You have found a place to encounter God and people who care about you – just as you are, right where you are, anytime. Our welcoming, energizing, community worship begins at 10:30 AM every Sunday in the Red Brick Church. Get news and event information in your inbox every week by subscribing to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Get Your Worship Guide. Click here.

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You will want to read this week’s Message and Music preview!

Message Preview

This week we remembered the first Moon landing on July 20, 1969. An estimated 650 million people watched in amazement as Neil Armstrong descended a ladder towards the surface of the Moon. The Astronaut’s words spoken that day, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” will help us understand the Apostle’s words from Colossians 1 that the earthly Jesus has a cosmic role, too! Do you remember where you were that Sunday? What was going on in the world?

We may ask, in the ordinary and even the extraordinary life experiences, is Jesus the One? All of us need some reassurance. Jesus reminded everyone to look around at what they hear and see, “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them” (Matthew 11:2-6). So it is not surprising that Jesus’ good friends, Mary and Martha, wondered the same thing. In our message this week, Mary’s devotion to Jesus is praised, compared to Martha, who was preoccupied with other things (Luke 10:38-42). We may mistakenly think that Jesus preferred Mary’s attention to that of Martha’s. When Jesus is the focus of our daily attention, not constrained to our needs alone, we can experience Christ in all things in the kitchen and the living room. Jesus’ role is far more expansive than we imagine! And so is ours!

Become a part of Jesus’ cosmic story this week at the Red Brick Church, which will enlarge your spiritual world and equip you to understand better God’s earthly and cosmic mission that includes you and me! You’ll want to bring a few traveling companions to worship with you.

Music Preview

The Rev. Larry Moyer will sing a Rick & Mark Wright song Holy Spirit, Rest in Me. Rick, the Father in this Father/Son duo, says he awoke one morning with the words “Holy Spirit rest in me” on his mind. Rick quickly wrote them down, and within 15 minutes, the words for the four verses came to him. He feels this was “only possible through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit.” He then composed the tune with his son, Mark.

Following the message, we will enjoy singing along with Kelly Willard, the composer of the lyric video hymn, Make Me a Servant. Willard writes, “Someone asked me to share the story behind writing the chorus Make Me a Servant. Well, it’s pretty simple, what happened. At home, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart, saying very gently, “You know, you could stand to have a little more of a servant’s heart.” I went straight to my piano and began playing and singing this prayer…” Make me a servant, humble and meek; Lord, let me lift up those who are weak. I still pray for a servant’s heart. “And, may the prayer of my heart always be, make me a servant today.”

Our sending hymn is God You Spin the Whirling Planets. This text was written for the 1979 National Meeting of United Presbyterian Women by Jane Parker Huber, whose theme, In the Image of God, is variously considered as reflection, focus, distortion, and polishing for clarity. The words are set to an anonymous 19th-century American tune. 

“…That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:18).

Whatever your religious affiliation, or none at all, we all hear Jesus say, “Come to me all who are overburdened, and find rest for your soul!” Everyone is welcomed at Cold Spring Church. Yes, everyone!

Enjoy sitting with others from greater Cape May as we worship together. We simplified our service and made it even easier to participate, with our Worship Guide and lyric videos displayed on a large screen.

Worship anytime on YouTube Live!
(click here)

Physical distancing and masks are NOT required!

You have found a place to encounter God and people who care about you – just as you are, right where you are, anytime. Subscribe to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Energize your life and discover the amazing love of Jesus! This week is the perfect time to join us in person for worship. Enjoy live music and solo, lyric videos, and a message of hope from God’s word.

We are excited to welcome to worship in our historic Red Brick Church on Sundays at 10:30 AM.

You have found a place to encounter God and people who care about you – just as you are, right where you are, anytime. Our welcoming, energizing, community worship begins at 10:30 AM every Sunday in the Red Brick Church. Get news and event information in your inbox every week by subscribing to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Get Your Worship Guide. Click here.

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Here’s this week’s worship preview!

Message Preview

The traveling disciples Jesus sent out returned after their community-blessing adventures with fantastic news. How about you? Now we will meet one of those religious-types who wanted to prove himself, looking for a loophole in the definition of “neighbor.” He was no Mr. Rogers!

Being a “neighbor” in 2022 can be challenging and complicated. But it wasn’t easy in the first century either. Jesus tells one of his most memorable stories, the “Good Samaritan.” It includes a surprise ending about mercy, neighborliness, and compassion, three qualities in short supply in the Roman-occupied territory of Israel. But that lawyer and many in the audience would have considered that Samaritan bad. Why? Because the Samaritan Jew broke the religious and social rules by showing mercy to the Jerusalem Jew who nearly died in a ditch.

