Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

What a beautiful morning it is here in Fort Lauderdale. This past Sunday was the 3rd Sunday of Advent and as the Most family re-lit the candles of hope and peace; Zachary read as his family lit the candle of joy! The candle of joy challenges us to experience the joy of the Lord. We are also called to share the joy of Lord to others. Please pray this week to share some of God's joy with those around you.

I know this is a busy season, but please take the time to be still and know that He is God. It is so vital to your health physically and spiritually. The bible calls the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, for a reason. His job is to draw us to God's side and be embraced. Ask God for that and create some time to receive it. Have a blessed rest of the week and I look forward to seeing you all this Sunday in worship.

Sermon Recap

The sermon title was "What is Better." The scripture was Luke 10:38-42. Martha usually gets a bad rap, but she is doing what she knows and has been raised to do, but Jesus does not call her out. He only challenges her to think and ease up on the worry. He asks her to look at her sister Mary and choose that. I hope all of us will not look at this passage as negative, but one of encouraging everyone to not miss out on something that God is saying. Let's focus on Jesus and Him being crucified.

Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

The 2nd Sunday of Advent was yesterday and it was special. The candles of hope and then peace were lit and both of those were felt all throughout our service. This is a special time in the life of our church as we wait for Christ's coming.

Our weekend began on Friday night where we had our Christmas Gala at the Fort Lauderdale Yacht Club. The Gala is our main fundraiser for our Corporate Board and it was a huge success. We sold 144 tickets and we haven't counted all that was received but I will let you know ASAP. Thank you to Edd Helms, Ray and Susie Williams, and all the Corporate Board for making this time memorable. Another thank you to Alex and Crystal Cabrera, and Teresa Cook. We had many hands in making this evening successful so thank you to all who were able to participate and/or donate to CBTS. We are family.

Have a blessed rest of the week and I look forward to seeing you all this Sunday in worship.

Sermon Recap

The sermon title was "Fully Alive." The scripture was Matthew 18:1-4 and John 10:10. Unless you change and become like this child". This is a challenge Jesus gives to u - to be filled with love, joy, wonder like a child not just during Advent but all of our lives.

Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving whether you were with family, friends, or just by yourself. I hope you all were able to take some time to thank God for all the blessings of life even the ones that come via difficulties and hard times. God promises to "never leave us nor forsake us". This past Sunday we had a fantastic day of worship. A big thank you to Brian Checchio, who is our new part-time Discipleship Pastor. He shared a wonderful message with us on Sunday morning.

As we have begun Advent, I want to encourage you all to take some time to pray and ask God for guidance as you move through this Advent season. Let us all prepare our hearts for the coming Christ Child. Last Sunday, we had Advent devotionals in the back of the church. If you have not received one please stop by and pick it up.

Have a blessed rest of the week and I look forward to seeing you all this Sunday in worship.

Sermon Recap

The sermon title was "Spiritual Vegans." The scripture was Psalm 34:8-10. Are you substituting spiritually for the real thing...Jesus Christ? It is easy to do. Examine your heart and life and see if there is something else in the rightful place that Jesus should be in.

Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

Happy Thanksgiving week! As we get ready for this Thursday, I want to share about what happened last Sunday. It was simply amazing. We had a worship service that was alive with God's presence and wonderful attendance. Our choir were small in number but mighty in song. We are so blessed to have Christopher Kane and our choir. For those who have an "inkling" to sing, I want to encourage you to give our choir family a try. Our amazing Sunday continued with a traditional Thanksgiving luncheon in Eden Hall. Chef Peter and Cheri Evans-Schmidt (the dynamic duo of the culinary arts) made the most delicious turkey dinner. Thank you so much Chef Peter and Cheri. Another huge thank you goes to Tamika Greenwood and Martita Mestey who transformed our Eden Hall into a beautiful dining experience. The conversations, the love that filled each table, and a wonderful meal all made for a memorable day. Thank you as well to all those who helped to make this day...special.

I hope your week has begun with the understanding of God's amazing grace and as you approach Thanksgiving that you take the time to be intentional about counting all your blessings. I look forward to seeing you all this Sunday in worship.

Sermon Recap

The sermon title was "Back Door Growth." The scriptures were John 1:43-46 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. When we think of blessings, we think of good things like peaceful waters and mountain-top views - the blessings that are obvious. However, there are also great blessings that come to us through difficult experiences. These often come through the "back door" and teach and transform us so much as well. God can use all things for His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

Well, Tortuga has come and gone! What a weekend it was down here with country hats and some wild apparel, or the lack there of all around. Our youth ministry led the parking charge for the weekend and did an excellent job. Teresa did a great job along with John Riser, Craige Ayscough-Clarke and the youth. The youth ministry raised over $6,700 to help with their budget. It was great seeing them take charge and lead the parking this weekend. The Audacy Beach Festival (formally Ripe Tide) is on December 4th and 5th and our children's ministry is leading this one. We have met some amazing people who keep coming back to us year after year. A Parking Lot ministry! : )

It is so great to see our attendance keep rising. We had over 180 in worship and watching live online! These are interesting times that we live in. We are not out of the woods by any means, but God is faithful. God is still in control. Let's all live that out. Let's all give our hearts to Him and love those we come in contact with...every day!!

