Haircuts For Kids

Beginning 13 years ago Celebration Community Church began asking the haircutters that were a part of our congregation to donate their time in order to give free haircuts for kids.  That tradition continues as we partner with the folks at Hays Academy of Hair Design to offer free haircuts for kids from pre-school age through the 5^th grade. 

Last year 139 kids got free haircuts from twenty five Hays Academy Hair Design students and staff. Appointments are suggested by calling 625-5483 though walk-ins are welcome. DeLynn Rice the church’s Children’s Director says, “Parents are always so appreciative because families can save up to $50 on haircuts getting their kids ready to go back to school. The haircuts run concurrently with KID-fest, a carnival like afood and fun festival in the parking LOT OF HAYS Academy of Hair design.   

WE STILL NEED SOME FOLKS to help with the carnival games. We need 7 more volunteers to run games at 9-11 and 12 more for games from 11-1. If you would like to volunteer to help please contact C3’s Children’s Director DeLynn Rice at delynn@celebratejesus.org or call 785- 625-5483. 

Invite all of the families you know to come experience KID-Fest this Saturday from 9am-1pm. Go Fish Sunday morning programming features  singing praise songs with a live band, multimedia teaching along with small group Bible lessons by caring volunteers. For more information call 625-5483 or visit C3 at www.celebratejesus.org

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle 

KID-Fest is Coming this Saturday

Yesterday we learned from Patricia Verbal, a children’s ministry consultant and founder of ‘Ministry to Today’s Child’ that the key to reaching kids outside the church, is to be effectively ministering to those who are already inside our churches. She says, “If you do your in-reach really well, the out-reach will come,“ 

Making the most of this opportunity to share the love of Jesus with this most valuable and impressionable age group is a priority at Celebration Community Church. Two weeks ago during our Vacation Bible School 175 kids experienced a fun filled week of study, song, games and snacks provided by a volunteer team of over 60 C3 members who seemed to enjoy the experience just as much as the kids did. 

This Saturday in preparing for children going back to school, Celebration Community Church will host our 13^th Annual KID-fest from 9am until 1pm in the parking lot of Hays Academy of Hair Design at 1214 E. 27^th 

Every year KID-fest is a fun packed day of carnival games with prizes, inflatable amusements, cotton candy, popcorn, a balloon animal making clown, face painting and give-a-ways galore. There will be hot dogs, buns and ice cream thanks to Sara Lee Fresh Bakery and Freddy’s Frozen Custard and it’s all for FREE!  Over 50 church volunteers make the event the success that it is.

WE STILL NEED SOME FOLKS to help with games for part of the day. 

If you would like to volunteer to help please contact C3’s Children’s Director DeLynn Rice at delynn@celebratejesus.org or call 785- 625-5483

Invite all of the families you know to come experience KID-Fest this Saturday from 9am-1pm

Tomorrow in this blog I will tell you how you can get your kid’s hair cut for FREE.

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

Hays Victory Christian Academy Open House TONIGHT

Of the estimated 160 million professing Christians in America today, 70 percent of them  accepted Christ during their childhood years. And according to the Barna Research Group, eight out of every 10 of these kids who become Christians make their decision to follow Christ before age 14. These are encouraging statistics for churches with active children and youth ministries and sobering for those without. When you consider these realities, the role of children’s ministry, which can so often be pushed to a church’s back burner, suddenly takes on new significance.
“The key to reaching kids outside the church, is to be effectively ministering to those who are already inside our churches” says Patricia Verbal, a children’s ministry consultant and founder of Ministry to Today’s Child.

This is why we as a church invest so much time and resources on things like Vacation Bible School, our upcoming KID FEST and why Celebration Community Church houses Victory Christian Academy. Victory Christian Academy provides an educational program for Pre-School through the 3^rd grade  that honors God by focusing on spiritual growth and academic excellence. As the board of VCA will often say, “If we don't teach our children to follow Christ, the world will teach them not to”

TONIGHT Monday,August 11th at 6:00 is an Open House/Parent Orientation. Come meet the teachers, visit the classrooms, and see what God is doing at VCA! For more information you can e-mail them at info@haysvca.com or call 785-639-6303

Your pastor and partner in ministry  

Kyle

It’s time again for C3’s 11th Annual Community Mission Auction.

