Gold Avenue Church At Home Worship Liturgy 04.25.21

A note before you begin:  

 

This service was prayerfully planned and coordinated with worship planner Marissa Walters  in conjunction with the pastors.

 

Our prayer is that this liturgy helps us to create cultures of worship in our homes or wherever we utilize them. May the Lord bless you as you enter into his presence and give him praise. May we each be met, blessed,  challenged, and encouraged to grow as disciples and disciple makers of Jesus Christ.

Call to Worship: 

The Call to Worship serves to focus our attention on the living God who is present with us; it calls us to position ourselves as those who are ready to worship and ready to receive from our Lord.

 

Read the following out loud as you fix your eyes on Jesus:

From Psalm 34:1-3

I will extol the Lord at all times;
    his praise will always be on my lips.
I will glory in the Lord;
    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the Lord with me;
    let us exalt his name together.

 

Pray for the Lord to fill you, your household, and your home with His presence and His peace.  Fix your eyes and the focus of your heart on Him.

 

Worshiping in Song:

 

Psalm 34 |  Taste and See

The Lord’s Greeting:

The Lord’s Greeting serves to remind us that we are in the presence of the living God. It makes space for him to greet us as our loving heavenly father who rules and reigns as the King over all and who is present with us as our loving heavenly father!

 

Fix your eyes on him as you read these words from 2 John 1:3 aloud:

 

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.

 

Greeting One Another:

It might feel a little odd doing this at home, but take time to say these words to greet each other, as you shake hands, hug or elbow bump.

 

Consider sending a greeting text message to a church family member.

 

“The Lord be with you”

 

and in response: 

 

“And also with you”

 

And if you’re alone:

 

“The Lord is with me”

 

High and Lifted Up

 

Holy is the Lord

 

I Love you Lord/We Exalt Thee

Testimony/Family Prayer Time:

 

How has the Lord been at work this week? Consider sharing your story with those around you or writing it down. Give glory to the Lord for the good work that He has done!

 

 

Take a few minutes to pray for our church family, neighborhood, and the world as the Lord leads.

 

Consider asking a church family member how you can be in prayer for them, or invite a church family member to pray for you.

 

 

Regular Offering:

Support ministry at Gold Avenue Church by giving to the general fund (Click the picture for more giving options):

  1. Text:  send amount (number only, no extra symbols) to (616) 319-2259 and follow prompts to give securely
  2. Give online at https://goldavenuechurch.breezechms.com/give/online or give through PayPal here.
  3. Mail a check payable to Gold Avenue Church at 49 Gold Avenue NW Grand Rapids, MI 4950

 

Song of Preparation

The Song of Preparation serves to prepare our hearts to receive the Word of the Lord.  Continue to fix your eyes on Jesus and surrender your attention and heart to him as we transition and prepare to enter into His Word. 

 

Holy Spirit Rain Down

 

The Preaching of the Word:

Our current sermon series is written in connection to and alongside a helpful tool that we have developed called the Gospel Tool. Disciple Groups at Gold Avenue Church are working through lessons that are based upon the Gospel Tool, and we want to make this resource available to every listener. Click here to check out the Gospel Tool, the Visual Gospel overview, statements, & scriptures.

 

Access the audio of the sermon here: Sermon Audio Recording

Song of Response:

The song of response gives opportunity to consider, apply, and respond what we’ve just heard from the Word that we’ve just received. If you need to and are able, take a few minutes to process what you’ve just heard and experienced and how the Lord may be inviting you to respond. Sing in response as you feel led.

Spirit Move

The Lord’s Blessing:

The Lord’s Blessing serves to make space for us the Lord to bless us to continue to walk in faithful obedience and to grow up into maturity.

 

Fix your eyes on him as you read the following out loud:

 

From Numbers 6:24-26:

 

The Lord bless you
and keep you;

 

the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;

 

the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace

Closing Song: 

 

God of Justice

/by

Children’s Worship 04.25.21

Dear Parents,

Thanks for joining us again as we do Children’s Worship from home!  

Note: Please let us know about how your family is enjoying Children’s Worship! Take some pictures of your family participating in Children’s Worship or share a story. You can post to the Gold Avenue Church Facebook page or send by email at goldavechurch@gmail.com

Friendship and Forgiveness

Based on: Mark 2:1-12

 

 

EQUIP:  

(It’s not an activity, but just a little background on the story for you, the parent, to read.) 

 

A few years ago, a major league baseball player became a media sensation simply because he showed up for every game to do his job. Because our culture doesn’t have  very high expectations of sports stars, it became a big deal that the player had perfect attendance!

Today’s Bible story shows us the beauty of doing more than is expected—both on the part of the four friends and also on the part of Jesus Himself! Helping others may sometimes require courage and creativity as we follow Jesus’ example to go beyond what is expected in showing love.

 

For me, the times others have gone out of their way to help me are memories that I treasure. And they motivate me to want to take extra measures in helping others. But the abundant love of Jesus is the real life changer! There is no way to pay back His love. We can only live a life of love in grateful response to the way that Christ has loved us.

 

Jesus’ healing of the paralyzed man gives us a complete picture of how Jesus intervenes in our lives. Jesus, God’s Son, not only healed the man’s legs, but healed the man’s soul as well. The healed man was a living witness to Jesus’ power over sin. We, too, when we believe in Jesus, can be forgiven of our sin and be witnesses of His power in our lives.

