We have some big things coming up, so I'm getting this prayer update out to my faithful prayer warriors! Thanks for standing with us.
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We now have two separate "Villages" meeting each week. A village is a medium sized group (bigger than a typical small group) that meets for worship, praying together, practical biblical teaching, the Lord's Supper, fellowship and sharing. Villages are also missional - they reach out together into the community. Between the two Villages we have just over 30 adults plus a number of teens and children attending.
We are excited to begin to meet with people who are showing strong interest in Great Oaks. God is drawing some wonderful people to us, and we are very thankful to see his hand at work.
Even more, we have felt the gracious presence of God's Spirit upon our gatherings. We rejoice in the Lord's faithfulness, and pray for an even greater outpouring of his presence.
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This weekend and next weekend I will spend a few minutes casting the vision of Great Oaks Church before the Kensington congregation. While brief, these presentations are important for us, and have the potential of drawing still more people to this new church that the Lord is building in Rochester Hills.
This coming Sunday morning (April 26) I will be sharing our vision at the 9 am, 10:30 am and Noon services at the Kensington North Campus in Rochester Hills. About 2200 people attend that campus each weekend. After each service we will hold a brief "5 Minute Party" where we will provide refreshments (got to do that), meet interested people, and invite them to a follow-up "Great Oaks Interest Meeting."
The following Weekend (May 2 & 3) I will be sharing our vision for a few minutes at the main Troy campus at the Saturday evening service (5:30 pm) and the Sunday morning services (9 am, 10:30 am and Noon). Again, each will be followed by a "5 Minutes Party." About 6000 people attend the Troy campus each weekend.
Our follow up "Interest Meetings" will be held Sunday, May 3, 7-8 pm, Wednesday, May 6, 8:15-9:15 pm, and Tuesday, May 12, 7-8 pm.
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Aleyse and her boyfriend Abimael will be visiting us this coming week, Sunday through Wednesday, which we are of course very excited about. David will also be coming over from the west side of the state so we can have most of the family to celebrate Stephen's 17th birthday.
Speaking of Stephen - you know, our "little guy" - well he is now taller than dad! Yep, he just hit 5'11" and shows no sign of slowing down!
David is now in finals week at Grand Valley, with two big finals on
Wednesday. Laura is two weeks away from finals week at New York
University. Both are in the big middle of "crunch time."
We are also planning to relaunch a serious search for a home in several weeks once we finish all of our presentations and interest meetings. The adventure never ceases!
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| Paul & Tammy Bradford
13712 Castle Avenue
Warren, Michigan 48088
616-886-5500
Great Oaks Church
P.O. Box 70313
Rochester Hills, MI 48307
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We send our Family Updates every 3 months, and Prayer Updates about every 2 weeks. We also send out a "Great Oaks Update" about 2x per month.
You can also forward our Updates to friends you think might be interested using the link at the bottom of this email.
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Here is how you can pray for us:
- Thank
the Lord for the growing number of people that are attending our Village Gatherings, and who are considering joining Great Oaks Church.
- Thank the Lord for his continued faithfulness to our family, and his blessing on our ministry.
- Pray for the continued touch of the Holy Spirit in our Village gatherings and meetings with potential team members.
- Pray for God's blessing on me as I share the vision of Great Oaks before Kensington these next two weekends. Pray for the Holy Spirit to stir in the hearts of those he is calling to Great Oaks as I share.
- Pray for God's presence at our Interest Meetings on May 3, 6 & 12.
- Pray that God will stir in the hearts of those he is calling to Great Oaks.
- Continue to pray for our 5th Wheel to sell and for the Lord to open a door for the right home for our family.
- Pray for spiritual protection around our family, those on our team, and those considering our team.
Thank you!
Love always,
Paul & Tammy
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