Last year we raised over $50,000 in one night with all of the money going to local, national and international charities.
Would you like to be a part of our 2014 Mission Auction Team?
Our inaugural team meeting will be at Celebration Community Church TONIGHT Monday August 11th, at 6:00pm in the Worship Center.  

Pursuing Your Purpose with Passion- part 5

This week we have been looking at the three things the Bible tells us we are to be passionate about. We are to be passionate about God, passionate about Christ’s church and passionate about reaching the lost. This is what Jesus meant when he said, ““You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last” John 15:16

The fruit Jesus is referring to  is our relationships with those who are as yet outside the church. God loves them too and wants them to come to know him. And one of the joys and privileges to be his followers are to represent him. . We are called to be his everyday ambassadors and that’s a big deal. 

If the President of the US were to ask you to be his ambassador to a foreign country, that would be a big deal. Being Christ’s ambassador is an even bigger deal. The King of the Universe has asked you and me to represent him as his ambassador.  Like the first century disciples Christ has sent us out to take the initiative and make friends and influence people on his behalf. People are LOST without Christ. People are headed to hell if they aren’t surrendered to God’s will for their lives. And because God loves them he sends us out to bring them in. So how are we to do this? 

Look at 1 Peter 3:15-16 “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” Everyone one of us is called to live our lives  with a passion for God, a passion for the Church and a passion for the lost.

It all starts with our being passionate about our relationship with Christ. Love God and others with all heart, soul, mind, and strength. We love because He first loved us.

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

Prayer Requests:

A lightning strike destroyed Carl Junction Methodist Church, where our youth stay each year when they going on Spring Break mission trips.   This is the second time the church has been destroyed by a natural disaster. A tornado struck Carl Junction in 2003, leaving congregation members without a permanent facility for two years. Pastor Bill Kenagy says they will still hold church services this Sunday at the Carl Junction Schools' Stark Performing Arts Center Auditorium at 10am.  Please pray for their recovery and if you would like to make a contribution to their rebuilding fund make your checks payable to C3 with Carl Junction in the memo line. 

Be sure to pick up your KID-FEST Yard sign this Sunday at church, place it in your yard this week and then return it after KID-FEST. Thank you!

Pursuing Your Purpose with Passion- part 4

This week we are looking at the three things God tells us we are to be passionate about when he says
“Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart and with  ALL your soul and with ALL your mind and with  ALL your strength.  [And]Love your neighbor as yourself.  Mark 12:30
Yesterday we say that we are to be passionate about God because of what He has done for us. Today we will look at being passionate about your church. 

How do you feel about church? Are you passionate about your church? Just tonight Sarah Eiden one of our youth leaders just back from High School camp shared with me that most every kid at camp told her how much they loved that their church was so welcoming and nonjudgmental. Last weekend Worship Arts Director Taylor Trickle attended two Mega-Churches in North AND South Carolina. As much as he appreciated the awesomeness of their facilities and the functionality of their formats he and his wife Makayla couldn’t wait to get home because they love and missed the people in their church.

Just last week Todd Brown of Brown Church Development Group shared with an assessment of our church’s health.  He was so impressed with all that we do and how we do it.  But what was most evident to him was how much our people love their church. How proud I was to hear a report that clearly indicated that we are a church body that notably has a passion for God and a passion for their church family.

Are you passionate about your church?  When we begin to experience God’s passion for us we naturally seek out and want to be with others who have the same experience. If you see the church as an organization or an institution or even as a building you will never be passionate about it. But if you see the church as what it really is, a family, then you will look forward with enthusiasm to getting together to worship with them and serve with them and fellowship with those who are your brothers and sisters in Christ.  

Tomorrow we will conclude this series by looking at the third thing we are to be passionate about. Any guesses on what Jesus says it is?

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

  

Pursuing Your Purpose with Passion- part 3

God wants you to live a purposeful passionate life.  In Mark 12 He tells us what those two things are.  Hear the passion Jesus shared as He shared this verse.

