You may have noticed the shiny new television on the wall in the social hall. That’s the first step in our plan for Café Worship!

The Board of Trustees, led by Pastor Vivan Wyatt, and in consultation with the rest of our staff, have developed a plan to remodel a portion of the social hall to provide space for a different kind of worship experience. Think “sanctuary crossed with coffee shop” and you’re on the right track. Features of the new space will include:

• The large screen TV that’s already in place. This was funded with a technology grant we received in 2011. (More about funding Café Worship below.) Many kudos to the Media Team for their diligence in broadcasting the entire service.
• A stained glass feature wall that will divide the social hall from the lobby, so that there’s still plenty of space for conversation outside the casual worship area.
• A coffee and beverage service area.
• New lighting to replace some of the “cold” fluorescent fixtures.
• Decor upgrades to promote the feeling of casual warmth, worshipfulness, and connection.

So when will this be done? Completion date depends on funding (of course). Café Worship is the second of our three budget goals for this year. Once giving averages $9,897 per week (we’re currently at $9,562) we can greenlight all of the improvements. Since these upgrades are a one-time expense, we may be able to implement some of them, a little at a time, as funds become available from other sources (i.e., dedicated giving, building-related income, or bequests).

So enjoy the new big screen, as we move toward our budget goal and completion of the Café Worship space. Questions? Please contact Pastor Vivian.

Join us during Holy Week for three distinct services.

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.

Pious people found him annoying. Sinners found him delightful. Many of us have never met that Jesus — the real Jesus.

Starting September 25, we’re going to try to strip away all the extraneous stuff imposed on Jesus by centuries of institutional Christianity, so we can get back to Jesus as he was. Here’s what we’ll cover:

September 25 • Rock My World

The parable of the Good Samaritan — the most famous parable — is more than a nice story. It challenges modern Christian orthodoxy to its core. Luke 10:25-37.

October 2 • Who Gets Into Heaven — According to Jesus

His answer will surprise you, and challenge you to rethink what you’ve always heard. Matthew 21:28-46.

October 9 • When A Woman Talks Back

The institutional church has shown little respect for the spiritual insights and leadership of women. How about Jesus? What was his attitude toward women? Matthew 15:21-28.

October 16 • When Jesus Encountered A Gay Couple

You may have heard a portion of this story in Sunday school, but not the rest of the story. In Sunday school they glossed over a scandalous fact that changes everything. Matthew 8:5-13.

October 23 • Rules, Rules, Rules

For most of us, that’s what religion has always been. The same was true in Jesus’ day, but not for Jesus. He taught a radical new approach that the institutional church has never quite been able to embrace. Mark 2:21-28.

October 30 • What Must I Do To Be Saved?

If it’s not about rules, and it’s not about doctrinal purity, what is the key to “salvation”? Jesus’ answer is very simple and compelling. Matthew 19:16-22.

November 6 • When A Bad Man Prays

Most of us feel pretty inadequate. Spiritually speaking, we know we fall short. For us, Jesus has a message of hope and encouragement. Luke 18:9-14.

November 13 • Love Life!

Authentic religious life is not about renouncing fun and giving up good times. Jesus set the example. He had so much fun, his critics accused him of being “a glutton and a drunkard.” And we are called to be like him. So let’s get the party started! John 2:1-11.

We invite you to join us each Sunday on this exciting journey of discovery. We meet at 9:30 am and 11:00 am. More info:

• About our Worship Services
• Map and Directions

If you miss any of these sermons, you can watch them at LifeJourneyChurch.cc/listen.

Come on out this week for Friday Night Praise! Our theme on October 29 at 7:00 pm will be No Fear.

We’ll welcome musical guest Laura Carmona from Dayton, OH. Laura is passionate in the way she communicates Jesus’ love in song and word. She has been involved in music ministry since she was 14 years old.

We’ll also welcome special guest “Sister Mary Ignatius” from Any Catholic School, USA. This excerpt from Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All looks at some of the things we’ve been taught about God in the past, and how fear has been instilled by the church. How can we live a fearless life when we’re surrounded by it?