One admirable takeaway from Jesus’ story is to be inspired to be a better neighbor. But can we also identify with who was left for dead along the road and received mercy? Mercy may be a bit expired to our modern ears. Mercy may just feel tired, not worth our effort. Jesus reminds us that mercy is needed now. Mercy is wired! Mercy is a needed spiritual behavior that can have incredible impact on those who receive it.

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You have found a place to encounter God and people who care about you – just as you are, right where you are, anytime. Our welcoming, energizing, community worship begins at 10:30 AM every Sunday in the Red Brick Church. Get news and event information in your inbox every week by subscribing to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Get Your Worship Guide. Click here.

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Here’s this week’s worship preview!

Message Preview

As we discovered last week, Jesus invites us to follow the Way. While following is not easy, going first is challenging! Going first is risky. Jesus showed people the Way, spoke the truth, and gave life. But there comes a time when disciples must go out on their own. On this Independence Day, we remember when our nation’s founders determined that change was necessary and went first. They took a step. They could achieve their God-given potential and take responsibility for their future only if they went first.

In our Gospel reading from Luke 10, Jesus sent a team of 72 ordinary people to proclaim freedom and show love and kindness to strangers if they would receive it. They had the authority to heal troubling spirits and bring peace to chaos. Jesus sent them to produce a harvest that would be gathered, shared and used to feed the world physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We may think: wouldn’t it have been better for Jesus to go first? Wouldn’t Jesus go first to offer a more remarkable display of power to get people’s attention? No, Jesus sent us. We are the freedom train sent into communities and neighborhoods. Are you ready to go first? Jesus is. One Way to “go first” this week that we celebrate Independence Day is to invite someone with you to worship this week. Hear Jesus say, “You go first!”

Music Preview

We begin worship with a special 4th of July countdown and Freedom mini-movie. Beverly Mate will be singing For Freedom, Christ Has Set Us Free. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette wrote the lyrics while attending the PC(USA) Synod School in a class taught by Dr. Charles Myers on Galatians. It resonates with some of the beautiful themes of that New Testament letter. Galatians reminds us that all the work we do to justify ourselves in the sight of God comes to nothing, but then God reaches out and says, “My child! You belong to me!”

Our video hymn is God of This City, written by the Belfast band Bluetree in 2004. While the band was traveling on a mission trip to Pattaya, Thailand, the poor conditions of the city became the inspiration for their song.

The video hymn Blessed Jesus, Living Bread will nurture our spirits as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Before the Benediction, we will sing God of Our Father’s Whose Almighty Hand. The hymn’s origins can be traced back to 1876 when the United States was celebrating the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Daniel C. Roberts wrote the text for the hymn to be used during a small patriotic celebration in Vermont.

“…That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:18).

Whatever your religious affiliation, or none at all, we all hear Jesus say, “Come to me all who are overburdened, and find rest for your soul!” Everyone is welcomed at Cold Spring Church. Yes, everyone!

Enjoy sitting with others from greater Cape May as we worship together. We simplified our service and made it even easier to participate, with our Worship Guide and lyric videos displayed on a large screen.

Worship anytime on YouTube Live!
(click here)

Physical distancing and masks are NOT required!

You have found a place to encounter God and people who care about you – just as you are, right where you are, anytime. Subscribe to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Energize your life and discover the amazing love of Jesus! This week is the perfect time to join us in person for worship. Enjoy live music and solo, lyric videos, and a message of hope from God’s word.

We are excited to welcome to worship in our historic Red Brick Church on Sundays at 10:30 AM.

 

You have found a place to encounter God and people who care about you – just as you are, right where you are, anytime. Our welcoming, energizing, community worship begins at 10:30 AM every Sunday in the Red Brick Church. Get news and event information in your inbox every week by subscribing to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Get Your Worship Guide. Click here.

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Here’s this week’s worship preview!

Message Preview

Journey with Jesus on the road to Jerusalem. Luke’s Gospel is a “Travel Narrative” as Luke follows Jesus and the Disciples from Galilee to Jerusalem. A journey from the life Jesus knew in Galilee to the death he will experience in Jerusalem. “When the day drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” And some of the disciples followed him on “the Way.” Like early Christians, this became the rallying cry to follow Jesus on The Way. For us today, the task of following Jesus becomes one of discovery. Discovery is whom we are called to be and what we are called to do. This journey with Christ will mean facing trials and tribulations; however, there is also the promise of transformation and that our lives will be saved.

