadership at the highest levels of government.  I like to think that we have the best and the brightest committing their talents to the noble and herculean task of governing.  But the evidence is not too convincing.  So what’s the average person to do?

Here’s what many of us are tempted to do:

• Complain about Congress.  (check)
• Feel like the world’s coming to an end.  (check)
• Focus on how this problem will affect me personally.  (check)

Here’s what I believe the church is called to do:

• Pray for our leaders.

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  This is good, and pleases God our Savior… (1 Timothy 2:1-3)

Remember, when Paul wrote this, the kings were not very popular.  They weren’t democratically elected leaders, but those who conquered with military might and forced their way on entire nations.  Nonetheless…pray for them.  (Check out the 24 Hours of Prayer this weekend!)

• View this situation (like every other situation) in light of God’s bigger plan and purposes.  He’s NOT surprised by this, nor is he threatened.  What might God be trying to do in your life at this time?

• Continue to reach out to those in our church family, and those in our community with the HOPE of Christ.  That may mean offering financial assistance to a friend.  It may mean rolling up my sleeves to help someone.  It may mean changing my schedule or plans in order to serve someone whom God has brought across my path.  The grace fund is available for those with acute financial needs.  (Please contact the office if you need assistance.)  And the Body of Christ (that’s us) is available to use our gifts to strengthen the Body!  (Catch last week’s podcast if you weren’t with us over the weekend.)

If we (the church) can do our job, then whether Congress does their job or not, God’s agenda will still move forward.  And the HOPE of Christ will continue to transform our world.

-Pastor Mark

P.S. Please join us for our 24 Hours of Prayer this weekend, beginning Friday at 7:00 p.m.  You can sign up for a one hour time slot by clicking here.

If you aren’t convinced that there’s power in prayer, you haven’t really paid attention to Jesus.  He certainly believed there was…and if anyone would know, it would be him.  But what often trips us up is we don’t have guarantees of HOW or WHEN or IF God is going to grant our request.

But here’s what I’ve learned.  If you pray for God to change your circumstances, it may or may not happen.  If you pray for God to change that irritating person in your life, it may or may not happen.  But if you pray for God to change YOU, it’s as close to a guarantee as you’re gonna get.  Nothing seems to unleash the power of prayer like an authentic desire to see God work in ME!

I recently came across a Franciscan prayer that gives us some great ideas of HOW to pray this way.  Below is a slightly modified version of that prayer.

God, please bless me with discomfort at easy answer, half-truths, and superficial relationships so that I may be truly alive deep within my heart.
Would you please bless me with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that I may work for justice, freedom, and peace?
Heavenly Father, please bless me with tears to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war, so that I may reach out my hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.
Finally, would you bless me with enough foolishness to believe that I can make a difference in the world so that I can do what others claim cannot be done to bring justice and kindness to all.

So go ahead.  Try praying this everyday for the next two weeks.  I (almost) guarantee that God will answer your prayer!

-Pastor Mark

P.S. Be sure to sign up for a time slot during our 24 Hours of Prayer!  Bring your group, your team, your family, etc.  Spend an hour unleashing the power of prayer on Oct 4th or 5th.

Last Sunday we introduced a new, 2 year initiative called, “Unleash: What God Can Do Through You.”  What does that mean?

First, it means unleashing each person, even you, to live a Spirit-empowered, purposeful life.  It means giving you the resources, encouragement, and opportunities to go through every moment of every day knowing that you’re connected to God.  It means being able to recognize God’s voice, and to respond with courageous faith.  It means putting your head on the pillow at the end of the day, or the end of the year, and knowing that you’ve been living the life you were actually designed to live.

Second, it means unleashing our church to ignite a movement of the gospel that will transform our world with the HOPE of Christ.  It means becoming an army of good that penetrates every cul-de-sac, classroom, and cubicle that we call ours.  And it means that as we learn to live a Spirit-empowered, purposeful life, our words and our actions consistently point people toward Christ and the life he offers.

