If you know a great candidate who might be interested, please share this position description. Applications are due May 6.

At LifeJourney Church, we view membership as a sacred commitment that should not be entered into lightly. Membership is for those who have taken time to get well acquainted with the church, feel excited about what we’re doing together, and are ready to make a deep commitment to our common work and to caring for their souls.

To become familiar with LifeJourney Church before making a membership decision, we encourage (but do not require) you to first take Discipleship 101 and 102 — two SoulShift classes that explore our relationship with God and church. Watch the Weekly News for upcoming class registration.

When you become a member, we ask you to commit to a Soul Care Plan — an intentional, self-crafted plan for spiritual development. An overview of the Soul Care Plan is given in membership class, and it’s covered in depth in Discipleship 101/102.

If you feel ready to make that kind of commitment to growing your soul and to supporting the work of this church, please fill out the registration form in Sunday’s bulletin, or contact the church office to register. It’s perfectly fine to attend the classes, and then make a final decision about whether you feel ready to become a member. If you have questions, talk to any staff member or contact the office.

Mark said, “My time at LifeJourney Church has been wonderful for me, and in many ways transformational. I will miss everyone so much, and want to express my love and thanks to the congregation and to all the incredible worship volunteers at LifeJourney.” Pastor Jeff said, “We want to express our love for Mark. He has done fantastic things for our Church. We are really sad to see him go, and we asked him to reconsider. But we also understand that this is a great opportunity for professional advancement, and we should celebrate with Mark.”

During his four years at LifeJourney Church, Mark has doubled the size of our Sanctuary Choir, quadrupled the number of people involved in worship leadership, created an Instrumental Ensemble from scratch, supported our Gospel Choir, birthed a new Southern Gospel Ensemble, diversified our range of worship music, and orchestrated many special Christmas and Easter worship experiences.

LifeJourney Church is determined to sustain the growth and positive momentum of our worship ministries. Staff will meet with our volunteer worship leaders soon to put together a plan for our interim period. Meanwhile, within a few days we will formally launch a nationwide search for a new Worship Minister. Please be in prayer for that search, even as we lift prayers of thanksgiving for all Mark has meant to us. We will celebrate Mark’s time with us at our April 22nd worship services.

Mark, we will miss you so much!

Maundy Thursday, April 5, 7:00 pm
Our theme is Prayer and Communion. The sanctuary will be transformed into the Garden of Gethsemane and the upper room. The Children’s Choir and our soloists, duets and Instrumentalists will be featured. The music will be a mixture of traditional and contemporary.

Good Friday, April 6, 7:00 pm
Our theme is Golgotha. This service will include traditional, gospel, and contemporary music, and some Hebrew songs as well. This service will feature the Sanctuary Choir and Instrumentalists.

Easter Sunday, April 8, 9:30 am and 11:00 am
We’ll have a traditional celebration of Easter. This service will feature Pastor Jeff’s sermon, the Sanctuary Choir, soloist Tex Green, the Praise Singers, and the Instrumentalists.

Our services will immerse us in the events of those days. We’ll take an honest look at the characters who played a part in Christ’s last days before his death. We then can ask ourselves, “Who would I be in that scheme of events?”

Would I be a soldier fulfilling my duty, a scribe railing against radicals, a disciple following a dead man, a person looking for love? Whoever we might be, we can know Christ came for us all. We always have the choice to love more and change the things we can — and leave what we can’t change in God’s hands.

Destination Guatemala
We have been blessed with the connections we’ve made: from building homes with the Navajo Nation to reaching out to communities in Sudan who seek our partnership. As we continue our commitment to these projects, we are also looking ahead — to Guatemala. We anticipate that we will be helping kids in an orphanage and school called Precious Moments, helping kids in an HIV orphanage called Madre Maria Vittelo, and building homes for a population where nearly 75% are below the poverty line and live in homes made from corn stalks, with dirt floors.

If you become a regular giver of this congregation, and help us reach our “budget step three” goal, we can begin our ministry to Guatemala.

2012 Navajo Nation Mission Service Trip
We’ll be traveling to the Navajo Nation in New Mexico September 15–22, to share the love of Christ by building new homes for Navajo families who are in great need. The home building project includes activities such as framing, drywall, insulation, painting, and flooring.

The total cost of participation for this trip is $875 per person, which includes airfare, ground transportation, food, and lodging. Thanks to the generosity of the congregation and the growth of our Missions program, the church will be able to fund part of the trip cost ($400) for each participant.

If you are interested in going on this trip, please plan to attend a short interest meeting on Sunday, March 25 at 12:45 pm. Applications will be available at the meeting or by email request to Sally Rankin.

We will be working with the Southwest Indian Foundation (SWIF) in Gallup, New Mexico. We will stay at the Sacred Heart Retreat Center, just a few miles from SWIF.

This year’s speaker is our very own Vivian Wyatt, and the services will be full of worship, song, and praise, featuring a combined choral number by the Gospel Choir, the Sanctuary Choir, and some of our members who sing in various groups in the city.

A potluck will follow the 11:00 am worship service, and the church will supply the main dish. If you plan to stay for lunch, please bring a side dish or dessert to share. If you’d like to help with setup or in the kitchen, please contact the church office and we’ll put you in touch with LaTrice Moralez, who is heading up the potluck.

If you’d like to stay in the loop as things develop, please contact the church office and let us know which Oasis you’re interested in.

• Eastside Oasis, Wednesdays at 7:00 pm, led by Pastor Vivian (starts March 7)
• Northside Oasis, Thursdays at 7:00 pm, led by Pastor Jeff (starts March 22)
• Westside Oasis, Tuesdays at 7:00 pm, led by Pastor David (starts March 13)
• Young Adult Oasis, Wednesdays at 7:00 pm at church, led by Katrina Davis and Steve Hadt (starts March 14)

Note: We have eight other Oasis Groups already up and running that you’re welcome to check out.

Beginning February 7 at 10:00 am, the church will host a monthly Play Date on the first Tuesday of the month. This is a chance for parents to connect while their little ones play. We hope to see your family on Tuesday, February 7 at 10:00 am!

Registration is not required. Contact Melody Merida if you need more information.

Space is limited! Reserve your spot by emailing group leader Donna Martin or by filling out the form in Sunday’s Weekly News.

They have soft structure play units, laser tag, climbing walls, bumper cars, bowling, bungee trampoline, games, food, and a toddler area for the little ones. Families of all ages are invited to join in the fun Saturday, February 11, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The cost is $10 for children ages 4-17, $3 for children ages 2 and 3, and free for adults and children under 2. Admission gets you four hours of fun on the main attractions (the inflatables and the soft structure play units). Other attractions and food are extra.

Please complete the form in Sunday’s Weekly News or email Melody Merida if your family will be attending the winter escape.