As far as our Stewardship goes we are about 35% of our goal of $600,000! Which is not bad when you take that we generally we take in 35% - 45% in loose offerings. Loose offerings is money donated just in the plate, or that comes in the mail that isn't already pledged by that person. Please keep praying about what you can give to the work and mission of The Church By The Sea. Everyone is needed for us to do His work. Amen and Amen.

I hope you have a breath-takingly, amazing week! I look forward to seeing you all this week, or on Sunday in worship.

Sermon Recap

The sermon title was "Something There Doesn't Love a Wall that Wants It Down" and the scriptures were Acts 8:4-6, 26-39 and Ephesians 2:13-19. Why do we continue to build walls that separate us from God and always each other. Jesus came to tear down these walls not build them up, or make them stronger!

Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

The weather this past weekend was just amazing. I love the cooler temperatures even if it is only for like 3 hours in the morning. : ) This past Saturday we had our postponed "Trunk of Treat - Candy Giveaway". We had about 10 trunks decorated, a super slow hayride around the parking lot, burgers and dogs a-grillin, and over 80 people enjoying their night. A huge thank you to Jackie Barnett, Jessica Gill, Marie Reny, Andrew Stowe, Craige-Asycough Clark, and Noah Reny for all their hard work in putting this together. It was an extraordinary evening of fun and great times.

As we conclude our stewardship sermon series; I want to thank all those who have pledged at this point. As of this past Sunday we are at 20% of our needed budget of 600k. It is a great start and pledges are coming in each day. We are hoping for 90% participation from the congregation. If you haven't yet, please pray about what you can give financially to the work and mission of The Church By The Sea.

If you are receiving this email just to hear what is going on with us and have your own church home, then I want to encourage you to support that church. This request is for those who call CBTS home. God is doing a good thing here. Let's all be a part of it. 2 Corinthians 9:7 - Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

I hope you have an amazing week of God revealing Himself to you in the most unexpected and life-changing ways. I look forward to seeing you all this week or on Sunday in worship.

Sermon Recap

The sermon title was "God's Choosing" and the scriptures were Amos 2:6-7, 5:18-24 and Romans 13:8. God chooses as God chooses - our job is to say yes! Help us, Lord, to not put You in a box, or make you after our own image, but to worship You as the Alpha and the Omega!

Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

This truly was a week and weekend to remember. It began on the previous Saturday, October 23rd with about 25 members of CBTS meeting at Sheridan House for a volunteer training session to serve at their fundraiser called "The Goliath Gauntlet" (check the event out on YouTube) which was to happen on October 30th. Then our Men's Club with Bruce Barclay and Craige Asycough-Clarke leading the charge, had about 14 volunteers beginning Thursday - Sunday to open our parking lot for Boat Show parking. These volunteers braved the heat and the incredible amount of people looking to park their cars and be shuttled over to the Show. I was so impressed with their leadership and being amazing witnesses for Christ. They offered free bottled water, great conversation, and allowed 100's of people to get a little picture of who CBTS is. Thank you to all those who helped with this event. The Boat Show netted just over $20,000!

On Saturday, the Goliath Gauntlet volunteers showed up at 6:15am to start out morning. We had amazing time cheering on over 1500 runners, making sure those doing the obstacles were safe, passing out water, helping those who were needing some extra attention, and being examples of Christ's love in action. At 12:30pm those who wanted too were able to run the course. We had about 8 takers to run the course and it was exhausting and amazing at the same time. Overall, I was so proud of CBTS and the way we roll up our sleeves and serve. Let's keep doing more and more as we are His hands and feet.

I hope by now those who call CBTS home has received our stewardship letter and pledge card. We are praying to have a 90% participation rate which is high but I believe we can do it. Our budget goal for 2022 is $600,000 and I am asking each of you to be still, pray, and ask God how you can best support financially, the work and mission of this church. Everyone of us is important. Everyone of us is called take care of our church home. Please pray about what that may be and return the card or call or email the office and speak with Randy about your pledge. You can email Randy at Admin@thechurchbythesea.org with your pledge. Together, we will continue to serve Christ in our church, community, and world. 2 Corinthians 9:7 - Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

I hope you have an amazing week of God revealing Himself to you in the most unexpected and life-changing ways. I look forward to seeing you all this week or on Sunday in worship.

Sermon Recap

Sermon Recap:
The sermon title was "Saints" and the scriptures were Joshua 2:1-7 and Hebrews 11:30-31. What is a saint? Someone who is perfect? No, a saint, according to the Bible, is someone God calls to do something extraordinary for Him. If Rahab became a saint - so can you! Check out the sermon on our YouTube channel...The Church By The Sea.

Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

Happy rainy Monday from Church By The Sea! We had another amazing day of worship yesterday. A big highlight was recognizing Christopher Kane, our organist and Director of Music. He is in his 30th year of service at CBTS. Cheri Evans-Schmidt presented a plaque that will go on our organ and I presented a beautiful clock for him to take home. I am so proud to work alongside Chris Kane! He is a man of integrity, love, faithful service and grace! Patio time was in his honor as well and our choir did a wonderful job. Congrats Chris...We love you!!

