Manna Family,
Let me start off by saying a big THANK YOU to our oversight pastors, elders, staff, and leaders who stepped up so that my family and I could take a much needed sabbatical this summer! We are truly grateful to be a part of such a life-giving church, and we feel both honored and appreciated. This summer was a wonderful time of reflection and replenishment in preparation for the days ahead, and Becky and I are excited to reengage with our church family this Fall.
This month starts with the kickoff to a new sermon series (Dear Church,) where we’ll be studying the first three chapters of the Book of Revelation, looking at Jesus’ letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor. Although this prophecy was penned nearly 2,000 years ago, the message rings true for the Church today. The questions remain… will we listen, and more importantly, will we obey?
To further explore these timely truths, we’ll be engaging in our annual Fall SEEK WEEK (2nd-8th), consecrating ourselves through prayer and fasting. Look for daily devotionals each morning on YouTube. This week of ‘setting our hearts on God’ will culminate with Connect Sunday, where we’ll encourage everyone who calls Manna Church home to find their place of future transformation (Small Groups, SERVE Teams, Outreach).
I love this time of year. Football is back, a few leaves are starting to drop, and it’s not 100 degrees all the time anymore! I’m so glad to be back and can’t wait to see you each Sunday (if we haven’t met yet – come give me a high five). You are Manna Church, and together we will change the world!
Listen to Jesus,
Mark Your Calendars
LOVE GOD
Manna Kids Give Back!
Every Sunday, elementary students in Manna Kids learn about giving tithes and offerings – putting God first and giving back what is already His! We are so proud of ALL of our Manna Kids for adding to the offering collected each week. Recently, these two super siblings set up a lemonade stand to raise money for our Manna Church West Florida building fund and were so proud to bring it in for the offering bucket! Thank you Manna Kids for changing YOUR world!
Manna Kids SERVE team training: Sept 28th from 4-6 pm. Childcare provided! All team members are encouraged to attend this twice-yearly training. If you’ve considered joining our team, NOW is a great time! Come shadow a leader any Sunday during one of our services, and learn more about our process and vision at the upcoming training session.
Hope to see you there!
Love Each Other
Small Groups
There is a place for YOU!
Connect Sunday is an opportunity to browse all the Small Groups we have this Fall and meet some of our Small Group Leaders. Oh! Most importantly, sign up to join. It’s also an excellent opportunity to learn more about our SERVE Teams. We have groups and teams who would love to help you connect!
Growth Track
When did you go through Growth Track? It may be time to walk through it again. FirstStep and NextStep are ways to freshen up on Spiritual Disciplines within the context of Manna Church and meet new people. We’d love to see you in our upcoming Small Group.
The Manna Church Growth Track is a series of Small Groups designed to facilitate your growth as a healthy, effective follower of Jesus Christ. Additionally, you’ll hear about our vision and values and be introduced to the Manna culture. FirstStep, NextStep, and LeaderStep groups are starting this September. Click the link below and register for the Small Group you would like to join.
Manna Stu
I am amazed at what God can do with a “YES.” Forty empty, prayed-over chairs were multiplied into 60 chairs full of students who want to connect to our church, each other, and God. What a start to our Fall STU semester!
God has been incredibly faithful in bringing students for us to pour into. So now we are trusting that God will supply additional leaders to step into student ministry. Is this YOU? Are you willing to say “YES”? If you would like to learn more about serving with Manna Students, find our table on September 8th at Connect Sunday!
– Denisha Watson
Love The World
Local Outreach
August was a HUGE win for Outreach. As a church we served at six different opportunities with over 100+ people who served. The highest-attended outreach of the month was the Hope For Hunger event, led by Jasmine Neimic and Coordinated by Lin Baldwin. Jasmine shared her thoughts on the day, saying it’s “Just very cool to see everyone joyfully serving together – all ages!”.
There was also a team that traveled to LA to be a part of the LA Dream Center for a week. The team came back with amazing stories of how God moved in and through them. To learn more about their experience, check out our first ‘Report Back’ podcast.
For upcoming outreach opportunities, please see the ‘Mark Your Calendars’ section.
C.I.F.C.
For September, the Check-in for Change partner will be Frontline Missions. Frontline Missions develops partnerships with the global church to empower and equip leaders to reach their nations for Christ. They partner with community leaders and equip them to share the Gospel through creative solutions such as Bible storytelling, leadership training, and economic development. We’ve been partnered with Frontline for over five years, particularly in Colombia, and have been able to see the fruit of their ministries. This highlight is getting us ready to hear more stories during ROC, our Reach Out Celebration, this coming November.
