The day before Monday...

I know that it's a little bit late in the week to be blogging about this past Sunday's events, but hey, better late than never.

As of this past Sunday we have officially started our new Sunday school schedule. For right now, we are having Sunday school during both services (9:30am and 11:15am). The way it works is if you go to service @ 9:30am then you are to go to Sunday school @ 11:15am. Likewise, if you go to service @ 11:15am then you would need to come to the early Sunday school @ 9:30am. It's really not as confusing as it sounds, I think. However, during the early Sunday school hour (9:30am) this past Sunday we only had 4 students in Sunday school. So, we are going to have it again this week, but if no more than 5 show up to attend we are going to move to only 1 Sunday school hour @ 11:15. This will allow us to focus our efforts and maximize our ministry endeavor.

Now that we've got all that logistical stuff out of the way, on to the fun!

We had a superb time this past Sunday. I taught the Middle School group and Dylan Kallioinen taught the High School group. For illustrations, he was using mouse traps and I had a cane (I know we're dangerous together). This made for a lively time of meeting and greeting new students, incoming families, old friends and fellow laborers. Big things are going to be happening in the Student Ministries, so keep an eye out.

In the Middle School class we talked about Knowing and Experiencing God from Psalm 107. We discussed how sometimes we see only 1 side of God; the big, cosmic, all-powerful side. Though this is not a wrong view, it needs to be balanced by the other side of God; the personal, interested, personal side. God loves us and cares for us, but not just in theory in practice as well. He longs to walk with us and be intimately involved in our every action, breath, thought and conversation.

Thus, we here in the Student Ministries are fervently praying for and expecting an out pouring of God's Spirit upon our students. We believe God is on the move and on the brink of doing some amazing things here in South Florida. For this reason, I told the Middle Schoolers this past Sunday that I want them to be drawing so near to God and experiencing Him in such real and vibrant ways that they are coming to Dylan and I with stories that we don't believe. I want to hear our students telling us about how God is moving in their bible study and devotions as well as how He is moving all around them.

We're all a part of God's story, I want us to be an exciting part of it.

For His Kingdom...

The official word

Much has been taking place in the life of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church over the past few months. We've experienced a successful merger between the congregation here and that of New City Presbyterian Church. We have a new, vibrant and passionate senior pastor. We've gained some talented and wonderful new staff members. We're finishing up a spectacular mission conference. I'm on track to graduate from Knox Seminary this May. And of course, Summer is right around the corner.

All of this, along with the many other things that I just didn't have the space to list, should cause us to praise God! He is an amazing God and is not one to suffer His church to undue struggles. He is at work in our midst orchestrating great and marvelous things, both for His own glory and the benefit of His people. He has reset our course and reintroduced a refreshing wind into our sails. Therefore, let us not only give Him praise but let us rejoice with one another, reveling in the undeserved grace and mercies of our great God.

Having said all of that, I would like to throw open the windows and doors of the Student Ministry here at CRPC so that everyone can see what we're up to. As to the staff here:

- Jerry "Bear" Noonan has been moved out of his role as the Director of Students and Children and upgraded to the role of Director of Ministry Development. This is an awesome move for Bear! The new position is being tailor made to fit him to a T. He is both uniquely qualified and gifted for this new role and we are all super excited for him. Also, with this new role Bear is still going to be hanging out with us here in the Student Ministry, just in a different capacity - like getting us coffee and stuff :) We love you Bear!

- Chris Perry (me) has been promoted from part-time Jr. High ministries to Director of Student Ministries. I thank the Lord for this opportunity to serve the students and their parents as well as the rest of the Student Ministry staff. I trust that through much prayer, diligence and some silliness the Lord will bless the Student Ministry here.

- Dylan Kallioinen has been faithfully and wonderfully serving as the Director of Student Ministries at New City for the past few years. He is coming on board here at CRPC as the Assistant Director of Student Ministries. Dylan is serious student of the Word and a grace-filled leader. His love for Scripture and students is evident within the first 2 minutes of meeting him. I am pumped about working together with him as partners in crime (not real crime, but the metaphoric kind).

With all that, I hope you feel a little bit more informed so that you may earnestly pray to God on our behalf. We don't have it all together but we love the Lord, His Word and His students.

If you have any questions, comments, concerns or donations please feel free to contact us here in the Student Ministries.

For His Kingdom...

The bigger, the better... the more room we need!

Wow....

What an incredible night we had last night! We had about 52 Jr. high students out @ Gangway; praise the Lord!!!

It was a bitter sweet time for my wife and I. Last night was the last Gangway as we have known it for the past 4 years. However, we are now moving into an even more exciting and interesting time in the life of the student ministry here. God is on the move; it's apparent and awe inspiring! We are all waiting in knee-knocking anticipation for what God is going to do in and through the student ministry.

Last night we played some great games and had a wonderful time of fellowship and joy. We talked about being one church, one body and the need to pursue the unity of the Spirit in humility. We hope to be beacons of light, life and unity for all to see, both in the church and beyond its walls.

Amy and I are so blessed and so incredibly thankful for having been able to serve our students in the capacity we have. We love each and everyone of them with a Godly and heavenly love; hoping and praying to see all of them become sold out, grace bearing followers of the one, true and living God.

