Exciting Volunteer Opportunity THIS Saturday

Convoy of Hope is coming to Frederick, MD. We (local churches) have partnered to bring Convoy to Hagerstown for going on 4 years now. Our first coordinator, Matt Thompson, is now on staff at a church in Frederick and has coordinated to bring Convoy to their city.

Please check out their Facebook page, and check out their website. Exciting things are coming to Frederick this weekend- we will be providing many services and opportunities for the community, and we NEED volunteers.

If you would like to volunteer, clear your schedule for Saturday from 6am until 3pm.

We will be gathering at Bethel (515 E Wilson Blvd, Hagerstown, MD) and carpooling or caravanning down from the church parking lot. We will be leaving the lot at 6:00 pm on Friday (for Volunteer Rally) and 6:00 am on Saturday. We will leave promptly!

On Saturday, you can volunteer in one of many areas- kids' fun area, food services, grocery hand-out, security, hospitality... For more info, go to their website.

How NOT to INVITE friends to Church

Friend Day is THIS Sunday! Follow these simple steps to avoid an awkward invitation situation...



DON'T FORGET- Invite friends, family, co-workers, classmates, fellow-graduates- pretty much ANYONE you know who does NOT currently go to church! See you and then on Sunday for Friend Day and the Kick-off of our latest sermon series. I'll post that next!

Why Should I Get Baptized?

With an exciting baptism celebration coming up at Lifehouse Church East, thought I'd take a moment and explain why you should consider getting baptized.

Sign up to be baptized at our service on May 22nd- http://on.fb.me/mdnPYk.

First, if it's good enough for Nacho Libre, it's good enough for you:


Ok, seriously...

Baptism was commanded by Jesus when He told his followers to spread the good news of the Gospel:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit... Matthew 28:19.

As the disciples preached, they carried  out this command and instructed all those who put their faith in Jesus to be baptized:
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Acts 2:38.

When the message of Jesus is presented, those who believe will want to demonstrate their faith through a public symbol or witness to their commitment to Jesus:
Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” Acts 8:35–36.

What's the point?

Coming out of the closet for Jesus: since everyone else is coming out of the closet these days, and people understand that it means to bring out into public what you've been living in secret, baptism seems to be the coming-out-of-the-closet moment for Jesus-followers. It's our moment when we declared to the whole world and anyone watching that we are publicly declaring that Jesus is Lord of our life.

Powerful and meaningful symbolism: why do Jesus-follower get fully dunked in the water as a public declaration of their faith in Jesus? This is a very meaningful ceremony for Christians. Here's why:

• water symbolizes the Holy Spirit,
• going under water = a person's death to their "old" (2 Corinthians 5:17) way of life and their sinful past,
• being raised out of the water = regeneration and transformation that happens through faith in Jesus as the Holy Spirit brings someone to new life in Jesus. This life is eternal life. 

Does baptism make you "saved"? No! No more than a wedding ring makes you married. The power is not in the symbol but in the vow behind the symbol. The symbol is important, because it declares to the whole world that you've made a vow to give your life to Christ, just as a wedding ring tells the world that I've committed my life in marriage to my spouse.

Okay, so have you been baptized since you believed in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?

If not, I would like to strongly challenge you to get baptized. Sunday, May 22nd during any one of our 3 services at Lifehouse would be a great opportunity. Let us know!

Using Social Media to Share Our Faith

Everyone has a story. It's remarkable that when you take the time to sit with someone and simply ask, "so, what's your story?" the amazing things you'll hear.

You have a remarkable story to share. Others need to hear your story.

In preparation for Good Friday and Easter Sunday, use this opportunity for a personal and spiritual exercise.

Would you be willing and bold enough to take the time to write out your personal "scar story" online, link it to your facebook page and share it through twitter? Think of it as social media evangelism. Think of all your friends who have NOT YET heard your story, who would be profoundly impacted by your vulnerability.

Go to www.scar-stories.com and write out your scar story. Share your BC (before Christ) story THEN share your AD story (after Jesus stepped into your life). Try to keep it as concise as possible, so that your friends will read it. Link it and share it. Use this website to share the transforming power of Jesus in your life.

When our tragedy meets Jesus' triumph, our life becomes a testimony. Our mess meets His message and we  are then able to minister.

Take a Short-term Mission Trip- SIGN UP NOW!

Do you love to travel? To see new places?  To experience new cultures?

But more than anything, do you love to make a DIFFERENCE in someone else's life?  They may not speak your language, or have their own bed, or even have enough food, but they are in need of JESUS!

Lifehouse Church East is taking 7 Missions Trips in 2011, and I seriously think you should consider going on one of them (whoever you are out there in the virtual world).

