Lanse Link – 11 July 2021

Lanse Link

Sunday, July 11, 2021
Lanse Evangelical Free Church

From the Pastor

Dear Church Family,

We are coming together!

As your pastor, I have been so encouraged to see the families of our congregation participate more and more in gathered worship and closer fellowship on campus over the last few months. Last Sunday, we ran out of bulletins and had almost twice the number of people on campus than we used to have on Independence Day weekend!

I can hardly wait for Family Bible Week, especially the FBW Finale Picnic which will be our first full fellowship meal as a church family in a loooooong time. What a blessing to get to once again engage in biblical fellowship in familiar and face-to-face ways!

The next big step in our “coming together” plan is to resume offering a single combined worship time on Sunday mornings. I’m pleased to announce that our plan is, Lord-willing, for August 1^st to be our first Sunday back to one worship time. Praise God! This is a big answer to prayer. We will share more exciting details as the day approaches.

In the meantime, we have a few more weeks to prepare and to get used to being closer together. We understand that this will also take some adjusting and that not everyone will be ready at the same time. We will continue to offer FM transmission and outdoor seating options for people with varying comfort levels.

Thank you for all of your prayers for the Elders and our other church leaders as we make plans for ministry together the rest of the summer. We have a wonderful church family, and it’s a joy to be your pastor. May the Lord bless you richly as you seek Him.

In His Grip,

– Pastor Matt

P.S. We’ll be singing “Happy Birthday” a lot at our house this weekend as two thirds of the Mitchell family have birthdays this month. What songs fill your house? I hope at least some of them are songs that magnify the Lord Jesus Christ. He is worthy!

Family Bible Week News

Family Bible Week Finale – Outdoor Service

Join us on July 25^th for our FBW Finale. This will be an outdoor service on the Ark Park side with the tent. Bring your lawn chairs and portable shade and join us as we cap off our Family Bible Week with worship. The kids will be invited to the 5^th lesson during the service. In the event of rain, the service will move indoors.

Family Bible Week Finale Picnic

Our Hospitality Team is finalizing plans for our FBW finale picnic to be held July 25^th immediately following our Worship time. The team will be providing meatball subs and drinks for the meal and are asking for side dishes, salads, fruit, and desserts. RSVP sheets are included in this bulletin. They can be dropped in the offering plates or returned to the small box outside the office. This will be our first full fellowship meal since January 2020. Join us!

Family Bible Week – Help Needed

FBW is quickly approaching. We are still looking for some games and classroom helpers. See Misty Michaels to be involved.

FBW Youth Class – Building Bible Knowledge

Calling all 7-12 graders! Pastor Matt will be leading the youth class this year in how to study the Bible for yourself. Bring your own Bible to lay a strong foundation for your faith. See Pastor Matt with any questions.

Disciples Under Construction

Calling all adults: Mark your calendar and join us for Family Bible Week! Kerry Doyal, our Allegheny District Superintendent, will be teaching classes Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening. Spend some time learning how to be a disciple, who makes disciples, who make disciples.

Church Family News

Help Needed: Coffee Ministry

We are looking for 2-3 more people willing to help as we restart our coffee ministry. The commitment would be for one Sunday every four to six weeks and includes set-up and clean-up. If you want to know more about this opportunity to serve, please talk with Cody or Holly Crumrine during coffee ministry today.

Children’s Church

All children (ages 3 – 3rd grade) are invited to Children’s Church during our 10:30 worship time. When the weather allows the children will meet in the Sonshine tent or in our back yard. Parents, when indicated in the service, please drop your kids off with a volunteer in the ABC Room or bring them around to the backyard/Sonshine tent. All ministry workers have their child protection clearances.

Follow the Lord in Water Baptism

We are planning a baptism service on August 29^th. Classes will be set up to meet individual scheduling needs. If you would like to learn more about what it means to follow Christ in water baptism, talk to Pastor Matt for options that fit your schedule.

Designated Giving

Thank you for your generous giving. Two designated giving funds remain open here at church. To give to a future picnic pavilion, mark your gift “pavilion” and placing it in the offering. To give to the rebuilding efforts following the fire at Miracle Mountain Ranch’s Fort Wilderness, mark your gift “MMR Fire.”

Family Fridays @ CSA

Christian Servant Academy invites you to Family Fridays. Each Friday at 6:30 they are hosting an evening of family-focused fun. Check out their flyer on the Community Bulletin Board for more information.

Explore the Bible at Home

Many adults in our church are utilizing the Explore the Bible resources to dig deeper into God’s word. Pick up your free copy of Explore the Bible: Job; Ecclesiastes. and complete Session 6: Power Displayed.

Email Prayer Chain

Throughout the week we send periodic emails with prayer needs. If you are interested in receiving this communication, send an email to prayer@lansefree.org and we will add you to that list.

On-Campus Prayer Meeting

Join us Wednesdays at 7:00pm in the Fellowship Hall as Joel Michaels leads us in a brief Bible study, praising God through song, and praying with other believers. Reminder: Bring a jacket along. Now that the weather is warming up, we will sometimes meet outdoors.

Need Prayer?

Our church and our pastor love to pray for you. If you have a need for prayer, you can email us at prayer@lansefree.org. All emails being sent to this address will be seen by Pastor Matt. Please indicate if this is a private request (for Pastor Matt and the Elder Board) or public request for the prayer chain.

Continuing to Give

Thank you for continuing to support our ministries and missionaries. Ways to give:

Mail your offering check to us at PO BOX 114, Lanse, PA 16849.
Cash or Check in person. Drop off your offering at the church during office hours in the offering plate right inside the office door.
E-banking – Check with your financial institution about using their bill pay programs to have the bank send us a check directly at no cost.
Online Payments – PayPal and Venmo are our current e-giving options. Our account address is our email: churchoffice@lansefree.org.

Prayer Items

Contact the church office for this week’s prayer requests from the bulletin.

Lanse Free Church

255 Cotohisc Road
Lanse, PA 16849
Phone: 814.345.6500

Worship Service: Sunday, 10:00am

Prayer Meeting: Wednesday, 7:00pm