A Bernedoodle and Spring Break
Many of you know we got a puppy a little over a year ago.
Many of you also had to suffer through my complaining about us trying to raise this puppy.
Many of you were likely taking bets about how long we would have Brittany the bernedoodle before we got rid of her.
Many of you have also noticed I haven’t talked about her, I haven’t used her in sermon illustrations, and likely you assumed we got rid of her.
So to clear the air, Brittany is still a member of the Beard family.
Now here is what I do want to point out. Brittany has slowly made herself more and more a part of our family. She sits on the couch with us. She goes on family walks with us. She tries to eat our food with us. She tries to sleep in our bed with us. She doesn’t want to get up in the morning like us.
When we first got her, she was clearly a rambunctious puppy, but we (hesitantly and/or lovingly, depending on who we are referring to) welcomed her in. As time has gone on, she continues to do life with us, act like us, be more like us.
I had the realization watching Brittany that that is actually our calling as disciples of Jesus. That is what it means for him to be our rabbi and for us to be his followers.
He welcomes us in, though he does it much more graciously than me, and he calls for us to become like him.
In John’s gospel, Jesus begins the whole story calling for these first disciples to come and see, to follow him and learn his ways.
He then shares with his disciples at the end of his life that they are to abide in him and obeying his commands.
The journey for the disciples was one that began with abiding in Jesus, being changed by him to be more like him over the course of 3 years, and then embodying his ways for the rest of their lives.
As time goes on and we continue to do life with Jesus, we should be more like Jesus.
As we are in the midst of spring break, a little over halfway through Lent, and coming close to Holy Week with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, his final meal remembering the passover with his disciples, the dark and difficult Friday where Jesus was crucified, dead, and buried…but just 3 days later we get to celebrate Easter and Jesus defeating sin and death.
So over the next few weeks, ask yourself, am I becoming more like Jesus or more like something else?
I heard someone say recently that no one stumbles into sainthood, no one accidentally becomes more like Jesus. They are right. It is an intentional way of life that is counter to the way most people live. You likely aren’t going to stumble into that, you make a decision to intentionally follow after him.
And there is life in that way of life.
One note I did want to make sure you don’t miss, we believe following after Jesus isn’t just for adults, but it is for everyone. So, we took a step and hired someone to lead our Next Generation Ministry for kids and families. The hope is we want ministry happening not just on Sunday morning or at Bible Studies, but in the lives and homes of kids and teenagers, families helping one another grow to be more like Jesus.
With that, we have brought on Michael Pratt to lead this endeavor. Read below to learn a bit more about him and everything else that is happening at The Chapel.
Bible Study, The Set, parking challenges, Holy Week, and more.
Next Generation Ministry for Kids and Families-
Please help us welcome Michael, Lindsey, and Caden Pratt! This local family has joined our ministry team here at The Chapel and he is excited to serve the families that call The Chapel at Seaside home. Michael is the Director of Next Generation Ministry for Kids and Families and will focus on helping lead this ministry to be the best it can be on Sunday morning and also extend to care and support these families to help raise the next generation to follow after Jesus. Michael and Lindsey have a passion for their faith, family, and entrepreneurship. Michael has served in student ministries for the past 8 years and is excited to be a part of what God is doing in Seaside! You can reach out and welcome Michael at [email protected].
Bible Study-
Our Men’s and Women’s Bible Studies are still happening tomorrow morning. Men meet at 8:30. Women meet at 10am. And the road in and out of Seaside get limited starting at 10:30am. This will be our last meeting until April 10th. Our Young Adult study on Thursday morning will start back up April 11th.
The Set-
This Wednesday we are trying something new called The Set. On Wednesday, March 13th, at 7pm at The Chapel we are opening the doors for a come and go hour of worship and prayer. It will hopefully be a beautiful sunSET, and then we invite you to join us in The Chapel where we have SET the room to be a place of prayer and worship. Daniel Pratt, our worship leader will lead a SET of worship songs in a very simple acoustic fashion. What happens when we SET our heart and mind, our eyes and our life upon Jesus? Join us if you can. No production, no message, no bulletins or lyrics, no frills. Just a time to SET down our burdens and sorrows, to be surrounded by a beautiful place, and rest in the presence of Jesus. Even if you need to come late or leave early, if you are free Wednesday between 7 and 8pm, join us for THE SET.
As for parking options, keep reading.
Parking-
We do not know the full road closure schedule for the rest of the Spring Break season, but below is the current information for this week.
-Forest Street from 395 is boarded shut this week. You cannot come in the back way by car or golf cart, or leave that way. You must take 30A.
-Monday-Friday From 10:30am-10pm the only 2 roads that access The Chapel and allow you to exit are Natchez (on the west side) and Savannah (on the east side).
-Smolian Circle (around the school/Lyceum) only loops, you cannot get to The Chapel from the loop in a vehicle. It is also paid parking again.
-When Bible Studies start, the roads will not be closed yet, which means that you will be able to get to The Chapel.
Other Parking Options for Bible Study and The Set
-Pay for parking in Smolian Circle
-try to get a spot in the Watercolor public lot and walk over
-Walk or ride a bike from a nearby location
-Catch the Seaside shuttle. This year’s complimentary shuttle services will pick up at a reserved Seaside lot off of Hwy. 331 S., just past the Sanctuary at 331 Apartment Complex, and drop off under the Lyceum Archway in the center of SEASIDE®. The shuttle is available to guests and employees and runs daily from 6 a.m. to midnight, with three shuttles running at all times.
Sundays-
Sundays do not seem to be impacted by the limited access to Seaside during Spring Break, so we hope you will join us throughout this season on Sunday mornings for worship at 10am. This Sunday we are excited to welcome Branden Campbell. Branden has preached many times in the past at The Chapel and is an active part of The Chapel and this community. His wife, Katie runs the prayer ministry 30A Prays. You’ve likely seen Branden and Katie around town. He is a great preacher and we always love when he is with us.
Like always, if you can’t make it for worship in person, you’re sick or out of town, you can always worship with us online through our website or our Facebook page.
Holy Week-
Holy Week is a powerful week that has incredibly high highs and low lows. To get to experience the fullness of the day, I hope you can join us for each of our times together starting with Palm Sunday and concluding with Easter Sunday.
Palm Sunday – Sunday, March 24th at 10am at The Chapel. We remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem as a part of our regular Sunday morning worship service. We will also have the children as a part of the service waving palm branches.
Maundy Thursday Communion Service – Thursday, March 28th at 6pm at The Chapel. We will have a special service where we will remember Jesus sharing in his final meal with his disciples and we will share in communion together.
Good Friday Service – Friday, March 29th at 6pm at The Chapel. We will remember Jesus’ final few hours as he was betrayed, denied, and led to a cross where he suffered and died. This is a thoughtful, beautiful and difficult service, though without it, there would be no resurrection.
Easter Sunday – We will have three opportunities to celebrate our resurrected King. 6am Sunrise service on the beach, 8:30am at The Chapel and 10am at The Chapel. The sunrise service on the beach will be held on the beaches of Seaside accessible through the Coleman Pavilion. This is the iconic pavilion with the white obelisk.
For more about Easter, please go to thechapelatseaside.com/easter to get all the information you need as well as a Lent Playlist curated by our worship leader Daniel Pratt.
No matter if you are in town visiting, you live here, from all of us who call The Chapel home, you are welcome here.
Blessings.
Andrew