Gateway Magazine // Spring/Summer 2013

GATEWAYG A T E W A Y A L L I A N C E C H U R C H . C O M

I S S U E 8 : S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 3

THEOLOGY, LEADERSHIP & SPIRITUAL GROWTH

THE SECOND SEASON OF THE ACADEMY, HOSTED BY PASTOR MARTIN TRENCH STARTS UP AGAIN IN MAY

T H E G R E A TE S C A P E

BREAK FREE FROM

UNREALITYAN EXCITING NEW MESSAGE SERIES FROM GATEWAY 'THE GREAT ESCAPE'

ON REDISCOVERING A REAL FAITH THAT WORKS IN THE REAL WORLD

T H E A C A D E M Y / / C O M M U N I T Y / / S U M M E R S U N D AY S

S A I N T S & S I N N E R S / / B I B L E M Y S T E R I E S & m o r e

LET'S BUILD COMMUNITYFIND YOUR PERFECT FIT IN ONE OF GATEWAY'S EXCITING NEW COMMUNITY GROUPS:

+ GOOD FOOD + THEOLOGY + MOMS + ROCK CLIMBING + MEN + SOCIAL JUSTICE

2 / / g at e way m a g a z i n e s p r i n g / s u m m e r 2 0 1 3

Rediscovering:

a Real Faith which works in the Real World

B R E A K F R E E T O A N E W R E A L I T Y

c o n n e c t / / 3

Many people are confused by faith. Does it mean living in a “make-believe” world?

Do I have to live in denial and pretend I don't have problems?

Am I supposed to have a “happy” look on my face, even when I’m struggling?

Is “the devil” to blame for all my problems?

Do I have to be angrily opposed to other lifestyles and beliefs?

Do I have to try harder, pray more intensely, and preach to everyone I know in order to be more spiritual?

The truth is - none of that is what Jesus spoke about when he inspired genuine faith in ordinary people. True faith and spirituality are about being yourself - the person God created you to be, opening up to the wonder of life and embracing both the good times and the bad as learning experiences. It's learning to trust God, one day at a time.

Over this next season we will be discovering how to build:

A living faithA meaningful faith A mature faithAn intelligent faithA growing faith Join us for The Great Escape!

4 / / c o n n e c t

Socialize with us // JOIN THE CONVERSATION

facebook.com/gatewayalliancechurch vimeo.com/gatewayedmonton

twitter.com/gac_edmontongatewayalliancechurch.com

Welcome to the spring/summer edition of the Gateway magazine. Use it as your guide to what’s going on at Gateway and make sure you check out the calendar of events at the back of the magazine to get connected!

church is not really the building where services are held — it is the community of people who meet there to worship, hear God’s word, and serve one another — and who then go out into their world to truly live as followers of Jesus.

We would love to see you connect in a much deeper way with our church community. We feel that the best way to do that can be summed up in three words - Connect - Grow - Serve

Connect on Sunday at our main service of the week [see page 6], where we come together to Connect with God (through worship), with Scripture (through the message), and with each other (as we fellowship before & after the service) .

Grow midweek at our various community groups and our Community Nights once a month with opportunities for all the groups to come together for prayer, communion, and inter-active worship [see page 7].

Serve on a Team and really, if you regard Gateway as your spiritual home, then please consider serving once a month on one of our volunteer teams [gatewayalliancechurch.com/volunteer-opportunities/].

This season’s issue is also your go-to source for information on Gateway, who we are and what we do as well as info on all our upcoming big events and special Sundays!

If you are new here, head over to the info desk in the foyer and make sure you ask for a Welcome Pack. It contains a message CD and a coupon for a free drink in our cafe — we are looking forward to meeting you!

c o n n e c t / / 5

april 14th // 10AMbrad guldemond cd launch

An inspiring morning of worship and music as Pastor Brad gives an exclusive first performance of all the songs from his new cd "Overwhelm Us".

may 12th // 10AMmother's day

Moms will be getting the red carpet treatment this Mother's Day at Gateway! Come along to this special Sunday where the ladies will be served by the men and kids!

may 19th // 10AMpentecost sunday

Come celebrate with us on this special Sunday as we experience the power of the Holy Spirit in a whole new way.

june 16th // 10AMfather's day

It's the Dad's time to be treated at Gateway for this year's Father's day. Join us for the most manly day of the year with lots of manly things and manliness going on!

june 2nd // 10AMvision sunday

Hear the next instalment of our journey as a church community!

june 30th // 10AMhealing and communion service

This service is for anyone who needs healing in any way, physically, emotionally and spiritually. A time of communion and healing prayer.

GATEWAY

special

sundays

6 / / g r o w

What is ? ?

