Ember Outdoors

This summer we're doing something fun at Ember. Rather than meet at the church building and continue services as normal, we're going to meet outside, in our backyard, and have church around a campfire. Some of the same elements will be there, but many won't. I won't be preaching. Instead, I (and others) will be leading discussions on some of the topics we've covered this past year. We'll also eat a meal together, which I hope will be a true expression of the Lord's Supper in our own context. (It's actually supposed to be something closer to a full meal than a nibble of bread and a shot of grape juice.) We'll sing songs around the fire, and just generally have a great time hanging out.

We'll meet from 5-7pm at our house. If you need directions, send me an email at andy@emberchurch.org. It's open to everybody, and should be a really low key way to get to know some of the amazing folks at Ember.

Ember Tuesday

Yesterday was a crazy day at work as we welcomed in the Governor of Ohio and the Mayor of Columbus. I also played in our first company softball game of the year. All that to say that I didn't have time to blog about church this past week.

It was another great service. I was telling Garth, afterward, that it seems like we're just beginning to hit our stride--just in time to transition into Ember Outdoors, where we'll be focusing on community-building and living out the things we've been talking about lately.

Speaking of which, Sunday night's sermon was one of my favorites. It was one I've preached several times before, but never at Ember, although the themes from the sermon undergirded all that we've done in the past year. 1 John 4:7-21 was the text, and the sermon was called Agape.

This is a message that you really ought to listen to. It's been formative for a number of people, not least of all myself. I don't say this very often about my sermons, but this is one you've got to hear.

We had a sweet time of responsive worship, both before and after the sermon. My amazing wife Breena did a great job with her songs. I love watching her worship, coming more and more into her own as a singer.

In a couple of weeks we move from the sanctuary to the firepit. What an appropriate place for Ember Church to meet! I'm really looking forward to building our community in a nontraditional way. We'll have more information on this coming soon.