This Sunday is our Summer Relaunch Service.  We are going to start doing baptisms at every Relaunch Service starting this Sunday.  I can’t wait for Sunday.  Baptizing people is one of my favorite things to do, because of what it means and signifies.  We would like to see everyone at Relevant who should be baptized, get baptized this Sunday.   However, a lot of people have asked me what baptism means, and if they should be baptized.  In order to help answer those questions, below is a quick synopsis of what Relevant believes about baptism.  Some of your questions may also be answered in the sermon I gave on baptism on 11/15/2009, which can be found on the podcast.  If after reading over this and listening to that sermon, you feel like it is time for you to “take the plunge” :), sign up on the website by Friday.  If you have any questions, or would like to talk more about baptism, please feel free to call or email.  We would love to help you work through everything.  Finally, to get an idea of what a baptism looks like at Relevant, I have included a picture from our last baptism service from November.  As you can see…it isn’t that scary :)! 

Pastor Ronnie

What Relevant Believes about Baptism

What does baptism mean?

·        Baptism does not make you a Christian: Baptism publicly illustrates what took place in a person’s heart when they became a follower of Christ  

·        Baptism illustrates a follower of Christ uniting with Jesus’ death and burial: Baptism is a symbolic water grave that illustrates the death and burial of a person’s old, sinful life when they become a follow of Christ by putting their faith in Jesus (1 Cor. 15:3-4)

·        Baptism illustrates a follower of Christ uniting with Jesus’ resurrection and new life: Every person who puts their faith in Jesus goes from spiritual death to spiritual life.  For Christ followers, baptism is a symbolic resurrection to a new Christ-centered life free from the slavery of sin (1 Cor. 15:3-4, Rom. 6:4)

When is a good time to get baptized?

·        When you become a Follower of Christ:  As soon as you have put your faith in Jesus by asking him to be the forgiver of your sins and leader of your life, you can and should be baptized.  There is no reason to delay!  If you’re waiting until you’re perfect, you’ll never be ready. (Acts 8:36-38)

Why get baptized?

·        To publicly declare a new association to follow Jesus – someone other than whom you have been following before: The act of baptism is as an outward expression of an inward decision

·        It connects and binds us to the community of faith: Baptism is not just an individual experience.  When a person is baptized into Christ, they are joined with his body (the Church).  (Rom. 12:13)

·        To follow Jesus’ example (Mark 1:9)

·         Jesus commanded it (Matt. 28:19-20)

How does Relevant do Baptism?

·        Baptism by immersion: Others hold varying thoughts and traditions related to baptism, but from where Relevant stands, the metaphor of immersion is both dramatic and significant.  Through baptism we are drenched in God, enveloped in God’s presence, and brought from death to life.  The water grave is a perfect expression of this reality

·        Infant Baptism: Some denominations choose to baptize infants.  While we recognize the right of other churches to practice infant baptism, we understand Scripture to teach that only professing followers of Christ qualify for baptism.  Baptism does not make you a Christian, rather it shows you believe.  At Relevant, we practice the dedication of infants, rather than the baptism of infants. 

Yesterday was our official launch of weekly services, and it was GREAT!  We had just over 140 people.  The energy was pumping.  You could tell that people were excited to see what was going to be “relevant” about this church.  To make a really long story short, the God moved in people’s hearts to draw them closer to Jesus.  14 people indicated that they were taking a next step on their spiritual journey toward living a transformed life for Jesus, and 2 people indicated that they surrendered their life to Jesus for the first time through faith by asking for His forgiveness and leadership.  You know what that means…TRANSFORMATION.  People were spiritually transformed, and that is ALL that matters. 

We not longer have to wait four weeks for another services…we only have to wait six days.  I can’t wait to see everyone next week as we continue “The Remedy for a Religious Life” series. 

The official launch of Relevant Community Church has arrived.  After conducting five services over the past five months, we are ready for the launch of weekly services THIS SUNDAY @ 10am, at Indian Creek Golf Course (202nd and Maple).  We will be launching with a series entitled, “The Remedy for a Religious Life.”  Throughout this series we will discover how the Christian life was meant to be an adventure, but many of us have not experienced it that way, because religion has gotten in the way.  

We invite you to join us as we launch Relevant.  Hopefully you will experience Christianity, Jesus, and church in way you never have before.  See you on Sunday! 

