The Thursday Update

APRIL 13, 2023

LAKESHORE FRIENDS—

This past weekend was a great one for our church.  Between Good Friday service and our Easter services, we had 1,318 people which is up by about 300 people from last year.  Though we haven’t fully returned to pre-covid attendance levels, we continue growing closer to them.  We hope that the services were both meaningful and impactful, and thanks to those who invested in people and invited them to church.  I had a few friends show up and it made my day.

This Sunday, we’ll kick off a new series and celebrate our birthday as a church.  On Sunday, we turn 28 years old! Looking back, it was April 16, 1995, and such an amazing day in our history!  

"I AM CONVINCED THAT OUR BEST DAYS ARE STILL AHEAD OF US."

The weather was nice but chilly.  After three practice services the previous three Sundays, and after 14,464 direct mailers were sent out to all homeowners 54 years old and younger (I was only 33 years old back then), Lakeshore held its first public service... In a bar... At the Marriott hotel... That held 75 adults comfortably... The rest had to sit in a booth and watch the service... Sideways (you paid a price for being late back then).  On that day, 112 people showed up and three people became Christians in the somewhat beer-scented bar.  It was an exciting day for our family and many others.  Lakeshore Church was born. 

God has done amazing things since then:

• 765 people have been baptized
• About 1,250 people have professed a first-time faith in Christ
• Just over half of our attenders are involved in serving somewhere in the church
• We’ve given away about $1.2 million to world missions to impact our world for Jesus

Though time has passed, we are still passionate about reaching people in Rochester!  In truth, that’s not the norm because most churches gradually turn inward and focus on their own needs above all else.  I am convinced that our best days are still ahead of us.  I hope you do too.

Thank you for your part and for being passionate about the unique mission that God has given us.  Sue and I thank God for you!  After God, you’re the reason why we’re still impacting people and helping them discover and develop a growing relationship with Jesus.  People still matter to God, and I know they still matter to so many of you.  That’s why we honor God when we invest in and invite others.

Happy birthday to you, to us!

Warmly,
Vince

APRIL 6, 2023

Lakeshore Friends—

We call this week Holy Week, and for good reason. 

It was the last week that Jesus was on earth in His earthly body.  The process of Jesus taking on human flesh began when Jesus was conceived.  In some way, His divinity took on human flesh as we first saw on Christmas. 

Holy Week began last Sunday, when Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time to begin this final week.  On Monday, He cleared the temple of the corrupt money changers. Tuesday saw Him teach in the temple and be anointed in anticipation of His death.  On Wednesday, the plot against Jesus was established.  On Thursday, Jesus held the Last Supper with His disciples, and this served as both an Old Testament Passover Meal and the institution of a brand new practice Christians engage in today— Communion— all in one.  That night He would go to the Mount of Olives and pray in the Olive Garden of Gethsemane.  His arrest occurred there followed by 6 trials throughout the night.

At 9am on Friday, He was crucified and for six hours endured an agony that one else ever had.  True, others had suffered in a similar physical fashion, but no one had taken on the sins of the world while doing so.

After his burial before sunset, he was in the tomb given to Him by Joseph of Arimathea until Sunday.  His week ended with the greatest day in human history: resurrection from the dead!

As Holy Week draws toward an end, we want to both remember it and celebrate it with you.  On Friday night, we have a Good Friday service that helps us do that as I teach on the sixth statement Jesus made on the cross, “It is finished.”  We’ll worship Him in music, reflect on His sacrifice, and take communion together.

Then we’ll celebrate Easter in three identical services on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.  I’ll be teaching from 1 Corinthians 15, the great resurrection chapter of the Bible as we celebrate.

So this is your chance to appreciate all Jesus did for you during this amazing week.  It’s also your chance to invite friends and family to join you to hear the good news of Easter!

Warmly,
Vince

MARCH 30, 2023

Lakeshore Friends—

The shooting massacre that took place this past Monday at Covenant Christian School in Nashville was another brutal example of how dark these days are.  A former student took the lives of 6 innocent people for reasons we do not fully yet understand.  Three of them were adults who were 60 or 61 years old.  The other three victims were just 9 years old.  Can you imagine that?

You would expect and hope that there would be universal outrage and anger at this evil act of murder.  Everyone with any level of compassion should be focused on the victims and their families who lost them.  And while many have done this, there are also many who have taken subtle—and even not-so-subtle—shots at Christianity in response. From AP reporters to political action groups and progressive commentators, the focus has been on how Christianity is the ultimate cause of this shooting. Here are just two quotes to reveal what some are saying:

“Very surprising that there would be a mass shooting at a Christian school, given that lack of prayer is often blamed for these horrible events. Is it possible they weren’t praying enough, or correctly, despite being a Christian school?” –David Pakman, a talk show host wrote on Twitter in a later deleted post.

“I don’t condone Audrey Hale’s actions, though I understand their outrage against an intolerant state that brainwashes children through religious indoctrination.  The reality is this human still identified as that child attending that school and carried that pain into adulthood.” –Twitter user

So it was an opportunity for people to mock prayer and to call Christian education at a private school an indoctrination that leads to violence.  It wasn’t ultimately the shooter's fault, many are insinuating. Instead, it was the folly of believing in prayer and Christian doctrine that was the root cause.  And this has been a growing trend that has accelerated over the past three years.  

God help our nation!

Sadly, even our president was joking about his love for ice cream right before talking about this shooting. Can you imagine going to a funeral home and saying that to a grieving family member?

This shooting is senseless and saddening.  But it is made worse when people use this tragedy to attack the Christian faith and ultimately Jesus Christ Himself.  This is a growing trend in our nation and world, and if you follow Jesus Christ you can expect it to continue.  Jesus reminded us that we will be insulted, persecuted, and have evil things said of us (Matthew 5:11-12) and we will be hated by many in the last days (Matthew 24:9).

So what’s the answer?  People need to know the real Jesus Christ.  If people knew who the real Jesus was and embraced Him, they would never say such horrible things or commit such heinous crimes.

That’s what we hope to do in our timely Sunday series, The Resume of Jesus Christ.  Because only a true understanding of who Jesus is and what He has done for us can lead to a changed life and a changed nation.

Much love,
Vince