Jeff Iskra .com

Here is a portion of a great devotional by Os Hillman for Nov 20, 2011:

Sin makes our spiritual armor vulnerable to attack from Satan, who then gains permission from God to attack us in the area where we have failed to uphold righteousness. If we break down in moral purity, Satan comes in and establishes a stronghold. If we give place to bitterness and unwillingness to forgive, we will break fellowship with God and others. If we become money-focused, we will fall into greed and deception. It is a vicious cycle.

Examine your armor today. Make sure you are not susceptible to attack. Begin from a solid spiritual foundation and your chances of success will be great.

The entire devotional can be found at this link: http://www.marketplaceleaders.org/blog/check-your-armor/

What is the path for church membership at Pathways for those who are currently members at WH727?
WH727 members will automatically be brought into Pathways Community Church.  In a few weeks after the merge, we will have a party just for the members of WH727.  We’ll have a meal as part of the celebration as well as a time to meet the staff, hear more about the big picture of the church, and have your specific questions answered.  This will not be a typical membership class but more of a celebration & orientation.

What will happen to my Tuesday night small group?
Warehouse 727 & Pathways have very similar weekly programs and the merging of the two churches will be relatively seamless!  The WH727 Tuesday night small groups for the men & the ladies will continue to function as they always have.  The primary difference will simply be the change of location to the Pathways campus.

Presently, Pathways has seven different Ladies groups & a large group for the Men (very similar to the format for the Guard Dawgs Bible study) on Tuesday nights.  Bringing the WH727 TuesPM groups to Pathways will be a perfect fit.

I do not know of another church in which WH727 is more similar to than Pathways.  I am very excited about this new season of ministry for WH727!  God has definitely blessed us & is crafting an amazing story of redemption and positioning us for greater effectiveness… for His glory!

Recently I shared about our conversation with Pathways Community Church about merging our two churches.  For many, because we were previously a part of Pathways, it feels like we are going “home” and you are very excited.  (I am very surprised at how many people have actually been praying for this to happen!)

Some, however, do not have history with Pathways and may feel reserved or even hesitant.  Be assured that most everything about your church will continue without interruption and the changes that will occur will bring significant benefits!

Throughout this week I will share some of the questions I have received regarding this merger.  Please read the emails so that you will have a more clear understanding of what this will look like.  Also, feel free to email any questions you may have to me at jeff@warehouse727.com (I may even be able to share it in one of future emails!)

Here is the most asked question:

If we merge, what will we do on Saturday nights?
We will still have our Saturday night worship service!  For most people, the only difference on Saturday night will be our location.

We will have the same band, the same café, which means the same cinnamon buns and the same Starbucks coffee!  We will continue with the same teaching & I will continue to be the Saturday night pastor.

There are many benefits with this merge.  One of the biggest is that we will have multiple weekend worship services. If you are not able to attend on a Saturday night, you will now have the option of attending 7:15pm Friday, or Sunday at 9am & 10:30am.  It seems every parade, festival, concert, and party happens on Saturday nights!  This has been a great frustration to many since we only offered worship services on Saturday nights!

Other benefits are we will have an established youth ministry, the set-up & tear-down on Saturday nights will be eliminated, the worship center is very nice and will provide other opportunities, as well as lowering our expenses and ministering in buildings that will be owned by us.

Where is Pathways located?
The address is 801 Seminole Blvd, Largo, FL  (Link to Map)

We will vote on the merge this Saturday, June 18.  You must be a member of Warehouse 727 to be eligible to vote.  Members of the Leadership Council will have voting ballots available near the guest services table.  They may be picked up before the service or immediately afterwards.  All ballots must be turned in immediately after the worship service.