Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving

Psalm 73:1 says, "Truly God is good..."

Here are some things I'm truly thankful for this Thanksgiving:
  • A merciful and forgiving God
  • A Savior who came full of grace and full of truth
  • A purpose and vision to give my life to
  • A wife who is my absolute best friend
  • Four children that are the center of my joy
  • Supportive and encouraging parents
  • A loving grandfather that prays for me everyday
  • A great brother and sister
  • An exciting church to lead that loves the lost more than anything else
  • Church volunteers that are willing to sacrifice and serve despite the cost
  • A truly phenomenal staff that gives 100% every day
  • Trusted friends who tell me the truth, see me at my worst, and love me in spite of it all
  • A great coach who challenges my thinking and effectiveness
  • The great outdoors where I like to spend time away from the office


Sunday, November 20, 2011

Weekend Highlights

Here are some of the highlights from the weekend at Pocono Community Church:

*PCC provided almost 150 families with Thanksgiving Baskets and hand delivered them to homes in need. What a demonstration of generosity and kindness. So proud of our staff and the hundreds of volunteers who donated their time and resources for this outreach.

*This past weekend was "Commitment Weekend" at PCC. Hundreds of people gave sacrificially and made three year commitments to our new outreach and develop initiative, Unstoppable.

*Early reports of the Unstoppable Commitments are nothing short of miraculous.

*Our Unstoppable goal was 2 Million to be given over 3 years. Before this weekend, 1.2 million was already given in advanced commitments. God is up to something BIG.

*Eph 3.20 - God is able to do exceeding and abundantly more than we dare ask or think.

*I can't wait to announce the miracle of generosity on Victory Weekend on the December 10/11!

*My wife, Bekah and I were incredibly humbled as we watched so many faithful people in all 5 worship experiences come forward and give their gifts at the altar. I'll never forget that display of generosity...ever.

*God says, "If you can't give willingly, then don't give at all." This weekend was about a "coalition of the willing" not a "coercion of the unwilling."

*God doesn't expect us to all give the same amount. But He does expect us to give with the same attitude.

*Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will also be." In other words, what's in your heart is more important than what's in your wallet.

*So cool to meet 4 new East Stroudsburg University students in our worship experiences this weekend. They are totally psyched about PCC coming to ESU and want to join the launch team. This is gonna be good.

*Looking forward to next week when we will celebrate Thanksgiving together as a church family with extended time of worship and communion.

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Excelerate Leadership Conference








Just wanted to get the word out to pastors and church planters to register for this new leadership conference, Exclerate. It will be held at Glad Tidings Church in Reading, PA.

Looking forward to being there with many of my ministry friends and sharing my heart on reaching the unchurched and hearing from some other great speakers. Don't miss it!

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

8:30 am – 9 am
REGISTRATION | NextGen Center

9 am – 10:30 am
MAIN SESSION | NextGen Center
Structuring Your Church to Reach Lost People
David Crosby, Jr.

10:45 am – noon
BREAKOUT SESSIONS [choose from six]

Topics include:

  • Creating a Missional Church | Eran Holt
  • Accelerating Growth Through Strategic Planning | Bryan Koch
  • “RPM’s” Kids Small Groups are a “Real Powerful Ministry!” | Todd Bube & Andrea Dascalescu
  • Creating a SERVE Culture that Attracts New Volunteers | Deb Bube
  • Developing Group Life in Your Church | Scott Kramer
  • Launching a Multi-Site Campus | Steve DeFrain, Jr.

Noon – 1 pm
LUNCH | Sacred Grounds Grille

1 pm – 2 pm
PANEL DISCUSSION | NextGen Center
Structuring Your Church to Multiply and Plant
Tom Rees, Gerry Stoltzfoos, Jeff Leake, Steve DeFrain

2:15 pm – 3 pm
CLOSING SESSION & PRAYER | NextGen Center
Where Do We Go From Here?
Bryan Koch

3 pm
CONFERENCE CONCLUDES

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Monday, November 07, 2011

Unstoppable

This weekend PCC launched our new initiative, Unstoppable. Here's the video roll in for the series. A huge thanks to the creative guys that made it happen. You guys are amazing.