Lord we love and adore You. What could we do apart from you but flounder. We need You yesterday, today and forevermore. God bless you church family. I hope your week is going well so far. The Lord Jesus is risen and He is seated at the right hand of the Father. He died for our sins and rose to beat death so when we die in Him we rise in Him. What a blessing and what an act of pure mercy and love mixed with the wrath of God poured out on the Son. This week (and onward) take time to thank God and of course to trust in His holy sacrifice over and over again. 

This week was full of preparation for Easter. Four kids gave their lives to Jesus in kid's church this week. Wow! Celebrate as these children continue to open up their hearts to Jesus. I heard the meal that was prepared before church was great. Good job Rachel! God's not done with our church. He wants us to dive deeper into Him. Easter has passed but Jesus' resurrection reverberates throughout time and does not change in potency. Praise God!

As we move on from Easter let's increase our fervency in prayer for God to have His way with Parkland and for God to open up our eyes for what He wants to do in our city. Thank You Lord for all of your goodness that you have poured out on our church. Help us to be even more passionate about You and what You long to do. God break through in our town and show us the truth. We long to know You more and to see you magnified in the city of Parkland and throughout the universe. You are worthy! Amen!

This week we continue to celebrate our great God through the act of baptism. During our service we will be performing baptisms of those in our congregation that desire to. If you want to learn more about baptism and it's significance in the life of a believer I would like to point you to last week's message by Rod. Also if you would like to be baptized this Saturday and haven't made it known to leadership, please let us know via email at info@parklandfoursquare.com.

It's business time!!!! April 21st we will be going over the financial health of our church as well as logistical decisions our church is going through and our plan for the coming year(s). These meetings always make me feel a lot more involved in our church and let me see a little behind the scenes to know how my church is doing.

We will also be ratifying our new church council members as well. If you would like to know how you become a voting member of the church, please let us know by email at info@parklandfoursquare.com.

If you recently welcomed a little one into this world and would like to dedicate your baby to the Lord at our church please contact us at info@parklandfoursquare.com. We will be having dedications throughout May and we would like to make sure we get a date that works best for you and your family!

If you have any questions or comments about the announcements please comment below or let us know by email at info@parklandfoursquare.com.

We want you! We need help. Teams for greeting, security, provision of treats, announcements, and set up/tear down are forming and we need interest. Please let us know if you wanna get plugged into these groups. We always need help with kid's ministry as well. So... Please email us at info@parklandfoursquare.com for more information. Don't be shy!

Pastor Dan's Easter Message

In John 20 we have an account of Jesus' resurrection. Mary goes to the tomb of Jesus and is downtrodden at the loss of her teacher and great friend and Lord. On top of that she is under the impression that Jesus' body has been stolen. What ensues is truly wonderful. She encounters the resurrected Jesus. He has beaten death and she is in awe. She became a witness to the resurrection of Jesus. She saw the resurrected king and the power that was displayed by Him just being alive and beating the gruesome death that he was given over to. Jesus is alive but are we witnesses to this resurrection? What does it mean to be a witness of the resurrection? 

In Acts 2 we find the disciples discussing the replacement of the disciple destined to betray Jesus, Judas Iscariot. They cast lots but they had strict criteria for final candidates. One of those important standards was that they were a witness to the resurrection. Can we be witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus? Yes. Of course we cannot experience the resurrection by seeing Jesus face to face until He returns to rule and reign on Earth forever. But we can be a witness to His resurrection by experiencing His saving power. We are a witness when we testify of this wonderful God who has saved us and has power enough to save all who call on Him. We are a witness when we are changed from wicked servants of sin to loving slaves of righteousness. When the Holy Spirit changes the inner-man and the effect is seen on the outside we are a witness to others to magnificent power and veracity of the resurrection of Jesus. He really is alive and we see that through His continued work in our lives through the Holy Spirit.

This Resurrection is not just some story that we commit to memory... It's about Jesus. He really did these things. He really died and rose again. We can experience that today.

We need Jesus! He needed to die for our sins. He didn't feign it. A feigned death would not have the power to break the curse of sin over our lives. The penalty for sin had to be paid. Death... But the power of God is also magnificently displayed in the resurrection of Jesus. He comes forth from the grave with the key of hell in His hands. Glory to God. No one like Him.

How do we respond to this resurrection? 1 Corinthians 15:1-8

1. We receive the good news of Jesus death and resurrection. This means we consciously open up our hearts and receive this King of Glory. We receive... It just doesn't happen to us.
2. We stand in the Gospel. No matter how long you have known Jesus, you make a decision to stand firm in the truth revealed in the gospel. Don't retreat and Don't pull back from the Lord. Continue to trust and pursue the Lord.
3. You continue to let the Lord work His saving power throughout your life. Yes you are saved utterly when you trust in God, but God is continually calling us deeper into the deep waters of His salvation. God wants to continue to clean you from all things clinging to you that aren't of Him. 

“You knew all my future sins and all my past sins as you let nails go through your flesh. You saw every battle I’d wage on you as you let a spear tear your side. Every time I blamed you for my grievances was a thorn weaved into your crown. My rebellious and hateful thoughts weighed you down so you stumbled and couldn’t lift the cross on your back. You saw all these things in me as you hung by your arms and feet. And as you said “It is finished,” you no longer saw these things, because that person died with you. That old me, that person, was finished. With your blood, you signed your name over mine on the contract Satan drew with me as soon as I was making choices. You saw your Bride in debt and watched as Satan’s thugs pressed her for payment, and out of love for your bride you paid it off for her freedom. And on the third day, bright as the sun, you stood up and opened the grave, and you let me walk out of it beside you that I may be shiningly worthy of becoming the Bride of the Son of the One True King. And our Father is profoundly proud.”

The invitation still stands for prayer requests for those who would like others to stand with them in prayer. Please let us know if you have any specific requests and we would love to add them here or to have them shared with leadership. Please comment below or email info@parklandfoursquare.com.

Church, I am excited to grow closer to Christ with you as we live this life. God isn't done yet. He has more. God open up our eyes to see what You are doing and help us to join You. Let us not be left behind. Open our eyes Lord. We beg you to continue to show us Your mercy in opening our eyes to your glory and Your continued work in our lives and our communities. Thank You Lord. We need you. Come quickly! Save us from our apathy. Thank You Lord.

Church, if you have any questions, concerns or anything at all let us know. God bless you and your family.