Church guide

Recently introduced, we will be singing this song tomorrow morning. Take a look!

This coming Sunday we have with Partners Relief & Development with us. Take a moment to learn more about the hope they bring to people all over the world.

Church on the Rockers, This Sunday, we have the pleasure of hearing from guest speaker, Steve Gumaer, the founder and President of Partners Relief & Development. You can read his basic story at https://www.partners.ngo/about/the-founders In 1994, Steve and his wife Oddny visited a refugee camp along the Thai-Myanmar border and realized that love, if only rooted in words and sentiment, is a clear form of hypocrisy. They decided that they had to do more than pray for the orphans, windows, and victims of war they met; they had to act to address the dire needs they encountered in that first refugee camp. The organisation that grew up around their work was rooted in their understanding of scripture, how the “gospel" is more than words, and how our heroes in scripture line up to tell that story. Steve will be looking closely at Isaiah 58:1-14 and considering it’s timely message with us. He will also share personal stories of interacting with survivors of war and the interventions he and his team have developed to address the needs of children in war torn lands — interventions rooted in the Isaiah 58 imperative: "...this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. 7 Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help." (Isaiah 58:6-7) The historical context here is arresting. The Hebrews have been freed from captivity at last and are rebuilding Jerusalem, then the Jewish aristocracy turns to the same oppression and slavery they were freed from to rebuild the temple (to the God who freed them from oppression and slavery)! Steve will expound on this profound messianic passage and look at the significance of it being quoted by Jesus to announce his mission in Luke 4. "To Love is To Act" is his organisations tag line and the title of Steve’s sermon. See you there.

As you grow in your faith, you will want the encouragement of good friends. Our HOUSE CHURCHES are one opportunity for you to develop and enjoy Christian community and its many benefits in the context of a small group. If you would like to have a conversation with one of our leaders about how to get involved, fill out the form on our app by clicking the CONNECT tab, fill out a house church card at the info table on Sunday, or contact our office directly.

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Which kind of law-breaker are you? And what is it you think should happen to you as a result of your law breaking? Take a look our most recent teaching. Prefer podcasts? We have that too! https://anchor.fm/cotrhomer

Worship throughout your day with this playlist!

Join us in praying for our Diamond Ridge and North Fork friends: God we ask that you would stop this fire and protect all of those near!

Church on the Rockers, Is there any moment more powerful in life than to receive grace and kindness when contempt and anger are due; to be ready for the hammer’s blow, and to find instead, a kind embrace? In some ways, I think it is easier to receive deserved harsh treatment than it is to expect it and receive the opposite. Mercy and gentleness in response to my failure brings me to the end of myself. To embrace the gift of forgiveness often feels like a betrayal; it feels like cheating. How can you give so freely when I have nothing but failure, sorrow, and regret to offer in return? If feels unfair. And I don’t like that feeling of unfairness. I have found my heart, at various times throughout my life, attempting to resolve that feeling in unhealthy ways. It’s been difficult to find my bearings in relationship with a God who always loves perfectly a guy who always fails perfectly. This Sunday we will spend our time in Isaiah 53. It’s as if God knew the grand truth of the gospel would be so unbelievable and difficult to accept, He gave us a 500 year heads up. Looking forward to our time together, Aaron

Take a look at our latest teaching by Dr. Edson Knapp. Podcast available: https://anchor.fm/cotrhomer

"Oh, we look to the Son. Set our eyes on our Savior; see the image of love. Sing His praises forever. Oh, we look to the Son." Enjoy this worship set throughout the week!

Church on the Rockers, Going through the trash seemed like a perfect plan. Our trash can, at the end of the long driveway, contained many treasures my six year old brain found fascinating, not the least of which was an assorted collection of old lipstick containers my Mom had tossed. Well, you can see what happened next. Let’s just say I had the prettiest lips a six year old boy has ever had, and face and arms and anything else I could lipstick. Unfortunately, my Mother was not as enthusiastic about my rather impressive self decoration. She pronounced a spanking from Dad. Dad pronounced instead of a spanking he would tell Charlie Johnson (a young, hip, tough guy volunteer who worked with us who I adored). This, utterly more terrifying than a spanking punishment, would occur at supper if there was any remnant of lipstick left upon me. How I scrubbed and scrubbed, gazing into the mirror, wishing the red stains would fade. Fortunately, dinner went well as Dad choose to ignore the faint redness still covering my face and arms. At prayer time I begged God that Charlie Johnson would never find out. This Sunday, we are going to listen in on a Son and Father conversation about punishment, except this time the Son is innocent, and his Father punishes him anyway. To understand why, let’s unpack together Jesus’ cry to His Father, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” See you then, Edson

You can have a personal experience with God. Take a look. Audio available via podcast: https://anchor.fm/cotrhomer

"I'll sing because you are good!" A worship set for your week!

6th-8th graders! There is ONE WEEK left to register!

You know this joke?

New Song This Week! Check it out.

Take a moment.

Church on the Rockers, I've often wondered why I do this: my kids talk me into getting them a Happy Meal. As you know, the real interest in a Happy Meal is not the meal at all but the toy. As the kids crack open the red smiling box, they immediately dig out the toy. And I remind them before they can play with the toy, they have to eat their chicken nuggets. As I hear myself declare this stipulation, I wonder, is any of this really a good idea? I'm making my children ingest deep-fried hormones and carcinogens as a prerequisite to playing with the toy that will be broken before we get home. Is any part of this worth going through? This Sunday the prophet Jeremiah is going to teach us about waiting for something better as well as the better experience we wait for. See you then. Skip

Have a good friend you haven't seen in awhile?

You know this joke?

Take a moment.

Following Jesus is counter-cultural.

“I’ll take ‘FAMILY GATHERINGS’ for $400 please”

Which Word has been your anchor through the storm?

We are reading through Daniel in our Read Scripture Plan! Can there ever be faith again in the midst of darkness, rebellion, and gloom? According to the Book of Daniel, yes, there can. This remarkable piece of Scripture has encouraged the faithful for centuries, giving us a glimpse to future events that already came to pass and and are yet to come. Christian's and Jews alike will appreciate the timely events that Daniel sees in his visions, while giving us hope to look forward to where evil hearts and rulers will one day finally come to an end. #thebibleproject #readscripture

We are finishing up the old testament! Malachi accuses Israel of selfishness after the exile and announces that the day of the Lord will purify Israel and prepare them for God's kingdom. #thebibleproject #readscripture

That is a promise we can count on.⁣ Let that truth sink deep within you today.

Today on the reading plan — Joel views a recent locust plague as an expression of the "Day of the Lord's" justice for Israel's sin. But his reflection on the Scriptures leads him to trust that true repentance will bring about the great restoration hoped for in the other prophetic books. For Joel, the past has become an image of the future. #thebibleproject

Remember this? See you tomorrow!