If you missed yesterday’s services, the sermon is now available on YouTube. The video did freeze, but the audio and slides are still playable. The sermon begins around 27 minutes in, and then the sermon itself starts. Here’s the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3vcR8prYEs&t=1236s

(We are currently facing internet issues at the sanctuary and are exploring solutions to ensure a smooth livestream. We appreciate your patience as we work through this matter.)

We are grateful to those who joined us yesterday to honor all the moms of 2nd Avenue with a breakfast between services. We hope you enjoyed the opportunity to relax and connect with others! 

Wednesday marks the final ROCK of the year. We want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who has supported us throughout this year. Ashley is currently seeking additional volunteers for next year. Unfortunately, several individuals have stepped away from their roles, and we were already facing a shortage of volunteers this year. We kindly request your consideration and reach out to Ashley at ashleymiller1228@gmail.com if you have any questions. The ROCK will resume its activities in September. 

The church nursery will be closed for the months of June, July, and August. However, it will remain open as a cry room for children aged 3 and under. Parents or adults (18+ years old, as per Ministry Safe guidelines and insurance purposes) are welcome to take their children to the nursery and stay with them as needed. Please ensure that no children are left unattended in the nursery at any time. Children aged 4 through 5th grade are welcome to attend Jr. Church (provided they behave appropriately). If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Ashley or me. 

We hope you can join us this Sunday as we continue our brief series on the book of Joel, titled “Forgotten Ways.” This week’s message, titled “Rend Your Hearts,” is based on Joel 2:1-19. Services will be held at 8:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.

To celebrate Mother’s Day, we will have a light breakfast in the Gathering Place from 9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Everyone is welcome to honor all the ladies here at 2nd Avenue!

Moms, grandmas, bonus moms, and caregivers, please take a small token from the church located at the entrances to the sanctuary.

There’s no Youth Group this Sunday, but the Youth will be selling Gardners PB Meltaways and chocolate-covered pretzels if you need a last-minute sweet treat for Mom (or yourself)!

This Wednesday marks the grand finale of the ROCK program for the school year. The ROCK will host its annual end-of-year celebration, featuring an evening of outdoor fun (weather permitting) and a visit from Brainfreezers. The ROCK will resume its activities in September. We kindly request your consideration of volunteering next year. This year, the number of volunteers was significantly low, resulting in the program being short-staffed almost weekly. The ROCK had an average of 45 kids each week, and over 100 different kids participated throughout the year. Your support and prayers are instrumental in making this program possible.

For the time being, we are unable to webcast Sunday services; nevertheless, services will be recorded and posted promptly after their end. If you subscribe to our YouTube channel, you will be notified when the services become available. Click here to visit our YouTube page

The Trustee meeting that was supposed to take place tomorrow, Tuesday May 6^th, has been canceled due to a lack of attendance. Please contact Bill if you have any questions or concerns.

Those attending the church council meeting should arrive early (6:45) so that the meeting can begin on time and not last too long.

On Sunday (May 11^th), we will celebrate and honor all of the ladies here for Mother’s Day, with a light breakfast in the Gathering Place from 9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. All are welcome, and we will also have a small gift for all moms, grandmas, bonus moms, spiritual moms, and so on, which will be located at the sanctuary entrances.

There are just two ROCK evenings left for the 2024-25 school year, and Ashley would like to thank everyone who contributed their time and/or money this year! The program is looking for roughly five more volunteers for next year, so please pray about helping out this fantastic ministry.

Pastor Brian will be away for Annual Conference from Wednesday to Saturday this week. Please contact the office or Wendy Lucas if you have any pastoral emergencies.

This Sunday, we will begin a three-week course titled “Forgotten Ways.” This series will center on the book of Joel. Our first message will be from Joel 1, titled “The Spirit Comes to the Ruined.”

Services begin at 8:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m., and both services will include Holy Communion.

Please keep in mind that the Trustees Meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 6^th at 6:00 p.m., followed by the Church Council Meeting at 7:00 p.m.

Next Sunday, May 11^th, we will celebrate Mother’s Day with a light breakfast from 9:15 a.m.- 10:15 a.m. in the Gathering Place. Everyone is welcome. (Please keep in mind that we will be offering yogurt, pastries, coffee, and juice; if you want to bring some fresh fruit or something else, please let me know).

The last ROCK for the 2024-25 school year will take place on Wednesday, May 14^th. The children will be treated to an evening of outdoor fun (hope for good weather), a barbecue, and a Brainfreezers treat. The ROCK will return in September.

If you have a 2025 high school or college graduate you would like to honor in church, please send me their information by May 15^th.

If you were unable to join us for worship in person yesterday, you may catch up on YouTube! We honored Ron Stacey, who is stepping down as head chef at the ROCK after many years of service (Ron assures us he will still be around to help!), welcomed new members, and were blessed by a message from the Rev. Dr. Matt Lake.

The ROCK program is coming to an end this school year. Only three Wednesdays remain, and there will be a break until September. If you would like to contribute to the cost of Brainfreezers for the end-of-year celebration, please take a ROCK envelope from the round table and label it “celebration.” Any checks can be made out to the church.

Our Family Fun Night will take place on Friday at Morrisons Cove Memorial Park. All ages are welcome! Bowling for $2 a game, and skating for $2. They also offer food for purchase. 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

If you’d like to commemorate a high school or college graduate in our June newsletter and on Graduation Sunday (June 1^st), please send me their name, a photo (if possible), where they’re graduating from, and any future plans they’d like to share by May 15^th.

