Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

I hope you all are having a great beginning to your week. Worship on Sunday was once again...Christ honoring. I really appreciate all those who make worship happen and also I love watching God do His thing as we gather in His Name.

This past Saturday evening we had our annual Chili Cook-Off.  A huge thank you to Jackie Barnett, Andrew Stowe, and Mike and Sarah Heller for organizing this wonderful evening. We also had music played by Bill Holzinger. Susan Holzinger was our pourer of the beverages and did a great job...as usual! We had 15 chefs bring their favorite recipe and over 80 people attend. Our 2nd place finisher was Noah Reny and first place...drum roll...was Harry Rozelle and Larry Yturralde (by the way, they came dressed as red peppers which gave them the advantage). 

On Sunday, we installed and ordained our last year's class of elders as well as this years. Elders are our servant-leaders who are elected by the congregation in our annual meeting in January. Our Session is made up of 12 members who pray and make decisions in regards to our worship, ministries, missions, staffing, and overall ministerial care of our church. Our current Session is...Bill Harvey (our Clerk of Session), Debbie Von Behren, John Riser, Lisa Malcolm, Shary Patton, Rosanna Durruthy, Cheryl Lovell, Jamie Starr, Alex Cabrera, Marcia Lee, Chad Zalman, and Dr. Jennifer Vogler! Please keep them, our Corporate Board (Beth Angela-Welker, Michael Higgs, Marilyn Conroy, Cheri Evans-Schmidt, Harry Rozelle, Harold Lovell, Rhett Wadsworth, Cathie Banta, and David Finneran), staff, and all our volunteers in your prayers, as we all listen to God's calling. 

Our response to the Ukrainian crisis! Last Tuesday, our Session voted to financially support Samaritan's Purse. Samaritan's Purse is doing some wonderful things in and around Ukraine. We will take a special love offering this Sunday in worship. You may also donate online through our APP, or just by calling the church. Please look at their website to see first-hand what they are doing...http://www.samaritanspurse.org/.   

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

Sermon Recap

The title of the sermon was "The Green Monster" and the scriptures were Matthew 20:1-16 and Philippians 4:10-13. Envy! It is something we all deal with. Envy robs us of joy! God desires us to be content in plenty and in want! Don't let the Green Monster get a hold of your heart!

Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

What another wonderful morning of worship we had on Sunday! It was such a treat to watch our "Worship Dance Team" who practiced so hard, perform for us. If you child wants to be a part of this please contact Marie in our Children's Ministry. We have some tremendous things happening here at CBTS and I would like to highlight just a few:
          - Tonight (March 7th) - Theology on Tap - 6pm at the Quarterdeck off Cordova. Come a complimentary beverage and appetizers and even better conversation.
          - For the next two Sunday's (March 14 and 21), Pastor Brian is leading a study on how to share your faith at 8:30am and at 11:15am in Eden Hall. These are the same so pick the best time for you.
          -Soup, Salad, and Study - Wednesday nights at 6:00pm. Come join during this Lenten season for a video study by Max Lucado. Meal cost $5! 
          - Chili Cook Off - March 12th- 5pm-7pm. Live music, beer and wine, and some delicious chili will be available. If you are interested in entering the cookoff please contact Jackie Barnett at Jackie_barnett@rocketmail.com.

A big thank you needs to go out to all who helped paint the Mayan Dr. fence on Feb. 27th! It looks beautiful. 

Our session is meeting on March 8th and we will discuss ways in which our church family support the people of Ukraine - please be in prayer!  
 

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

Sermon Recap

The title of the sermon was "Peter Pan Christians" and the scriptures were Ezekiel 36:22-27 and Colossians 1:24-28, 2:6-7. God desires us to all grow up - don't stay connected to God like you were in 6th but grow up. Spend time with God, pray, get involved - Don't be like Peter Pan.

Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

What an amazing weekend we had here at church. On Friday night, we hosted Harbordale Elementary's Family Social in Eden Hall and they had a wonderful time. On Saturday night, we had our "Night in Italy". This was our annual mission's fundraiser. A huge thank you Debbie Von Behren, Marcia Short, Nancy Mauro, Beth and Jim Hand, the Mission Committee, Chef Ryan and Sous Chef Noah, Bill and Susan Holzinger, Teresa Cook, and the youth and children's ministries for serving and being committed to helping however they could! As you can see this was a huge team effort and thank you to all those who were able to attend and those who contributed to the fundraiser! I will report all that was raised asap. On Sunday, we had a wonderful morning of worship with Rick Webber, the Executive Director of Sheridan House, giving us an inspiring message on loving one another. After worship about 15 of us painted the white fence that borders Mayan Drive. It was a great time. I would like to say thank you to everyone for continuing the long tradition of CBTS being a place of service and sharing God's amazing grace. 