Our official launch of weekly services is almost here…September 13th!!!  In preparation for this huge day less than two weeks away, we are trying to let as many people in our community know about Relevant.  One of the ways we are doing that is through the use of a billboard.  If you are driving south on 204th through Elkhorn you will see this billboard on your left.  Don’t forget…Sunday, September 13th @ 10am.  See you there.  Bring all your friends!

Yesturday at our final monthly service I told everyone that the website was going to be completely revised in preparation for our official launch on September 13th.  With the new website revisions, you will be able to sign up to become a Team Player (volunteer), sign up for small groups, and sign up for upcoming events. 

We thought the the new revisions to the website would launch by this morning, but had a couple of set backs.  Therefore, you can expect the revisions to be launched by Wednesday morning.  Hopefully, you will take advantage of everything you can do on the website…especially to sign up to become a Team Player this month. 

Our final worship service yesterday was powerful, and I can’t wait to launch weekly services on September 13th!!!

Pastor Ronnie

That’s right.  THIS SUNDAY is the final monthly service before we launch weekly services on September 13th.  It has been an amazing journey the past four months.  God has been blessing us, and we are achieving our vision of the launch period to build a critical mass so that we have momentum that leads us toward our mission in the future. 

We want as many people as possible in our community to know about Relevant.  In order to help make that happen, you will be able to pick up a Relevant yard sign that promotes the launch of weekly services on September 13th at the worship service this Sunday.  Grab as many as you would like.  Put them in your yard…around town…everywhere!!!  Also, starting September 1st and running through December, Relevant will have a billboard on 204th street in Elkhorn. 

We can’t wait to see you this Sunday at our final monthly service.  It is going to rock!!!

Our forth monthly service yesterday was awesome.  It was amazing to see God starting to transform some people’s hearts for the first time, and continue to transform others.

For the past few months we have been searching for a location where we would do our weekly Sunday Worship Services from once we officially launched on September 13th.  It has been awesome doing our monthly services from Indian Creek Golf Course, but we did not know if we could work out doing our weekly services from their.  GREAT NEWS!  Just last week we came to an agreement with Indian Creek that we are definitely going to conduct our weekly services there from September through December (at least).

We don’t know everything that God has for us in the future.  We don’t know how long we will be at Indian Creek.  We don’t know if He has a perminant location for us.  We don’t know what Relevant looks like in a year from now.  You know what?  We don’t care.  We are concerned with one thing at Relevant…spiritually transforming people who transform their cultures.  We are concerned with Jesus transforming people to BE the church in our city, instead of soaking all of our money into a building and trying to build the biggest church in the city.   God will continue to provide the perfect place for us in the future where we can accomplish our mission the best.

I am excited about what is ahead.  Make sure to join us for our final monthly worship service on August 16th @ 10am. 

Pastor Ronnie

This Sunday - July 19th - will be our fourth of five monthly worship services, before we launch weekly worship services on September 13th.  The last three months have been awesome, and I can’t wait to see what happens this Sunday. 

We will be continuing the “How to Discover God’s Will” series.  This Sunday we will unpack “The Truth About Your Desires.”  Basically, the main question I will pose (and what I challenge you to think about before Sunday) is, “can you discover God’s will by looking at your desires?”  God says in Psalms that He wants to give us the desires of our heart; therefore, we must be able to discover His will by looking at our desires…right?  If so, how? 

Service start at 10am @ Indian Creek Golf Course (202nd and Maple).  It is going to be a great day.  Bring a friend!

Pastor Ronnie

This Sunday is our third of five monthly worship services, before we launch weekly services on September 13th.  Throughout this launch period we have been doing a series at the worship services called “How to Discover God’s Will.”  We have recieved a lot of feedback from people about how much this series has really helped them, but one question always remains…”what if I need to know today?”

Everything we have discussed so far about discovering God’s will takes time, but sometimes we don’t have time.  Sometimes we are faced with a decision that must be made quickly.  If it’s true that God does have a will for our lives, and wants us to know it more than we do, is it possible to discover it quickly if we need to?  We believe that it is possible, and this Sunday we will discover the fast track to discovery. 

See you Sunday at 10am @ Indian Creek Golf Course.  Don’t come by yourself.  Bring a friend.  This is a topic that everyone needs to hear!