Third, it means unleashing crucial ministry space to expand our impact for generations to come right here at 13 Firstfield.  It means finishing the construction project we began in 2010.  It means creating space for kids and students that says, “You matter to God, and you matter to us.”  It means using technology to create God-soaked experiences for every person who walks through the door, and even for those who participate online.

For the next five weekends we’ll explore HOW to unleash the power of God.  Don’t miss it.  I would also strongly urge you to get informed at one of our key events, which are listed here.  And be sure to visit the Unleashed website, at www.churchunleash.com.  Finally, join us in the journey of unleashing the power of Scripture by participating in the 30 Day Devotional, available at our facility, or by email.

Together, we’ll unleash what God can do through you!

-Pastor Mark

P.S. If you missed last weekend, check out what we revealed by tuning in to the podcast.

What do you think when you’re around strangers?  Last Sunday we looked at what God thinks…we learned about his heart for the stranger.  You know, the person who isn’t part of the crowd.  The person who’s new in town, new in their faith, new in our church, or new in your neighborhood.  God calls them strangers, or aliens, or immigrants, or sojourners.

Turns out he cares very much for the outsiders.  What’s more, he invented the church as a place where outsiders become insiders.  Where strangers become friends, and even if you enter as a stranger, you’ll not stay that way for long.  The church is supposed to put an end to strangers, as it were.  If you weren’t able to join us last week, I hope you can catch the podcast, because practicing biblical hospitality is going to be very important for us as church going forward.

We also rolled out a new tool to help with the connecting process last week.  It’s called “Connection Point Online,” or CPO.  If you haven’t had a chance to go there and get started, please do that soon.  It will help you find people you’re looking for, keep track of Seneca Creek events that matter to you, and it may even help you begin the transition from stranger to friend!

If you currently feel like a stranger at Seneca Creek, we want to help.  Please contact Warren Neverson our Connections Pastor for some next steps to get you going.

-Pastor Mark

P.S. This Sunday we’ll be sharing some very exciting, very big plans for the future of Seneca Creek.  Please be sure to join us on Saturday at 6:00 pm, or Sunday at 9:15 or 11:00 am.

P.P.S If you’ve never been baptized as a follower of Christ, I encourage you to attend one of our Baptism Info classes to see if this is the next step for you.  There’s one this Sunday at 9:15, and another on Tuesday at 7:00 pm.

September is like January-lite.  It’s back to school, it’s a new season, new routines, new faces, maybe new dreams.  And there’s some new stuff at Seneca Creek, too.

This weekend we’ll introduce something new for everyone as we tackle the topic, “No Strangers Allowed.”  It’s a way to deal honestly with Jesus’ words in Matthew 25

I was a stranger and you welcomed me.

And the following weekend we’ll kick off a new series and so much more, called “Unleash: What Can God Do Through You?”

If you miss the next two weekends at Seneca Creek, you’ll wish you hadn’t.  See you soon!

-Pastor Mark

I just returned from a funeral for a dear friend, Alice Schmidt.  And there’s something about her life that really stands out and challenges all of us.

Alice was a teacher.  By occupation, yes, but also by character.  She taught everywhere she went.  But perhaps most importantly, she taught by example.  If you spent any time with her, you would learn some important things about life, love, faith, and God.

Which got me thinking…what lesson is my life teaching?  (long awkward pause…)

What lesson is your life teaching?  (now it’s your turn…)

If people were to talk about the lesson they learned from your life, what would that be?

What would you WANT that to be?

What can you do today to make that lesson clear and memorable for the people in your life?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this in the comment section below.

And I look forward to seeing you this weekend at Seneca Creek.

-Pastor Mark

P.S. The results are in from last week’s poll.  The good news is that 36% of those who voted got the right answer.  According to Max De Pree, the the leader’s job, between defining reality and saying thank you, is “to serve.”  Thanks to everyone who participated!