I hope you all have a great week and with all our busyness lets not forget to pray. Prayer is such a powerful tool for personal growth as well as change around the world.


PRAY FOR UKRAINE!!!!! 


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

Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

Happy Monday to you all. I hope you all are having a great start to your week. It is a beautiful day in Fort Lauderdale. In worship yesterday we had another great and moving service. Thank you God for allowing us to hear, experience, and see you in our worship. I hope if you haven't watched our worship yet that you will this week. Thank you Dr. Ziemer for assisting in worship - you always are a wonderful example of God's love.

Please don't forget about our "Night in Italy" fundraiser on this Saturday, February 26th from 6pm-8pm! This is a wonderful evening with delicious food, beverages, great times with friends of old and meeting new ones, and opportunities to help sponsor all the different missions on the Giving Tree! Please sign up here: https://night-in-italy-spaghetti-dinner-church-by-the-sea.pushpayevents.com/

This past Sunday, we had 4 people join us and I look forward to introducing them to you all. Linda Cooke, Bronwyn Bekker, Liesl Noel, Andre Acevedo. Please welcome them when you see them in worship.

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

Sermon Recap

The title of the sermon was "The 3 P's of God" and the scriptures were Acts 1:1-8 and 19:1-6. God is one God but has revealed Himself in 3 persons...God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God the Spirit is God living inside of us and that Spirit gives us 3 P's...God's Presence, God's Power, and God's Purpose!

Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

What a wonderful morning of worship we had yesterday even though it rained "cats and dogs" all morning! There was such a spirit of God's love all-around us in church and with those online. A thank you goes to Dr. Richard Ziemer for leading our children's time. He is a wonderful pastor and teacher. I hope this week is one that encourages you and challenges you to grow closer to Him.

This Sunday you will hear from our mission champions about NATIK and Seafarer's ministry. These are wonderful ministries we support that reach outside our borders. I look forward to hearing from them.

Please don't forget about our "Night in Italy" fundraiser on February 26th from 6pm-8pm! This is a wonderful evening with delicious food, beverages, great times with friends of old and meeting new ones, and opportunities to help sponsor all the different missions on the Giving Tree! Please sign up here: https://night-in-italy-spaghetti-dinner-church-by-the-sea.pushpayevents.com/

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

Sermon Recap

The title of the sermon was "Home", and the scriptures were Philippians 1:2-11 and Hebrews 11:13-16. God has given each of us an intense desire to have a home. A place to lay our head and also a place to worship. It so important to have a church home - a place "where the less than perfect are more than welcome".

Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

The first Sunday of February kicked off our "Mission's Month" here at Church. Mission month is all about letting you know each of the missions we support financially every quarter. 10% of everything given on Sunday mornings goes to our mission partners. This past Sunday we highlighted Habitat for Humanity. I look forward to you all hearing about each one this month.
Here is the month in review:
February 13th - Hope South Florida, Broward Rescue, LifeNet4Families, and True Gospel.
February 20th - Natik and Seafarers
February 27th - Sheridan House and Covenant House

Please don't forget about our "Night in Italy" fundraiser on February 26th from 6pm-8pm! This is a wonderful evening with delicious food, beverages, great times with friends of old and meeting new ones, and opportunities to help sponsor all the different missions on the Giving Tree! Please sign up here: https://night-in-italy-spaghetti-dinner-church-by-the-sea.pushpayevents.com/

Lunch and Learn after worship was fantastic. We had a great time finding out some of the gifts God has blessed us with and I look forward to watching God grow us by all of us using our gifts together. Thank you to all who made this event a breath of fresh air!

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

Sermon Recap

The title of the sermon was "God's Game Plan", and the scripture was I John 3:16-18. God has given each one of us gifts. Gifts to be used together so that we all can accomplish God's game plan by serving together to help this world see Jesus Christ as Lord.

Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

What a great morning of worship we had yesterday. Our sanctuary was full, the children were excited and full of energy, and God's spirit moved all throughout the morning. If you weren't able to be in worship, I hope you will watch it on our YouTube channel this week. A big thank you to Debbie Von Behren for sharing her testimony in worship as well. It is difficult to share something that is so personal, but she did it with grace.

After worship we had our first 3 Hour Parenting Tour and lunch with Brian and Marie in the Green Room. Any interested parent(s) please sign up on the APP or call the church office for more information. Also, the Children's Ministry started a worship dance practice after worship at the same time with Miss Marie Poppinz. You can also sign up for that on our APP.

We had our Annual Congregational meeting after worship. The Corporate Board met as well and elected Beth Welker as Corporate Board President and Michael Higgs as Vice President of the Corporate Board.

This Sunday we are having "Bring a Friend" day in worship. I want to encourage everyone to invite someone. Sometimes all it takes is to be asked, so pray about who you might want to ask and then just do it, ask.

