Advent Celebration

Thank you so much to those of you who prayed for our recent church event! The advent event was a wonderful celebration of "hidden treasures", our gifts and talents, and the giver of those talents. The evening included an arts and crafts exhibit, plus a stage performance that included music, theatrical performances, hand puppets, a film, poetry and more! There were many many guests in attendance and our sanctuary was packed to the brim. The guests enjoyed the performances, heard the messages from our pastor, and then stayed for Punsch, treats and the exhibit.

Please continue to pray for those in attendance, especially guests who do not know Christ and who are in relationship with people from our church. Pray for conversations to go further and deeper.

Here are some photos highlights from the evening!

Member of the string quartet

Hand puppets, who told the sweet story of a shepherd

The packed room

A skit

8-person acapella performance (Bethany is second from the left)

Rachel planned the event (with our assistance) and directed the orchestra

The art exhibition that Nate built!

A See-Through Church

Skye Jethani is a writer, speaker, friend and all around great guy, and he has an excellent blog that we would encourage you to check out.  One of his recent posts grabbed my attention.

Two Belgian architects have worked together to create an art installation that makes a bold statement. The photo to the right shows their work of art - a church constructed with stacked steel plates. When viewing the structure from some angles, it appears to be a solid building; however, move to one side and you can see right through the church, as if the walls are disappearing before your eyes.

Belgium, like Austria, is a secular, post-modern culture where God and church are seen by many to be empty, meaningless pursuits devoid of truth and value. Through this artistic portrayal, these Belgian architects are seeking to make a statement about churches in many European countries that are increasingly empty. But perhaps the statement goes beyond that, suggesting that the church is not only an empty building, but also an empty pursuit. If we read between the lines, what else can we see in this art installation?

Last year in Austria, 90,000 people officially revoked their membership from the Catholic church and the number of people walking away increases year over year. There is much darkness and need for the gospel. Please pray for us as we go to a country where, like Belgium, the church needs to be rebuilt, restored and revived in the hearts and minds of the people.