Music Preview

The composer of If I Have But a Moment, Sally DeFord, tells this story about the song: “I always marvel at just how much our Savior accomplished during what was a very short ministry. There were so many demands on his time. Yet though he had a great work to perform and labored far beyond the strength of any other man, he was still accessible to those who needed him, stopping along the way to lift, heal, and comfort.

As we strive to offer Christian charity and service to others, there are many demands on our time. We are busy people. I remember a day when a busy visiting teacher brought me flowers “for no reason at all.” Perhaps she picked them up at the grocery store check stand on a whim and stopped by on her way home.

She did not know how much I needed her kindness that day. It was a small act of service that I have never forgotten, rendered during a time of quiet grief. The memory is a gentle reminder to me that when I am in danger of being caught up “in the thick of things,” that much may be accomplished though I have but a moment.” Barbara Cain will be singing, If I Have But a Moment. 

Our lyric video hymn following the message, “Oh, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways” was written by Isaac Watts (1674-1748), the Father of English hymnody. The hymn is basically a prayer, asking God to help the singer live within God’s will and, if he should stray, that the Lord would bring him back. Everything is in God’s hands. 

Herman Stuempfle’s hymns offer honest accounts of how we are as human beings. The closing hymn, “Would I have answered When You Called” represents a personal reflection on the Gospel stories of Jesus recruiting his first disciples, with their concise narratives of call and response. Jesus calls “Follow me”, and the fishermen brothers Simon and Andrew do just that, without hesitation.

It may be that, like Jesus’ first disciples, “all I longed for I have found by the water” and that we desire to “seek other shores” with Christ. Nevertheless, as the saying goes, “when the chips are down…”, how easy would we find the call – not least if we are were required to follow Jesus in giving our lives for our faith commitment? Would we, like Jesus’ scattered disciples, have “slipped away and left you there alone”? (v.3). The truth is, Stuempfle concludes, many of us have to say “we do not know”. We can only pray that Christ-in-us will give us strength beyond our own “to follow faithfully.” (v.4)

“…That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:18).

Whatever your religious affiliation, or none at all, we all hear Jesus say, “Come to me all who are overburdened, and find rest for your soul!” Everyone is welcomed at Cold Spring Church. Yes, everyone!

Enjoy sitting with others from greater Cape May as we worship together. We simplified our service and made it even easier to participate, with our Worship Guide and lyric videos displayed on a large screen.

Worship anytime on YouTube Live!
(click here)

Physical distancing and masks are NOT required!

You have found a place to encounter God and people who care about you – just as you are, right where you are, anytime. Subscribe to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Energize your life and discover the amazing love of Jesus! This week is the perfect time to join us in person for worship. Enjoy live music and solo, lyric videos, and a message of hope from God’s word.

We are excited to welcome to worship in our historic Red Brick Church on Sundays at 10:30 AM.

 

Get Your Father’s Day Worship Guide (click here)

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This Week’s Worship Preview

Message Preview

Everyone loves a great story. It’s Father’s Day, and today, we honor everything fantastic about dads. Father’s Day reconnects us to stories about the best of Dad-ness, whether our dad, our experience as a dad, or about the “dad’ role that someone has had in your life. Do you have a few stories to share about awesome dads? Maybe you have a “dad” to thank especially today!

As a nation, we celebrate June 19, also known as Juneteenth. On June 19, 1865, the United States freed hundreds of thousands of enslaved people in Texas. President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863. It extended freedom to enslaved people in the Confederate States still under open rebellion. However, making that a reality depended on military victories by the U.S. Army and an ongoing presence to enforce them. It wasn’t until more than two years later, in June Read More

 

Get Your Trinity Sunday Worship Guide (click here)

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This Week’s Worship Preview

Message Preview

Christians know all about the Trinity, right? Well, if you’re like most followers of Jesus, while we do affirm the Trinity (notice the Fire of Pentecost and the Dove of the Spirit depicted in our denomination’s logo, to the right.) But few of us would profess to understand the Trinity completely. We will celebrate Trinity Sunday this week. Jesus said of the Spirit, “I have many things to say. When the Spirit of truth arrives, he will guide you into all the truth.” We need the Spirit to help us understand Jesus! From the beginning,

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Get Your Pentecost Sunday Worship Guide here

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This Week’s Worship Preview

Message Preview

Last week was Ascension Sunday when we recounted Jesus ascending into heaven. Before Jesus was out of sight, he gave the disciples a fantastic job to do. They were to be his witnesses to the entire world, but only after they received power from the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to wait for the promised Holy Spirit. And while Pentecost Sunday celebrates the receiving of the Spirit as the birthday of the Church, featuring the bold, powerful color red, Pentecost originated as a Jewish holiday.

