3 Big Events in the Next 10 Days

There are three big events in the life of our congregation that will occur over the next week and a half. I encourage every member to make plans now to be engaged.

Here they are…

1.The iMAGINEXT Fair
This Sunday, February 15th, at 11:30 a.m. (in the middle of worship), we will experience The iMAGINEXT Fair. On that day, members and guests of Johns Creek Baptist will not only be empowered to imagine, but also equipped to take a new and next step in faith.

From within the context of worship, we will dismiss the congregation from the sanctuary into the halls of the church, where each of our strategic ministry areas will be represented.

There will be one hallway dedicated to each of our 4 ministry divisions. In each of these hallways, there will be tables, or booths representing unique opportunities for you to take a new and next step. Whether God is calling you to a next step in Connections, Formations, Mobilization or Worship, there will be numerous opportunities to discover and engage the call of God on your life.

All told, there will be some 50 tables, representing more than 120 unique opportunities to take your faith to a new level. For a complete list of ministries represented at the tables, please click here.

In addition to a Spaghetti Lunch fundraiser for the Student Ministry Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic, there will be a drawing for special (donated) door prizes, every 5-10 minutes, for those who have purchased a meal ticket.

For kids, there will be a unique scavenger hunt that will require them to engage many of the tables at the fair, and learn about the ministries of JCBC.

Great opportunities await for all who are present.

2. Ash Wednesday
Next Wednesday, February 18^th, JCBC will host its second Ash Wednesday Service. Last year, this service was a moving and meaningful way to begin our 40-day journey to Easter.

For many in the Baptist family, observing Ash Wednesday is a relatively new experience. As more and more Baptist congregations embrace the rhythms and seasons of the Liturgical calendar, there is a growing appreciation and practice of ancient disciplines and traditions that have enriched the Christian journey of millions, for centuries.

As early as the 4th Century, Christians began to anticipate the celebration of Easter with greater focus and readiness. The holy day of Our Lord’s resurrection seemed far too glorious a mystery to simply stumble into it. So followers of Jesus chose to deliberately enter into the season with a call to contemplation and confession and renewal.

The season of Lent, as it is known, begins 46 days prior to Easter, providing the disciple 40 days of prayer and fasting, with breaks on each of the 6 Sundays. (The Lord’s day was considered too much of a celebration to fast, so they took breaks.) By the 9th and 10th centuries, as the practice and observance of Lent became more widespread, congregations would formalize the beginning of the season with a special service known as Ash Wednesday. In that service, the liturgy would focus on reminding Christians of our humanness, our mortality, our sin, and our great need for salvation. With that kind of focused attention, the believer would move deliberately to Easter with an ever-increasing hope and anticipation of Resurrection.

On Wednesday, February 18, 2015, Johns Creek Baptist will offer the opportunity to do the same. We will host an Ash Wednesday Service, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. We will enter a time of reflection, prayer, confession and renewal, as we too anticipate with greater focus and readiness, the resurrection of the one who makes all things new.

3. Children’s Ministry Parent and Leadership Meeting
On Sunday night, February 22, 2015, Michael McCullar and I will host a special conversation about the life, health and future of our Children’s Ministry at Johns Creek Baptist. This time of listening will be an opportunity for parents and leaders alike to share their hopes about the new and next era ahead in Children’s Ministry. This feedback will play a vital role in the process of searching for our next Children’s Pastor.

Childcare and Children’s activities will take place in the Fellowship Hall during this event, so that both parents are free to attend and engage in this very important dialogue.

In addition to the meeting, we are inviting parents of children, as well as leaders in the JCBC children’s ministry to complete this brief (and anonymous) survey.