We’ll enjoy an evening of great music, and ponder how we can live a fearless life.

For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

Our next TGI Friday Night Praise Service will be July 30 at 7:00 pm! Our first “experiment” was a wonderful success, so we are going to continue this service each quarter.

If you like praise and worship and want more music, this service is for you! We’ll sing a wide range of old and new favorites.

Our worship theme for the evening is Faith Without Borders. We’ll be blessed with a homily from Michael Drain. You may remember him from the Black History Month service as “the Preacher.” He’ll share some insights about faith and how that impacts us as a church that draws from diverse traditions.

We will have some soloists from our church, and one from our local community, Anthony Rodriguez. Our prayer is that God will speak to you through the music and strengthen you on life’s journey!

It’s new! TGIF: Friday Night Praise and Worship gathers for the first time Friday, April 30, at 7:00 pm.

All four praise teams will be there, with your favorite singers from the Music Ministry.

We will be singing some of your favorite songs: How Great Is Our God, Praise Adonai, Use Me, Shout Your Fame and Revelation Song, plus some new songs like You Are Welcome and Expectation. This will be a time to let yourself go in worship of our wonderful Savior and Lord! The service will include a brief homily, but the focus will be on praise and worship through music!

After a brief post-Easter break, the music teams are back on schedule with some great new additions:

• *new* The Soprano and Alto Choir, known as Bella Vocé, will meet from 6:30 to 7:00 pm each Wednesday.
• The entire Sanctuary Choir will gather at 7:00 pm.
• *new* The Tenor and Bass Choir, or Sojourn, will rehearse from 8:30 to 9:00 pm each Wednesday.
• The Instrumental Ensemble resumes rehearsals on Thursday evening, April 22.
• *new* The Heart Menders, a Southern Gospel Choir, will meet next Sunday, April 25, at 4:00 pm in the sanctuary for an informational meeting. This group will perform occasionally, with a schedule to be determined. If you are a fan of Southern Gospel, this is the group for you!

If you’re interested in any type of music ministry, please contact Worship Arts Minister Mark Brown at (317) 722-0000 or mbrown@jesusmcc.org.

If you go to the blog called Never Enough Sundays, you will find a description of our March 21 11:00 am worship service through the eyes of a writer who is traveling to 52 different churches in one year and describing her experiences.

Look for the entry titled Proclaiming the Name of Jesus and Podcast #12: Worshipping with Generosity.

Our Music Ministry will present a concert trilogy:

• A Traitor Among Us, Maundy Thursday, April 1 at 7:00 pm.
  We will chronicle Jesus’ last days from the Passover, to the Garden of Gethsemene, to His arrest.
• Do You Know the King of the Jews? Good Friday, April 2 at 7:00 pm.
  We will stand with Jesus before Pontius Pilate, and follow Him through the streets of Jerusalem to Golgatha’s hill. As He is laid to rest in the tomb, we will ask, Who am I that a king would live and die for?
• Arise, My Love. Easter Sunday Morning, April 4 at 9:30 am and 11:00 am.
  Victory, God calls Jesus back from hell!
• Children’s Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 3.
  Email Melody Merida for more info.

Beginning March 7, our Sunday evening service will move to a more intimate, less formal worship format. In recent years, attendance has migrated from the evening service to the morning services, leaving the evening service too small to sustain a full-scale traditional worship service.

So we’re going to use this as an opportunity to offer a different kind of worship experience. Sunday evening worship will begin at the same time (6:00 pm), meet in the same space (the sanctuary), and still be led by Jeff and Melody. However, we will get to know each other at a deeper level. The service will begin with sharing and prayer. Then we will watch a recording of the Sunday morning sermon together, after which Jeff or Melody will lead a lively discussion of the sermon, challenging us to wrestle with the key concepts.

Some will love this more interactive form of worship, while those who want a more traditional worship format will have the option of shifting to Sunday mornings. These changes will take effect on Sunday, March 7!