One thousand six hundred years before Jesus, Moses instructed the people to present their first harvest to God to say thanks. In Hebrew, it is called Shavuot (rhymes with “oat”), meaning “weeks,”—and so it is known as the Feast of Weeks. The Feast of Weeks occurs fifty days after Passover on the Hebrew calendar. By the time of Jesus, the Feast of Weeks was called Pentecost, derived from the Greek word for “fifty.”

In Leviticus 23, we see the connection between Passover and the Feast of Weeks when the Lord spoke to Moses. “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, when you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath, the priest shall wave it.” (23:9-11). The flame never went out. 

Jesus was our Passover sacrifice on the cross. Three days later, Jesus rose triumphant over death! But there’s so much more. Fifty days after Easter, Jesus gave the Holy Spirit that power-lifted the followers of Jesus. The Spirit uplifted an already special day and transformed it into Power-Up Sunday. You won’t want to miss Pastor Kevin’s message and learn how to practice Pentecost every day using the 5-fold Pentecost Power-Up and Power-Up Your Life!

Music Preview

Barbara Cain will sing “Come People of the Risen King.” This music calls the church, both young and old, to rejoice in the risen King. Following the message, we will be singing On Pentecost They Gathered. You may recognize this hymn tune from Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Elijah.” During communion, we will enjoy Blessed Jesus, Living Bread. You may listen or join in singing.

We will conclude worship with the hymn Every Time I Feel the Spirit, an African-American spiritual dating to before the US Civil War. Contemporary artists and gospel music groups have frequently recorded the song.

An escaped enslaved person from Maryland named “Aunt” Mary Dines reported the earliest known performance of the song. She served as President Abraham Lincoln’s private cook and prepared meals for displaced enslaved people at Camp Barker. President Lincoln often passed by the Camp into and out of Washington, D.C. During the Civil War (1861–1865), musical performances by the residents included “Every time I feel the Spirit,” a favorite of the Lincolns. According to Dines, the President was moved to tears and returned to hear more singing on another day. PENTECOST is the name of the tune chosen by the United Methodist Hymnal (1989) editors. The syncopated music we sing today from the Presbyterian hymnals (PCUSA) uses an arrangement by Joseph T. Jones (1902–1983) from Great Day: Negro Spirituals (1961), adapted by Melva Wilson Costen for The Presbyterian Hymnal (1990).

“…That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:18).

Whatever your religious affiliation, or none at all, we all hear Jesus say, “Come to me all who are overburdened, and find rest for your soul!” Everyone is welcomed at Cold Spring Church. Yes, everyone!

Enjoy sitting with others from greater Cape May as we worship together. We simplified our service and made it even easier to participate, with our Worship Guide and lyric videos displayed on a large screen.

Worship anytime on YouTube Live!
(click here)

Physical distancing and masks are NOT required!

You have found a place to encounter God and people who care about you – just as you are, right where you are, anytime. Feel free to share photos or text friends about what you are learning! Subscribe to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Energize your life and discover the amazing love of Jesus! This week is the perfect time to join us in person for worship. Enjoy live music and solo, lyric videos, and a message of hope from God’s word.

We are excited to welcome to worship all who are able and comfortable in our historic Red Brick Church on Sundays at 10:30 AM.

 

Get Your Worship Guide here

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This Week’s Preview

Message Preview

Our Memorial Day tributes are tragically overshadowed by the school shooting on Tuesday in Uvalde, Texas that took the lives of nineteen students and two adults.

“A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more” (Matthew 2:18).

Our entire nation mourns the violence, especially gun violence in the United States. Let’s not grow weary in the urgent and challenging work ahead to address violence and promote peace in our communities and ensure the safety of our children. 

As we remember the sacrifices of those who have died serving our country in every branch of our military, we remember those sacrifices were not just for our freedom, but for the freedom of all people around the world! Jesus said, “There is no greater love than this, that one lays down their life for another.” As a faith community, we thank God for freedoms here and around the world.

The message this week centers on Jesus’ Ascension into heaven when he gave the disciples a new job to do. With his ascension, Jesus called us to be “little Christs,” Jesus’ incarnation in the world. That’s a large responsibility. If it were not for Jesus’ promise of Pentecost we will celebrate next Sunday, June 5th, the disciples would have no power to go “into all of the worlds.” Jesus, in his Ascension, promised spiritual power was on its way. Discover how to develop your spiritual staying power this week at Cold Spring Church! Thank you for bringing others with you to our Memorial Day worship experience.