 

Mary Davis, Senior Editor

 

Activity One:  Read the intro. Watch the video of the story.

Activity Two: Discuss the story using provided questions as prompts. Prayer.

Worship: Singing 

Activity Three:  Respond to the story by doing the activity. 

Activity Four:  Bless your children 

 

Activity 1:  STORY

 

Introduction:To read the children:

 

Wherever Jesus went, there was plenty of excitement! On this particular day, Jesus and His friends were in Capernaum. Of course, news spread like wildfire—”Jesus is here!” Once people found out where Jesus was, what do you think happened? (a) They set off fireworks. (b) They gathered for a fish fry on the beach. (c) They crowded in and around the house where Jesus was staying. Pause for students to respond. And the answer is C! People crowded inside the house. When it was full, more people crowded around the windows and doors and all around outside! The house was packed, inside and out!

 

Watch video:

 

Activity 2:  DISCUSSION

  • What does it mean to be paralyzed? (Cannot move. Cannot move arms and/or legs.)
  • What did the friends of the paralyzed man do to meet the needs of their friend? (They carried their friend to see Jesus. They dug a hole in a roof and lowered the man down.)
  • What did the friends expect Jesus to do? (Heal their friend.)
  • How did Jesus go beyond what was expected?  (He healed the man AND forgave his sins.)
  • What can you do this week to follow Jesus’ example in helping others? (Look for people to help. Try to help people in my family before they ask for help. Treat friends kindly and respectfully.)

Encourage children to pray for God to help them with helping others this week in their own words. Then, transition into a time of prayer for personal requests.

 

Worship Songs:

 

Activity 3: RESPONSE ACTIVITY #1 

Supplies

  • Card stock
  • Crayons
  • Glue
  • Yarn in a variety of colors
  • Scissors

We can use our hands to help others. What are some ways you can use your hands to help someone at school? At home? This week, see if you can not only meet a need by helping someone, but also see if you can go beyond what is expected!

Give each child a sheet of cardstock and a crayon. Child traces one of their hands on the piece of paper and then applies a thin line of glue to the crayon lines. Child places a length of yarn on the line of glue. Child then prints on the card stock a word or phrase as a reminder to help others. Students add designs with glue, covering the glue with different colors of yarn.  Using crayons instead of markers to trace hands will help students avoid getting marks along the edges of their hands.

Response Activity #2  Print and Color

Activity 4: CLOSING BLESSING

There were lots of unexpected actions in this story! The four friends not only carried their friend to Jesus but also tore a hole in the roof! And, best of all, Jesus not only healed the man’s legs but also forgave his sins! The man’s needs were met in unexpected ways. Every day we can look for ways to meet the needs of others, too.

(______________),  May you find ways to go beyond what is expected in helping others this week

 

/by

Regathering Update 04.21.21

Dear Gold Avenue Church Family,

 

The Regathering Team, along with the staff, have continued to seek the Lord’s leading as we work towards regathering for Sunday morning worship. Today we are pleased to share that we have set a target date of June 6 for our launch. This means that our plan, the Lord willing, is to resume our in person Sunday morning worship at church on a weekly basis, beginning June 6.

 

The Admin Elders have approved the creation of two new, part-time, interim staff positions to aid with the transition of resuming Sunday worship gatherings, while supporting our other ongoing ministries. We praise God that from within our congregation, the Lord has raised up two people who are willing and eager to use their gifts in this way. Kayleen Jasperse will be our Worship Coordinator, and Katie Harrison will be our Communication and Technology Assistant. We are excited to welcome them into these roles and are grateful for the Lord’s leading them.

Ahead of our launch, we’ll have a family gathering at church on May 16 where we hope to enjoy sweet fellowship together, share what to expect on Sunday mornings, and have time for Q&A. More information will be forthcoming about this family gathering; we hope that as many people as possible will be able to participate.

 

As we continue to work on planning the details and pulling all of the teams together for Sunday mornings, please pray for wisdom and guidance. There will be several precautions for Covid safety, which will be shared ahead of the May 16 family gathering for you to review. We are working to minimize their impact on the service. Covid numbers and guidance from government and health officials may continue to change, so we will need continued wisdom as we adapt. Please continue to be in prayer for the Regathering Team and staff as they seek the Lord and plan. We are committed to following the Lord’s leading, keeping safety as a priority.

 

Peace,

The Regathering Team

/by

Gold Avenue Church At Home Worship Liturgy 04.18.21

A note before you begin:   

 

This service was prayerfully planned and coordinated with worship planner Derek Sterenberg  in conjunction with the pastors.

 

Our prayer is that this liturgy helps us to create cultures of worship in our homes or wherever we utilize them. May the Lord bless you as you enter into his presence and give him praise. May we each be met, blessed,  challenged, and encouraged to grow as disciples and disciple makers of Jesus Christ.

Call to Worship: 

The Call to Worship serves to focus our attention on the living God who is present with us; it calls us to position ourselves as those who are ready to worship and ready to receive from our Lord.

 

Read the following out loud as you fix your eyes on Jesus:

From Isaiah 52:13-53:6

See, my servant will act wisely;

he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.

Just as there were many who were appalled at him—

his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being

and his form marred beyond human likeness—

so he will sprinkle many nations,

and kings will shut their mouths because of him.

For what they were not told, they will see,

and what they have not heard, they will understand.