There's something for everyone, whether you're a homebody or an world-traveler:

• Dresden, Germany: June 20-27
• Quito, Ecuador: July 1-8
• Dominican Republic: July 16-23

SIGN UP THIS SUNDAY! Worry about the details later!

Every destination has a city full of hurting people who need the hope that you have. So before you say "no" because of time, money, or other concerns...promise me this: you'll pray about it.  Deal?

Deal.  (I can see all of your virtual heads are nodding yes right now.)  So while you're praying about it, pick up a MISSIONS PASSPORT at the Info Center THIS Sunday, or email brian@lifehousechurcheast.org for more info on upcoming trips.  You can also watch a video of my good friend Lisa talking about her experience on one of the recent LHCE Missions trips HERE.

Travel.  See the World.  Make a Difference. SHARE JESUS!

Invite your FRIENDS & NEW Sermon Series

Don't Miss Out or Miss this incredible opportunity to invite your friends to Lifehouse. Hopefully, this video will inspire you to invite everyone you can to join us THIS weekend for Spring Fever Sunday:


TAG, YOU'RE IT! We'll do our part making it a great experience and helping people hear and experience the Gospel and be touch by God's transforming power. But you've got to do your part by inviting them and talking them about Jesus.

Kicking off new sermon series (with a title that you may remember from last year):




You don't want to miss this series. PLUS, we'll be passing out the NEW study guides to go along with this series. This is one of those sermon series that your friends will want to hear.

TAG, YOU'RE IT!

An ANNOUNCEMENT and REQUEST

As a church, we're looking forward to what God has in store for us in 2011!

It's exciting to see our Sunday morning services filling up.  As we've been anticipating, we were actually over capacity in our 10:30 AM service this past Sunday!  While this is a great problem to have, we want to make sure we have seats for our guests and newcomers.

A Request:

If you are currently attending the 10:30 AM service, would you please consider attending the 9 AM service?  Every seat made available in the 10:30 AM service is another seat we can offer a first-time guest to Lifehouse Church East.

Here's why:

• LHE primary goal is the CAUSE of Christ and the MISSION of THE Church to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus and disciple them to become Jesus-followers.
• At LHE, we want to reach everyone in this region that we can, and want to overcome all limitations,
• as you've experienced, when a service feels full (over 75% of capacity), then we feel cramped,
• then, and worse, we don't think there is room for our friends and family,
• so, we stop inviting them.
• a packed service doesn't allow us to reach new unchurch and de-churched neighbors.

Please come at 9am and PLEASE INVITE YOUR FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, and CO-WORKERS.

Join us this Sunday for part 2 of the Unquenchable sermon series.

Big Announcement COMING SOON. Find out THIS Sunday a few steps we are taking to multiple our efforts to reach this region with God's Good News. Hint: includes church planting AND new services.

Friend Day & New Sermon Series

Sunday, April 18th is Friend Day so invite your neighbors, friends, classmates, co-workers, family. Just make sure they are NOT plugged into a church already and then do WHATEVER it takes to get them to Lifehouse- bribe, kidnap (just make sure they're over 18), tranquilize, offer a dinner out on your dim... Just get your friends to church on Sunday. There are plenty of sets available in 9am service, but get there early for sets to the 10:30am service.

Also, kicking off a new sermon series called "Mixed Signals". It's about how to get clear direction from God in the midst of the noise around us. Watch the trailer here.

In case you were wondering where I was this past Sunday, I was grateful for a Sunday to visit one of our network churches down in Winchester (Lifehouse Church Shenandoah). Had a great time hanging out with Pastor Joel & Crystal Flower, who are doing a great job church planting. I feel privileged to serve alongside of them in Lifehouse Church Network.

Your Help Needed for Red Carpet Sunday

That's right, I'm using every digital means possible to get help. Here's what we are looking for:

1. Invite as many people as possible to Lifehouse on December 6th,
2. Help us FIND some necessary props for Christmas decorations.

Here's how you can invite friends for Red Carpet Sunday:

• To invite friends and family who are NOT currently in church, send them an evite from our website here or from Facebook here.
• Get a bunch of flyers and pass them out to neighbors, co-workers, friends, family.
• Ask them to "commit" to joining you for Red Carpet Sunday on December 6th at 9:30 for breakfast AND 9:45 to get seated for the 10 am service.
• Once they commit to coming, fill out a ticket with their information and turn it in at the registration table, so that they can be entered into a drawing to win a VIP package of gifts.
• follow up with them and encourage them to actually come on December 6th.