Music and Video Preview

We will enjoy a special Memorial Day countdown video and a video tribute to those who gave their lives in military service. Rev. Larry Moyer will serve as our worship leader and will offer a special solo this week. Following the message, we will sing the hymn, All Hail the Power. This hymn is a declaration of praise, but it’s also much more than that. The words both declare the majesty of Christ and task us with making that majesty known to all. Like many hymns describing the glory of God and the hope that one day all people will see that glory, this hymn alludes to Philippians 2:9-11: “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

We long for this day and declare our hope in its arrival in the text of this hymn. But are we willing to declare that hope to those who have not heard it? The phrase, “Easier said than done” comes to mind here. After we have sung these words of victory and longing, what do we do? Do we act on those words and turn our expectancy into realities? Or do we wait for someone else to do it for us? The fourth stanza of this great hymn declares, “We’ll join the everlasting song….” Everlasting means that we are a part of that song right now – are we willing to lift our voices together to sing more than a hymn, and truly crown our God Lord of all, then tell others the Good News? 

Our closing hymn was written by the Rev. Carolyn Gillette in remembrance of the beloved children and adults who died in the school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on May 24, 2022. Many of us, as individuals, do not accept violence, keep silent, or clamor for guns. Yet, as a nation, we do these things, and as a nation, God invites us all to repent; we need to turn around and live a different way. All of us are called to do more than sing and pray. Let’s find ways to work for gun safety laws in your community and state. If you’d like to read more about this hymn, click this link to an article from the Presbyterian Mission Agency.

“…That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:18).

Whatever your religious affiliation, or none at all, we all hear Jesus say, “Come to me all who are overburdened, and find rest for your soul!” Everyone is welcomed at Cold Spring Church. Yes, everyone!

Enjoy sitting with others from greater Cape May as we worship together. We simplified our service and made it even easier to participate, with our Worship Guide and lyric videos displayed on a large screen.

Worship anytime on YouTube Live!
(click here)

Physical distancing and masks are NOT required!

You have found a place to encounter God and people who care about you – just as you are, right where you are, anytime. Feel free to share photos or text friends about what you are learning! Subscribe to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Energize your life and discover the amazing love of Jesus! This week is the perfect time to join us in person for worship. Enjoy live music and solo, lyric videos, and a message of hope from God’s word.

We are excited to welcome to worship all who are able and comfortable in our historic Red Brick Church on Sundays at 10:30 AM.

 

Get Your Worship Guide here

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This Week’s Preview

Message Preview

We know how tiresome health protocols can feel. Since our Covid-19 concerns began in March 2020, favorite things remain missing in our lives. We miss entering buildings and socializing without so many health considerations. We miss more frequent and personal contact with family and friends. We miss working in the office, learning in the classroom, actually shopping in stores, traveling more freely, and many of us miss regularly worshipping in person. Understandably, we can feel stuck.

This week’s passage from John 5:1-9 tells about a stuck person, missing the joys and experiences of that “normal life” he imagined that others enjoyed. He missed walking where he wanted, spending time with family and friends, working, learning, and other things we can take for granted. He couldn’t stir himself to get moving and waited for something to change his life. He waited for weeks, then months. Nothing changed. The months turned into years. Then years became decades. He missed the stirring of the healing waters and the changed life he longed for thirty-eight years until Jesus stirred things up.

If you want to get unstuck from missing God’s spiritual abundance, join us for worship on June 22, when we will discover that Jesus is in the business of stirring things up. (And stirring you up is just the beginning. All of us have a role to play in stirring things up for others, too!)

Music Preview

The Rev. Larry Moyer will be singing, A Believer’s Prayer, a song about responding to the Good News by acting like Jesus. Following the message, we will sing the first two verses of Stir Your Church, a hymn about our mission to share and show God’s love for the world. It was composed by Dr. Milburn Price with music by Aubrey Lee Butler. Our sending hymn will be verses 3 and 4 of Stir Your Church.

“…That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:18).

Whatever your religious affiliation, or none at all, we all hear Jesus say, “Come to me all who are overburdened, and find rest for your soul!” Everyone is welcomed at Cold Spring Church. Yes, everyone!

Enjoy sitting with others from greater Cape May as we worship together. We simplified our service and made it even easier to participate, with our Worship Guide and lyric videos displayed on a large screen.

Worship anytime on YouTube Live!
(click here)

Physical distancing and masks are NOT required!

You have found a place to encounter God and people who care about you – just as you are, right where you are, anytime. Feel free to share photos or text friends about what you are learning! Subscribe to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Energize your life and discover the amazing love of Jesus! This week is the perfect time to join us in person for worship. Enjoy live music and solo, lyric videos, and a message of hope from God’s word.

We are excited to welcome to worship all who are able and comfortable in our historic Red Brick Church on Sundays at 10:30 AM.