Pastor Ronnie

Last Sunday we had our second monthly service.  I was so thrilled to see what took place at our first service, and I thought it would be hard to surpass at our second service…I was wrong.  Having a great crowd, awesome energy, pumping music, a relevant message, people connecting with one another was awesome, but those things were not what made the service great.  The thing that made our second service memorable was that the people there felt, desired to, and knew how to take a step closer to Jesus.  This is a portion of an email I recieved from a visitor after the conclusion of the second service.

“I was at your service (Sunday) and I absolutely loved it. I walked out feeling very good and can’t wait to come back. I am struggling with my faith and felt happier about myself when I left.  Somehow I lost my faith and want to get it back.  I have attended other churches in the past, but just haven’t found a (church) that helps me understand like you did.  I have never attended a service that I wasn’t checking my watch until (Sunday).  I truly feel different after your service.”

We are not about building the biggest church in the city.  We are focused on leading people toward a life transforming relationship with Jesus, so that we can BE the church in the city!  That is starting to take place at Relevant!

Two monthly services are complete, and there are three left until we launch weekly services on September 13th.  Don’t miss the next service on June 14th!!!

Pastor Ronnie

This Sunday is our second of five monthly services we are having as we launch Relevant Community Church.  Our first service on Easter was AMAZING, and we can’t wait for this Sunday.  We are continuing the “How to Discover God’s WIll” series.  This Sunday we will reveal HOW you can actually hear from God…which is something I know we would all love to know the secret to.

If you have been thinking about checking out Relevant, what are you waiting for?  We invite you to join us THIS Sunday @ 10am, at Indian Creek Golf Course (202nd and Maple). 

See you Sunday!

Pastor Ronnie

This Sunday night - April 26th - @ 5pm we are having an event called “Games and Grub.”  We know…it is kind of a dorky name, but we had to come up with something.  Basically, “Games and Grub” is an event to connect with people at Relevant.   If you love food, want to meet some great people, and enjoy laughing, you should come this Sunday night.  Go to the events page for more information and directions.  We look forward to seeing you there!

I have said all along that we are not here to build the biggest church in the city, but to BE the church in the city.  The only way we will ever transform our city and our world is by transforming people to live transformed lives in their cultures.  Where will that transformation happen the best at Relevant right now?  We believe through connecting with others within a small group environment.

Through the launch period, we have two small groups.  Small groups meet weekly and are open to everyone, no matter where you’re at on your spiritual journey.   These small groups start this week!  Locations may change weekly, but here is the rundown this week.

MEN: Wednesday Night at 7:30pm @ Buffalo Wild Wings on 147th and Maple

WOMEN: Thursday Night at 7pm @ Panera on 177th and Center.

If you woudl like to connect in community, discover the truths of God’s Word, and experience a transformed life, we invite you to check out a small group.  If you would like more info go to the small groups page.  See you this week!

Pastor Ronnie

Our first service this past Sunday was great.  I was not sure what to expect.  I didn’t know if people would come, if things would work right, if the message would spiritually challenge people and be relevant at the same time…this list could go on.  Well, the service far exceeded my expectations.  I really believe that God was present, and was working to transform people’s hearts. 

I really challenge you this week to think hard about what we talked about on Sunday.  God does have an awesome will for your life, and wants you to know it…even more than you want to know it.  The problem with hearing God’s will is not His willingness to communicate, but our willingness to participate.  How do you know if you are ready to participate?  When Jesus is enough you are ready to participate, and you will hear God communicate.  Jesus is enough when you live a life of surrender.  Have you surrendered your LIFE to Jesus, or are you living your way.  When Jesus is enough you will live in an interacting relationship with Him.  How can you start growing in an interacting relationship with Jesus today.  Don’t let another day go by trying to get God to cooperate with you.  If you do, you will never hear from Him.  Instead, today, surrender your life to Him, so that you move into a place that He can direct you toward the amazing plans that He has for you.

Our next service will be on May 10th.  We will continue the “How to Discover God’s Will” series by investigating the Ways of God.  See you then!

Relevant’s first service is this Sunday - @10am at Indian Creek Golf Course on 202nd and Maple.  I truly believe this is not going to be something you want to miss.  Starting this Sunday, and continuing throughout our 5 monthly services (leading up to the launch of weekly services on September 13th, we will be going through a series called “How to Discover God’s Will.” 