 

Who has believed our message

and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

He grew up before him like a tender shoot,

and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,

nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by mankind,

a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.

Like one from whom people hide their faces

he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain

and bore our suffering,

yet we considered him punished by God,

stricken by him, and afflicted.

 

But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

and by his wounds we are healed.

 

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

each of us has turned to our own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

 

 

Pray for the Lord to fill you, your household, and your home with His presence and His peace.  Fix your eyes and the focus of your heart on Him.

 

Worshiping in Song:

 

This is Amazing Grace

The Lord’s Greeting:

The Lord’s Greeting serves to remind us that we are in the presence of the living God. It makes space for him to greet us as our loving heavenly father who rules and reigns as the King over all and who is present with us as our loving heavenly father!

 

Fix your eyes on him as you read these words from 2 John 1:3 aloud:

 

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.

 

Greeting One Another:

It might feel a little odd doing this at home, but take time to say these words to greet each other, as you shake hands, hug or elbow bump.

 

Consider sending a greeting text message to a church family member.

grace

“The Lord be with you”

 

and in response: 

 

“And also with you”

 

And if you’re alone:

 

“The Lord is with me”

 

Death Was Arrested

 

O Praise the Name

 

Testimony/Family Prayer Time:

 

How has the Lord been at work this week? Consider sharing your story with those around you or writing it down. Give glory to the Lord for the good work that He has done!

 

 

Take a few minutes to pray for our church family, neighborhood, and the world as the Lord leads.

 

Consider asking a church family member how you can be in prayer for them, or invite a church family member to pray for you.

 

 

Regular Offering:

Support ministry at Gold Avenue Church by giving to the general fund (Click the picture for more giving options):

  1. Text:  send amount (number only, no extra symbols) to (616) 319-2259 and follow prompts to give securely
  2. Give online at https://goldavenuechurch.breezechms.com/give/online or give through PayPal here.
  3. Mail a check payable to Gold Avenue Church at 49 Gold Avenue NW Grand Rapids, MI 4950

 

Special Offering for April: Benevolence

Once a month we take a special offering to support special causes the Deacons have prayerfully discerned. This month’s special offering is the Gold Avenue Church Benevolence Fund. The definition of benevolence is a kind act or gift or the doing of kind things for others. This fund helps out our church family and neighborhood with needs based help such as groceries, bill pay assistance, etc.

The deacons receive requests and pray together about how to help each request.  There is a Deacon Referral Form if you click here. By doing this our church family is able to be the hands and feet of Christ to each other and to our neighbors.

You can give to the special offering by:

  1. Text:  send amount space benevolence (ex: 50 benevolence) to (616) 319-2259 and follow prompts to give securely
  2. Give online: select special from dropdown menu or type “benevolence” in memo line
  3. Check: write “benevolence” in memo line

Song of Preparation

The Song of Preparation serves to prepare our hearts to receive the Word of the Lord.  Continue to fix your eyes on Jesus and surrender your attention and heart to him as we transition and prepare to enter into His Word. 

 

King of Kings

 

The Preaching of the Word:

Our current sermon series is written in connection to and alongside a helpful tool that we have developed called the Gospel Tool. Disciple Groups at Gold Avenue Church are working through lessons that are based upon the Gospel Tool, and we want to make this resource available to every listener. Click here to check out the Gospel Tool, the Visual Gospel overview, statements, & scriptures.

 

Access the audio of the sermon here: Sermon Audio Recording

 

Song of Response:

The song of response gives opportunity to consider, apply, and respond what we’ve just heard from the Word that we’ve just received. If you need to and are able, take a few minutes to process what you’ve just heard and experienced and how the Lord may be inviting you to respond. Sing in response as you feel led.

Good Good Father

 

The Lord’s Blessing:

The Lord’s Blessing serves to make space for us the Lord to bless us to continue to walk in faithful obedience and to grow up into maturity.

 

Fix your eyes on him as you read the following out loud:

 

From Numbers 6:24-26:

 

The Lord bless you
and keep you;

 

the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;

 

the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace

Closing Song: 

 

The Stand

/by

Children’s Worship 04.18.21

Dear Parents, 

Thanks for joining us again as we do Children’s Worship from home!  

Note: Please let us know about how your family is enjoying Children’s Worship! Take some pictures of your family participating in Children’s Worship or share a story. You can post to the Gold Avenue Church Facebook page or send by email at goldavechurch@gmail.com

One Busy Day!

Based on: Mark 1:21-34

 

 

EQUIP:  

(It’s not an activity, but just a little background on the story for you, the parent, to read.) 

 

Trusting people or things can be difficult! I have difficulty putting my trust in roller coasters. When I see one speeding down a large dip into a loop, it is hard for me to remember that it is really securely attached to a track. This is similar to my relationship with Christ. I know that I can trust Him, because He loves me; but when I see troubles ahead or I’m not sure where the next turn is going to take me, I sometimes feel afraid.

 

One thing that always helps me stay on track is the Bible. When I spend time in God’s Word, I read the many stories of how God has loved, helped, healed and saved His people. When I read those stories, it reminds me of all the reasons I have to trust and praise Him.

 

The Gospel of Mark is a book of action! Mark presents Jesus as the Servant, emphasizing the way in which Jesus helped others. By showing what Jesus accomplished on Earth and how His coming changed the world, Mark proves that Jesus is the Son of God. When we believe in Jesus and choose to follow Him, He changes our lives, too! Jesus is our Savior and helper.

