Offering Celebration Time at SC

God Loves A Cheerful Giver from russell debord on Vimeo.

Sunday Splash!

*Today was so much fun!
*Our worship was vertical and enthusiastic from beginning to end. Thanks Douglas Flores for preparing us for God's Word today! It was good to have our son, Calvin DeBord visiting with us from Nashville TN. He joined our worship team and helped take our praise and worship to a whole new level!
*We had a handful of new visitors in the service today! It was great getting acquainted with Lynn and Sherrie Edwards. We found out we have somethings in common. I am always grateful that God puts the right people in our path!
*We concluded our series "The Blessed Life" today. This teaching series has had a huge impact on us as a church that is in the midst of rebuilding our focus and doing all we can to reach people who are far from God. This has been a substantial four week video teaching series!
*If you missed today's service then you missed the highlight moment of the day! our celebration offering dance was over the top! I saw so many bright smiles and heard so much unbridled laughter! It's a special moment I will never forget! Thanks to Pastor Kevin for putting this together for us! We will try to post a video later showing the "special moves" of Armando, Andrew, Emilo, George, Louis, Samuel, and all the rest of our usher team!
*I am so looking forward to preaching next weekend! I have taken advantage of this time to plan, pray and prepare for the holiday season that is fast approaching! It's going to be a great final two month's of 2009!
*I made several important announcements this morning. First, we will be hosting Convoy of Hope's "One Day Challenge" on Sunday November 8. It will give each SC attender the opportunity to make a difference in the life of someone else who has encountered a devastating struggle in their lives. This very important ministry provides disaster relief to millions of people who have an earthquake, hurricane, or a tsunami. Everyone is asked to participate in this worth while ministry. We will provide you with more information in the coming days!
*Also announced today that we will host two Thanksgiving events. Everyone is invited to join us on November 22 for an all church Thanksgiving Dinner immediately after the morning service. We will also host a very unique Candlelight/Communion service on Wednesday November 25. This will be an activity for the whole family!!
*Don't miss the most important service of the week this Wednesday at 7 pm!! Our mid- week Prayer Service is the best thing happening in Miami! Nudge a friend and join with us as we connect with God and lift up the prayer requests that are submitted to the church! You will be glad you came!!

The Most Important Meeting!

A substantial number of people have begun to make our Wednesday Prayer Service a meaningful practice to attend. Prayer is a priority here at Sunset Chapel. It has become the most important service of the week. SC is experiencing prayer bathed growth in numerous ministry areas.

We initially walked between our rows of seats and prayed throughout the sanctuary that all who enter and exit would experience the power and the work of God in their lives. We are convinced that what we are experiencing in our weekend services is a direct result of God's involvement and guidance in all that we do.

If we are to effectively reach individuals who are far from God in the Miami area, then prayer is non-negotiable to us. We firmly believe that a church that doesn't fervently and intentional pray will not see God move in it's midst. We have come to believe that prayer is essential to our future success as a church.

Our prayer service is intentionally designed to engage each person in attendance. Without exception, time is purposely set aside for people who attend to be prayed for. Also the needs of others that have been submitted to us are taken into the Lord's presence.

The following isn't an exhaustive list by no means,but here are some benefits of having a consistent prayer life:
*Prayer reminds us of our mission as a church
*Prayer reminds us of our dependence on God
*Prayer keeps us from becoming powerless
*Prayer refreshes our hearts and spirits
*Prayer produces results for the Kingdom of God
*Prayer removes all forms of despair, fear, and worry
*Prayer bonds us together as the Body of Christ
*Prayer creates clear focus
*Prayer creates the still moments necessary to listen to God's voice without distractions or disruptions
*Prayer produces passion to become productive for God's purposes
*Vigorous prayer withstands the insidious attacks from Satan
*Prayer produces contentment and stability in a persons life

(Feel free to add to this list by leaving your comments for others to see and become encouraged)

Sunset Chapel moves forward towards it's God-purposed future on it's knees!!! There's always room for more knee buddies to join us every Wednesday at 7 PM.

Sunday Splash!

*Church today was good.
*Attendance was down significantly this weekend. Not sure why??
*There was an astonishing response to the altar call at the end of praise and worship this morning.
*I truly believe that God was doing a precious work in many hearts.
*Today we continued the teaching on "The Blessed Life" series.
*We learned so many outstanding principles concerning Biblical stewardship.
*Tithing is a key to opening the blessings of God.
*Tithing is "returning" what already belongs to God.
*Tithing is ultimately a heart issue.
*Giving actually begins at 11%.
*We learned that something must be blessed before it can multiply. It must be given to the Lord first.
*We also learned that only what is given away can multiply.
* I am not sure we realize how much we really learned today.
*I made several significant announcements this morning..We are looking for individuals to get involved in this years Christmas presentation "The Gospel According to Scrooge". We need volunteers to assist us with constructing and decorating background sets, sound and lighting, nursery workers, and there are just a few additional non-speaking parts still available too! If you are interested please contact Jimmy Diaz at 305.904.4040. Also announced today that we will have our next "Water Baptism" at Sunset Chapel on Sunday November 15!!!! This will be a memorable day for many as they publicly proclaim Christ as their Lord and Savior! To participate in the baptism service please contact the church office at 305.271.4094.
*As you pray this week..pray that God will use our church to impact thousands of lives in our city for Jesus!
*Also, pray about WHO GOD WANTS YOU TO BRING WITH YOU THIS COMING WEEKEND!!!! (Seriously..people will come to church if you just invite them!)

