Dear Friends,
I hope this Monday has started off well for you all. I know we all are concerned about the Coronavirus. What we should and shouldn't do. We are taking this very serious, but we also do not want to panic. The Session will be talking about this on Tuesday evening at our regular meeting to discuss this concern. I hope you all will continue to pray for me and all of our leadership as we all try to serve Christ and all of God's people.
I have to say thank you to Mary Ann Rozman for leadership of our work day on March 7th. She had a lot of help with Randy and Jamie, Marie and myself, Craige Ayscough-Clarke, Beth Williams, Grant Chambers, and June and Jim Stoycheff. It was great day to clean up the garden and other areas of our beautiful church grounds. I hope we all have a great week and I look forward to seeing you all in worship this Sunday. Peace, Love, and Grace.
Sermon Recap
The sermon title was "God's Hands and Feet" and the scripture was Acts 2:41-47 and John 6:35. We are called to serve Christ and others. We are called to make a difference whether it is for the masses, or just one person. Let's all serve together.
Pastor's Weekly Email
Dear Friends,
I hope your week has started out well. Yesterday, we had another wonderful day of worship. Our sanctuary was full as was the service. We ordained two people who are serving on our Session. Just a quick history - we are a two-board church. The Corporate Board consists of 9 elected members to represent the church. They are responsible for the buildings, the grounds, and the house across the street. Every member of the church is on the Corporate Board. The Ecclesiastical Board, or Session consists of 12 members to represent the church. They are responsible for worship, all our ministries, and staffing of the church. In worship we ordained John Riser and Bill Harvey to serve on the Session. I am excited about all our leadership and their desire to honor the great history of our past and to pray about God's leading for our future.
After worship Sam Koster, Sammie Koster, Noah Reny, and Justin Buehler ran our 2nd Annual Fishing Tournament and they did an amazing job. It was a great time with great weather and some great catching! : ) A huge thank you to Pier 66 for allowing us to fish out there, Seven Seas Yacht Sales for donating the prizes, and for all the participants and volunteers!
Lent begins this Wednesday. We will have our Pancake Supper at 5:30pm with the disposition of ashes at 6:30pm. I hope every one of us will take this time to pray, be still, and listen as God speaks. I hope we all have a great week and I look forward to seeing you all in worship. Peace, Love, and Grace
Sermon Recap
The sermon title was "You Can Count on It" and the scripture was Psalm 121. God cares and desires to help and God remembers us! God cares and remembers our needs. You can count on it!
Pastor's Weekly Email
Dear Friends,
I hope everyone had a chance to enjoy this weekend and were able to take a moment and relax. It was a rainy Friday and Saturday but Sunday came with a light sprinkle and then the sun broke through! Our worship service was full, encouraging, and uplifting. On a side note, I really appreciate our choir please tell them and Chris Kane how much you appreciate their hard work.
As we are approach Lent which begins February 26th I hope everyone of us will take this time to pray, be still, and listen!! Pray every day and all-through out the day. Be still! Just be still and LISTEN! Listen for God's voice over all the noise in our lives. Please take this Lenten season (February 26th to April 9th) to be open and prayerful. God is still speaking! I hope we all have a great week and I look forward to seeing you all in worship. Peace, Love, and Grace.
Sermon Recap
The sermon title was "Broken, but not Done" and the scripture was Romans 5:1-5. This was a 2 week series
on struggles and why we go through them. Suffering, cancer, death, divorce is not the last word today. The last word on today is Jesus Christ. We all are broken, but we are not done!
Pastor's Weekly Email
Another memorable weekend of ministry at CBTS. On Friday night, the Children's Ministry along with our Church By The Sea School lead our annual Daddy/Daughter Dance! We had over 70 dad's and daughters and we all had a magical time as we had a "Night in Paris"! Thank you to Alex Hermes, Bree Yesil, Marie Reny, and Sara Klassan for leading the charge and creating a beautiful evening. We can't wait until next year.
On Saturday evening we had our annual Spaghetti Gala which has been a fundraiser for many wonderful ministries of this church. This year Shary Patton, who has been leading this event handed it over to the Mission's Ministry and many hands put this evening together. A big thank you to all those who help put this night together and to Bistro Mezzaluna for donating the delicious dinner for the evening. The center piece of the evening was the "Giving Tree". On it were red hearts on a string with opportunities to purchase different needs among the ministries that CBTS supports. We raised over $6000 so far and we look forward to seeing how much we raise over this month.
