Last Sunday certainly was an exciting day in the life of our church! By the grace of God, we were privileged to celebrate 12 baptisms in our worship services last weekend. God has been stirring hearts in our church in recent weeks, as we now have baptized 18 people in three weeks. Thankfully, we even have several more baptisms scheduled for these upcoming weekends including this Sunday. But amidst that excitement, it’s important that we do not forget the message each one of these baptisms brings. These individuals have been raised to life through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:5). That miracle of salvation is worth celebrating, and I’m so proud of these who have boldly raised their flags for Christ through believer’s baptism. It was a great weekend of worship and thanksgiving for all that God has done.
It’s important to note that last Sunday would not have been the same without the extended efforts of our Director of Media, Carlos Jordan. Carlos wears many technical hats in our church that most will never know about. But a few weeks ago, we gave Carlos a challenge by adding one more hat to his full plate. We sent Carlos to Beach Camp with a vision to bring the beach experience back to Austin, and he did a fantastic job turning that vision into a reality through our reflections video. We appreciate his talents and the extra hours he put in to edit a meaningful testimony of God’s work in our students’ lives. Be sure to extend your appreciation to Carlos for all his hard work when you see him.
I believe momentum in our church is going to continue to build this weekend. As you know, this Sunday is the official first weekend for our new Worship Pastor, Dr. Todd Stearns. Todd and Sonya are still in the process of selling their home and fully relocating to Austin, so please continue to be patient and pray for them as they navigate through this season of transition. In the meantime, Todd is going to begin spending a few days in Austin each week to run our rehearsals and lead us in worship on Sundays. We’re excited to have him lead us especially on this important 4th of July Sunday. It will be an exciting patriotic day as we worship God with grateful hearts for how He has given us freedom through this amazing country, and even more importantly, how He has given us freedom through His Son. Wear red, white, and blue and join us for a meaningful morning of worship.
Of course, I must also mention that the celebration truly will begin on Saturday night. Make sure you don’t miss our Freedom Over Austin event here at ABC. The festivities will begin at 7pm with an All-American carnival featuring inflatables, train rides, petting zoo, face painting, live music, food trucks, and more. At 9pm, we’ll have a brief outdoor program with a few songs, a time of prayer, and of course an amazing fireworks show right here on our property. Please note that parking will be limited so come early to park on-site, or plan to park down the road at Four Points Middle and Vandegrift. We’ll have parking teams ready to direct you and bus shuttle services ready to assist you. When you get on site, we will have some tables and chairs available, but folks are welcome to bring a comfortable lawn chair with them as well.
Consider now who you can invite to Freedom Over Austin. This event provides the perfect opportunity to introduce someone to the ministries at ABC. We want Freedom Over Austin to be a blessing to our entire community and an opportunity for others to experience the fellowship of our church family. It’s amazing what one simple invitation can do. In fact, we had multiple baptisms this past Sunday because their friends simply invited them to our church a few weeks ago. Their friends got them through the doors, and God ministered to them through our church family in a powerful way. I believe advertisements certainly have their place in churches, but the most effective tool to get people to church will always be a personal invitation. So prayerfully consider who God might be leading you to invite and extend that invitation for all the festivities this weekend.
“The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad” (Psalm 126:3). God has been very good to ABC, and I believe many more great things are on the horizon. May we come together this weekend with hearts filled with worship and thanksgiving for who He is and all that He has done. I look forward to seeing you on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. May God bless you and your home this week.
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