John Markum

Church Values

This past Saturday, we talked about the Values that define our church culture that we want to cultivate on Saturday nights. This is not a doctrinal statement. We already have that. This is more for the purpose of describing what kind of church we want to be.

  • We are for People Far from God. Jesus left 99 to find that 1 that was lost. We are intentionally disproportionate toward outreach.
  • We Speak Life. We would rather be known by what we are for, rather than by what we’re against.
  • Found People, Find People. We embody the mission of God to our world, not just on the weekends.
  • We Lead the way in Generosity. We can’t out-give God, but that doesn’t stop us from trying.
  • Faith is an Action. We were saved to serve, not saved to sit.
  • We Belong to a Family. We are each a part of a whole.
  • Nothing worthwhile is Ever Easy/Nothing is Hard for God. We live in audacious faith and trust God to do the impossible.

Most of these statements are already a part of our language, it just feels like it’s time to unite behind these Values together. Expect to see and hear these often. God is working in His church!

Blessings,

John

Re:Church

Edgewood is very excited to bring a new event beginning on the weekend of September 17-18. In all 3 of our adult services (as well as Elevate, our youth service on Sun. 10:45am) we are bringing the focus back on church. A lot of people get out of church for many reasons:

  • Had a bad experience.
  • Got busy.
  • Got bored.
  • Got hurt…

And there are so many distractions, pressures, and priorities pulling us in every direction. Over and over in the Bible, we see God with this habit of not throwing things away. He recycles, restores, and rebuilds. This fall, it’s time to rediscover the God who has never once given up on you. Join us, and return to a church that wants to help you reconnect with God.

We’re believing God to do powerful things in many, many peoples lives this fall. If you haven’t been in church for awhile, we want to welcome you back for another look. We believe you’ll be surprised by what you find. If you are already in church, then this is a great opportunity to bring a friend with you. People reach people.

Begin praying now, and inviting others to experience God at Edgewood for Re:Church!

Blessings,

John

The Awakening turns 2!

This week, two years ago, Edgewood launched it’s first ever Saturday night worship service, “The Awakening.” We had a ton of ideas and dreams, and the opportunity to add a new worship experience to one of the most exciting churches in the Quad Cities. The leadership of Edgewood stood beside us and gave us the chance to begin something that few other churches are willing to take the risk on.

As a result, we have seen God move in incredible ways. We’ve experienced growth in numbers of people coming to Christ, getting baptized, families joining us, and we’re just getting started. The vision to see people far from God awakened with life in Christ beats strong in our hearts and we commit ourselves again to reaching people in the Quad Cities with the Gospel.

Two years have been amazing! Year three… you’ll just have to stick around and see what God does (although I suspect there are some soon-to-be-released posts that will give some hints)!

Join us at Edgewood this Saturday night, 6 pm, for our two year celebration.

To find out more about our Saturday night service, visit our website at www.qcawakening.com

Blessings,

John

The phrase no pain, no gain has been a mantra for athletes and fitness junkies for years. And what they understand about physical pain needs to be broadened to a much more general use in all of our lives. Pain hurts. That's the whole problem. No one enjoys it, and if someone does, we rightfully

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