Midweek Check-in (March 25, 2026)

Good morning, church family!

It’s time for another midweek check-in!

When you study the Bible and spend time reading God’s Word, you may often come across different themes. You may remember a series we did last fall that considered the many times trees were present in several important moments in the Bible. That’s one theme.

You could do a similar study tracking the way mountains are mentioned or water is portrayed or bread or sheep or blood. The biblical authors, led by the Holy Spirit, used ordinary ideas to communicate extraordinary concepts.

Here’s one more: gathering in groups. Luke’s gospel, especially, makes sure to point out several times when Jesus’ followers stuck together.

·      The last image Luke gives us of the cross is the women gathering as a group, standing back and just taking it all in (Luke 23:49).

·      After Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples didn’t scatter. They, too, gathered in a group (Luke 24:33).

·      And the final verse of Luke’s gospel is a beautiful image of Jesus’ followers gathering with joy for a big worship service! (Luke 24:53)

·      Luke also wrote the book of Acts, which continues the story from Jesus’ life and ministry to the days of the early church. In the very first page, Luke writes that the disciples were eating together (Acts 1:4), and then they stayed together in Jerusalem (v.13-14).

·      And what was the very first detail Luke gave of Pentecost Sunday and the arrival of the Holy Spirit? Luke 2:1 – “When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place.”

I think Luke is trying to tell us something here. When God’s people get together, good things happen. Sometimes Jesus’ followers gathered out of confusion or fear. Sometimes it was out of obedience to Jesus. Sometimes it was just to pray and worship! Other times it was because they didn’t know what else to do.

This past Sunday we opened invitations for what we’re calling Vision Gatherings. It’s an opportunity for you to spend an evening with a few church people, some church leaders and myself as we go into this season of seeking the Lord’s will and committing to the mission He has for this church. These Vision Gatherings will take place in various homes throughout the Wichita area. Some are on weeknights. Some are weekend afternoons. Find the one that’s best for your schedule and location, and sign up – either online or at our NEXT booth in the church lobby.

These spots are filling up quickly (more than 50 signed up this past Sunday!). So if you have one particular location or date in mind, don’t delay!

And keep these key dates in mind as well! When the people of God gather under the banner of “Christ is Lord” good things happen! That’s true in the pages of scripture, and I believe it’s true for us today.

Your pastor,

Billy Byler

CHURCH ELECTIONS: Our annual church elections will take place this Sunday (March 29) before and after the Sunday morning worship service. Voting is only for those who have officially been accepted into church membership by attending a membership class or transferring membership from another Nazarene church. If you are interested in church membership, please let us know!

PALM SUNDAY: The start of Holy Week begins this Sunday morning with our Palm Sunday worship service. On this fifth Sunday of the month, kids will stay in the sanctuary and worship the Lord with us! (We’ll still have our Kids Moment and activity pads to keep them engaged in the service). We’ll also receive Communion this Sunday.

GOOD FRIDAY: Our Good Friday service is April 3 at 6 p.m. in the sanctuary. This is a powerful, unique time in which we linger in the shadow of the cross, remembering the sacrifice Jesus made for us.

EASTER SUNDAY: Join us for our Easter Sunday worship service April 5 at 10:30 a.m. We’ll have coffee and doughnuts ready and a photo booth for family pictures in your Easter best! Come worship our Risen Lord and Savior on Easter Sunday!

TEXT MESSAGING: We have a new way to communicate important, time-sensitive information from the church: text messaging! If you don’t want to receive text messages from the church, do nothing. But if you’d like to be added to our texting list, you can opt-in here. We’ll use this primarily for things like weather-related announcements and special, all-church events.

PRAYER: I’d like to know how I can best pray for you. We have a way to submit prayer requests online anytime day or night, which will help me join you in prayer.

JUST FOR FUN: Hey, you read Pastor Billy's midweek check-in all the way to the end! As a reward, check out these crazy stories I came across recently:

• The 2026 Major League Baseball season begins tonight! And new concessions items you'll find at the ballpark include the Houston Astros' donuts topped with brisket, the Kansas City Royals' beef short rib corn dog on a bed of mac and cheese, and the Seattle Mariners' block of SPAM on a bed of rice wrapped in seaweed.

• A new study details how researchers have developed clothing that can be washed without laundry detergent. It’ll get clean with just water! And the self-cleaning ability lasts even after 100 washes.

• The next few weeks are a unique and fun time in the state of Kansas for an elusive, delicious and potentially lucrative activity: morel mushroom hunting! They only grow in certain spring-time conditions and only in certain places that are often kept very secretive, but if everything comes together just right you can enjoy a delicious harvest OR sell Kansas-grown morel mushrooms for up to $40 per pound!