Tailgating at the Cathedral

Hey Church family.

Mark it down – October 6^th from 12:30-2:30 – Tailgating at the Cathedral.

As we look to share God’s good news with our community, we are aware that for many people, coming to ‘church’ can be a scary ordeal. So we go out of our way to create irresistible environments and events.  So that when God leads you to invite a friend, you can feel confident they are walking into a loving family, not a bunch of weirdos.  Thus, Tailgating at the Cathedral.

After the 11am services we have a family orientated event - Tailgating at the Cathedral.  There will be so much going on, I don't know where to start

- Tailgating – decorate your car with your favorite sports teams – Seahawks, Cougars, Huskies, Ducks, or Gators.  Which team will have the most support?  Anyone wanting to tailgate is welcome to bring a car. 

- Bite of WC - booths with food from our congregations including Brazilian, Korean, Hispanic, Egyptian, Native American, and Pacific Islander.

- Big Screen TVs to watch the Games

- All Family Field day with classic games such as tug a war, three legged race, and sack race and not so classic games like Crazy Kickball

- Family Photo Booth with uniforms, costumes, and silly props

- Rootbeer Keg - Floats and contests.

Everyone is invited and encouraged to bring friends.  Each food booth will have a suggested donation.  All the events are free.

If you have any questions, please contact us @ (425) 869-LIFE or by email.

What Do Circles Offer?

By Pastor Rey Diaz

I love rows.  My life has been blessed by rows.  I share weekly using the rows format.  But I know the truth.  Circles are better than rows.  My life has been changed in circles.  Here is why circles are better than rows.

When people sit in a circle, something powerful happens, which is totally unlike the interaction people have when they are seated in rows.

In rows, people look at and learn from the pastor. In a circle, they look and learn from each other.

In rows, people are treated as passive and dependent. People wait for the “professionals” to minister to them. There is a strong message of inequality between the leadership team and the congregation. In a circle, people are active and self-directed. They are implicitly empowered to minister to each other. There is a sense of equity and respect for everyone.

In rows, there is no opportunity to respond to the information presented. There is no place for prior knowledge or life experiences to be shared. There is no chance to discuss, ask questions or disagree. In a circle, there is ample opportunity to interact and explore new ideas and concepts. Individual life experiences are valued and sought, and robust discussion is allowed and encouraged.

In rows, learning is minimized and boredom is prevalent. Learning is constrained to a single event and a single intelligence (listening). The focus is on attaining knowledge from a single source (the pastor). In a circle, learning is maximized by tapping into multiple intelligences and promoting an attitude of continuous learning. The focus is on growing wisdom through shared experiences and interaction, and applying that wisdom to real-life situations.

A circle creates community.

A circle activates learning.

A circle empowers everybody.

A circle accelerates authenticity.

A circle gives everyone a voice and value.

A circle is a natural way of interacting.

A circle is symbolic in its very nature. A circle speaks of unity; of equality; of connectedness; of completeness. A circle is non-hierarchical, organic and natural.

I’m not saying that every interaction we have in church has to take place in circles. I am saying that we don’t use them often enough, and that we haven’t discovered the power of using circles in our Sunday church services.

Will you join a circle this fall semester?  Now is the time to sign up.  

What's in Your Hand?

By Pastor Rey Diaz

God is asking you “what is in your hand?”  Because if you give what is in your hand to God, He can use it for his kingdom.

This past week we focused on one of the most powerful principle found in scripture - Everybody can accomplish more than somebody.   Paul uses this analogy of the human body to describe the church.  Everyone is valuable.  Everyone is significant.  Everyone needs one another to fully function.  We are all mission critical to the body.  We can accomplish more together. 

We need you.  Our community needs you.  The world needs you.  Our awesome church is not about going to church but about giving back as the church.  We can do so much more together than we can alone.  Everybody is greater than somebody. 

So here is what I’m trying to convince you to do:

• To get off the bench and step onto the playing field.
• To get off the sidelines and get into the game.
• To leverage some of your time to make a Kingdom difference right here.
• To take whatever you have in your hand, and use it for God. Everybody can play a part.

The church is a volunteer organization…it’s the power of everybody working together.  We are an army of people, all with important parts to play.  We are people that were created to join God in His mission. We serve because it gives us a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.  For me it’s the most fulfilling thing I do.

Everybody can have a part in the mission and there is no unimportant task. The body of Christ is made up of many parts...all of them help the others.

So, where does God want you?

Serving is for everybody.  You don’t have to have a special card to be a volunteer around here.  You don’t need to have a signed permission form from the Holy Spirit.  You don’t have to be a super Christian.  You just need to serve somewhere.

God has a mission and everybody can accomplish more than somebody.  Everybody that serves in some capacity around here is spreading the Gospel.  You’ve been created and gifted to serve.  You use your passions and gifts throughout the week…in your home, in your job, why not leverage them for use in your church?

So let me be clear about what I want everyone to do.  I want everyone to serve somewhere.  Because everybody is better than somebody.

I don’t want you to serve because we have a whole bunch of needs that if they don’t get met, disaster will strike.

I want you to volunteer because you were created and hard-wired by God to do it.  And when you serve somewhere you will find fulfillment, people’s needs will be met, and the gospel will go forward.

What Do Angels Long For?

By Pastor Rey Diaz

It’s an interesting notion, isn’t it?  We all know what it feels like to long, desire, or eagerly await something.  We know the butterflies in the stomach feeling, the emotions, and the anticipation we experience in our longings.  But angels.  Those heavenly beings, they long?  They have desires?  They eagerly await?

Peter briefly mentions that angels do have longings.  And do you know what they long for?  They long to see our salvation.  They long to see God rescue us.  Redeem us.  Transform us.

They long to see God fulfill His promises.  Angels know something that we all struggle to grasp or comprehend.  They have been with God for hundreds, thousands of years.  They know that when God makes a promise, he never breaks a promise.  They know that God finishes what he starts.  They know that He who promised is faithful.  So they long.

They long to see God fulfill the promises he made ages ago.  God really made some incredible promises to us.  So we have to position ourselves to receive these promises.  In last week’s message, I shared how we do that – We draw near.  How can you draw near this fall?  How can you encourage others to draw near?

Peter wants us to feel more gratitude and wonder for our salvation that the angels of heaven longed to see; that we have now experienced through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We should be amazed at the greatness of our salvation.

1 Peter 1:12 (NLT)

"They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen."