Preparations are under way for this Sunday’s Flip Event at King’s Thrift. (Click the Sticker on the left side of this page). The Brieaddy’s are ready to put us to work, and we are so excited to help. Mark your calendars for Sunday, July 5 at 11am.

This year’s Vacation Bible School concludes this evening with a hot dog supper and closing large group meeting. Last night’s “you can get wet” water slide was a blast! We want to thank everyone who helped and all the children who participated for being such willing servants. It’s been great!

Sunday’s services are planned, and as we come together for our gathered worship, we want to remind you that this Sunday we celebrate the Lord’s Supper and we have an after-worship picnic at Fourth of July Park’s Picnic Shelter #2. Bring a picnic lunch and lawnchairs, tennis rackets, basketballs, skateboards–and enjoy hanging out and playing outside.

Preparations continue as we are gearing up for this summer’s VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL.

Movin’ Straight Ahead will be June 22-26. You can print off the volunteer form and the registration form via the links.

We hope you’ll join us as we celebrate God’s power, his kindness, and deliverance.

There’s lots going on this Summer, and I want to bring you up to date on a couple of fronts.

Firstly, THIS SUNDAY (June 7) marks the beginning of our Summer Flip Schedule. We will meet for worship from 9:30-11:00 am, and at various times throughout the summer, we’ll be have familial (church family events), missional (out reach events), and social (hang-out together and with new friends) events. Check the bulletin and our church website for upcoming events. Regarding our 9:30 am start time, I want to strongly encourage you to arrive by 9:15. It’s important that we be here when newcomers arrive. You wouldn’t want anyone you had invited to your house when you were unprepared to meet them, or worse not even there. Our dress in the summer is more casual, too–so please make the effort to be here on time.

Secondly, May marks the time of year in which officers rotate on and off the Session and Diaconate to and from their sabbaticals. I happy to welcome back Joe Dell’Arena and Matt Lievens and to thank Jim Plybon, Wynn Baum, and Karl Freeman for their had work and service as they head into a season of rest. Please be in prayer for these men and their families as they make the transition.

Thirdly, Nancy Jewell has agreed to serve as the volunteer coordinator for GPC as we partner with Family Promise of Forsyth County. It is likely that our first family will be staying with us the week of September 6-12. Prior to this week we will need a host of volunteers who are willing to help set up and take down, prepare meals, spend the night, provide tutoring for children, and prepare the building for inspection. Please let Nancy Jewell know how you can help. This is a GPC all-hands-on-deck ministry. I trust God will use us and our resources to be a blessing to those families seeking a way out of homelessness.

Fourthly, we have some new faces around. In particular, Michael Kuehn (Keen) and Brent Wilson. You may have seen both on the worship team over the past month, and they are helping as volunteer interns in various aspects of ministry. Brent will be leading a HS study on C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce which will meet Sunday nights at the Baum’s home beginning June 12, and Michael will be doing various other tasks for and within the church. Please welcome these men, and thank God for our opportunity to help train the next generation as God raises up workers for his harvest.

Lastly, Vacation Bible School is coming up at the end of this month (June 22-26) This too, is an “all hands on deck” event. We will have more children and adults from outside our congregation in this building than any time other than a Grace House event. We cannot miss the opportunity to welcome outsiders, make new friends, and share the love of Christ with our neighbors. Please let Carla know how you can help.

There are a number of exciting things on the horizon at GPC: Worship, Cookout, Summer Flip, Grand Openings…. It works gratitude in our hearts when we see the fruit of God’s providence combined with our prayers.

Firstly, this Sunday is GIDEON SUNDAY. Our good friend, Claude Williams, will be representing Gideons International and will be sharing with us how the Lord continues to use the Gideons in their distribution of God’s Word and how we can help. We will receive donations for Bible placement during a special offering during our worship service this Sunday.

Secondly, we will host our annual SPRING CHURCH COOKOUT this coming Wednesday evening, May 20 from 6-7:30 pm. Join us for an evening of fun, food, and fellowship. Families with last names ending A-L please bring a side. Families with names ending M-Z please bring a dessert. Oh, and friends and Frisbee and football….

Thirdly, KING’S THRIFT will be hosting their GRAND OPENING PARTY from 3-6 pm on May 23; there will be two bands playing (Joe Next Door and Baco), and hot dogs and chips and drinks will be available (from 4-5:30) at no charge. Tim is looking for volunteers to help serve and bring side dishes, etc. Also, Tim is always in need of donated goods to stock the store and volunteers to help.

Fourthly, planning for the SUMMER FLIP is underway. Beginning June 7 and continuing through August 16, our Sunday morning worship time will be from 9:30 am til 11:00 am. Following our worship service, we will have events which will be either: social - to which you could invite friends and neighbors, missional - to reach out and serve our community, and familial - something which we will all do together as a church family. This is a great opportunity to shake and freshen things up, to reconnect with one another, and to recommit to reaching Kernersville. If you are willing to help plan the Sunday morning activities, please see Randy or call the church office, 993-1305.

Fifthly, we are well into our planning and preparation of this summer’s VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL. Movin’ Straight Ahead will be June 22-26. You can print off the volunteer form and the registration form via the links.

And lastly, you can view this Sunday’s worship bulletin here.

There are a number of things which are moving forward about which we’d like to keep you informed.

