There is NEVER a dull moment, literally…ever, in this Remnant of the Kingdom of GOD! On the heels of an amazing season of Weddings, Christmas, the Festival of Lights, and so much more, we just wrapped up the premiere of “VOICES,” a powerful “Viewsical” production that had the inspiration of GOD working through both Gwen and Michael Shamblin’s creative writing, music, and direction. All who participated in the production unanimously shared a sense of awe in what GOD did…and in record time…through the entire process. And the reviews continue to pour in to our offices, with Saints sharing how MOVED they were to turn OFF the “voice” of satan and ONLY listen to GOD’S voice. That point was made loudly and clearly from the opening of song number one. There are only TWO voices out there. We can listen to GOD’S voice and follow His loving lead…or we can be self-absorbed and self-focused – and therefore listen to satan’s voice, a voice that is determined to bring you DOWN. As the Viewsical story unfolded, Michael Shamblin’s lead character, “Seeker,” battles with the choice…and thankfully chooses WISELY in the end! And the end indeed proved to be a glorious celebration of praise to GOD! Even though GOD blessed us with a “full house” (sold out seating) for all three nights of performances, we knew that there still are those who haven’t seen it yet. SO – we are performing the Viewsical AGAIN on Thursday, April 2nd (Dress Rehearsal evening) and on Friday evening, April 3rd – all during our Passover 2015 weekend! And we will have Passover Assemblies on the Sabbath evening, April 4th and again on Sunday morning, April 5th. This will be a full and blessed weekend all the way around! We cannot WAIT to both observe the Lord’s beautiful Passover together…AND celebrate choosing GOD’S “voice” with another presentation of this Viewsical. This looks to be our most memorable Festival ever!
In addition to the Viewsical, we have just updated our Remnant Calendar with about six months’ worth of special events happening from March through September. Pentecost takes place seven weeks (50 days) after Passover each year, and we will observe that special time on the Calendar with our Sabbath Assembly on May 25th. And beyond that, check out what will be yet another wonderful season of WEDDINGS in the Remnant…
- Sabbath, May 9th – Saul Sadler and Tori Catchings.
- Sabbath, May 30th – Robbie Ruble and Sydney Roth.
- Sabbath, June 6th – Patrick Day and Maxine Whitney.
- Sabbath, July 25th – Dylan Gormsen and Ellie Hamilton.
Our Covenant Weddings generally have a 5:00pm start time for the PROCESSIONALS…with music starting early – usually in the 4:20ish range. Each Wedding will have its own color and decorating theme – so stay tuned for announcements about those details in the coming weeks! And please note this – our Weddings are stunningly beautiful. If you are reading this and you have never attended one, PLEASE come to one or more of these during this season! You won’t have ever seen a Wedding quite like these. You will be MOVED to be more committed to GOD…making sure that YOU are in a right Covenant relationship with Him…where HE is the GOD and you lovingly follow His lead and His will! Then, the pure celebration and dance party after each Wedding will be a fun memory to take with you as you go! Join us!
And one of our FAVORITE times and activities of the entire year involves our precious CHILDREN, who enjoy a volunteer-led seven weeks of SUMMER DAY CAMP at the Church Building. Gwen shares her heart with the children frequently throughout the seven-week daytime sessions, and we have LOTS of adults and teenagers who VOLUNTEER their time to help guide these children through the BEST and most GODLY Summer experience that they could ever imagine! The key dates to note for out 2015 Day Camp are as follows:
- Sunday DAYTIME, May 31st – Camp Kickoff and Picnic.
- Monday, June 1st – First Day of Day Camp.
- Monday, June 22nd through Thursday, June 25th – NO Day Camp that week.
- Thursday, July 23rd – Last Day of Day Camp.
Again, the kids LOVE this time of year, and they grow closer to GOD and to each other as a result of everyone’s time and efforts given to this beautiful Camp experience.
As we move beyond the Summer, children will get back to their regular schooling schedules in August, and then we begin to move into the Fall season…and the always incredible DAYS of AWE. Gwen leads the Church through this amazing look INWARD, into our own hearts, and this special time culminates in a three-consecutive-weekend stretch. We go from a time of mourning for our sin…anything we might be missing before GOD…into a time of thankful rejoicing for having a CHANCE to be forgiven and to be pure before GOD…and into a Feast of celebration and giving our “first fruits” BACK to GOD. Those weekend layouts are as follows:
- DAY of TRUMPETS – Sabbath, September 12th.
- DAY of ATONEMENT – Sabbath, September 19th.
- FEAST of TABERNACLES – Friday, September 25th through Sunday, September 27th.
As you can see, there is ALWAYS something wonderful going on in this Remnant! And all of those special events are in ADDITION to our regular Assemblies, the You Can Overcome show, Youth Group Gatherings, ongoing Weigh Down Classes, Fellowship Events, Music Concerts, and SO much more. We don’t do all of this just to “stay busy.” That’s not the point. We see that GOD is in a HURRY to get His Word out to a hurting world, and that starts with Him building up, purifying, encouraging, unifying, and building the lifelong relationships and friendships of His Kingdom. And we are both humbled and blessed to be ANY part of His Remnant. These events and activities also provide wonderful opportunities to invite seekers to find this place…and to see that it is HOME for those who want a pure, loving, joyful relationship with the Almighty GOD. So…buckle your seatbelts! It’s going to be an awesome, fun, full Spring-to-Fall stretch in 2015…here in this beautiful Remnant of the Kingdom of GOD!