XLR8 is a place where any student can BELONG and feel safe and accepted, where they can explore and wrestle with what they BELIEVE and BECOME all that God made them to be.

We at XLR8 believe in students and have a passion to see them thrive for a full and fulfilled life and to know the power God in their lives.

Make sure to "Like" our Facebook page to stay in the know!

facebook.com/YouthXLR8

email for info:[email protected]

[email protected]

DATE TIME WHAT WHERE

Apr 5th 6.45pm OUTBREAK: Worship Night Church

Apr 12th 7pm CHAOS: Battle of the Sexes Church

Apr 19th 7pm SEARCH ChurchApr 26th – NO YOUTH –

May 3rd 6.45pm OUTBREAK: Worship Night Church

May 10thBus Leaves 6.30om

Mission Impossible Meet at the Church

May17th 7pm CHAOS: Relay ChurchMay 24th 7pm SEARCH Church

May 31stBus Leaves 6:30pm

Whitemud Amusement Park

Meet atthe Church

Jun 7th 6.45pm OUTBREAK: Worship Night Church

Jun 14th 7pm CHAOS: Sports Church

Jun 22nd TBA School Year Wrap Up(Saturday) TBA

Jun 28th NO YOUTH – Like the facebook page to keep up on details with XLR8 and the summer.

g r o w / / 7

COMMUNITY GROUPSIt's great to be a part of a growing church, but it is also important to build relationships and really become part of the community here at Gateway. To help facilitate that, we have a variety of different Community Groups, each with a different purpose, flavour or emphasis - because everyone is unique, and there is no one group which meets every need.

Watch our Bulletin Board at the church building, or our website for an updated list of all the groups we currently have available.

If you are someone who is searching for a group or you have a desire to lead or host such a group, get more details at the info desk or contact Pastor Drake at [email protected]

COMMUNITY NIGHTSApr 24th // May 22nd // Jun 19th

Community Nights are a place for you to experience and explore the deeper things of the Christian Faith. This is where you can come and grow in community and is where our various community groups meet together in a larger group setting. From 6.30pm until 8.30pm.

RELAX with good friends and meet new people with our café open and we have a meal together (potluck).

ACOUSTIC STYLE WORSHIP, expressions of adoration, communion, healing, prayer and spiritual gifts

DIG DEEPER into God’s word and how it speaks to your life today.

RadiantSports &

Social Groups

Render

Mom'sGroupHouseParties

CelebrateRecovery

8 / / g r o w

SEARCHERS

HOSTILE OPEN SEEKIING FAITHCOMMITMENT

J ESUS ONCE TOLD A STORY TO ILLUSTRATE WHAT GOD IS LIKE, AND WHAT WE ARE VERY OFTEN LIKE. THE STORY GOES LIKE THIS: A father had two sons. The younger son wanted his inheritance now — while the father was still alive. The father gave him his inheritance and his freedom, but unfortunately the son left home, got in with bad company, squandered his wealth on wild living and ended up a pauper. He eventually

g r o w / / 9

FAITHCOMMITMENT

CONNECTING GROWING SERVING

FOLLOWERS

decided to return to his fathers house — repentant and remorseful — and asked his father for a job. Before he could even apologise, the father threw his arms around him, welcomed him home, and threw a party for him, forgiving and forgetting about all the son's mistakes. The older son was very angry that the father had forgiven the younger son and refused to join the party. The father explained to him that it is right to celebrate when a lost child comes home.

more

1 0 / / g r o w

We are like the sons in that story. Either we have rebelled against God and strayed away and squandered the gift of life we have been given, and so we need to return back to our Father's house; or we are so self-righteous that we judge those who make mistakes and don’t even see our own pride and hypocrisy. God is like the Father who gives, loves, forgives, accepts, and reasons with us — all the while longing for us to be part of His family. Wherever we see ourselves in this story, here is a prayer to help you connect with God and take the next step in your journey of faith:

Father God,

I come to you today to seek your forgiveness, blessing, and power.I acknowledge that I have sinned and fallen short of the life you created me for. I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross in my place and for my sins, so that I may receive new life and a new relationship with you; and I believe that he rose from the dead and is alive for evermore. I open up my life fully to the presence of your Spirit, to change me, lead me, and empower me to take the next step in my journey of faith. By your grace, may I become the person you always intended me to be — a fully-forgiven, fully-alive child of the living God.

In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

WELCOME TO GOD’S PARTY!

“The Kingdom of God is like a man who threw a partyand invited everyone to come!”

