Church cannot happen on Sundays (and throughout the week) without a whole lot of help. It's not just the pastors and leaders who make things happen - everyone who follows Jesus is called to serve and use their gifts to lighten the load of sharing the Good News of Jesus through various roles. Have YOU said yes to volunteering yet? What is getting in the way? In part three of "EMPTY", Pastor Derek teaches us about the early Church and how everyone needed to come together - both leaders and followers - to serve and be a blessing to others.

Many people don’t understand the importance and power of baptism as a next step for followers of Jesus Christ. Is it really necessary? Who can and can't be baptized, and what is its purpose? How will I know I'm ready? In part two of "EMPTY", Pastor Joe teaches us what baptism is, why it's commanded in the Bible, and who it's available to. He's even inviting people who are ready to be baptized on the spot!

Whether we're new to faith in Jesus or we've been following Him for a long time, there is always room to grow! In order to have a truly FULL life, we have to first be emptied of sin. How does that happen? How can we be confident not in ourselves, but in Jesus? In part one of "EMPTY", Pastor Joe focuses on what we can learn from Peter, a Disciple and friend of Jesus who wrestled with being full of himself and his own ideas instead of trusting Jesus fully with his life.

During Jesus' final day on earth before going to the cross, there was still confusion among His disciples about what would happen next. Jesus did many unexpected things around His closest friends, but they were all necessary in leading Him to become the most important sacrifice in history. It's helpful to put ourselves into Jesus' shoes, as well as the disciples, to ask important questions about our beliefs. What does the cross mean for us? Did Jesus really have to die? Would we as Jesus' friends try to keep Him from dying? In the Good Friday finale of "The Way to the Cross", Katie Foster, Student Ministry Director, invites us to explore the meaning of the final vital moments of Jesus' life before His crucifixion.

Looking at one situation from different perspectives can change everything. Sometimes we have a very narrow view of something that keeps us from seeing the full picture. As we follow Jesus' journey to the cross, it's important that we don't just think about our own feelings and ideas. What else can God reveal to us if we open our eyes wider and put ourselves into the story? What might we have missed before? In part three of "The Way to the Cross", Pastor Joe teaches us how to go deeper into Bible reading by looking at the text from different perspectives so we can understand more about what God wants us to know.

When Jesus walked the earth, people were often confused about who He was and why He was here. His mission remained mysterious until the proper time, but He occasionally offered clarity and wisdom to those who asked - or when it agreed with His calling. Today we must ask ourselves, who do WE think Jesus is? In part two of "The Way to the Cross", Pastor Brandon walks us through chapters three and four of the Gospel of John where we explore two different accounts of Jesus revealing His purpose.

Reading the Bible gives us direct access to understanding who Jesus is and why He came to earth. But sometimes when we read its pages it can be challenging to dive deep into the context of that time period and really feel what Jesus - and those around Him - felt. This series will help us dig into Scripture to experience it in a fresh way! In part one of "The Way to the Cross", Pastor Brandon walks us through the first few chapters of the Gospel of John so we can participate in what Jesus did to prepare for His journey to die on the cross for our sins.

We make hundreds of decisions every day that can impact our lives for better or for worse. Each decision we make is a test that provides an opportunity for us to either opt into God’s plan for us, or choose our own. How do we ensure that we aren't falling for the devil's schemes when we're tempted? How do we consistently make the right decision? In the finale of "TEMPTED", Pastor Joe teaches us how we can test the thoughts and temptations that come our way and have a godly reaction instead of giving in to our flesh.

We all have strong desires to have certain things in this world. Maybe it's prestige, power, or control. Or perhaps it's more money, a bigger house, that dream job, or the perfect relationship. The list of possibilities may be endless, but what should we do with these desires? How do we know if they're turning into idols that can damage us? In part three of "TEMPTED", Pastor Brigitte teaches us how our earthly desires will become dangerous if we allow them to take God's place; as well as how to prevent that from happening.

