Manna Family,
What’s the difference between knowing about God and knowing God? What changes should occur in your life when you have a genuine relationship with Jesus? How can you be assured that your relationship with God is real? These are important questions for Christians to wrestle with, and this month, we’ll be starting a seven-week study in the book of 1 John to find some answers. As your pastor, I want you to know how to know that you really know God (see you Sundays for more).
One more thing… On Sunday, March 30th, after our worship experiences, we’ll celebrate water baptisms with our church family members who have committed their lives to Jesus. If this is you, someone you know, or a child of yours, sign up for this special opportunity. I’m always blown away by God’s grace and truth on display during these celebrations – what a powerful demonstration of the Gospel for all to see!
I am so proud of you, Manna Church. Let’s keep abiding in Jesus and changing our world!
His,
Chris Shinnick
Mark Your Calendars
LOVE GOD
We are excited to share an update on the financial progress of our new Home for the Harvest. By clicking the button below, you’ll find a one-page document detailing the current status of our funding efforts. This report provides an overview of what has been accomplished so far, as well as the next steps in reaching our goal. We are grateful for the generous support of our congregation and look forward to continuing this journey together. Thank you for your continued prayers and contributions as we move forward!
Manna Kids
Partnering with Parents
We are sad to see two of our faithful serve team members move away this month, but we know God has great things in store for each family! Please join us in praying for them.
Your Manna Family will miss you!
Want to follow along at home with what we learn in Manna Kids? Click the link below for this month’s curriculum. You can also learn more about The Loop Show (4th/5th), KonnectHQ (K-3), and Bible Adventure (Nursery/Preschool) and find valuable parent resources.
Love Each Other
Growth Track
Voices from the track…
“Dennis and I have been in the area since the Air Force brought us here in 2006. While living in Fort Walton Beach, we were very involved with our church. We moved to Crestview right before the COVID shutdowns and struggled to find a church. This struggle continued when we moved to Niceville last spring, as everywhere we went felt “surface” and lacked depth and accountability. I work with Alisha Keener, who told me about Manna. My daughter and I started attending in November, and I immediately knew this was what I had been searching for. After Dennis started coming with us, we both knew that we needed to be a part of Growth Track. We have missed being a part of a small group of believers and the accountability that comes with that. We also appreciate the connections with other retired military members as we share similar stories. We have been more intentional with our time in the Word and prayer in the past few weeks. We look forward to learning even more about Manna!”
Dennis and Sarah Hudon
February FirstStep Graduates
We moved to the area in 2019. We church-shopped for a bit before COVID shut everything down. When things returned to normal, we decided to try Manna. While we came to Manna initially because we had friends there, we stayed at Manna because the people and messages made it feel like home. Growth Track has reinforced why Manna is our church home: Love God, Love Each Other, Love the World. This simple, but powerful mission statement provides clarity and purpose amid the complexities and confusion of the world we live in today.
Claire, Chase, Taylor, and Tod Robbins
February NextStep Graduates
On February 23, 2025, Thirteen amazing leaders graduated NextStep, while Seventeen graduated FirstStep!
Whether you’re thriving, coasting, or feeling stuck, there’s always room to grow in your walk with God. If you’ve never participated in Growth Track *or* haven’t been through a FirstStep group since you last renewed your Driver’s License, now is the time to explore how God may be calling you to a richer, fuller faith. Don’t settle – STEP into what’s next!
Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have at Rebecca.Dykes@manna.church, or….Click here to join
Many Blessings,
MCWF Growth Track Team
Small Groups
Manna Church Small Groups – Where Life Change Happens!
The quality of your relationships determines your quality of life. That is why we’ve got 56 free market, interest-based Small Group opportunities for you this cycle. We have groups that meet weekly, biweekly, and monthly. We have both in-person and online groups. Groups for couples, men, women, students, and more. Whether you get connected to a weekly Small Group, Sunday SERVE Team, MannaStu, Outreach, or Growth Track group, you’ll be sure to find community and encouragement within the context of life-giving relationships. We’ve got a place for you! Get
Connected!