This is Mission's Month and each Sunday we will highlight a different mission or 2 that our church supports during worship. On February 2nd - we had representatives from Covenant House and Sheridan House! On February 9th - we had Natik and SeaFarers ministry highlighted. On February 16th - it will be Habitat for Humanity, LifeNet4Families, True Gospel Church (where we help with their monthly feeding the homeless), Hope South Florida, and Broward Rescue Mission. On February 23 - it will be NARR (Northern Abaco Relief and Rebuild). We have an exciting month and I look forward to us all growing in the area of service. I hope we all have a great week and I look forward to seeing you all in worship. Peace, Love, and Grace.
Sermon Recap
The sermon title was "Becoming Strong in the Broken Places" and the scripture was Mathew 14:32-41 and Ecclesiastes 9:1-2. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why so much brokenness? There is no easy answer to these tough questions but there is hope! Listen to the sermon online at www.thechurchbythesea.org.
Pastor's Weekly Email
Dear Friends,
What an amazing weekend here at CBTS!! Friday night we had a great time
at the 4th Annual Chili Cook-Off!! Thank you to Jackie Barnett, Connie
Tingle, Mike and Debbie Stokes and the 14 chefs that prepared some delicious
chili!! Congrats to Tamika Greenwood for being voted best chili with her
"North Carolina" Chili. John and Joanne Jurgle finished 2nd and
Connie and Larry Tingle finished 3rd! Thank you again for a great evening
and I can't wait until next year!
Saturday we had over 50 kids and adults for the 4th Annual Children's Ministry
Family Camp-Out! It was a great evening with a bonfire and smore's,
dinner, swimming, and many other wild activities! As the night wore on
the temperature dropped as well, which added to the beauty of the night.
This Sunday begins Mission's Month! Every Sunday of this month we will
highlight various ministries we support and you will have an opportunity to
meet with them during Patio time. This will be a great month and I hope
you all will make an effort to be in worship. I hope we all have a
great week. Peace, Love, and Grace.
Sermon Recap
The sermon title was "Only The Wounded Can Serve" and the scripture was Acts 14:8-20, and 2 Corinthians 12:5-10. Through our brokenness we can serve others!! Christ served and loved us through His broken body and through Him we can be whole!
Pastor's Weekly Email
Dear Friends,
I hope you had a great last week and weekend! I can tell you for sure we
did at CBTS!! Randy and Jamie's wedding and reception was one for the ages!
They looked so happy and all of those who attended felt the same
happiness. It was just a great day in our church life. There are
many people who helped make this day special for them, but a special thank you
to Peter and Cheri for cooking a delicious meal for over 120 people. We
all wish them a great week in Savannah, GA!
I want to introduce you all to the nominees for the Session and our Corporate
Board for the next term. For a one-year term - Connie Tingle (she is
fulfilling Carol Wesley's term who moved away). For a 3year term the
nominees are John Riser, Bill Harvey, Shary Patton and Cheryl Lovell has agreed
to serve another term. The nominees for Corporate Board are Marilyn
Conroy, Sherwin Kiesshauer, and Debbie Stokes! I am excited these men and
women have decided to use their gifts on our leadership team.
I also wanted to remind you of some great things coming up. On January 24th, we
have our annual Chili Cook-Off in Eden Hall. We need a few more chefs, so
please sign up at church, the APP, church website, or call the church
office! It is always a great time. On January 26th, is
our Annual Meeting immediately after worship. I hope all our membership
can attend this meeting. I hope we all have a great week and I look
forward to seeing you all in worship this Sunday. Peace, Love, and Grace.
Sermon Recap
The sermon title was "Off the Map" and
the scripture was Philippians 3:7-16. All of us have a plan, but
sometimes God calls us to veer off our pre-designed plans and go "off the
map". Forget the past, strain toward what is ahead, and don't forget
the simple thing of trusting Jesus! He promises to walk with us forever
and always.
Pastor's Weekly Email
Dear Friends,
Happy 2020! Christmas is over and now it is a rush to get down all your
decorations. It seems like "rushing" is all we do for the past
month. I hope you are able to slow down a little and catch your breath. It was
an amazing weekend in regards to the weather - it was in the 80's on Saturday,
then when we woke up on Sunday it was in the 50's! It was a great day to
be in church with everyone bundled up like we were having a deep freeze!