A new small group is beginning this Thursday evening as a part of the twentiesgpc ministry. If you are a young, grad, career married or single in your twenties, we’d love to have you join us. Please talk with Randy if you’re interested in participating. Since Randy is old enough to be twenty several times, he says the group isn’t just for those in their twenties.

Planning and recruiting for GPC’s vacation Bible school, “Movin’ Straight Ahead” is well underway. The dates for the VBS are: June 22-26. We need teachers, assistants, recreation leaders, and craft helpers. Oh, and of course, participants. This ministry is an “all hands on deck” event, and we need your help to share with our community the greatness of the salvation we have in Jesus Christ. If you would like to help, please contact Carla Collins at the church office.

The Community Garden which has now has a name: Glory Garden is moving forward. In the next couple of weeks we will be turning and preparing the soil. Our goal for this year is to have good dirt. Though we may be planting a few plants, we will be targetting next spring as the target for creating plots and developing the garden itself. If you would like to be a part of the community garden team, please contact Kathryn Sloan.

Lots going on this weekend GPC-er’s. We’re looking forward to celebrating the Lord’s Supper together on Sunday, and I want to encourage you to prepare your hearts to receive the sacrament.  The order of worship is copied here.

Tonight is Family Promise of Forsyth County’s CARDBOARD BOX CITY. GPC youth and adults have been collecting pledges and now it’s time to anti-up by sleeping in a cardboard box. We’ll be joined by one of GPC’s worship team who will be providing music at the event tonight. We’re looking forward to it and would like to thank everyone for their support.

This Sunday after worship, the Mission’s Committee will be hosting a SPAGHETTI DINNER immediately following the worship service. Donations will help support the Cherokee Mission Trip. Suggested donation $5 per adult, $3 per youth age 4 and up, $20 family plan. Additional donations are appreciated.

Some of the GPC men will be at the Men’s Retreat this weekend, but if you didn’t go, you’re not left out. MEN’S BREAKFAST is next Saturday, May 2 from 8-9am in the fellowship hall, and KINKLINGS (aka Kernersville Inklings) meets on May 4 at the home of Don Bechtold. See Don for details.

It’s posted on the calendar, but we want to remind you just the same, that a  CONGREGATIONAL MEETING is scheduled for May 31st following the worship service for the purpose of electing officers who are rotating back into office from their sabbaticals.

The most significant of the announcements this week is that we are considering flipping out this summer. What we’re calling THE SUMMER FLIP is a potential change in our summer schedule. Before we finalize and make plans, we need to know your concerns or whether there are serious disadvantages. Beginning June 7 and continuing to August 16, GPC’s worship service would be from 9:30-11:00am each Sunday. At 11, we would have events planned which would be either: social - to which you could invite friends and neighbors, missional-to reach out and serve our community, and familial-something which we can all do together as a church family. This is a great opportunity to freshen things up, to reconnect with one another, and to recommit to reaching Kernersville. If you have any input, the Session needs to know by Friday, May 1st.

The church’s Sunday Worship Bulletin is here if you’d like to download it.

Also, at 2:30pm Sunday afternoon, Forsyth Jail and Prison Ministries will be holding their annual volunteer training at Galilee Missionary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem. If you’re curious about assisting GPC’s jail ministry team join us.

Daylight Savings Time seems to be paying dividends this week. I hope you’re enjoying the lovely weather.

As we make the turn into the Summer, our Sunday preaching will focus on matters of the Christian life. Beginning April 19, we’ll begin an eight week study on stewardship. I gather than when most hear the word “stewardship” their thoughts immediatly turn to money and giving. Though money is something which God places under our stewardship, it’s not the only thing. We begin Sunday by looking at Matthew 25:14-30 and Jesus’ Parable of the Talents.

After the Easter Sunday service, I’ve been asked to follow up and further to clarify what the resurrection age is. It’s a very good question which I’ll attempt to clarify at Twentystone. Also, others have asked about a summer reading lists. I’ve been working on my own list which I’ll post later, but in the meantime, I’ve posted links over at Twentystone to other summer reading lists that you can take a look at.

Lastly, the Men’s “Stick Together” is scheduled for April 24-26 at the Blue Ridge Assembly. Registration Cards must be turned in by April 22nd. Registration Cards are on the foyer table, please make your check out to “Redeemer Presbyterian”.

This morning the children will be hunting for Easter Eggs at 10:30 am, and as we do that we’ll begin the turn of leaning into the joy, surprise, and glory of Resurrection Sunday. You can view the Order of Worship in preparation for tomorrow.

A lot of disparaging talk is made of Easter as a pagan ceremony commandeered by Christians. Granted, may philosophies and religions speak of  an afterlife. That our existence did not end at our physical death, was really nothing new, almost every people group has a belief in the afterlife. What makes Christians different, is that Jesus Christ’s resurrection points to the hope of a life after ‘life after life’. The Lordship of Jesus Christ, as validated by his physical resurrection from the dead, vindicates his sacrifice on the cross, and as Paul echoes the prophets, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” The same is true for culture. Jesus’ resurrection swallows up all of the old stories. We have hints of the truth of new creation in many legends and traditions, but they were always recognized as just that: legends and traditions. But in Christianity and particularly in Jesus Christ, we have the legend that is true.

There really was and is a Great King who came to his kingdom like one of his subjects and after living a life that his subjects should’ve lived and dying in their place, He won their deliverance from judgment and condemnation and despair and death. And today he reigns and calls all to the deliverance that only he can provide, because on that first day of the week two millenia ago, he awoke.