VBS will be conducted from July 14 to 18, and it will be bigger than you can imagine! (This year’s theme is Magnified! Children will be encouraged to zoom in closely on the details of God’s creation. We will be making decorations and will be looking for help in the next weeks. Please be on the lookout if you’re crafty and want to help!

We hope you can join us! On Sunday, we will have one service at 10:00 a.m., followed by a potluck luncheon (all are welcome). Rev. Dr. Matt Lake will deliver a message this week, and Pastor Brian will conduct the rest of the service. We will also celebrate new members and several baptisms!

Today is the Food Pantry. If you have a few free hours and can lift boxes containing food, we could use you about 9:45 a.m. inside the glass elevator entry.

On Friday, May 2^nd, we will be attending Morrisons Cove’s Family Fun Night. If you intend on carpooling, you are welcome to park at the church. Please sign up at the round table so we know how many people plan to come.

May newsletters and calendars are in the mail, with print copies available at the church. Check it out to ensure you don’t miss anything at church.

George Sackandy has been providing us with written Discipleship Moments every Sunday. Paper copies are available on Sunday at the round table and will be emailed out after worship.

Just a few reminders this week, please take a moment to review them.

This Friday marks our monthly Food Pantry day, an event open to all Blair County residents in need. If you’re interested in volunteering, please arrive at the Narnia room (located inside the glass elevator entrance) by 9:45 a.m.

There are only four ROCKs left for the 2024-25 session. On May 14^th, the ROCK will host its end-of-year celebration, and Brainfreezer will be there to serve their shaved ice treats. If you’d like to contribute to cover the costs, please place your donation in an envelope labeled “ROCK Celebration.” (Checks made to the church are appreciated.)

This coming Sunday, we will have a combined service at 10:00 a.m., followed by a potluck lunch. We will be delighted to welcome back the Rev. Dr. Matt Lake, who will share his message titled “Abiding: The Fuel of Discipleship.”

The May newsletter will be mailed and sent via email later this week. Physical copies will be available at the church starting Sunday.

If you missed the Easter worship service, here’s the link to the video we made for it.

Discipleship Video

The Soup & Sandwich Luncheon is tomorrow from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Final Reminder: Sunday’s services will commence at 7:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. A breakfast will be held during the interval between the services. Please note that Sunday School, Jr. Church, and a staffed nursery will not be held on Sunday. However, the nursery will remain open as a cry-room for adults to take children if necessary. Adult supervision is mandatory. We encourage families to gather to celebrate the risen Savior together. Miss Ashley has prepared activity bags for children who may require some entertainment during the worship service.

The Prayer Vigil Guide compiled by Pastor Brian. Printed copies will also be available at the church for those who wish to participate in the prayer service. Please note that the glass elevator entrance will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on Saturday only. Prayer Visual Guide

We trust you will be able to join us on Sunday. We will be live-streaming, but service has been intermittent. We will endeavor to monitor the situation and attempt to restore connectivity promptly.

The office will be closed on Monday, but we will reopen on Tuesday at 8:00 a.m.

But first, we invite you to join us Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. for a Maundy Thursday service, including communion and feet/hand washing. 

Friday, the sanctuary will be open from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. for a time of prayer and reflection. There will also be a Good Friday performance at the 4th Street Church of God at 7:00 p.m.

Our prayer vigil has the remaining time slots that still need filled: 

Saturday, April 19 

• 3:30 a.m. – 4:30 a.m. (at home)
• 4:30 a.m. – 5:30 a.m. (at home)
• 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. (at home or at church)
• 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (at home or at church)
• 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (at home or at church)

The glass elevator entrance will be open on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. for anyone who would like to come pray at the church. Please make your way upstairs to the sanctuary, you may pray in the sanctuary, in the elevation prayer room, or anywhere in the building you feel led.

Saturday is also our Soup & Sandwich luncheon, all are welcome! 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

On Sunday, we will celebrate our risen Savior at 7:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. There will also be breakfast held between services 8:15 a.m. until around 9:15 a.m. All are welcome to celebrate with us! We will have communion at both services as well.

Just a reminder, we do not have a fish dinner this Friday. Last week was the final one, and the Youth Group thank all those who supported them this Lenten season

This Sunday, we will celebrate Palm Sunday at both 8:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. services. Join us as Pastor Brian delivers the message “Crossing the Discipleship Bridge: The King is Coming.” We will have palms available for both services. If you’re unable to attend but would still like a palm, please reach out by Tuesday morning. We’ll do our best to save you one, depending on what we have left.

The 2nd Avenue Kids Easter Egg Hunt will be held this Sunday. Following the 10:45 service, lunch will be served in the social hall. Subsequently, the egg hunt will commence. Kindly ensure that you bring a bag or basket for your child to collect the eggs.

Please visit the round table in the sanctuary to sign up for the following: 

• There are still numerous time slots available for the 24-hour prayer vigil on Holy Saturday.
• Easter Breakfast will be held from 8:15 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., coinciding with the Easter services. To estimate the number of attendees, kindly register for the breakfast.
• Potluck dinner following the combined service on April 27^th
• Soup and Sandwich Luncheon Soups
• Youth Group Volunteers

Upcoming services reminders:

• Maundy Thursday service scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on April 17^th.
• Good Friday, April 18^th: Play at 4th Street Church of God at 7:00 p.m.
• April 18 – April 19: 8:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. – 24-Hour Prayer Vigil
• Easter Sunday, April 20^th, will convene religious services at 7:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., respectively. A complimentary breakfast will be provided during the intermission.

The church office will close at noon on Thursday, April 17 and be closed until Tuesday, April 22 at 8:00 a.m.