We have all heard it said that God has a plan for our lives. At the same time, life seems like guesswork. We are unsure. Unsure if we should take that job, marry that person, go to that college, buy that house…the list goes on. We are unsure of our purpose. Most of us have become frustrated because we have never “heard” from God, and have started to doubt if He even exists, much less has a plan for our lives. What if God does have a plan for our lives, and He wants us to know it more than we do? Wouldn’t that change things? What’s stopping us? In the “How to Discover God’s Will Series,” Ronnie Rothe will clearly communicate practical steps to discover God’s plans for your life. Join us for the next five months as we launch Relevant Community Church, and unpack how to discover God’s will.  This Sunday we will be starting the series by answering the question…”Does God Really Have a Plan?.” 

We look forward to seeing you this week!

We are 13 days out from our first service on Easter Sunday.  This week the website will be completely revised to give you more information on the first service, upcoming events, small groups, etc.  So…make sure that you check the website everyday this week to see Relevant’s new look. 

Finally, remember to start inviting your friends to Relevant’s first service on April 12th @ 10am, at Indian Creek Golf Course (202nd and Maple).  I truly believe it will be something you won’t want to miss.

Pastor Ronnie

For the five monthly services throughout the launch period, we will be doing a series called “How to Discover God’s Will.”  We have all heard it said that God has a plan for our lives.  At the same time, life seems like guesswork.  We are unsure.  Unsure if we should take that job, marry that person, go to that college, buy that house…the list goes on.  We are unsure of our purpose.  Most of us have become frustrated because we have never “heard” from God, and have started to doubt if He even exists, much less has a plan for our lives.   What if God does have a plan for our lives, and He wants us to know it more than we do?  Wouldn’t that change things?  What’s stopping us?  In the “How to Discover God’s Will Series,” Ronnie Rothe will clearly communicate practical steps to discover God’s plans for your life.  Join us as we launch Relevant Community Church, and unpack how to discover God’s will.  On April 12th, we will discover if God really has a plan for our lives, or not.

Our first service is on April 12th (Easter Sunday)…just six weeks away.  We are doing five monthly Sunday services starting on April 12th, leading up to the launch of weekly Sunday services on September 13th.  I am working diligently on securing a permanent location for Relevant that is ours 24/7/365, and hope to be able to announce that soon.  In the meantime, I am pumped to announce that our first service will be held at the beautiful Indian Creek Golf Course clubhouse (202nd and Maple in Elkhorn).  So…mark it on you calendars.  April 12, 2009 - 10am - Indian Creek Golf Course!  

To see the clubhouse for yourself, you can go to www.golfatindiancreek.com

With our first service only two months out, it sure would be nice to announce the location we will be meeting at as we launch Relevant.  It would be nice, but it won’t be happening today.  After “seriously” looking at over 21 possible locations over the past two months (schools, gyms, store fronts, bars…the list goes on and on) near the Elkhorn area, we are back at square one.  Not the best news in the world, but an opportunity for God’s glory to be revealed in the next couple of months in huge ways. 

I take a day of prayer once a month.  Last Friday, was that day.  I spent most of the day praying over this location “issue.”  After hours of prayer I came away knowing that God is in control, and that He has the perfect location for us to launch from.  I don’t know if this is in the exact area we desire to be in (near Elkhorn), but I believe it is in northwest Omaha.  I don’t know if we will end up renting this space for an hour a week, leasing it, or buying it (that would be a miracle), but I know that He will provide it, and it will be the perfect place to launch a church that transforms our culture from. 

If you pray…pray about this.  If you have any ideas or leads…let me know.  If you own a building in northwest Omaha…give it to us :).  I look forward to sharing with you how God works through this in the near future.

Pastor Ronnie

God showed up in a big way this past weekend.  Our house in Birmingham, AL has been on the market for over six months, and we finally got our first offer this weekend.  For six months we have prayed persistently about this, and God answered!  Here is the really cool thing.  This offer came one week after Kristy and I made the decision not to try and “short sell” the house.  Our realtor advised us to try and short sell with the market being cruddy, but we didn’t have a peace about it.  We made the decision to stay patient and wait on God to move, and He did.  Not only that, the amount that we settled on with the buyers is only $1500 less that what we felt we wanted to sell the house for. 

God doesn’t always answer prayers the way we want, when we want - but God always answers prayers according to His will.

Ronnie