Lisa Pham

Editor

 

Activity One:  Read the intro. Watch the video of the story.

Activity Two: Discuss the story using provided questions as prompts. Prayer.

Worship: Singing 

Activity Three:  Respond to the story by doing the activity. 

Activity Four:  Bless your children 

 

Activity 1:  STORY

 

Introduction:To read the children:

 

Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen. They had been at the Sea of Galilee, throwing and mending their fishing nets, when Jesus had called out to them and asked them to come and follow Him. So they left their jobs and started to follow Jesus right then and there! They were Jesus’ disciples. At this time, Peter was known as Simon.

 

Jesus’ disciples traveled with Him. One day they came to Capernaum, the town where Peter lived with his wife and her mother.

 

On Saturday, Jesus went to the synagogue along with most everyone else in Capernaum. (A synagogue was like a church.) In the synagogue, Jesus taught the people about God, reading and explaining the Old Testament to them.

Just about the time Jesus finished speaking, a man began to shout at Him! The shouting man was controlled by an evil spirit—and the words were coming from that spirit. That evil spirit knew EXACTLY who Jesus was! And it was AFRAID! Jesus simply and sternly said to the spirit, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” And of course, the evil spirit DID come out—because even evil spirits have to obey Jesus!

Can you imagine the scene? Listen as I read Mark 1:27. You’ll hear what the people thought and said after this happened.  “All the people were amazed. So they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching! And with so much authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits, and they obey him.”

This huge roomful of people must have been completely silent as they watched Jesus deal with that evil spirit. Then, when the evil spirit left, the people probably all talked at once! 

This Jesus, this rabbi friend of Peter’s, was VERY different! When He taught, He acted like He knew what He was talking about! And He wasn’t afraid of a screaming evil spirit. He ordered it to leave, and it OBEYED!

 

Then Jesus and His friends went from the synagogue to Peter’s house. At Peter’s house was one person who had stayed home. Peter’s mother-in-law was very ill. Let’s see what Jesus did when He found out.

 

Watch the video: Then read the conclusion to the children.

 

 

 

Read to the children after watching the video:

 

Soon people brought all of their sick friends and family members to Jesus. As it began to get dark, it didn’t get quiet! A big crowd gathered outside Peter’s house. Everyone who knew someone who needed help had brought those people to see Jesus! And what did Jesus do? He went from person to person, kindly healing the sick ones. 

 

What do you think the people in Capernaum did after they learned about Jesus and saw what He did? Every day, the news spread farther, as traders traveled, as farmers went into different towns and as fishermen unloaded their catch in other villages. This was the BIGGEST news!

 

Activity 2:  DISCUSSION

 

  • Who needed help in this story?
  • What did Jesus do to show that He was a leader people could trust? (Taught about God. Helped people. Healed people.)
  • What did the people in Capernaum do or say when they heard about Jesus?  (They were excited and brought sick people to Jesus. They spread the news about Jesus.)

 

Many people in today’s Bible story discovered that Jesus was an amazing, wonderful person. Many of them decided to let Him be their leader. They wanted Jesus to be in charge of their lives. We can decide to follow Jesus, too.

 

How can you show that Jesus is in charge of your life? (Pray to Him. Obey commands in the Bible.)

 

Let’s pray now and let Jesus know He is in charge of our lives.

 

Encourage children to pray for these things with their own words. Then, transition into a time of prayer for personal requests.

 

Worship Songs:

 

 

 

 

Activity 3: RESPONSE ACTIVITY #1 

Response Activity #2  Print and Color

Activity 4: CLOSING BLESSING

We can trust Jesus, because we know He loves us and has taken care of us in so many ways already. We can trust Him to be in charge of our lives. It makes me happy to know that Jesus’ love for us will never, ever, ever, EVER end.

 

(______________),  May you always trust Jesus to be in charge of your life!

 

/by

Gold Avenue Church At Home Worship Liturgy 04.11.21

A note before you begin:  

 

This service was prayerfully planned and coordinated with worship planner Kayleen Jasperse  in conjunction with the pastors.

 

Our prayer is that this liturgy helps us to create cultures of worship in our homes or wherever we utilize them. May the Lord bless you as you enter into his presence and give him praise. May we each be met, blessed,  challenged, and encouraged to grow as disciples and disciple makers of Jesus Christ.

Call to Worship: 

The Call to Worship serves to focus our attention on the living God who is present with us; it calls us to position ourselves as those who are ready to worship and ready to receive from our Lord.

 

Read the following out loud as you fix your eyes on Jesus:

From Psalm 146:1-5:

Praise the Lord.

 

Praise the Lord, my soul.

 

I will praise the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

 

Do not put your trust in princes,
    in human beings, who cannot save.

 

When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
    on that very day their plans come to nothing.

 

Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

 

 

Pray for the Lord to fill you, your household, and your home with His presence and His peace.  Fix your eyes and the focus of your heart on Him.

 

Worshiping in Song:

 

Christ Alone/Cornerstone

The Lord’s Greeting:

The Lord’s Greeting serves to remind us that we are in the presence of the living God. It makes space for him to greet us as our loving heavenly father who rules and reigns as the King over all and who is present with us as our loving heavenly father!