Jesus MCC will mark the beginning of Lent with an Ash Wednesday service on February 17 at 6:30 pm. Lent is a 40-day season that begins with Ash Wednesday and concludes at the Great Vigil of Easter. Ash Wednesday is named for the practice of imposing ashes, which many of us have found to be very meaningful.

The service will be a time of reflection and prayer with the imposition of ashes. If you can’t make it to the church you are encouraged to set aside some time for reflection and prayer in your own sacred space.

This is the exciting time of year when the Jesus MCC Gospel Choir kicks off their 2009-2010 season.

We recently sang inspirational songs as part of the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner. The audience was also invited to share their testimony. Several youth and adults from Indiana Youth Group joined us. They and others graciously shared their stories and what they were thankful for. Upon closing, everyone sang Nobody Can Do Me Like Jesus, filling the room with the Spirit.

On Christmas Eve, the Gospel Choir will help bring Christmas cheer as we delight in song along with Deacon Robert Ferguson, who will deliver the sermon. Please join us and partake in a wondrous, God-loving event.

On January 9, we will begin rehearsing for our annual Black History Month Celebration. We invite anyone who is interested in being a part of the gospel choir to join us in this exciting new year! Please contact Mark Brown for more information, or fill out the form in Sunday’s Weekly News.

Our Drama Team, Music Ministries, Dance Team and Kid’s Choir will present a multi-part production that will unfold sequentially on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. Join us on:

• Palm Sunday, April 5, at 9:30 am, 11:00 am, and 6:00 pm, to mark the start of Holy Week.
• Maundy Thursday, April 9, at 7:00 pm or Good Friday, April 10, at 7:00 pm. The production will be the same on Thursday and Friday, so you can come to either service.
• Easter Sunday, April 12, 9:30 am, 11:00 am, and 6:00 pm. Join us as we celebrate together the power of resurrection!

This musical — spread over four days — is about the importance of remembering. Jesus told us to remember Him and His sacrifice. He instituted the sacrament of the Last Supper to be a central part of the Christian faith — a time to gather as His Body and remember. May we never lose the wonder of the Cross.

On Palm Sunday, you will be a part of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. On Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, we’ll be among the disciples receiving communion at the Last Supper and experience the passion of Calvary. (The services are identical on Thursday and Friday nights.) Easter Sunday will be a joyous celebration of resurrection.

Children are also invited to join us for our annual Easter Egg  Hunt on Saturday, April 11 at 10:00 am. We’ll have cool games, prizes and lots of eggs to find!

In the November 16 worship services, we will be dedicating our brand new Votive Candle Altars.

Candles have been an integral part of Christian worship through the ages. One example is found in Revelation 1:12-20, where the passage suggests a separate candle burns in God’s presence for each local Church, serving as a continual “reminder” to God.

Prayer candles build on that notion. When we light a prayer candle — traditionally known as “votive candles” — God sees our candle and is “reminded” of our prayer. The candle becomes a form of continuous silent prayer, expressing our hearts to God.

There are many ways to pray.  Votive candles are not a replacement for other forms of prayer, but they serve as a lovely reinforcement for the prayers we speak to God throughout the week.

Each Sunday when you arrive at Church, you are welcome to light a prayer candle before or after worship service, or during Holy Communion. Your candle will burn until it is consumed.  You are also welcome to light a prayer candle anytime you come to Church during the week. You may light a candle to express thanks or praise or to raise a prayer for yourself or others.  There is no cost for lighting a candle; God’s grace is free.

The altars were designed, constructed, and donated by David Humbert and Kenn King in consultation with our Building Trustees. Our deepest thanks to them!

At our Evening Worship Service, beginning on October 12 and continuing for the next few Sundays, we will be experimenting with a new worship format that is spontaneous, warm, and informal. We’ll begin with a rough sketch for the flow of the worship service, but then adjust as the Spirit leads.

Our worship will include songs, song requests, testimonies, prayer, sharing of prayer requests — all blended in a fashion that closely resembles the worship practices of the earliest Christians.

After we experiment for a couple weeks, we’ll seek feedback from those who participate and decide whether to continue.

If you’d like to be part of this new adventure, join us at 6:00 pm on Sunday evening!