Dell’s Potluck and Sermon Discussion Small Group
Our small group paused for six weeks for us to do a focused study on marriage – Art of Marriage. It was amazing! Our group got vulnerable with one another, shared some big wins, and prayed for each other as we worked on marriage. There have been several testimonies from couples in this study about how God has revealed things that have helped improve the marriage overall! Praise God for safe circles to share and be challenged. This group has been a place where iron sharpens iron.
Click to read a testimonial from the group!
After years of moving around with the military, I had given up on being involved with a small group. I desperately wanted to feel connected, but with four kids, no childcare, and a husband who was frequently gone with the military, it was incredibly difficult to find a group that would accommodate me. After being at Manna for a couple of years, my husband and I knew the Lord was calling us to be more engaged in our Manna community. We jumped into the Dell’s group with the hope of meeting some new faces and building stronger relationships with other believers. What we didn’t expect was to find a family! We had no clue the impact our involvement would have on our four kids – this group has become an extended family to them. It has become a place where they can rub shoulders with other families and see the body of Christ: coming together, breaking bread, and loving on each other. They have learned what it means to be in a community and do real life with other believers. Our small group family is just that. We shed tears and laugh until our sides hurt. We help build houses and drive an hour to visit sick kids in the hospital. This is truly the church! It’s the hands and feet of Jesus and our kids see us walk through all of that together. Thank you, Jill and Trevor, for allowing our 6 a seat at your table for the last 3 years. Our family is forever grateful for this village – Jamie.
Manna Stu
“LOVE” month is officially over, but hopefully, our students have been grasping the true meaning and ultimate source of love, God. In the Wednesday night small groups during STU, students and leaders were challenged to unpack a widely misunderstood topic—LOVE—by searching God’s word for what He says about it! It was an impactful month. Please continue to pray for these students and their walk with God.
The students also participated in the annual Galentines dinner. It was a great night—the female students, accompanied by their moms, were treated to an evening of fun, crafts, and food while the stu boys served them!
What’s Happening in Manna Stu:
March 5th: Randall Miller shares in large group
March 12th: Martin Scales shares in large group
March 19th: SPRING BREAK- NO STU NIGHT
March 26th: Randall Miller shares in large group
Hey Manna Church, do I have any interested families looking to “Adopt a Student” for a specific project or tasks? Our students going to camp are looking for a way to earn their fees. If interested, contact Denisha Watson @ Denisha.watson@manna.church or click on the form below.
Love The World
Outreach
Exciting outreach opportunities are coming up this spring! If you’re looking for ways to serve, you can sign up by joining our Outreach Small Group (linked below) or registering directly on the Upcoming Events page of our website. The Small Group calendar includes all upcoming outreach events, and members will receive a notification 10 days before each event to see if they’d like to participate. Don’t miss this chance to make a difference—get involved today!
Check-in For Change
This month during our Check-in for Change program, we’re highlighting Heart of the Bride to help raise awareness for their upcoming MUDRUN on April 26th! If you’d like to SERVE with us at the event, you can register below—plus, exciting news… February ended with an incredible 25,000 Facebook check-ins!
Missions
This is a building year for our church and so many of our international partners as well!
– In Colombia, Frontline Missions is working to build safe houses for members of an indigenous tribe who cannot return to their village after accepting Christ.
– In Turkey, our mission partner is building a home base for the training of house church leaders throughout the Middle East. The neutral location of Turkey should make it easier for many leaders to travel, and get the education and support they need, without raising questions in their respective governments.
– In Albania, our partners are renovating a newly purchased space to move their church and English school into. They report that the project has been an incredibly unifying experience for the body of believers as they all pitch in to get the work done and pray for the Lords provision.
If you want to learn more about our Mission Partners, join us on the second Tuesday of every month, in the Mission Minded Small group to hear more detailed updates and stories! On March 26, Muslims around the world will be experiencing what they call the Night of Power, a time when they expect to receive dreams and visions from Allah. We will be joining together, with believers around the world, to pray that they will indeed experience ONE MIRACLE NIGHT and encounter the true and living God at that time. If you would like more information on how to join us in prayer, please register for ONE MIRACLE NIGHT