We were all created with natural physical appetites. Most of them are good! But even good appetites and desires can become twisted - because no matter how much we satisfy them, they always recharge and demand “more”! So how do we keep our physical desires in line with what God calls us to when temptation to sin strikes? In part two of "TEMPTED", Pastor Joe teaches us how to be spiritually prepared for the strong temptations that will come our way so we don't give into physical sin.

Temptation may not be a topic we think about regularly, but when we take time to look around, it's absolutely everywhere! Physically, mentally, emotionally, and relationally, we will always be tempted by the things of this world. But is temptation in of itself a sin? How do we keep from giving into it? In part one of "TEMPTED", Pastor Jordan teaches us what temptation is and shares the hope we have to overcome it by what Jesus did in His time on earth.

Most of us have dreams, ambitions, and goals for the time we have on earth - but how many of them will truly matter in 100 years? When was the last time we paused to reflect on what we're trying to accomplish, and how those things impact not just ourselves, but the people around us? In the finale of "Get Your Life Back", inspired by John Eldredge's book, Pastor Joe teaches us what we need to do to align our goals with God's so we can lead fruitful lives as His followers.

Living by faith and putting our trust in God is not something we can simply put on auto-pilot. If we’re not mindful and don’t intentionally choose to live each day by faith, we can end up living as functional atheists. So how do we keep our faith alive, especially through difficult seasons where God feels far away? In part three of "Get Your Life Back", inspired by John Eldredge's book, Pastor Joe teaches us how we can have continued confidence in our Christian walk - daily, hourly, and one faith-filled decision at a time.

Living in the past and staying stuck there is not a healthy way to go about our lives - but what about taking time to reflect on where we've been and how we got to where we are now? How can we use our past to shape our future in a purposeful way? In part three of "Get Your Life Back", inspired by John Eldredge's book, Pastor Joe teaches us the importance of learning from the past and living out our personal story in light of what Jesus has done for us.

Love is one of the most important aspects of life - if not the MOST important! But there are so many ways we can miss out - on receiving God's love for us, on loving others well, and even loving ourselves. In what order do these things happen? How can 'doing love right' change us? In part two of "Get Your Life Back", inspired by John Eldredge's book, Pastor Joe teaches us how loving God and others goes hand in hand, and how understanding love clearly can shine new light on our future.

This world will naturally pull us in a million different directions, distracting us from God's purpose for our life. If we're not careful, we can let everything around us take control! How do we fight against it? In part one of "Get Your Life Back", inspired by John Eldredge's book, Pastor Joe teaches us how unplugging from the chaos of this world to focus on what God wants for us can help us begin to take our life back.

When life gets dark and our circumstances overwhelm us to a point of feeling hopeless, where can we turn? Are we able to create light on our own, or do we need to find a source of light outside of ourselves to move us forward? In this special New Year's Message "Making It Past Midnight", Pastor Joe teaches us how the light of God and His Son Jesus will change the game when we must overcome the darkest parts of our lives.

When we think of God's kingdom, we may jump to an image of Him on a throne, ruling in heaven. But what role does Jesus play in it, and is there a role for us as His followers, too? The answer may surprise you! In part four of "This is Jesus", Pastor Jon teaches us how God's kingdom isn't something we must wait until heaven to experience.

Many of us want to know what we're made for and what we're supposed to be doing with our life, and we probably want it to be filled with ONLY joy and peace - none of the tough stuff. But what if God has a different way of doing things? What can Jesus teach us about what we were made to accomplish on this earth? In the finale of "This is Jesus", Pastor Joe teaches us how understanding who Jesus is will launch us into discovering our true purpose for this life and beyond - and it may not be what we expect.

When we learn about the character of God and how He is perfect and mighty, it may make us afraid to approach Him. Who are we to communicate with the creator of the universe, unlimited in power? But when God came to earth as a baby, everything changed! In part three of "This is Jesus", Student Ministry Director Katie Foster teaches us the importance and relevance of Jesus being not only God, but very human at the same time.