Jammin through June

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 33^rd 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.

It’s Summertime!

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.