What’da-ya Do All Week?

People often ask me what pastors do with all their free time between the weekends. All their free time? I silently chuckle. The fact is, most pastors live a high-octane life, serving others, caring for their own family and squeezing in a little fun occasionally. For me, last week was full of serving, with a little mixture of fun and at least one first-time experience. Let me explain.

EBC’s First Outdoor Lake Baptism of the Summer

It all began with God working through the worship services to draw us close to Him and to one another as we celebrated communion. Throughout each service, we focused on Jesus as the resurrection and the life. We reflected on the reality that, as followers of Christ, we have everlasting life in Him.

Then, we gathered at Northwestern College for the first outdoor lake baptism of the summer. About 300 people publicly proclaimed their faith in Christ. Hundreds more gathered on the hill to observe. If you missed it, you really missed something significant. Perhaps you can be part of the next baptism at the lake on August 16^th. Check out the picture below:

Hundreds gathered near the lake shore.

 A First for Me—A Hot Air Balloon Wedding

This past week I was invited to officiate a wedding in a hot air balloon. Frankly, being surrounded by God’s beautiful creation and celebrating His gift of marriage thousands of feet in the air was one of the highlights of my life—truly a bucket list experience. Here’s a picture:

Up, up and away.

The EBC Pastor’s Fishing Challenge

I’m constantly amazed at the generosity of those who consider Eagle Brook their home church. This past week a group of individuals from the Eagle Brook amateur fishing league, Break Line Fishing, created an EBC pastor’s fishing tournament. It was fun to hang out with fellow believers and enjoy a day on the waters. Kenny Bristol took home all the trophies and is now the duly recognized champion. I’m certain he’ll lose his title at the next tournament! Check it out:

Clean Sweep Kenny

Parking @ SLP

I’ve got great news! In the very near future, you’ll see some changes on the grass overflow parking lot to the south of our facility. The city of Spring Lake Park has approved our parking lot plan and we’re scheduled to pick up the permit this week.

What this means for you

If all goes as planned and the weather holds, the grass lot will be unavailable throughout the construction phase, which will last about three weeks. It’ll be important for as many of us as possible to park at the Rise parking lot and ride the free shuttle. The Rise lot is a short distance south of our campus on Sunset Road. Give yourself an extra five minutes to get from Rise to the campus. If you’ve got kids, they’re sure to love the shuttle ride.

What this means for our church

By paving the grass lot, we’ll have full use of it regardless of the weather. This will not solve all of our parking needs, but it will add a large number of permanent spaces. We’ll continue to use the Rise lot for our staff, volunteers and attendees for as long as it’s available to us. And, we’re working on a permanent solution to meet all of our parking needs. I appreicate your patience and flexibility.

This is exceptionally good news for us, particularly in light of the opportunities coming this fall. You’ll hear more about the plans for fall in the weeks ahead.

Global and Local Impact

This weekend we’re commissioning two sets of mission teams for Global Impact.

Fifty-three students and leaders are going to Thunder Bay. Six adults are heading to Ukraine. We’re commissioning the team going to Ukraine at the 4:05 pm service at Spring Lake Park.

Please be in prayer for everyone serving on the teams.

In addition, we’re planning a huge Local Impact project that will take place in February. We’ll be packing food for Feed My Starving Children (FMSC). Check out these pictures from our recent learning experience at FMSC.

Independence Day @ Eagle Brook, Spring Lake Park

Thank you to all who attended services over the July 4th weekend. It was an unprecedented opportunity for all of us to slow down, catch our breath, sip a cup of fine Café 5000 coffee and enjoy relaxed conversation with fellow Eagle Brookers.

Josh and the band ushered us into a time of high-energy, God-focused worship. And Jason Anderson brought a challenging message based on Jesus’ example of breaking the rules. If you missed it, be sure to watch it here.

To top off the evening, we gave out hot buttered popcorn as a way of expressing appreciation to those who made their way to the services on Independence Day.

Independence Day…where will you be?

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!