 “Love the Lord your God with all   your heart and with all   your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  [And]Love your neighbor as yourself.  There’s no greater commandment than these.”  Mark 12:30-31  

Can you hear and feel the passion in this verse? Jesus says there are only really two things that matter in life.  Love God and love other people. And do it with ALL you have in you.  That’s what matters most.  He said you don’t love people and God in a half hearted way.  He said, love and you do it passionately – with ALL your heart, with ALL your soul, with ALL your mind, with ALL your strength. 

The Bible uses this phrase “with all your heart”  a lot.    

When you look at the people who’ve made the greatest impact, they were not necessarily the smartest people, the wealthiest people, the best-educated people or the most beautiful people.  They were people of passion.  Passionate people are world changers.  Think of Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Billy Graham,  Apostle Paul,  King David – passionate men and women who said, “There’s a burning in me that really matters.  

If you’re going to make a difference in your world, in your family, in your community, for God’s kingdom you’re going to have to be passionate. 

Are you passionate about your relationship with God? 

When we understand how passionate God feels about us, cares about us, loves us, we can’t help but to love him in return, spontaneously, obediently, joyfully and passionately. 

Have you experienced His passion for you? He loves you so much that he sent Jesus to die on the cross in your place for all the wrong things you have done, so that you would not have to. He loves us that much. How are you going to respond to that? 

“Whatever you do, work at it with ALL your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters”  Colossians 3:23

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

Pursuing your purpose with passion part 2

The motivation behind all great art, music, literature and the driving force behind all great drama and all great architecture is passion.  Passion is what makes things great.  Passion is what drives scientists to find new cures to dreaded disease.  Passion is what equips athletes to break records. Passion is what sustains you in reaching your goals as you go through life.  Nothing great is done without passion.  Without passion in your life, your life is dull, drab, boring.  In America, we are passionate about a lot of things. We are passionate about sports we play, the movies we watch, the   We are passionate about movies we watch, the clothes we wear.  When I looked on Amazon to find all of the books that had the word “passion” in the title I found hundreds upon hundreds.    

The amazing thing in our culture is that it is ok, even appropriate, for you to be passionate about just about anything as long as it’s not God.

You can go to any sporting event and yell and scream your head off, jump up and down, raise your hands while doing the wave. You are allowed to cry when you lose and when you win you can dance around and people would say, “ Now that is a real fan!”  But if you told people you acted like that at church came to church people would call you a fanatic. 

Why is it appropriate to get excited, demonstratively enthusiastic, have a passion for anything in life but when it comes to faith we are expected to be reserved. I’ll admit I am not one to whoop and holler in worship but I am VERY PASSIONATE about my faith.   When we talk about Jesus’ death on the cross that is called Christ’s passion.  Whenever they do a re-enactment of the crucifixion , they call it a Passion Play. Mel Gibson’s 2004 movie about the crucifixion was called “The Passion of the Christ”.   Jesus was most passionate about his purpose which was to seek and to save the lost. Jesus says if you want to see how passionate I am about fulfilling my purpose just look at me upon the cross taking on the sins of the world.  Jesus passionately pursued  his purpose and he wants us to do the same.

Tomorrow and throughout this week we will look at what the Bible says we are to pursue passionately.   

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle

Prayer Request: 

Tre Walker, who spoke at our C3 services last Sunday told me yesterday that the church his father is the pastor of in Ottawa Kansas caught fire and sustained tremendous damage on Monday morning. The cause of the fire was due to faulty electricity. The Rev. Armogen Walker said at the scene “ I guess God’s got a better plan. We’ll be fine. We’ll rebuild our church.” Please pray for the Walker family and the church family of Bethany Chapel Baptist Church.  If you would like to make a donation to help in the rebuilding, make your check out to C3 and memo them Bethany Rebuild Fund”-PK

C3’s Alicia Hunter is needing a babysitter for a two year old boy on Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 7:15am to 2:15pm. If you are interested  please email alicia@celebratejesus.org or call 785-342-3682.