Sunday Mind Dump - Easter - April 24, 2011

Simply a great day all the way around.  Blown away by all that God did.

636 in attendance.  The house was packed!  Loved seeing all the teenagers sandwiched together on the front row too.  They were shoulder-to-shoulder.

Lot’s of guests.

It was also really good to see some people come back that I haven’t seen in a long time.

This is a picture of pre-service music.  (Click the picture for an enlarged view, then backspace to return here).

Amazing volunteers stepped up to the challenge and made it happen.  Good to see everyone on duty and so much enthusiasm to serve!

Facebook comments:

Carole B. says, Service was great this morning, singing, preaching, food and the crowd. Never heard or remember hearing Mary did not recognize Jesus until he said "Mary" I guess it is like us here on earth we have a mortal body, then when we die we will have a heavenly body, just as Jesus did. Great message Pastor Ron.

Martha H. says,  Church was AWESOME today! Church was filled to the max, music was wonderful and the message was absolutely on track. Thank you to all the singers, musicians, and Pastor Ron for making Easter at Pace Community Church the best!!!!!

Diane N. says,Top of Form  WOW is right! If that message didn't open some hearts, we might have to get out the crowbars! That was powerful. Thanks Ron. Renae, the music was right on target and the singers were fantastic (they always are but today was truly great)

Renae C. says, Thank you both for those encouraging words. I, too, enjoyed the message ... it deeply moved me as I was again reminded of just how much I need God in every aspect of my life. And I also applaud the Worship Team ... they definitely brought their A-game today and I am proud to serve with them.

Gabrielle U. says,  My Christ is risen from the dead, trampling over death by death:) I am so thankful for all I have been blessed with!

Sharon P. says, What a wonderful day this has been. Awesome church service this morning. The music and preaching were out of this world. Then a super dinner with family. God is good!!!

Robert H. says, Over six hundred in attendance at PCC today.  It was a great day!!! The music was on target!! and Pastor Ron nailed the sermon!! I seen several people I haven't seen in a while.  Now why can't we have this many in attendance every Sunday?

Sue W. says, Today was one of the most awesome days I have had in a very long time, Great Church service , tons of family, food, smiles and remembrances. God is good, and will continue to be so. Amen.... :)

Here are a few key thoughts from today’s message:

** There are four major religions in the world; Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity.  Three of those worldwide religions admit its founder is dead.  Only Christianity clams that its founder is alive.

** The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of Christianity.  Without it, there would be no Christianity.

** Jesus’ resurrection validates every claim that He ever made about anything. 

** And Jesus said to her, “Mary” (John 20:16).

** If in this life only we have hope in Christ Jesus, we are of all men most miserable (I Corinthians 15:19).

I’ve been thinking about today’s attendance.  We had a full house without any advertisement, mail outs, special events, plays, cantatas, or sermon series leading up to Easter.  We simply let our church “self gravitate” on its own.  Virtually all our first time guests were there because someone invited them.  That is amazing!

I think the thing I am happiest about today is that we simply put on a regular service, only slightly ramped up, and it was still a huge success.  In the past we have pulled out all the stops for Easter by planning a lot of special activities.  In the end it left me exhausted, stressed, and burned out. 

That being said, I realize that we have 52 Sundays in a year and they are all equally important.  That’s what we strive for at PCC – 52 great Sundays.

We realized today that we could easily handle a regular attendance of 650-750 without any real strain.

Very proud of our volunteers.  I pastor a unique church, it’s full of some of the best servants I have ever seen.  This week and today saw people serving and getting a burst of energy to do what God has called them to do.

We have some insanely talented people at PCC.

We need to have a baptism service in the near future.

Our children’s ministry environments are working like clock work right now.  I am very encouraged and pleased to see the progress being made there.

Today as I was walking through the age-level ministry area thanking people for serving, I saw a young lady serving in the nursery.  I took note of her because she also sings on one of our worship teams, but her team is not back on schedule until next month.  Yet, there she was SERVING BEHIND THE SCENES.  That’s what I’m talking about!   I really appreciate the people who are willing to sacrificially serve in any capacity - not just the “cool” positions – and seeing her did not escape my attention.  Thank you!

In the past several weeks I have also noticed the high number of people who are now serving in one service and attending the next service (i.e., Attend One, Serve One).  This really impresses me and I appreciate it very much.