The Thursday Update

MARCH 2, 2023

Hi Lakeshore,

I love baptism Sundays.  Every time we baptize people who have put their faith in Christ I find myself reinvigorated.  My faith is strengthened when I hear their stories.  My commitment to make disciples is renewed.  I feel great joy as we celebrate their step of obedience.  There is nothing like baptism Sundays.

This Sunday, we will be baptizing three people who have made the decision to obey Christ in baptism.  We will be looking at how we obey the Great Commission Jesus gave us, specifically how we, "baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit."  We will think about the day when you get to baptize one of the people on your Invest + Invite card you have been investing in. 

It’s going to be a great day!  You don’t want to miss it. 

See you Sunday,
Pastor Brian

FEBRUARY 23, 2023

Hey Lakeshore,

We knew this winter was too good to be true.  The warm and snowless weather we have had this winter is a bit on the strange side.  The only people I hear complaining are the skiers.

The good thing is the weather hasn’t stopped us from pursuing the mission God has given us.  Pastor Brian Pawlowski started off our new series, Mission Possible, last Sunday by reminding us of the mission Jesus gave to all His followers:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” –Matthew 28:18-20

It is a mission that, when passionately pursued by each believer in Jesus Christ will transform them, as well as those they minister to.  That’s why we are doing this series.  So that we can all know and fulfill the mission Jesus gave to each one of us.

I get to preach the second message in this series this Sunday.  Although many find the part of the mission I’ll be preaching about very intimidating, it is extremely rewarding for those who make the Great Commission their personal mission. 

You won’t want to miss this coming Sunday.  There will be warm fellowship on a cold day as well as some very practical ways you can become a better disciple of Jesus Christ.

See you Sunday,
Pastor Brian

FEBRUARY 16, 2023

Lakeshore Friends—

It started back in the 1960’s.  A team of American spies, completing missions deemed “impossible”.  It was fun and ran for 7 years.  Then in the mid-90s, Tom Cruise took the “Mission: Impossible” mantle to the big screen which is still running to this day, 27 years later.  Same premise… a team of American spies, in death-defying scenarios that make you hold onto your seat.  And let’s not forget the famous tagline:  “your mission, should you choose to accept it…”  But these words also describe the choice each follower of Jesus faces – whether or not to go and make more disciples.

"NOW THAT WE HAVE THIS FAITH, WHAT DO WE DO WITH IT?"

Sadly, a large majority of Christians are not even familiar with the fact that Jesus gave us a specific mission.  And that is the very thing we hope to tackle in our newest series, Mission: Possible.

In Matthew 28, Jesus gave us this Great Commission, but too many disciples today view it as Mission: Impossible, and we have a litany of reasons to think that way… but we want to shed some light on this very thing.

I’m excited to kick things off this week and our other Pastors in the weeks to come.  It is our hope and prayer you find this more than just an informative series, but a transformational one.   Now that we have this faith, what do we do with it?  What is our mission and how do we accomplish it?  Well, to find out, you’ll need to be here on Sundays at 9 or 11am.

See you then,
Pastor Brian