You have to love winter in South Florida. It was also another beautiful
day of worship and it seemed like God was saying to us - here we go, let's get
to work on loving and caring for the community and world through my
Spirit. I am excited about 2020 - I am excited about what God will do
with us and through us. Let's commit ourselves to prayer and being God's
hands!!
I hope we all have a great week and I look forward to seeing you all in
worship this Sunday. Peace, Love, and Grace.
Sermon Recap
The sermon title was "Are you making aliving, or making a life?" and the scripture was Genesis 12:1-4 and Acts9:36-42. We live where it is all about "getting" and not somuch "giving". Getting gets you living, but it might not makefor a life! Giving does that. Let us all try to focus on givinginstead of getting.
Pastor's Weekly Email
Dear Friends,
It has been a crazy week here in Fort Lauderdale. Well, actually, in the Rio Vista neighborhood. A main sewage line broke and it is a mess!! Raw sewage is pouring into the canals as I type. Our city officials are working around the clock to fix this major issue. Please keep them the neighborhood in your prayers.
This past Sunday was another great day of worship. I love the spirit of our congregation and how God moves in our lives. This coming Sunday Habitat For Humanity is dedicating the house that the Rosemary Duffy Trust sponsored on behalf of the church. Well, after worship we collected an offering as the people exited to help the family with a Publix card, Home Depot, whatever and over $1200 was given. The family will be so grateful.
I wanted to update you all on what was raised at the Christmas Gala on December 7th. We raised over $60,000 for our Corporate Board. Thank you again for all those who were able to attend and those who supported it with their time, talents, and financial resources. It was great evening!
I hope we all have a great week and I look forward to seeing you all in worship this Sunday. Peace, Love, and Grace.
Sermon Recap
The sermon title was "The Best Face of Christmas" and the scripture was Psalm 80:1-7 and Revelation 22:1-5. We all love to see the faces at Christmas time. Faces of children, family and friends, all different kinds of faces but I wonder if we want to see the real face of Christmas - the face of God! God sent us Jesus so that we can know what love is all about.
Pastor's Weekly Email
Dear Friends,
This past weekend was our annual Christmas Gala which was held at Lago Mar Beach Club~ It was an amazing time with about 125 in attendance! I will report to you all how much we made for our Corporate Board when Randy is able to get those totals, but for sure it was a great time. A huge thank you to Connie Tingle and her committee for putting this all together; Teresa Cook for all the decorations and love spent on making the room be memorable. Ray and Susie Williams for spending countless hours wrapping all the auction and raffle items. Richard and Rose Alexander for acquiring a large number of auction and raffle items and to all those who gave items and baskets - THANK YOU!! Another big thank you goes to Rosemary Duffy Larson Trust for being our event sponsor. This event would not have been possible, if not for you all - the members and friends of Church By The Sea. Thank you!!
I hope we all have a great week and I look forward to seeing you all in worship this Sunday. Peace, Love, and Grace.
Sermon Recap
The sermon title was "Some of God's Greatest Gifts are Unanswered Prayers" and the scripture was Daniel 3:1, 4-6, 16-18 and Hebrews 11:23-40. We all pray for what we think we want and thankfully God does not give what we want, God gives us what we need!
NATIK Etsy Page
We'd like to remind you that you can buy holiday items from two of our partners:
Hand woven and embroidered tapestries
by the artisans of Mujeres Sembrando la Vida in Chiapas Mexico.
MSV is certified as a Fair Trade Organization.
Beaded holiday and tree ornaments
by the artisans of Asociación del Nuevo Amanecer, Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala.
The sale of these ornaments will buy school supplies for children.
Purchase items here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/NatikEsperanza
Source: Purchase Here: ...
Pastor's Weekly Email
Dear Friends,
Thanksgiving has come and I hope you all had a blessed one however you spent it. This past Sunday was the beginning of the Advent season. Advent on the 4th Sunday before Christmas. This is a time for all of us to prepare ourselves, our hearts and minds, for the coming of the Christ Child. As we all have busy lives; I hope each one of you will take time to pray. Take time to listen and take time to be still this Advent season. God is calling all of us to His side, so we can be a blessing to those around us and those far away. Let us all prepare!
I hope we all have a great week and I look forward to seeing you all in worship this Sunday. Peace, Love, and Grace.
***The Christmas Gala is this Saturday evening at Lago Mar Beach Club! We are close to capacity, so if you are interested please sign up asap. Purchase tickets here: https://event-24337-1.pushpayevents.com/