Last Sunday was also the beginning of our stewardship series! I am asking everyone who calls this church home, member or not, to pledge something. God has given us the greatest privilege of taking care of this great church. Each one of us has a responsibility for its ministry and upkeep. What we feel God is calling us to support is a budget of $600,000 to meet the needs of our church, surrounding community, and world. This budget is for all the ministries, staffing, and unexpected ways to give back. Our goal is to have 90% participation from this family of faith. You will be receiving in the mail our stewardship letter and pledge card from our Clerk of Session, Bill Harvey. We will also have the same letter and information available electronically. Please pray for what you can give to the work of ministry to the church.
2 Corinthians 9:7 - Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Sermon Recap

The sermon title was "A Moment of Grace". These are times when God makes Himself known through an event, a friend, reading His Word, just about anything where you are touched in your soul. The question isn't have we had moments of grace, but how we respond to them. Let us all give - let us all share the gifts God has given to us and let us be His hands and feet.

Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

What a breath of fresh air worship was yesterday at Church By The Sea! We had wonderful attendance with people of all ages especially, the young kids, our choir led us beautifully, and the presence of Christ permeated the sanctuary and chapel. The title of the sermon was "Encourage" and that is what I felt and many of you shared that with me as you left as well. Let's be encouragers!!

This is the time of year when many of our members and regular guests fly back South for the winter. I love this time of year and also very excited to have them back with us. If you are reading this up North somewhere - your Fort Lauderdale church family is ready for you to be with us.

I hope you all have a great week and I look forward to seeing you all this Sunday in worship! Please invite a friend, or two to join us for worship.

***WE ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF DECORATED TRUNKS FOR THIS SATURDAY! If you can help please contact me...Trunk or Treat - October 23, 5pm-7pm in church parking lot
Deck out your car and join our annual Trunk or Treat celebration! The parking lot will be packed with trunks where families walk between the cars and experience the excitement that each trunk has to offer.
Be sure to sign up to enter your family's trunk in the event for FREE. It's always nice to either bring extra hands, or partner with another family, so someone is always available to work your trunk while you go out and explore with your kids.
The children's ministry will be hosting a cook-out, so dinner will be available. Burger or Dog, chips and a drink for $5.

Sign up to enter your trunk here:
https://event-43240-68c4.pushpayevents.com/booking/attendees/new

We'd love for you to join us next Sunday, October 24th on the patio after Worship to wish Christopher Kane, a Happy Anniversary for being our Choir Director and Church Organist for 30 years.

Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

If you were in worship, or watching on our YouTube channel you could hear and see a big disruption that began about 10 minutes into my sermon. We had a woman on the front row who could not stop talking to herself that grew in volume. I had to step away from the pulpit and try to have her quiet down a bit, or to step outside, so further discussion could happen. She wanted neither. Thankfully, we have a Fort Lauderdale police officer every Sunday morning for reasons/concerns just like this. Eventually, she did walk out on her own accord. Definitely, there were people in the congregation who were moved to tears about what happened and everyone was asking for God's guidance on how to make this woman feel less threatened.

I would like to thank Pastor Marcos, Dr. Ziemer, Cheri Evans-Schmidt, Vince Connor, Chris Kane, and all the church family as were ready to help in any way needed! Friends, like I said after I walked back up to pulpit...we are family. We are all in this boat of life together and mental illness is as real as cancer and any other disease. Together we walk - together as family of faith we share - together as Christ's hands and feet we love!

I am committed to loving as best as I can, as Jesus Christ commands. We are in a critical time in our world and in our church and God's GRACE is needed more than ever! As a family let us all pray. Pray for wisdom, guidance, grace, service, and love. Please reply to this email with an I WILL PRAY!

I hope you all have a great week and I look forward to seeing you all this Sunday in worship!

Sermon Recap

Sermon Recap:
The sermon title was "Have You Updated Your Faith" and the scripture was John 6:25-35 and Revelation 2:2-4. We all have phones that need updating to help it run smoothly. Our faith needs updating - we need to have a daily growing relationship with God. I suggested 2 ways...worship regularly and nurture our faith. Daily reading of the scriptures is one of the best ways. I encourage you to read the Gospel of Mark, read 2-3 chapters a day and then send an email, or text about anything that is amazing, or you might have questions about. I do not have all the answers, but I would love to walk with you through it.

Trunk or Treat/Monster Mash, October 23, 5pm-7pm in church parking lot
Deck out your car and join our annual Trunk or Treat celebration! The parking lot will be packed with trunks where families walk between the cars and experience the excitement that each trunk has to offer.
Be sure to sign up to enter your family's trunk in the event for FREE. It's always nice to either bring extra hands, or a partner with another family, so someone is always available to work your trunk while you go out and explore with your kids.
The children's ministry will be hosting a cook-out, so dinner will be available. Burger or Dog, chips and a drink for $5.

Sign up to enter your trunk here:
https://event-43240-68c4.pushpayevents.com/booking/attendees/new