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

Sermon Recap

The title of the sermon was "Wrapped Up in Love", and the scripture was Philippians 4-13, Ezekiel 37:1-6, and John 3:16. God desires for us all to know His Son, Jesus Christ and to love Him with all our heart. God also desires us to be encouragers, to be people who share this Good News and people who do their best to whatever they do in love.

Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

I hope your Monday has started off well and you had already made some time to be still and listen. Goodness, have we had some beautiful weather down here these past few days? We had an amazing event here on January 7th at the manse. Our Children's ministry put on a "Tips and Tricks" parenting happy hour. We had over 50 people at the house with all the kids at the church for childcare. A huge thank you to Marie Reny and Brian Checchio for organizing this special evening. Some other thank you's go to Martita Mestey and Scarlett for creating a charcuterie board that was spectacular and Bill and Susan Holzinger for playing piano and serving as the bartender. Also, Craige, Judy, Maria, and some of our youth who watched the kids while the parents had a great time. There are some upcoming ministries to be involved in, so be looking to put those on your calendars soon.

Every Sunday this month we will be discussing 1 or 2 of the 7 pillars our Session adopted for us as a church. This past week, I spoke about connecting and discipling. In these next 3 Sunday's you will hear about welcoming, worshipping, serving, giving, and sharing. These pillars are what we want to be intentional about and for all of us to be encouraged, to personally carry out in the life of our church and the world.

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

Sermon Recap

The sermon title was "One Thing...A Connected Life". The scripture was Philippians 3:7-14 and Jeremiah 29:11-13. We are created to connect with people. We are created to connect with God Almighty. Let's make this year a year of connection with God, His Son Jesus Christ, and our neighbors.

Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

I hope you all had a great week and a safe New Year's Eve. I always find it interesting when we conclude the current year. A phrase that a lot of us say as we approach January 1st is, "Wow, I can't believe it is...2022". I mean just yesterday it was 1982 and I was thinking about whether to play college soccer, or should I go to a big university. It was just yesterday that I moved to South Florida (1997), and it was just yesterday (2013) that I became the pastor here at CBTS. Time really does fly. What are those yesterdays for you? Think about them and thank God for all of them whether they brought highs or lows.

In worship yesterday, I spoke about "Holding On" - not how we hold to God, but how He holds on to us. God promises to never, ever let us go. That is a promise we can stake our lives on - that HE NEVER LETS US GO! Let's all trust Him. Let's all walk in His love and in His light.

I am excited about this month of worship. We will explore the 7 pillars that form the basis of who we are. Each Sunday you will hear about 1-2 pillars and be challenged to explore how you can live them out in your world. Please pray for God to bless and lead us so that we can be a blessing.

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

Pastor's Weekly Email

Dear Friends,

What a wonderful "day" of worship. It began with worship and worship we did. It seemed God was moving in and around us all morning as we sang, as we prayed, during our children's time just all throughout worship. Immediately after worship, Sydney Clark (6th grader at St. Marks) played guitar during Patio Time. Some of us were in the foyer of Eden Hall to honor long time member Dale Lee. Dale served this church with honor and love, and we placed a picture of him on the wall that has become the wall of faith! That afternoon about 100 of us met at church to go Christmas caroling. As we golf carted or walked to the Everglades House, we sang carols. When we arrived, they blew the horn to alert the residents, and many came out to their balconies to join in the fun. A huge thank you to Vince Connor for leading our singing. More thank you's to Kathy and Bill Tergerson for walking and escorting us in the Everglades House, Brenda and John Adair and John and Joanne Jurgle for organizing our food and bartending, all the chili makers, Judy Jagusztyn and Marie Reny for getting our house in order, and to all of you that were able to participate. It was an amazing evening. Even Santa showed up in a late 1960's(ish) Cadillac. It was completely decked out with lights and Santa sang to us from the street! See my Facebook page for a video of the evening and Santa.

Have a blessed rest of the week and I look forward to seeing you all Christmas Eve at either the 5pm or 10pm service.

A word from Brian:
In the midst of all the gift-giving, family time, caroling, and decorations, I trust you are finding time to reflect on the many blessings God has poured out this past year. His grace is sufficient, and His love is unconditional and overwhelming! Christmas reminds us in a unique and powerful way that God has saved us and will always be with us! Personally, I am so thankful to be a part of the Church by the Sea and to come alongside Chris as the Discipleship Pastor. I look forward to leading discipleship opportunities in months ahead and growing in faith as we walk life together. Blessings!

Sermon Recap

The sermon title was "Done in Love". The scripture was Matthew 6:19-24, 20:25-28 and 1 Corinthians 16:14. Everything we do should be done in love - EVERYTHING! It is difficult but God can give us the strength to do "all things". This Christmas let us do things for love.