 

Fix your eyes on him as you read Jesus’ words from John 14:6 aloud:

 

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

 

Greeting One Another:

It might feel a little odd doing this at home, but take time to say these words to greet each other, as you shake hands, hug or elbow bump.

 

Consider sending a greeting text message to a church family member.

 

“The Lord be with you”

 

and in response: 

 

“And also with you”

 

And if you’re alone:

 

“The Lord is with me”

 

How Can I Keep From Singing

 

Stronger

 

Here’s My Heart, Lord

Testimony/Family Prayer Time:

 

How has the Lord been at work this week? Consider sharing your story with those around you or writing it down. Give glory to the Lord for the good work that He has done!

 

 

Take a few minutes to pray for our church family, neighborhood, and the world as the Lord leads.

 

Consider asking a church family member how you can be in prayer for them, or invite a church family member to pray for you.

 

 

Regular Offering:

Support ministry at Gold Avenue Church by giving to the general fund (Click the picture for more giving options):

  1. Text:  send amount (number only, no extra symbols) to (616) 319-2259 and follow prompts to give securely
  2. Give online at https://goldavenuechurch.breezechms.com/give/online or give through PayPal here.
  3. Mail a check payable to Gold Avenue Church at 49 Gold Avenue NW Grand Rapids, MI 4950

 

Song of Preparation

The Song of Preparation serves to prepare our hearts to receive the Word of the Lord.  Continue to fix your eyes on Jesus and surrender your attention and heart to him as we transition and prepare to enter into His Word. 

 

Spirit of the Living God

 

The Preaching of the Word:

Our current sermon series is written in connection to and alongside a helpful tool that we have developed called the Gospel Tool. Disciple Groups at Gold Avenue Church are working through lessons that are based upon the Gospel Tool, and we want to make this resource available to every listener. Click here to check out the Gospel Tool, the Visual Gospel overview, statements, & scriptures.

 

This week we are blessed to receive the Word of the Lord from Rev. Sean Baker who has been participating in our Discipleship Groups with his family. Check out the video below to hear a little bit more about Sean:

 

 

Access the audio of the sermon here: Sermon Audio Recording

Song of Response:

The song of response gives opportunity to consider, apply, and respond what we’ve just heard from the Word that we’ve just received. If you need to and are able, take a few minutes to process what you’ve just heard and experienced and how the Lord may be inviting you to respond. Sing in response as you feel led.

When We See Your Face

 

The Lord’s Blessing:

The Lord’s Blessing serves to make space for us the Lord to bless us to continue to walk in faithful obedience and to grow up into maturity.

 

Fix your eyes on him as you read the following out loud:

 

From Numbers 6:24-26:

 

The Lord bless you
and keep you;

 

the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;

 

the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace

Closing Song: 

 

Crown Him with Many Crowns

/by

Children’s Worship 04.11.21

Dear Parents,

Thanks for joining us again as we do Children’s Worship from home!  

Note: Please let us know about how your family is enjoying Children’s Worship! Take some pictures of your family participating in Children’s Worship or share a story. You can post to the Gold Avenue Church Facebook page or send by email at goldavechurch@gmail.com

 

Mission Possible!

Based on: Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:1-11

 

EQUIP:  

(It’s not an activity, but just a little background on the story for you, the parent, to read.) 

 

As a shy kid, I felt like the Great Commission was the worst duty Jesus had put on my to-do list. Tell others about Him? Scary! But I finally realized that my view was wrong: Jesus did NOT give this task as a duty; rather, He was inviting His followers to join Him in the great adventure of reconciling the world to Himself!

 

What could be more exciting than talking about the One you love the most? What could be more fun and fulfilling than helping people follow Jesus and live forever in amazing joy? It’s a “can’t keep it to myself” outflow of love!

 

I pray that my love might overflow into gracious actions—actions that are marked by a family likeness to Jesus.

 

The Great Commission given by Jesus not only includes a command but also a promise: “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). These words are significant, because they represent God’s plan for Jesus from start to finish. The prophet Isaiah told of the child who would be born and called “Immanuel” (see Isaiah 7:14). Matthew told us the meaning of “Immanuel”: “God with us” (see Matthew 1:23). From Isaiah to Matthew and then from Jesus Himself, we learn of the One sent by God to be with us and bring us salvation.

 

Mary Davis

Senior Editor

 

Activity One:  Read the intro. Watch the video of the story..

Activity Two: Discuss the story using provided questions as prompts. Prayer.

Worship: Singing 

Activity Three:  Respond to the story by doing the activity. 

Activity Four:  Bless your children 

 

Activity 1:  STORY

 

Introduction:To read the children:

 

After He died and rose again, Jesus spent time in Jerusalem with His friends. For 40 days, Jesus and His disciples ate together, walked together and talked together. 

 

What do you think Jesus wanted His friends to know about Himself? 

 

Jesus wanted His friends to understand why He had died and come back to life. He wanted them to know that when He rose from the dead, He showed everyone that He is stronger than ANYTHING, even death. Now all people could have their sins forgiven, join God’s family and live forever with Him!

 

Watch the video:

 

Activity 2:  DISCUSSION

  • What did Jesus want His disciples to do?
  • What things do you think Jesus’ disciples would have told others about Jesus? (The miracles they saw Him do. The things He taught them.)
  • Why did Jesus think His disciples would be able to do this job? (Jesus promised to be with them. The Holy Spirit would give them power.)
  • What do you think Jesus wants His followers today to do? (Tell others about Jesus.) 