Ready for an Invitation

A study done by LifeWay Research Group found that more than half of Americans would be willing to visit a church if invited by family members, friends or neighbors. Sixty-three percent said that they would attend a church at the recommendation of a family member, while fifty six percent said they would go with a friend or neighbor. YOUR UNCHURCHED FRIENDS ARE READY FOR AN INVITATION. Clearly relationships are important to receiving a positive response to any invitation. Just the other day in my apartment complex a young student still in high school introduced himself to me and asked me "If I died would I go to heaven?" He didn't know me and we had never met prior to this encounter. His question didn't bother me at all, especially since I already knew my answer. But is walking up to a complete stranger the best way to invite someone to church and to invite Christ into their life??? I think that it might sometimes, especially if it is God who is directing you to do so. But actually engaging someone in conversation often and getting to know them is invaluable to getting them to open their heart and mind to even consider establishing a relationship with God and a local church. I encouraged the young man and commended him for his boldness to even walk up to a complete stranger and begin a conversation. But this got me to thinking, are you engaging anyone in conversation and beginning to build a relationship that will enable you to someday invite them to church or even to ask them to consider making Christ a part of their life? I am very grateful that we don't just sporadically invite others to be our guest's at Sunset Chapel, but we are intentionally looking to establish and build genuine relationships with those who are far from God. I can't help but think that it's a good thing when more and more people are becoming involved at Sunset Chapel and we are beginning to see potentially something truly great materialize here in Miami! Keep investing and inviting those around you!

Starbucks Coffee on us!!

I am always looking for ways to connect with people and came across this one from another pastors website. If recently, you came to check out Sunset Chapel at one of our Sunday worship experiences to say "Thank You" for being our guest, I want to personally invite you to come have a Starbucks drink of your choice on us!

Tomorrow night, October 6, from 7:00-8:00 pm the staff of Sunset Chapel will be at Starbucks on 14795 South Dixie Highway (just south of The Falls Shopping Center). We invite you to drop by and say hello and have a Starbucks on us. If you would like to stay and meet the staff, we are available to answer any questions you may have about Sunset Chapel, or if you just want to stop in to get your free drink, we would love for you to stop by.

This is our way of letting you know how much we appreciate you being our guest at Sunset Chapel. If there is anything that we can do to help you please contact our office at 305.271.4094

New Series

Our next series "The Blessed Life" is all about money. A key to financial freedom isn't getting "more" from God but rather managing what He's already blessed us with! Why a teaching on money? Because marriages are torn apart by it, people lose hope because of it, and the Bible has a lot to say concerning it!! Sadly many pastors remain silent concerning this subject, others apologize whenever the topic comes up and tension seems to just build up whenever it is addressed. Jesus called His disciples to follow Him. He wanted all of them (body, mind, spirit). He expects us to give Him all of us, our best, our first- fruits and not our leftovers!! We must be careful not to let our finances crowd God out of our lives. We must keep Him first at all times and in every area of our lives.

God is an incredible giver (John 3:16) who gives indescribable gifts (II Corinthians 9:15). Some people claim they cannot afford to tithe . . . Shari and I have discovered that we cannot afford not to! I am looking forward to sharing with you some resources that have encouraged us to remain faithful to God's purposes in this area. We have seen God's provision and blessings come time and time again in our home. For those of you who give consistently and generously to the work of the Lord at Sunset Chapel . . . THANK YOU! You are assisting us in fulfilling the Great Commission here in Miami.

Many of you have stated you want to get a handle on this area of your life, but things have only continued to get worse not better. You have trapped yourself into a deeper rut by transferring credit card balances, making only minimum payments, you have become a slave to Master Card/Visa, car payments, and to a house you are struggling to afford. The only way to use credit and not get into trouble is to use it responsibly. That means you shouldn't buy things you cannot pay for. Do not let your pride keep you from attending this four week teaching series. Pride will keep you from admitting that you have a financial problem. This is the opportunity to do something about it . . . . and NO . . . . you don't have to be a Sunset Chapel member or regular attendee to learn God's principles and have your eyes open to God's promise of a life of blessing.