For His Kingdom...

What a crazy, beautiful time...

Sometimes life is just hectic.


I can vouch for this.


These past 2 weeks have been some of the craziest in my life. I finally finished writing the last paper of my seminary career. It was a 25 page church history paper that I thoroughly enjoyed, but it took an enormous amount of my time. I've also been involved in merger meetings, ministry planning teams and the like here @ Gangway. This too has taken up loads of time. Then came Easter! We had our first combined worship services as "Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church." It was an utterly unbelievable time! God saw fit to fill us to the brim with people. However, preparing for that wonderful day also took much time and energy.


I say all of this, not to vent or complain or search for some sympathetic remarks, but to proclaim that life is just sometimes crazy and messy. Things don't always flow so smoothly; sometimes there's rocks in the river of life.


This is the beauty of it all.


As we maneuver through this life we will certainly come up against hecticness and craziness. But God is always there to show us His beauty and wonder. This is the relief point.


Focus on Him!


For His Kingdom...

Gathering the troops...

Last night we had our first un-official youth meeting. It was a pretty informal "meet and greet" type gathering. There were about 10 people in attendance; mostly New City volunteers, along with Dylan, his adorable daughter Grace, Amy, Joel Hurst and myself. We grubbed out together, got to know one another and talked pretty freely about some upcoming youth events and activities. It was a great time just hanging and chatting it up with those whom we will soon be serving and laboring alongside.

Though this was the first meeting, and a bit impromptu, it certainly is not the last. We will be putting the word out soon for all who would like to join with us in molding young minds and seeing the next generation equipped to be Kingdom builders.

So, with that said, I'm asking all who read this blog to prayerfully consider being a part of what God is doing in the lives of our students. May this next generation not be labeled as those who forgot the Lord because we were too busy to point them toward Him.

For His Kingdom...

*sigh...*

Well, no one commented on my previous post so I guess that means that my social experiment was a failure. But hey, at least I wasn't being graded on it :)

As for this past Sunday, we had our final combined Sunday school group. Next Sunday there will be NO Sunday school due to a heavy Easter schedule. So, I hope that everyone will take the time to have their own form of family Sunday school or devotions or some sort of spiritual conversation.

Being that this previous Sunday was the Sunday before Easter (traditionally - "Palm Sunday") we discussed "pre-Easter protocol." We discussed the fact that most every church in America will see a swelling of their congregation on Easter Sunday. We talked about the many potential reasons leading to this remarkable event; whether it be tradition or obligation or social pressure. But regardless of the reason, people will be going to church on Easter.

So, we inquired, what's so special about Easter? Why do hundreds of thousands of typically un-churched individuals wined up in the pews of most American churches?

Well for the un-churched, a lot of times that's just what people do on Easter Sunday - they go to church. See, there's still some lingering religious notion in a lot of people's minds that Easter is a famed day to go to church.

However, it is not how people perceive Easter that makes it so special, but what took place on that faithful day more than 2000 years ago. It's the events of Easter that make the day famous, not popular opinion and recognition. Thus, we took a step back to look broadly at the event of the whole Easter drama. We gazed up at the stage of history to view its grand center piece, that old rugged Roman cross and Him who hung upon it. We sought to see Jesus and His cross and how it prepares us for the glories of Easter Sunday.

So, we looked at Colossians 1:13-20. We noted that the text tells us plainly both who Jesus is and what He has done. The text makes no buts about the truth that Jesus is God. He is also Creator and Sustainer of all things, both on earth and in heaven. Thus, He is preeminent above all things! As such, He is the only one able to carry out the great purpose of God, the redemption of all things! Because a great rift had come between God and man because of sin, something had to be done. Sin has made us enemies of God. Thus, upon the cross, peace and reconciliation were made between God and man through the God/man, Jesus Christ.

Therefore, we have to understand this amazing act of history or we will never fully grasp the reality of Easter. If we fail to grasp the reality of Easter then we cannot and will not be affected and changed by it. And if this be our state, then we have no more claim to salvation and eternity than those who will flood our churches Easter Sunday, who have no clue of the power of God unto salvation.

Therefore, I beg and implore all who read this to ask yourself, in the deep recesses of your heart, "what's so important about Easter and the events surrounding it?"

For His Kingdom...

Another zaney Wednesday night...

We had not only a huge and awesome group of students, but an awesome evening as well.

However, as a social experiment I'm not going to elaborate on the evening until I get a few comments posted.

So... if you interested, make a comment!

For His Kingdom...

Beyond the horizon...

I have 2 friends, Scott and Jennie Phillips, who are laboring in Indonesia with New Tribes Missions. They are ministering among a group of people called the Dao.

Scott and Jennie are my age (28) and are regular people. Scott has a sweet beard and Jennie a sweet heart and spirit; Scott also has some pretty amazing tattoos. I met them when I was visiting a friend at Word of Life, Florida and have not been able to forget them. They had then and continue to exhibit not only a strong desire and passion for the Lord Himself, but for people as well; especially people that have had little to no access to the gospel.

Their passion and work are a continued source of encouragement and blessing to me! I hope that you will check out their web-site that they may be a blessing to you as well.

http://sjphillips.org/

For His Kingdom...