Let’s talk about how we can follow Jesus’ command. Let’s brainstorm some ways that our words or actions could help people know the good news about Jesus. 

As children tell responses (“say ‘Jesus loves you,'” “show God’s love by being kind,” “invite someone to church,” etc.), write ideas on a piece of paper.

Encourage children to pray for these things with their own words. Then, transition into a time of prayer for personal requests.

 

Worship Songs:

Activity 3: RESPONSE ACTIVITY #1 Witness Bracelets

 

Our art project can help us tell others about Jesus.  The colors of the bracelet can help us remember what it means to follow Jesus.

Materials Needed:

One strip of leather 16 1/2 inches long by 1/8 inches wide
One each of the following colored pony beads: clear, grey, red, white, blue, green and yellow

Instructions:

  1. String the beads onto the leather strip in the following order: grey, red, white, blue, green, yellow. It is important to have the beads in the correct order as the order tells the Gospel message.
  2. Center the beads on the leather strip and tie a knot on each end of the group of beads. This will help to hold them in place.
  3. Take the clear bead and string one of the leather ends through it. Take the other end of the leather strip and start it into the hole in the bead – entering in the opposite direction. (You will not be able to push it through, but by holding the two strips of leather together on the one end and pulling on the single strand on the other end, it will pull it through.)
  4. Tie a knot on each end of leather. The clear bead will allow you to adjust the bracelet to fit any wrist.

Meaning of the Colored Beads:

Clear – God is invisible, pure and holy (Is 6:3).
Gray – We are separated from God by our sin (Rom 3:23).
Red – Because God loves us, He sacrificed His Son, Jesus, for our sin (Rom 5:8). White – Now God sees us as righteous, pure and forgiven of sin (Eph 1:7-8).
Blue – We are baptized into the family of God through baptism (Gal 3:26-27).
Green – We read the Bible and pray to grow in faith & disciple others (2 Peter 3:18a). Yellow – We will receive the crown of life (Rev 2:10b).

Response Activity #2  Print and Color

Activity 4: CLOSING BLESSING

 

When we talk to God, it’s good to know that He gives us the courage and power we need to tell others about Jesus. 

 

(______________),  May you always remember that God sent His Son, Jesus, to save us from our sins. Jesus went back to heaven but He sent His Holy Spirit to be with us always.

 

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Coffee Shop Ministry Update 04.07.21

Hello church family, 

 

We are very excited to bring you an update about how the planning for the Coffee Shop Ministry is going.  We hope to write more updates in order to keep you up to date on the planning of the ministry as well as to inform you of needs of prayer. 

 

Before I (Jaci Kerkstra) share where we are right now and what is happening with this ministry, I would like to remind you of what this ministry is and God’s vision for it.  Over the first year of planning from 2019 to 2020, we spent time with a vision team praying into the dream that God gave for this coffee shop. We spent lots of time listening to the Lord expressing his heart about the details of this ministry and how it is to impact the people in this neighborhood. Over that year he gave a clear direction for this ministry. The Coffee Shop Ministry will be an outreach ministry that will come through the means of a cafe in the basement of Gold Avenue Church.  It will be a ministry that enfolds other ministries that Gold already has as well as other forms of ministry such as: evangelism, discipleship, inner healing prayer ministry, teaching, prophetic ministry, worship and arts, and serving coffee and food.  This will be a ministry that is open to the public to come in during the day and enjoy their time having coffee with the volunteers who are ministering to the guests. People could also work on their own work or spend time alone in a quiet room to read, journal, or worship the Lord.  

 

We feel that God’s vision and desire for this ministry is what he expresses in the Bible passage in Isaiah 61, where His people would live and walk out His kingdom through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit by sharing the good news to the poor, setting free those in bondage and captivity, binding up broken hearts and bringing healing to those who are in darkness. Therefore, the vision of this Coffee Shop Ministry is to create a safe and comfortable atmosphere where individuals can come and be fed both spiritually and physically, as well as receive inner healing submitted and led by the triune God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is so that people would be able to walk in freedom which was made possible by Christ’s death and resurrection on the cross.

 

Now we are working on taking steps of faith and obedience/action.  One huge step is looking at remodeling the basement at church to make it a space that works for the stated vision.  Just before Covid hit back in the beginning of 2020, we started looking into this. We have been working closely with a builder and an architect to help us see what is possible for us.  Mark Essenburg and I have been continuing to meet throughout the year of 2020 to ask the Lord how this ministry will function. We were able to discuss, plan and write up the ministry layout and how it will work including the structure for volunteers and how they can use their gifts in ministry. We also have acquired some great connections with people who have lots of experience with coffee and businesses/ministries and are looking forward to meeting with them in the near future.  We know this will give us some great information that we need. There is still much to plan and work through, which is why we really need continued prayer coverage from the body of Christ that will be a part of this ministry.

 

We are really looking forward to what God is going to do through this ministry.  We are trusting in his timing and we are keeping him as our focus.  We are sensing a strong need right now to bring in more prayer support as we strongly value prayer.  We know that it will help this ministry move forward.  We also have experienced spiritual warfare around the planning of this ministry and know that as more people pray that we would be protected against the plans of the enemy to thwart its growth.  Below are some areas we feel we currently need prayer for. Thank you all so very much for praying and supporting us as we continue planning this upcoming ministry of Gold Avenue Church.

