Today was a First for Me and PCC

We made history today. We didn't found a new nation and we didn't cure a disease, but make no mistake about it: we made history. We did something we had never done before, and we pioneered something that very few have even tried in our area: We did church remotely, live, and through the Internet.

It felt GREAT. It felt like...PCC.

Today, we did church together, spread out among 400 different locations, on 400 computer screens, from Mexico to Florida, Maine, Canada, Montana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, New Mexico, South Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, Kentucky and more. People from churches like Atlee, Mountain View, Coastal, Northminster, May Memorial, Powhatan Mennonite, Hope, Second Branch, Amelia, Swift Creek and more. And plenty of folks who were not used to going to church tuned in to check out what we had to say in the most non-threatening of environments - their own homes. There were at least 500 people worshiping together with us, possible as many as a thousand or more. It was truly remarkable.

And it was humbling. And it was one of the most powerful moments I can remember. I cannot explain it, but I could actually feel - tangibly - the presence of the others who were with us, even though we were spread out across hundreds - even thousands of miles. It felt like...community.

God worked powerfully today, and I'm grateful for it. I'm so glad that we are called to a full life, not simply a happy one.

Beth, Tony, Susan, Chad, Scott, Matias, Andy, Mary Ashleigh, Sarah - and our families - were all a major reason we were able to get the technology and the logistics to work, especially on such short notice. I know it was hit and miss for many, with the internet connection. We'll get better at this new platform. I'm sure you haven't seen the last of this from us.

Welcome to PCC 2.0.

Have Church Tomorrow at Your House!

Tomorrow, for the first time ever, PCC will be live broadcasting some worship and the message from Beth and Tony's house right to your living room! It will be LIVE!!! At 11:00am, simply go to www.ustream.tv/channel/pcconline or click here and we'll all be able to have church together, even though we'll all be stuck at home. Isn't that awesome?!

Just to be clear, we are NOT having church at the high school tomorrow. But we're still having church. You can even come in your pajamas.

Disclaimer: Now, everything we do is an experiment. We have been testing this since yesterday and will do more testing today. We are very confident that this will work. But, if it doesn't, at least we gave it our best shot.

Try it with us, won't you? There's a chat room that you can even participate in while we are doing church together. If this is a whole new concept to you, stretch a little with us and try it out. If you live in the world of super-high-tech stuff, cut us a little slack because we're still learning. Regardless of what happens, God's gonna show up and do something good!

p.s. a gentle nudge: This is the second time in 2 months we've had to cancel church because of the weather. We don't have a rainy day fund, and the total cost of these cancellations to our church is around $40,000. If PCC is your church home or if you would like to contribute, you can still give through our website, and it would be a major help. Thanks for your faithfulness.

Ekklesia

By Sammy Frame, Pastor for Small Groups

Ekklesia.

It’s a Greek word. In the New Testament (NT) it’s the word consistently translated “church”. It’s a rich, complicated word that has some implications for you and me.

In the ancient world, before the NT came into existence, ekklesia was a civic term. It referred to city councils and other assemblies of persons who held some importance within the community and had authority over the community. The authors of the NT, like Matthew, Luke, and Paul knew this when they adopted the term and used it to refer to the people of God. They were clearly saying that our towns and cities have ‘ekklesias’ but those who follow Christ are the ‘ekklesia’ of the kingdom of God. The church is the assembly of heaven. So when Jesus says in Matthew 16:18-19, “On this rock I will build my ‘ekklesia’, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven,” he means that this ekklesia, together, speaks for his kingdom. It has the authority, the power, the privilege, and the prestige.

Second, the noun ‘ekklesia’ stems from the Greek verb ‘ekkaleō’. Ekkaleō simple means ‘to call out’. Therefore, the ‘ekklesia’ are the ones who are called out. Today, to call someone out is slang for indicting them or charging them with an offense. In the ancient world, someone who was called out was someone who had been asked to a position of importance. In the Bible, then, the ‘ekklesia’ are those who have been called from the mundane and ordinary to the life of significance and purpose.

Third, we tend to think of the church as a place or thing to which you go. So, we’ll say on Sunday mornings, “Let’s go to church today.” Many of us realize that church isn’t a place you go but something you are. So, we might say, “Be the church.” The ancient Greek word ‘ekklesia’, however, referred to an assembly. It was a group of people gathered for a common purpose. In other words, the church is the assembled people of God. You’re a disciple on your own. You’re the church on Sunday morning or at small group. So when Brian says, “The small group is where real church happens,” he’s telling the truth.

