Thy Kingdom Come

If you've been reading my blog, e-mails, and letters, or if you've spoken with me recently on the phone or in person, you know Ascension Presbyterian Church officially made its public launch this past Sunday. Those of us involved can certainly give praise to God for His kingdom work in Queens.

Several new faces changed the complexion of the worship service as well as a few well-wishers. Our attendance nearly doubled from our previous worship services and it was great to see so many first-time visitors.

We also rolled out our new signs and banners (something that is critical when you rent a worship facility). We were fortunate to find a sign place that was local and could produce high-quality signage for us. Many people commented on how beautiful the signs are and how much they like our church logo.

For many years, people have been praying for a Gospel-driven church in Forest Hills. Redeemer Presbyterian Church, our parent church, has long had a vision for planting churches throughout the city under the conviction that the best way to reach the city for Christ is through a network of local churches rather than as a large mega-church. Ascension is an example of this vision playing out.

Since it was Palm Sunday, we sought to supply everyone with palms. Most churches have the simple stalk that the kids often transform into little crosses. Ascension had full palm branches. A woman in our church picked them up and Michael and I were most excited to see full palm branches used not only as part of our Palm Sunday service, but as part of our public launch.

We were also excited to announce our planned move to the public school auditorium as I mentioned in last week's entry. Michael announced it three times during the service just to make certain that everyone present was made aware of it. You should have seen his face. He could barely contain his excitement at telling everyone that we were going to be in a bigger and better location and having a 10:30 am worship service instead of a 4:00 pm one. Everyone was very encouraged by the launch service, especially with this announcement made. God is doing a wonderful and exciting work here in central Queens.

This week, we will be renting the library again for a Good Friday service. We are expecting it to be more of an intimate setting with a dinner, scripture, the Lord's Supper, and some music.

Saturday, one of the women in our church (as I also mentioned last week) is also hosting a Messianic Passover Seder. The timing of Easter and Passover this year presents a unique opportunity for us to connect the Old and New Testaments in this way. Since we believe that the Gospel is on every page of Scripture, the calendar worked in our favor and we are excited at this most timely outreach opportunity.

Please keep Ascension Church in your prayers both in thanksgiving for what he has done and in supplication for what he will do as we seek His guidance in all things.