Prayer Points

  • Eventually we will need volunteers to come and serve in this ministry. So please pray that God would be going ahead of us and preparing them already for this.  He knows who they need to be. 
  • Wisdom and discernment for us as we continue following God’s will and timing and that we would know and feel his direction clearly.
  • That God would continue to help us in working with the connections that he has brought us as well as give us other connections with people as we need. 

 

Thank you so much for praying and for your support and excitement for this upcoming ministry!

 

Jaci & Mark

 

 

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Gold Avenue Church At Home Worship Liturgy 04.04.21

A Note before you begin:  

 

This service was prayerfully planned and coordinated with worship planner Marissa Walters  in conjunction with the pastors.

 

Our prayer is that this liturgy helps us to create cultures of worship in our homes or wherever we utilize them. May the Lord bless you as you enter into his presence and give him praise. May we each be met, blessed,  challenged, and encouraged to grow as disciples and disciple makers of Jesus Christ.

Call to Worship: 

The Call to Worship serves to focus our attention on the living God who is present with us; it calls us to position ourselves as those who are ready to worship and ready to receive from our Lord.

 

Read the following out loud as you fix your eyes on Jesus:

From 2 Samuel 22:47-59:

The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior!

 

He is the God who avenges me,
who puts the nations under me,
who sets me free from my enemies.

 

You exalted me above my foes;
from a violent man you rescued me.

 

Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing the praises of your name.

 

Pray for the Lord to fill you, your household, and your home with His presence and His peace.  Fix your eyes and the focus of your heart on Him.

 

Worshiping in Song:

 

Christ the Lord is Risen Today

The Lord’s Greeting:

The Lord’s Greeting serves to remind us that we are in the presence of the living God. It makes space for him to greet us as our loving heavenly father who rules and reigns as the King over all and who is present with us as our loving heavenly father!

 

Fix your eyes on him as you read Jesus’ words from John 11:25 aloud:

 

I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die!

 

Greeting One Another:

It might feel a little odd doing this at home, but take time to say these words to greet each other, as you shake hands, hug or elbow bump.

 

Consider sending a greeting text message to a church family member.

 

“He is risen!”

 

and in response: 

 

“He is risen indeed!”

 

And if you’re alone:

 

“Christ the Lord is risen!”

 

Resurrecting

 

What a Beautiful Name

 

Testimony/Family Prayer Time:

 

How has the Lord been at work this week? Consider sharing your story with those around you or writing it down. Give glory to the Lord for the good work that He has done!

 

 

Take a few minutes to pray for our church family, neighborhood, and the world as the Lord leads.

 

Consider asking a church family member how you can be in prayer for them or inviting a church family member to pray for you.

 

 

Regular Offering:

Support ministry at Gold Avenue Church by giving to the general fund (Click the picture for more giving options):

  1. Text:  send amount (number only, no extra symbols) to (616) 319-2259 and follow prompts to give securely
  2. Give online at https://goldavenuechurch.breezechms.com/give/online or give through PayPal here.
  3. Mail a check payable to Gold Avenue Church at 49 Gold Avenue NW Grand Rapids, MI 4950

 

Song of Preparation

The Song of Preparation serves to prepare our hearts to receive the Word of the Lord.  Continue to fix your eyes on Jesus and surrender your attention and heart to him as we transition and prepare to enter into His Word. 

 

Lead me to the Cross

 

The Preaching of the Word:

Our current sermon series is written in connection to and alongside a helpful tool that we have developed called the Gospel Tool. Disciple Groups at Gold Avenue Church are working through lessons that are based upon the Gospel Tool, and we want to make this resource available to every listener. Click here to check out the Gospel Tool, the Visual Gospel overview, statements, & scriptures.

 

Access the audio of the sermon here: Sermon Audio Recording

 

Song of Response:

The song of response gives opportunity to consider, apply, and respond what we’ve just heard from the Word that we’ve just received. If you need to and are able, take a few minutes to process what you’ve just heard and experienced and how the Lord may be inviting you to respond. Sing in response as you feel led.

King of Kings

 

Communion

If you are a baptized member of a church that declares Jesus is Lord, and if you are walking in the light and in pursuit of righteousness, we welcome and encourage you to join with us as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper! If you are not yet baptized or are not walking in the light, we encourage you to take some time to pray and reflect with the Lord or to confess and repent of your sins.  God’s Word promises that when we confess, he is faithful to forgive! We welcome baptized children of believers to the table as parents discern they are ready, and also invite you to pray blessing over your children who are not yet ready to partake. 

 

 

Forever

 

The Lord’s Blessing:

The Lord’s Blessing serves to make space for us the Lord to bless us to continue to walk in faithful obedience and to grow up into maturity.

 

Fix your eyes on him as you read the following out loud:

 

From Numbers 6:24-26:

 

The Lord bless you
and keep you;

 

the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;

 

the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace

Closing Song: 

 

Death was Arrested

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Children’s Worship 04.04.21

Dear Parents,

Thanks for joining us again as we do Children’s Worship from home!  

Note: Please let us know about how your family is enjoying Children’s Worship! Take some pictures of your family participating in Children’s Worship or share a story. You can post to the Gold Avenue Church Facebook page or send by email at goldavechurch@gmail.com

Happy Easter!

Worldwide News!