JESUSSAID

more

c o n n e c t / / 1 1

MILEST

ONES As we journey through life, we occasionally meet with major

milestones in our life - the birth of a child, the beginning of a new relationship, the decision to join a faith community, the

need for support during an illness or crisis. Our Community Pastor, Drake Farmer, together with our Elders Team are happy to help you with the following Milestones:

Becoming a ChristianWater BaptismChild Dedication

Church Membership

Healing PrayerCrisis Counseling

WeddingsFunerals

Enquire at the Info Desk or contact Pastor Drake at the church office.If you have any prayer requests please email:

[email protected]

W orship & Creative Arts is the place for anyone who wants to use their artistic and creative gifts at Gateway.

Right now our main groups are Music, Tech and Scenic Design, but this year, we are building up groups of all kinds of different creative interests—video, media, scenic construction, painting, dance, etc.

If you have any experience—or are willing to learn new skills —in any of the areas mentioned then please get in touch and join with other creative individuals who share your passions!

ContactBrad

[email protected] you're interested in music, scenic construction,

dance, painting etc.

[email protected]

if you're interested in the technical arts e.g. video filming & editing, photography,

print & web design etc.

1 2 / / g r o w

At Gateway, kids matter! They are respected for the way God created them. He made them so that they love to play, discover, question and have fun! So we at GatewayKids are all about helping kids BELONG, BELIEVE and BECOME what God made them to be. We believe in kids and have a passion for kids and all that God has for them. Every experience here at GatewayKids has an eternal purpose behind it.

We provide a place for kids from 0 to grade 6. With nursery, a preschool program, an elementary program and a preteen program. Check out the KidCheck center and talk to one of our GatewayKids team members for more information or contact Drake or Jen here at the office.

Emails: [email protected] // [email protected]

gatewaykidsb e l o n g . b e l i e v e . b e c o m e

At Gateway we take our kids' safety seriously.

All workers are screened and trained in Plan to Protect Policies.

Parents, please create a KidCheck Profile at:

http://www.kidcheck.com/signup.aspx

s e r v e / / 1 3

Release is a new ministry department that has been set up for people who are interested in social

justice issues in edmonton and further afield.

Release is all about love in action. We want to be a practical example of God’s love for our

community and beyond. We have already been partnering with groups in the city; raising funds for Cease (Centre To end all sexual exploitation) and donating bags of much needed winter clothing to

edmonton’s homeless population through The Mustard seed. These partnerships will continue in

2013 and we will work at developing new relationships too.

Release will be hosting an information event this season to share what’s going on and how you can

get involved. like our Facebook page to see what’s coming up or for more info contact Jac Clayton.

facebook.com/[email protected]

HOSPITALITYoming to church for the first time can be a nerve wracking experience. That’s why we have a fantastic Hospitality Team here at Gateway. Our cafe, info desk, ushering and greeting teams make sure everyone feels at home in our house.

If you are sociable and enjoy helping others feel welcome, please consider getting involved. There’s no pressure to commit yourself forever – you can sign up to help at a one-time event, or just to try a team to see how it fits.

Talk to someone at the info desk in the Gateway foyer for information on how to get involved or email Jac Clayton at [email protected]

1 4 / / g at e way m a g a z i n e s p r i n g / s u m m e r 2 0 1 3

Saints & SinnersEach Sunday we will look at a different Bible character his/her faults and triumphs, showing that God uses flawed people.

SummerSundayS

Over the summer season we will have shorter (1 hour) services, featuring various speakers, but all looking at the theme 'Saints & Sinners'.

documentariesOn two Sundays we will show an inspirational documentary/movie on controversial people who helped inspire the contemporary Christian movement.

Lonnie Frisbee (Frisbee: the life and death of a hippie preacher)

Larry Norman (Fallen Angel) Lonnie Frisbee Larry Norman

g at e waya l l i a n c e c h u r c h . c o m / / 1 5

DATE DAY TIME EVENT

apr

il

7th Sunday 10am Jackson Hoolihan

14th Sunday 10am Brad Guldemond CD Launch

21st Sunday 10am Saints & Sinners

24th Wednesday 6.30pm Community Night & Potluck

28th Sunday 10am Saints & Sinners

may

5th Sunday 10am Saints & Sinners

12th Sunday 10am Mother's Day

19th Sunday Service: 10am Pentecost Sunday

22nd Wednesday 6.30pm Community Night & Potluck

26th Sunday 10am Special Guest Speaker

ju

ne

2nd Sunday 10am Saints & Sinners

9th Sunday Service: 10am Saints & Sinners

16th Sunday 10am Father's Day

19th Wednesday 6.30pm Community Night & Potluck

23rd Sunday Service: 10amAcademy: 12.45pm Lonnie Frisbee Documentary

30th Sunday 10am Healing & Communion Service

sp

rin

g/s

um

me

r 20

13 e

ve

nts c

ale

nd

ar