We will be having a Bob Evans Community Night for Celebration Church Storehouse from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 9 at the Bob Evans by the Huntington Mall. If you bring in this flyer, they will donate 15 percent of your check to our Storehouse ministry, which provides food and clothing to hundreds of people every month. Be sure to print and share this flyer! Thank you all in advance!!

You can join the event page for more information at:

https://www.facebook.com/events/129166773941594/

Please help us make a difference in the community and do your part to be the change we need.

The Celebration Church of West Huntington was host to a Silent Auction that raised more than $5,000 for the Mission Haiti team that will be traveling to Port-au-Prince, Haiti this summer.  The team was nearly $10,000 away from their goal just a month ago, but fundraising goals became reality for the team and now they are within reach of their final dollar amount.

Crowds gather to view the auction items.

The inaugural auction was a tremendous success and will be held again in April of 2014.  The 2014 auction will go to provide for the Celebration Church’s community & global mission funds, including the Storehouse Mission, which provides food, clothing and household items to the needy in the community.  The church, mission team and auction directors would like to thank everyone who donated, purchased and attended the silent auction.

Fundraiser scheduled for church group going to Haiti – The Herald Dispatch.

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their website http://www.800wvhu.com through iHeartRadio

The affiliate station 1600AM in Milton, WV.

Be sure to let everyone know!

Tom Roten of The Tom Roten Morning Show on WVHU. 6am – 9am Monday-Friday.

Some go out of obligation, tradition or guilt. I’ve gone through many seasons during my Christian walk and I’m ashamed to say that for about five straight years, I didn’t even go to church on Easter.

I’d like to invite you to join us this Sunday, but not because you think you have to or that you think it’s just what you’re supposed to do on Easter. I think you should want to go to church. But it’s more than just going because it’s your Christian duty.

I want you to come and further develop your relationship with Jesus. It’s not about religion. It’s not about how many people we can get to boost our numbers on Easter Sunday.

Finding a congregation that’s focused on loving people will help you grow closer to God and will help you stay on the right path.

The church is the body of Christ. Gathering each week gives us the opportunity to direct our praise back to God. You will find other men and women of God you can confide in so that you don’t have to struggle on your own. It’s not to say that you won’t ever have frustrations with your brothers and sisters in Christ, because you will.

We’re all different, we don’t approach things in the same way, even though we’re all working for the common goal. But, it’s important to keep yourself focused on God.

Your pastor will equip you with the tools you need to fulfill the ministry to which you have been called. You can’t grow as a Christian  if you aren’t taught how.

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ — Ephesians 4:11-13

Speaking from personal experience, leaving church bitter and angry will only damage your own relationship with God.

I love our church. It is filled with wonderful people who I dearly love and now count as close friends and confidants. We are blessed with a pastor who is an incredible teacher and really puts scripture into perspective so I can apply it to my own life. I’m excited for the future of Celebration Church. God is sending us the right people to help us fulfill the vision God gave Pastor Steve.

We want to show people that Jesus is Real. He’s not just a figurehead you remember only at Easter. He’s not just words in a hymn.

God’s not dead. He’s Alive.  He didn’t just ascend to Heaven and stay there. He Lives inside of us.

Open your heart and he’ll meet you where ever you are. Open your eyes and see the unfailing love our Abba Father has for us. There’s more to church than paying lip service to God. He wants to know you. He loves you more than you will ever know.

Don’t miss this silent auction on April 6th from 11AM until 2PM for your chance to bid on some great items, win a new iPAD 4th Generation, enjoy free food from local restaurants, mingle and most of all help support a great cause! Must be present to win.  All bids are binding. Credit cards (with proper identification) and cash will be accepted. Music, videos and entertainment will be provided.  No cost to attend, but donations will also be accepted.  Watch for our ads in upcoming editions of The Herald Dispatch newspaper, the Charleston Daily Mail, or listen to Pastor Steve on The Tom Roten Morning Show on WVHU 800AM, April 5th at 7AM.  Thank you in advance for your support as we work to make the world a better place for those who need our help the most and God bless you!

“No one knows what we’re for, only what we’re against when we judge the wounded. What if we put down those signs and crossed over the lines and loved like you did?”
– Casting Crowns “Jesus Friend of Sinners”

We’ve listened to the Casting Crowns’ “Jesus Friend of Sinners” a lot in the last couple of weeks. I think it’s one of the best contemporary Christian songs released in the last few years.

The lyrics are powerful, stinging and really make me take a look at myself and ask, “Am I really giving the world the image of the real Jesus” or are they seeing the version of Jesus I’ve interpreted.

When I wasn’t in church and struggling with my salvation, I wouldn’t have been receptive to someone shoving a tract in my face and telling me I was heathen headed for the pit fires of Hell. I knew things I was doing were wrong. I didn’t need a piece of paper from a stranger telling me that.

As the body of Christ, the church needs to be a refuge for the outcasts. We were all outcasts at one time before God came and found us. God, I pray our hearts are led by mercy. Help us see people the way you do. Help us reach out in love, not prejudice and condemnation.

Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more. Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:10-12 

Being a Christian doesn’t mean we have to condone sin or a lifestyle we know is Biblically immoral, but it also doesn’t mean we should confront someone with angry words, telling them they need to get right with God. We can correct someone with love and not condone their behavior. We need to stop trying to do the job of the Holy Spirit. Our job is to show people that there is something better. That their sin doesn’t have to keep them bound. They can find freedom in Jesus Christ.

As Christians, we are called to live our lives in a way that glorifies God. People around us should know that we’re different. Not the weird, fake spiritual different, but the way we conduct ourselves lets people see that God lives in us. So often, we want people to know that we don’t curse or drink because it gives us some sort of false superiority. You can choose not to participate in profane language and crude remarks without drawing attention to yourself and trying to shame everyone else.

Once people know we are real, they will be more receptive to hearing what we have to say. One question about God or the Bible may lead to more questions, maybe an invitation to church. Sharing your personal experience with God will always be more effective than holding a picket sign or sharing the latest “Christian” meme on Facebook.

So many of us say “Amen” when we hear a verse denouncing a certain sin, but we turn a deaf ear to a verse telling us to correct a sinner in humility and love.

Some people are so scared of giving their lives to God that they look for any excuse to say, “Well, that’s what I thought, just another hypocrite. They’re no different than me. Why go to church, I can keep doing what I want and not get judged for it.”

Pastor Steve said something that really stuck with me a couple of weeks ago: “If you are the only Bible someone knows, what are they reading.”

I don’t know how many of you used to read the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books and give yourself a “do-over” if you didn’t like the ending. I’d keep my finger in the place where I had to choose which bridge to cross, then make sure I didn’t run into a troll or something before I proceeded.

Likewise, we can do the same thing with our own life stories. If people can’t read our lives as a Bible that glorifies God, the good news is we can change that! Study the Word, read how Jesus befriended sinners before you decide to pick up that sign and join the picket line. You are the one who decides what your story is going to be. Let’s open our eyes and see the person and not just the sin.