Based on: Matthew 26:1—28:10

EQUIP:  

(It’s not an activity, but just a little background on the story for you, the parent, to read.) 

 

The story of Jesus’ death and resurrection is the high point in God’s big story of redemption. The amazing events of this first Easter give us the proof that God’s plan to save us is true. Because of Easter, we can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God loves us. We can be confident in the forgiveness of sin and in the promise that we can live now and forever in the presence of the risen Christ!

 

Activity One:  Read the intro. Watch the video.

Activity Two: Discuss the story using provided questions as prompts. Prayer.

Worship: Singing 

Activity Three:  Respond to the story by doing the activity. 

Activity Four:  Bless your children 

 

Activity 1:  STORY

Introduction:To read the children:

 

Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem to shouts of joy, welcomed like a much-loved king. EVERYONE knew He was in town! And although many people loved Him, most of the religious leaders HATED Him.

 

Because of their hatred of Jesus, the religious leaders agreed to arrest Jesus and kill Him—but they wanted to be sly about it! With so many people in Jerusalem, arresting Jesus could start a riot, so they had to be careful. Judas, one of Jesus’ own disciples, came to them and offered to bring them to Jesus when there weren’t crowds of people around. The leaders gave him 30 pieces of silver for helping them arrest Jesus. 

 

On the night Jesus was going to be arrested, He celebrated the Passover meal with His disciples. (Passover was a holiday to remember the way God had rescued His people from slavery in Egypt.) But this Passover was different! First, Jesus used the wine and bread on the table to explain to His friends that He was going to give His own body and His own blood so that their sins could be forgiven.

 

That same night, Jesus and His friends went to Gethsemane, the garden where they often gathered. Jesus prayed and prayed. What do you think Jesus prayed about? He knew what was coming—and He knew it was going to be painful. But Jesus prayed, “Father, not My will but Your will be done.”

 

Soon after that, Judas led a crowd of men with swords and clubs into the garden. After Judas greeted Jesus with a kiss, the men arrested Jesus—even though Jesus had done nothing wrong! Immediately, one of Jesus’ disciples took out a sword and cut off a man’s ear. “Put the sword back,” Jesus said. “My Father could send angels to protect Me!” Suddenly, even though Jesus didn’t seem to be afraid, ALL of the disciples were terrified. What do you think the disciples did? They turned and RAN!

 

Watch video:

 

Activity 2:  DISCUSSION

  • Why do you think some of the people in Jerusalem first welcomed Jesus but then wanted Him to be killed? (They didn’t believe He was God’s Son.)
  • Why did Jesus have to die? (Jesus never sinned, so He is the only One who could take the punishment for our sins.)
  • What is the most important thing kids your age need to know about God’s plan for Jesus? (God sent Jesus to make a way for us to be part of God’s family forever.)

The story of Jesus’ death and resurrection is the part of God’s big story that we’ve all been waiting for! The amazing events of the first Easter show us that God’s plan to save each and every person is true. What better way for God to prove His love for us than to send His own Son to take the punishment for our sin—and then to raise Him from the dead so that we can live with Him now and forever!

What can you say to God for this great gift?  Let’s pray and thank Him right now!

Encourage children to pray for these things with their own words. Then, transition into a time of prayer for personal requests.

 

Worship Songs:

 

Activity 3: RESPONSE ACTIVITY #1 Resurrection Buns

 

Here is a delicious and fun project to do with small children. 

Ingredients

  • 1 package refrigerated crescent dough
  • 1 bag of large marshmallows
  • ½ cup of butter, melted
  • ¾ cup of white sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  1. Grease a muffin tin pan and set aside.
  2. Melt butter in a small bowl.
  3. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar in a separate small bowl.
  4. Unroll the crescent dough and separate into the triangles (along the dough perforations). Explain that the dough represents the tomb that they put Jesus into after his crucifixion.
  5. Next, hold up a white marshmallow and explain that it represents Jesus. Roll the marshmallow in butter and then in the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Explain that it represents the oils and spices that was rubbed on Jesus after his death before they placed him in the tomb.
  6. Place the marshmallow onto a dough triangle near the larger end. Wrap each side of the dough up and over the marshmallow and explain that the dough represents the tomb where they buried Jesus. Roll the dough in your hands until all of the marshmallow is covered and sealed.
  7. Dip the rolled dough in butter and then dip in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and place in the greased muffin tin.
  8. Repeat until all of the dough has been used.
  9. Bake for 15 minutes.
  10. Allow to cool then cut the “tomb” (rolls) down the middle. Before cutting, ask if the kids remember what happened on the third day (or why we celebrate Easter). Remind them that when they went to the tomb where Jesus was buried, the tomb was empty because Jesus rose. Cut through the roll and show the kids how the “tomb” is now empty.

Make sure you get the classic crescent dough that can be separated into triangles.

You may want to place the muffin tin on a cookie sheet before baking in case there is any spillover.

 

RESPONSE ACTIVITY #2 Paper Plate Empty Tomb

Here’s a simple craft for Easter. I couldn’t find instructions but it looks pretty simple to replicate. Notice the black background in the tomb. You could add an angel or the women for more detail. Use the coloring page to color and cut out the figures, if desired.

 

Activity 3: RESPONSE ACTIVITY #3 Print and Color 

Activity 4: CLOSING BLESSING

 

(______________),  May you always know that Jesus didn’t have to die on the cross. But He made that choice so you can be part of God’s family.

 

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