So, the question is, “Are you part of the ekklesia”? Are you in the assembly? Are you called to something more significant, to a higher purpose? Are you doing this alone and thinking you’re the church, or are you living in a community where together you express the kingdom of God?

If you’re not sure, you can always get started at www.powhatancommunitychurch.org/idZenCart.

Awesome Event for Teens tomorrow evening!

Got this Facebook message from Angie Frame, our Student Pastor, today. If you are (or have) a 7th through 12th grader, you should consider going to this:

Hope to see you at FOCUS tomorrow. The theme is "Hook,"...so come enjoy gummy worms, dirt cake, enter to win a Bass Pro or Red Lobster gift card, and worship with the student band. Sammy Frame is our guest speaker for the evening. We have videos. We have student testimonies. We have a dance contest (think about the theme, and you'll figure it out). We have games.

We just need YOU to come. Hope to see you there!

If you have questions, contact Angie Frame. Her contact info is available on our website if you don't have it. www.powhatancc.org

We Need Help Finishing the Building!

We're almost there...

We are really making progress on the building and the end is absolutely in sight! But we need your help to get this building finished. The sooner people can volunteer, the better it will be.

The question you might ask is “If the Church needed so much help, why haven’t we been told about it before now?” The answer is…HEAT! Most of the work we need to do is inside and requires a climate controlled building. After a few challenges, we now have heat.

If you can give some time to the project and spread the word so that others can help, too, I would be really grateful.

Here is how people can help. We need volunteers in the following areas:

• Stain and seal the wooden beams for the Portico Chere (this is the big beautiful structure that is attaching to the front of our building.)
• Sweep, scrape and clean floors to prepare for tile/carpet.
• Sand walls and clean walls to prepare for paint.
• Painting.
• Lay floor tile. This flooring is in 1 foot square tiles. If you are willing to learn and are the least bit ‘handy’, we will train you. In a couple of hours you can be laying tile! The folks laying the tile need folks supporting them by toting and cutting tile, too.

No special skill is required...there is something for everyone to do! We have all the equipment and tools needed. You can bring work gloves and maybe some knee pads if you want. Wear clothes that can’t be ruined with paint or glue.

All you need to do is let us know when you can come and show up ready to work! Email Dennis Green at Dennis@Powhatancc.org or call him at 400-9820. You can also call Chris Ashman at 432-8917. Chris and Dennis are both intimately involved with the project.

Thanks in advance for your help!

The Lampstand

One of our staff members sent me this quote. While it pertains directly to children, it's not hard to see the application for every area of the church. I thought I'd just share it with you:

"As a Christian, you certainly have a right to an opinion, and you ought to have convictions. But as far as the church is concerned, please don’t move the lampstand away from its rightful position. Don’t use the church’s valuable resources to wage a battle that God is just not fighting. Instead of fighting Harry Potter or ______________(you can fill in the blank with our own situation), maybe we should be spending our energies helping kids become intrigued with the mystery of God who made the universe. Maybe we should turn the spotlight on the supernatural powers of a God who can do absolutely anything. If we put the lampstand where it is supposed to be, we can capture the imaginations of our children in a way where they will never lose the wonder of their Creator."

-Reggie Joiner

(Reggie Joiner is a highly respected leader in Children's Ministry)

Stay focused, PCC, on what we are called to do: Reaching people who are far from God and outside of other churches. The floodgates of heaven will open if we are true to our purpose.

Welcome to PCC 2.0!

Preparing to Move

As we prepare to move into our new building some time in March (probably early March - and we will publish an official date soon), I am personally reading the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah is an incredible servant-leader who, working together with his people, accomplished what many saw as impossible - the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem. Nehemiah had enemies who did not want the project to succeed and they worked diligently to turn public sentiment against him. But there were specific things that the people of God did before, during, and after the project to ensure it's success.

As we get ready to make this dramatic shift into our first permanent facility, there is much we can learn from this book of the Bible. Our next message series, starting February 14, will be based on this book. So, if you are not reading your Bible regularly now, why not pick up Nehemiah and read it with me. I think God will speak to you through it, like He is speaking to me.