Here's what we want/ need for Christmas decorations BEFORE December 6th: (we would need to keep decorations for the whole month of December, so don't lend us your tree if you want it for Christmas)

• 3-4 normal size outdoor lamp stands- would like 2 with 3 lights and 1 or 2 with 1 light.
• large wreath, probably at least 4 foot in diameter,
• 2- 12' Christmas trees (preferably pre-lit)
• 2- 9' Christmas trees (preferably pre-lit)
• 2 old fashion candle holders (the ones you see in movies that people would use to carry around their house and light a room)

Thanks for your passion and help. Keep inviting friends!

I walked a mile in your shoes. Here's what I learned.

As part of the "get dirty" campaign at Lifehouse and an illustration for our series Dirty Little Secrets, I came to church a few weeks ago as a HOMELESS MAN. My clothes were torn, old, and smelled of sour milk. Our resident make-up artists gave me a really bad beard, growths, scars, and dark shadows around my eyes. I walked slowly, and my right hand shook uncontrollably. After walking about a mile to the theater, I arrived before 9am, while many volunteers were still arriving and getting ready to go in for our regular prayer time. I sat outside on the curb, kept to myself, and eventually came into Lifehouse during communion. Finally, after Pastor Dave got up to preach, I interrupted him (well, not me, but the homeless man, everyone thought I was), and I began to speak.

You can listen to the sermon at our website here.

Thought I'd share a few things I had learned while walking a mile (literally and figuratively) in the shoes of a homeless man:

• A TOUCH MEANS SO MUCH! First thing that really surprised me: how many people at Lifehouse touched me. In all my prep, I honestly did not expect anyone to get close enough to me to smell me, let alone touch me. Loving hugged me, put their hands on my back, rubbed my leg, placed their hands on me and prayed. It actually meant a lot (and I was just acting).
• WE'RE NOT INVISIBLE. We all notice each other, even the homeless man on the curb, it's just that we choose to care or ignore them. I didn't know what to expect at Lifehouse, but hoped that many would come up to me and give me food, love, care, whatever. I was regularly greeted, offered coffee, food (although, ENOUGH WITH THE CHEEZ-ITS), got invited into the cafe, service- multiple times. After the service, many people apologized for ignoring me. It wasn't that they didn't see me. They saw me, and chose not to stop and help. I'm not rebuking them. That's what they actually told me.
• IT'S OKAY TO COME AS YOU ARE. Here's what I saw as the homeless man, when I came onto the platform (after being stopped by security, but invited by Pastor Dave):

"Thank you. Thank you for accepting me as I am. You didn't ask me to put on a tie, but invited me in just the way I am.

"Thank you for NOT making me hide my pain, my hurt, my regrets, my abuse. You told me it was okay for me to just come in and that God loves me!

"Thank you to the woman who called me 'friend', and the man who told me, 'You are special and God loves you'. Thanks for overlooking my smell, poor appearances, and troubling shake.

"I know that being on the stage is making some of you uncomfortable, but thanks for just loving and accepting me. You didn't ask me to pretend that everything is okay...

"My question to you is: WHY is it OK for me to be me at church, but not for YOU? Why did you tell me that I can just come in as I am, but you work so hard to COVER UP, to wear your masks so well, to not let anyone see your pain, hurt, and regrets?

• BEST MOTIVATION IS LOVE NOT GUILT. I intentionally avoided the guilt-for-not-helping-the-homeless-man message, since I figured that's where everyone would expect me to go, and I like surprising our church. Plus, I hope we, as Christians, are more motivated to compassion out of love rather than guilt. If I motivate Jesus-followers by guilt, it won't last long (think of tithing), but if by love, it will transform their whole way of life and lead to true Christ-like living. I never got the sense that anyone helped me out of obligation, for show, or out of guilt, but because they genuinely cared and wanted to offer a helping hand.
• I HAVE YOUR MONEY. A few people gave me money, and after service, I offered to give it back, but no takers. However, it was put into the regular offering. If you'd still like to get that $20 back, let me know. We weren't trying to trick anyone into giving to the church.
• CHILDREN ARE SO COOL. Brian, our hospitality leader came out with coffee and food, prayed with me, and his son even talked with me. Then, his son repeatedly came out to check on me, asked if I needed anything else, and came to talk to me. So, first- parents, keep a close eye on your kids, they might NOT be taking your counsel to heart, and ARE taking to strangers :). Also, kids are so cool!

GET OUT!

The cold weather is almost over; spring is coming! So is Friend Day at Lifehouse Church East. Since people have been holed up in their houses all winter, they're starting to do strange things. Our goal on March 15th is to challenge everyone to GET OUT!

Friends don't let friends stay in their houses TOO long. And now it's been TOO long. Their stuck behind their webcams, reading magazines, playing video games. They need to GET OUT! Watch this, it'll inspire you!



So, here's the plan. Challenge your friends to GET OUT, and then TAKE them OUT to Lifehouse. Afterward invite them for TAKE OUT or to OUTback (take me along too).

