At the heart of Eagle Brook’s simple church philosophy is The Big Three.
Independence Day falls on Saturday this year. For those who work a five-day week, that’s a perfect fit—fireworks on Saturday night and church on Sunday morning.
Our Spring Lake Park staff has been thinking about the upcoming weekend for several months. One of the best things that could happen is for a large number of our church family to attend church on Saturday at 4:05 or 6:05 and then go watch the fireworks afterwards.
Conversely, one of our worst nightmares is the possibility that most of our church family will decide to attend church on Sunday morning. Should that happen, we won’t have enough parking, worship center seating or kid’s ministry space for everyone.
So, if you’re going to be in town, let me encourage you to attend church on the weekend as part of your commitment to The Big Three…and if your schedule permits, come on Saturday. We’ve got a great weekend planned.
I appreciate your willingness to serve others in this way.
Happy Fourth of July!
Categories: Big 3 · Church · Summer · Uncategorized
Someone said that things slow down during the summer months. Around here, things seem to speed up! Here’s what’s been happening behind the scenes at Spring Lake Park.
SLP Staff Retreat
During the first week of June, the SLP staff team slipped away from the office for a team-building retreat. Brad Robertson was our Team Quest director. Brad actually attends the SLP campus, and discovered firsthand what a crazy group of individuals these people are who happen to be leading his home church. After subjecting ourselves to an endless array of group games and courses (both high and low), the big take away was the realization that too often we serve as individuals doing our specialized tasks rather than a group that’s pulling together. Looking back, we went to the retreat as individual ministry leaders and returned as a power-packed, unified team.
Close to the Ground
High above the Ground
Anniversary Celebration
Shortly after the retreat, Jolene and I made our way to Bayfield, Wisconsin to celebrate our 33rd wedding anniversary. God’s creation around the Apostle Islands is awe-inspiring. The shimmering reflection of the glistening moon on the lake below our little cabin was spectacular.
Steve and Jolene
What a View of God's Creation
Congratulations to Brian and Chris Wegner
Last Sunday afternoon our former Gifts Pastor, Chris Luk, married Brian Wenger at the SLP campus. They’ll be making their home in Wisconsin—a loss for us and a gain for our neighbors to the east. It’s been encouraging to reflect on the many ways Chris has helped shape our First Impression volunteer team into what it is today…as well as how our volunteer team has supported Chris through her courtship with Brian. Those who’ve come to appreciate Chris for her Christ-like servant-leadership provided an abundant spread of fancy bars for the reception that followed the wedding. It was a grand celebration of God’s grace.
Mr. and Mrs. Wegner
A Fabulous Fall is Nearing
It’s hard to believe we can be so excited about autumn with the long-awaited summer just beginning. In fact, God’s doing some remarkable things that’ll catapult our church to new heights of ministry. And there’s quite a buzz about the future already. Make plans now to attend worship every weekend in the fall—you don’t want to miss any of it.
Categories: Summer · Uncategorized
Last Saturday and Sunday marked the first official weekend of summer church attendance. We launched a new message series, John’s Best Friend, and it promises to be a fabulous study of who Jesus is and what he did. I can’t think of a better series for our unchurched friends and family.
Summer church attendance can be a challenge at times. For instance, last weekend we had many open seats on Saturday at 4:05 and 6:05. We also had a good number of open seats at 9:05 Sunday morning. Then, at 11:05 on Sunday, we were so full that a hundred people had to sit in our overflow spaces. (By the way, thanks to each of you who ended up in an overflow space.)
As you ramp up for summer, let me encourage you to continue making weekend church attendance a top priority. And if it fits your schedule, choose one of the Saturday services or the 9:05 Sunday service.
We’re sure to have a lot of first-time guests throughout the summer and they typically show up at 11:05 on Sunday morning. So, let’s work together to make sure our guests have a great experience when they come. And if you’re bringing a guest, feel free to bring them to any service that they’re willing to attend.
Our mission is to be empowered by God to reach others for Christ. You do that so well. I’m eager to see how God is going to use each of us over the summer months.
Categories: Big 3 · Growth · Summer
Memorial Day
Short weeks are always a challenge for me. Whenever we have a Monday holiday, my mind’s out of sync the remainder of the week. For instance, all day Wednesday I’m convinced it’s Tuesday. And just when I feel confident that there’s one more day to get ready for the weekend, I wake up and it’s Saturday morning!
Regardless of my frustration with the manner in which short weeks mess with my psyche, I do enjoy the Monday holiday. This past Monday—Memorial Day—my wife and I visited the Minnesota History Center to experience the new Minnesota’s Greatest Generation exhibit. We left with a renewed sense of appreciation for the men and women who’ve served in our armed forces.
And, as I mentioned in last weekend’s worship services, we owe a debt of gratitude to those who’ve made personal sacrifices to protect the freedoms that we enjoy in the United States of America. I’m grateful that our church family joined with me in recognizing some of those individuals and their families in our services.
Looking Ahead
It’s rewarding to serve with a skilled team of pastors and leaders. As most of our volunteers know, our Gifts Pastor, Chris Luk, resigned her staff position to get married in June preceeding her move to Wisconsin. This weekend I plan to introduce our new Gifts Pastor, Heath Vosberg in the worship services.
We appreciate the role Chris played in helping to launch the Eagle Brook Spring Lake Park campus. There were many tears when we gathered to honor her achievements. Here’s a picture from Chris’s ministry appreciation party.
By way of reminder, our new series titled John’s Best Friend begins this weekend. Be sure to invite your friends and family to come along on the journey as we spend the summer learning about Jesus.
Categories: Gifts · Holidays · Worship
As we near the end of the marriage message series—Truly, Madly, Deeply…Stuck—and take our first steps into the summer ministry season, I’d like to say thanks to everyone who chose the Corner House as an 11:05 Sunday attendance option. What you did opened seats for our guests, and some of those guests are now regular attenders.
This coming Sunday will be your last opportunity to choose the Corner House for a while. If you haven’t had the opportunity to experience it yet, it’s worth the investment of your weekend worship hour.
I’m interested in your feedback. If you’ve experienced worship at the Corner House, please let me know how it went for you. Also, any ideas you might have to improve the Corner House experience for future attenders would be helpful.
Summer Days are Coming
The warm, lazy days of summer are finally within reach. Here are a few suggestions for getting the most out of your weekends at SLP over the summer months.
• If you’re married or a parent, continue strengthening your family relationships by logging in to Eagle Brook’s Marriage and Family blog.
• If possible, come to church on Saturday. Saturday services will have the most open seats.
• There will be additional opportunities to serve. If you’ve completed the volunteer requirements, choose to serve as often as possible. If you’re new to serving, take the appropriate steps to become a volunteer. You can begin here.
• Summer is a great time to reach others Christ. Invite your friends, family and out of town guests to attend worship services with you.
It’s going to be a fantastic summer of ministry at SLP. I’m delighted that you’re along for the ride.
Categories: Big 3 · Family · Serving · Uncategorized
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