Join us after sunset on Feb. 25th for anincredible night of star gazing.
With multiple planets visible in the early evening sky and a almost-new moon, there’s rarely been a better time to marvel at the wonders of God’s creation.
DETAILS
Contact: Marshall Smith at 251-802-6837.
Where: The Zulauf’s Home. (message Marshall, or John for address details)
When: After sunset- the exact time will change as we get closer to the date.
Other Notes: Dress warm. We’ll have hot cocoa and a telescope set up.
If you are interested- contact Marshall to stay updated on potential weather delays/postponements.
We can’t plan for everything, but we can share what matters most with the people who matter most. Legacy Suppers is a monthly gathering where we share a meal and have meaningful conversations about preparing for the end of life with wisdom, faith, and love.
Through thoughtful discussions, practical resources, and expert-led presentations, we will explore essential topics such as: Health Care Wishes, Financial Planning, Estate Preparations, Burial, Service Arrangements, and More.
Too often, we’ve seen the stress and pain that comes when these conversations are left unspoken. But we’ve also witnessed the deep peace and blessing that thoughtful planning can bring. Taking time now to prepare is one of the most loving gifts we can offer our families.
Legacy Suppers is open to anyone 18 and older—because none of us know what life will bring, and it is never too soon to begin this important work.
We want to hear from you!
We want to start with what matters most to you. Let us know which topic you’d like to begin with by voting below:
🔹 Health Care – Advance directives, medical power of attorney, etc. 🔹 Financial Estate Planning – Wills, living trusts, etc. 🔹 Estate Preparations – Personal property memorandum, document organization, etc.
🔹 Burial – Types/options, prepaying, etc. 🔹 Services – Funeral, celebration of life, etc. 🔹 The Thoughtful Things – Writing letters, preserving memories, etc.
Join Us at the Table
Next Meeting: Date coming soon Location: Location coming soon
Tension. Just the word itself evokes the physical reaction of our muscles tensing. We avoid tense situations and try not to be too uptight. It would be nice to live by some simple principles that would allow us to live tension-free lives. But Jesus tends to challenge an oversimplified view of the world. He announces the arrival of his Kingdom on Earth but then enters on a donkey and dies on a cross. He teaches the disciples not to be “of the world” but says he does not ask for them to be taken “out” of it. He commands us to be perfect, like our heavenly father, and then turns around and says no one is good but God. Following Jesus seems to involve a lot of paradox, but if we are able to hold his teachings in tension, we can find a new path, what we call in the Vineyard, “the radical middle”.
400 years ago, Ignatius of Loyola crafted a genius way of prayer. His method, called The Daily Examen, helped a person reflect back upon their day and their life in terms of how one experienced God. It is both a challenging and comforting way to trace the movement of God in one’s life. This Great Annual Examen is based on Ignatius’ way of reflection and prayer.
So instead of making New Year Resolutions, join us for this simple journal exercise where you work through some questions to help you reflect on the past year and anticipate the next year to come. It’s called the “examen” because in this exercise we take an examination of how we’ve “done” in life—on the journey and in different aspects. In some ways, many of us will admit that this past year has “undone” us—we’ve felt spent, done or only surviving and perhaps barely surviving at that! However you reflect upon this past year, it’s our hope that you’ll have a GPS—a sort of marker that will help you discern where you are and how you are and where you want to go this next year.
Join us and Vineyards around the nation for our Advent Series: The Bright Valley.
“In the church, this is the season of Advent. It’s superficially understood as a time to get ready for Christmas, but in truth it’s the season for contemplating the judgment of God. Advent is the season that, when properly understood, does not flinch from the darkness that stalks us all in this world. Advent begins in the dark and moves toward the light—but the season should not move too quickly or too glibly, lest we fail to acknowledge the depth of the darkness. As our Lord Jesus tells us, unless we see the light of God clearly, what we call light is actually darkness: “how great is that darkness!” (Matt. 6:23). Advent bids us take a fearless inventory of the darkness: the darkness without and the darkness within.”
― Fleming Rutledge, Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ
If we look carefully at the liturgies surrounding Advent, and at the way that the church globally has observed Advent, we’ll find that Advent is more about lament. Lament that the Lord once came and that He left. And so Advent perhaps is more a valley than a merry and bright high place.
If it’s a valley, then that means that Advent is about light coming into dark places. Advent is fundamentally about hope, peace, joy, and love breaking in. It is the bright light in the Valley.
Join us for our fall sermon series: Tell Your Story where we will get to hear from members of our church and community about what God has done and is doing in their lives.
There are things that we know in our heads– things that we understand logically and theoretically; and then there are things that we know in our hearts, that move past the cerebral and change the way we understand the world and ourselves on deeper level. Everyone has a unique story made up of their own unique struggles and triumphs. We all have revelations from God that help us move from our heads to our hearts, that we are now uniquely qualified to speak about. There is power in speaking life and encouragement into one another through our stories. Despite living different lives, when we come together and share our stories we will quickly find that we aren’t alone, that we often have similar fears and struggles and that we can learn from each other’s triumphs. We are all also a part of the greatest story of all. The Bible is a compilation of many individual’s stories, knit together to form the beautiful overarching story of God’s love and desire for reconciliation with us through Jesus. You are invited to participate in God’s great story. Step out in boldness, inspire and encourage others, by telling your story.
The Bible has been called the most remarkable book ever written. It has instructed, encouraged, and inspired hundreds of generations. But if you’ve ever tried to read it from cover to cover, you probably came across some parts that were strange or confusing. You might have even given up when you got to the “begats” in Numbers or glazed over when reading about the precise dimensions of the Tabernacle. This summer, lets go on a little “road trip” and take the road less traveled to really get to know the scriptures. We’ll get a sense for the lay of the land–the different sections, genres, and overall themes–and discover some hidden gems nestled in some of the more out-of-the-way chapters.
If you asked a random person what they thought about religion they would probably say something about a bunch of rules or a moral code. They might associate it with judgement and shame and fear. Or they might feel it’s a really good idea, if only they could get their life together first. It’s no wonder that more and more people are walking away from any religious affiliation altogether and don’t feel like it’s worth their time. When Jesus stepped on the scene, the situation wasn’t so different. People claimed to be the messiah all the time but most people didn’t seem to care. But there was something different about Jesus. All kinds of people flocked to him from tax collectors to Roman centurions to woman of low social standing to fishermen. And somehow this became a movement that would change the world forever. What made Jesus so irresistible and how can we as his church share it with the world?
You can check out past sermons in this series using the links below
The Bible is full of great stories. But if you think about it, not as a compilation of many stories, but as one, major themes emerge. Join us as we explore seven of Bible Project’s videos on themes in the Bible. The first three messages also have a special interview between Vineyard National Direct- Jay Pathak and Bible Project’s Chief Education Officer- Tim Mackie.