We're also getting cheap at Lifehouse, and don't want to spend money on an expensive Friend Day. So, this is it! No invite cards (well, except the cheap ones we printed off in house), just a funny video and a challenge to get everyone out!

Divine "Coincidence"

On occasion I'm caught off guard by God, or better yet God-moments. Subtle encounters where you can see the fingerprint of God looking back on what just happened.

Well, I had one last week.

I've been carrying $5 in my pocket waiting to fulfill my day 16 challenge to give the money to someone that I didn't know who was in need. It wasn't for lack of effort. I've been carrying it with me looking for the "right" person. It feels like so little, but I knew I needed to be led by God in the moment when to give.

Well, I was early to a meeting at 6:30 one morning, and waiting in my car, I prayed, "God, I really want to give this money away, but I don't know to whom, and I'm wondering why you haven't led me to anyone yet. Please lead me, so they I can be a blessing to someone in Your Name." Then I reached over and grabbed my devotional to read the challenge of that day.

Just then, a guy with a gas can in-hand walked right up to the window of my car and ask for help with some gas money. He was coming to town for a job interview and his van stalled right across the street from where I was parked.

I helped him happily. He was genuinely grateful and even came into the restaurant to find and thank me. It's cool when you can see the "fingerprints" of God in your life.

RED CARPET SUNDAY ticket info

You can do it! Get reserved seats of your choice for both YOU and YOUR FRIENDS! "How," you ask. Simple, follow these steps:

1. Just get some fliers.
2. Give fliers to friends and invite them to come on December 7th.
   
   
3. Tell them it will be an amazing experience with FREE breakfast, FREE horse-drawn-carriage rides, FREE family photos, and a chance to win a VIP dinner package.
4. If they are willing to commit to coming, give them a ticket (with reserved seat).
5. Fill out the stub with their info on it and turn it in on Sunday morning.
6. That stub will enter them into the drawing for the VIP dinner packages.
7. DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE THEIR ON DEC. 7th!

RED CARPET SUNDAY

Here's the plan. We're going all out for our guests on December 7, 2008, rolling out the Red Carpet! And we're breaking all the rules in church:

• Rule #1: you can't have people in every seat in church, 'cause people need their space. We're filling every seat in the theater.
• Rule #2: only stuffy, religious churches have reserved seating, i.e. elderly women with bun in her hair has sat in that same indented pew for 63 years. Don't you dare take her spot! Well not on 12/07. We've got tickets for every seat in the theater, and if you've got that ticket, you've also got exclusive rights to that seat. Woo hoo! On the other hand, if you've got a ticket to a seat, you better make sure there's a warm body in the seat (and your dog doesn't count).
• Rule #3: church is only for religious people. We already broke this rule every week for the last 5 years, but we want everyone to know it. The whole point of Lifehouse is to reach people who are experts in "the way of religious formulas". We're just a bunch of ordinary, "normal" people who love God and want to know how to follow Jesus every day of our lives.
• Rule #4: God will strike you dead if you bring food, coffee, and yes, even that hard candy into church! Again, we blew this rule out the window a long time ago, we're just going public with it now. At Lifehouse, we eat in church, drink coffee during sermons, and beg people to take a breath-mint! And so far no one has been struck by lightning or keeled over from food-poisoning.

So, INVITE YOUR FRIENDS, CO-WORKERS, NEIGHBORS, and FAMILY to Lifehouse East for RED CARPET SUNDAY on December 7 at 10 am. And if you want breakfast, you better get their at 9:30. There will also be:

• FREE Horse Drawn Carriage Rides!
• FREE Professional Family Photos!
• NEW Sermon Series- the X-Mas Files, "the truth is absurd"

SO, DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET THE SEATS FILLED! See video below for ideas on how to get people there:

Convoy Marathon- more exhausting, more fulfilling

This past weekend was unbelievable.

Friday night we had a Volunteer commissioning rally for all who wanted to serve on Saturday for Convoy of Hope. It was electric. 420 Jesus-followers who showed up just to be a part of serving and giving to our community through Convoy of Hope. Probably one of the coolest experiences I ever had being a part of the excitement and passion of so many coming together as ONE.

Saturday from 6am was a marathon of serving, ministering, leading, and celebrating.
Convoy of Hope was a day of compassion for all of Washington County. One Big idea- compassion in the name of Jesus, 30 churches cooperating (unheard of), 80+ different agencies, organizations, and companies, 700 volunteers, and we reached 2,300 guests. Unprecedented! Awesome! We treated EVERY guests as our guest of honor, and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Sunday at Lifehouse was more rally and celebration than church. We "did" and "were" the church on Saturday, so Sunday was just an opportunity to be a "family of friends". I love pastoring Lifehouse and leading the Church to reach this region for Jesus!