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I love the church!  I've been filled with hope this week that the church is simply amazing!  It is. The church is the hope of the world. I want to see God go crazy at Fellowship Church.  I want that so we can say "no clue".  I want a "we have no clue" experience where we can't explain what God is doing. I think we began to see something like that last Sunday.  So many people responded and stepped out to place a simple piece of paper at a cross.  That simple act was a huge step for many people who are struggling with significant issues.  All we asked for on Sunday was for people to right a letter on a card (A, B, or C).  God was working in the hearts of individuals because what we collected was much more than single letters. Many actually wrote out heart-felt responses. In addition to that, there were many individuals who trusted Christ.  Miracles are happening. Only God!

I don't think God wants us to be just another church. We have such a big dream to redefine church and help people experience life-change.  I believe God is preparing us in small ways for something big.  I want more of what happened on Sunday.  I know not every day can be like that experience, but I want every experience to be one where we're totally depending on God.  God wants all of Fellowship Church.  The money...the strategy...the teaching...the programs...the leaders...the volunteers...the children...the marriages...the first impressions...the missions...the set-up...the tear down.  God wants it all. So desperate for God.  Keep praying.  Keep reaching.  Keep inviting.

I can’t wait to see everyone again on Sunday!  Come a few minutes early so that you don’t miss any of the elements. Plan on being at your seat by the end of the countdown as things will look a bit different this Sunday

-- Eric 

Not everybody embraces golf or quite gets how you can enjoy chasing a little white ball around, but I love it. I’m not very good, nor do I play very often, but I thoroughly enjoy it.

One of the professional golfers that I've always admired was Tiger Woods. He plays golf with an intensity and a competitive drive that translates into being one of the most successful golfers of all time. We all like to root for the underdog from time to time, but with Tiger you can’t help but admire his excellence at the game.

Recently, Tiger Woods' behavior off the golf course became public news. Last Friday he held a press conference where he publicly apologized for his actions. I immediately asked myself a few questions:

1. Do I need to forgive him?
2. Is he sincere in his apology?

At Fellowship Church we just concluded a series called East to West. It’s about forgiveness, and how God has forgiven us and removed our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west.

Psalm 103:12 (NLT)

He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west.

In Pastor Eric Koehler’s talks, he gave us a few biblical principles to apply that answered a few of those questions for me. Tiger Woods was bold and courageous in admitting his mistakes and hurtful behavior. He prepared what he was going to say. He confessed his sin, and he asked for forgiveness.

Whether he was sincere or not, God says that we need to forgive him - turn the key and let him out of bondage. In doing so we learned what forgiveness actually will look like.  It’s making a commitment that…

• I won’t bring this up to you.
• I won’t bring this up to others.
• I won’t bring this up in my own mind.

One of the things I’m learning through this series is that forgiveness is giving up my right for justice and giving God space to work. Forgiveness is trusting that God is better at this than I am.

Romans 12:19-21 (NLT)

Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written,

        "I will take vengeance;

            I will repay those who deserve it,"

            says the Lord.

 Instead, do what the Scriptures say:

        "If your enemies are hungry, feed them.

        If they are thirsty, give them something to drink,

            and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you."

 Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.

I’m adding forgiveness to my to do list and sharing the forgiveness that Christ gave me to others. Can you imagine if we all forgave Tiger? There would be no more news about it.  Tiger Woods forgiven…check!

Gus Sareyka

Executive Pastor

Excellence honors God and inspires people. On Sunday Gus Sareyka talked about how Elevate is doing just that.  Being responsible for the strategic adoption of technology at Fellowship, I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight an example which you will be hearing more about in the coming weeks and months.

Church Community Builder (CCB) is a secure, web-based system that allows churches to go about the business of 'church management' more effectively.  Sunday morning and event check-in, Life Group management and communication, event registration, tracking financial contributions, and member involvement are a sample of the many features that CCB will give us. We will be able to accomplish many of the tasks that go along with running a church in a much more efficient manner.  We will also gain some new ability to connect with you in ways we have not been able to in the past.

Our vision is to Redefine Church Through Relationships, not Religion. CCB is a tool, made possible through Elevate, that will help us to do just that.  As a church grows, it becomes harder and harder to build close relationships with each other or for the staff to get to know everyone. The staff will have much better visibility across ministries of family involvement.  Prayer needs, welcoming newcomers, and even being able to match faces (via picture profiles) with names are key processes that CCB makes possible for us. 

We have spent a considerable amount of time over the past few months getting the system set up and prepared for church-wide use.  We have done our best to collect the information we have from all of the various places we had it and migrated that to our new CCB database.  Some of you may have started to see communication coming from CCB as we have started to selectively use and test the system. 

I want to also emphasize that FC takes your privacy very seriously.  We have taken great care to ensure that any information you have shared with us remains confidential. CCB will also give you complete control over what information you choose to share and who you share it with.  One of the things we are excited about is that you will now have the ability to update your individual and family contact information.  No more need to call the church office or fill out a communication card!  Having and maintaining accurate information will help us to better serve you and the community we are trying to reach.

You will be hearing and seeing more as we start to roll-out CCB across the church. Stay tuned for more updates about that and I hope you will help us to pursue excellence in this business of 'church management' so that we can be as effective as possible with the resources God blesses us with. Ultimately, it frees us up to do more in serving Him and our community!

Greg DavisTechnology and Innovation Director

Fellowship Church is a great place!  I look forward to Sunday morning each week because of all the energy and innovation.  Here are a few thoughts on a great weekend...

Our Sunday experience was energizing.  We're walking through a series right now called "East to West".  It's a series that is helping us focus on forgiveness.  God has forgiven us in such amazing ways, and now He's looking for us to extend that to the people around us.  There are a lot of great conversations happening right now where people are chasing forgiveness.  Go for it.  Be bold. Be courageous.  Pray before you go ("thaw" out a bit).  Prepare what you need to say.  Ask for forgiveness. 

The band at Fellowship is amazing.  I love the energy they bring and their ability to engage the crowd.  They nailed "Apologize"!  I could listen to that for a long time.  Great job. 

The excitement coming from the children's area is captivating.  It makes me want to be a kid again and participate in what they get to do each week.  It's very creative and is preparing the next generation of leaders.  Go children's ministry team.  You're awesome!

I'm so happy with those of you who create great first impressions, prepare food, push carts, set-up truss, hang signs, lights, fabric and make an attractive space for those who walk through the doors.  Great job!  Everything you do plays a vital role in helping us serve people.  What you do matters down to the smallest detail.  Your happy smiles and positive attitudes in the middle of working hard is inspiring.

We're inviting!  Thanks.  I believe that honors God in a huge way!        

The people of Fellowship...it's great to be with you.  I walked away from Sunday genuinely very happy that I get to serve with you.  I'm humbled and can't wait to see you again!

-- Eric