Dear Church Family,

This past Sunday was a remarkable one.

Celebration Sunday and our First Big Give gave us the opportunity to be amazed by what God has already begun through Pathways toward the future. As you can see from the photos below, as we shared the initial commitments together with joy and exaltation (and some streamers raining across the aisles), we gave a shout of praise and thanks, remembering that everything we bring ultimately comes from the Lord (1 Chronicles 29:16). Thank you for your faith, your generosity, and your willingness to take that first step.

Easter is right around the corner on Sunday, April 5, and it’s one of the most important opportunities we have all year to invite others into the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You can find service times and locations below, and take a look at cityrise.org/easter for other Easter-season happenings at CityRise!

And now, Easter is just around the corner!

All this month, we’ve been studying “The Power of the Cross” and how the story of Easter begins in Genesis, carries through to Christ’s resurrection, and how the empty tomb gives us the hope we need today, two-thousand years later.

And as we look forward to Holy Week with Palm Sunday this weekend, we have several meaningful ways to gather. You can find them all at cityrise.org/easter, but here’s a quick guide:

• Palm Sunday Picnics at West U Baptist (11A & 12P) and Bellaire (12P)

• Maundy Thursday service at West U Baptist

• A Good Friday evening service at Missouri City Español

• Easter Egg Hunts on Saturday, April 4 (one at Evelyn’s Park in Bellaire and one at Missouri City)

• Easter Sunday services at
  • Bellaire: 8A, 9:30A, & 11A
  • Missouri City: 9:30A
  • Missouri City Espanol: 11:00A
  • West U Baptist: 8A, 9:30A, & 11A
  • Chinese (at 6104 Auden): 11A

Through these events and services, Easter is one of the most significant open doors we have all year to share the message of the cross. Many people we know are more open to attending than we realize! All they need is someone to reach out. I hope you’ll begin praying now about who God might place on your heart to invite.

To make that simple, we’ve created an easy way for you to send an invitation by text through your phone’s messaging app. It only takes a few seconds, and it could make an eternal difference. On your phone, visit cityrise.org/textinvite, and you’ll find a button that will automatically fill in a text message for you! All you have to do is fill in the phone number and any personalization you like.

Let’s continue taking steps into the next century through Pathways and into eternity through the gospel this Easter.

We’ll see you on Palm Sunday, Church Family!

 
Expecting Greater,
Pastor Roger

P.S. Happy Opening Day in Houston! Let’s go ‘Stros!