This is the follow up communiqué that I promised on Monday. That email was an update of the fire alarm incident of January 10, the spiritual warfare that I believe we are encountering in our desire to be all that God wants us to be, and some immediate steps of response. I asked you to join me in four specific steps.

1. If you missed the service this weekend then please go to our website and view it there. Have your done that? The link has been up and running since Monday evening.

2. Please make every effort to attend this week and every weekend of the entire Exponential series. I anticipate that corporately and personally Satan will seek to slow down our response to God’s promptings. You might experience events or issues that would lead you not to attend. Don’t give in!

3. Pray. Ask God to speak to you personally and to us as a church. And more importantly that we would hear and obey His voice.

4. Stay tuned for this communiqué as the leadership of PAC was seeking God as to next steps.

It is this fourth point that I want to speak to today. We “lost” one service on Sunday. Why should we accept that? This is too important to simply respond with a “whatever” mentality. Let’s make that service up and even go beyond the original plan. Here is what we will do.

On Friday, February 5, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m., we will have a worship and prayer service. The timing of this service is intentional. We will have concluded the overseas missions part of the Exponential series on week four, including the collection of the 2010 Faith Promise pledge cards for our Great Commission Fund. Week five will be a vision message on where we expect God to take us, exponentially, in 2010. Let’s prepare ourselves for that message. Let’s come out together on Friday evening with one intention – let’s get right before our God.

If you are hurting or seeking or need healing; come. If you are in leadership or wanting to know the next step you should take; come. If you want more of God or are in the midst of a critical decision or need a turn around in your life; come. This will be a night of worship and prayer, responding to God and His Spirit, standing in the gap in prayer for each other and our missionaries. So what do you do now?

Put Friday, February 5, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. on your calendar.
Men, take the lead and make sure you bring your family out that night.
Community Group leaders – if you meet that weekend then cancel your regular meeting and join the rest of the church here.
Come expectantly to meet God and to be used by God.

Since we talked on Monday, we have all been alerted to the horrible tragedy in Haiti. That needs to be part of our response as well. The Christian and Missionary Alliance has already taken action by sending supplies, including clean water, emergency shelter, medical aid, and other necessities through our relief arm, CAMA (Compassion And Mercy Associates) Services. Through your current giving to the Great Commission Fund, we are able to send $5000 to CAMA immediately to help finance these supplies. That is money that you gave through your Faith Promise pledge of 2009. As you continue to give to the Great Commission Fund, and as you pray about your 2010 pledge to that fund, it enables us to be able to respond as quickly as we did in this instance. Haiti will continue to have tremendous needs in the months ahead. We are committed to sending an additional $5000 as your gifts come in and we are looking into the possibility of sending team(s) when it seems feasible to do so.

Psalm 67 begins this way.

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine upon us,
that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.

May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you.

Amen. This is big. And the last response we should have is “whatever.”

Seeking the Lord together with you,

Boyd A. Hannold
Senior Pastor
Princeton Alliance Church

Shortly after the opening of our 10:30 worship service, the fire alarm sounded. The cause of the alarm was the bursting of a water pipe supplying the sprinkler system in the Promised Land. The room was vacant at the time so although the water damage was substantial to that room and less significant to the adjoining rooms, there were no injuries of any kind. The entire facility was evacuated and the rest of the 10:30 service was cancelled. However, as a result of the quick response of the Plainsboro Fire and Police Departments we were able to hold our noon service as scheduled.

We have already begun the clean up and repair necessary to the Promised Land and expect it to be fully operational within the week.

That is what happened. Let me express my gratitude as to how everyone responded. I was not in the sanctuary when the alarm went off. Before I was able to enter, our worship leader calmly suggested that we all exit. The order that was maintained during the time of exiting the building was exceptional. Our children’s leaders calmly gathered each group of children that they were teaching and led them from the building, keeping them together as a group. Lay leaders rushed down to shut off the water from the basement. Several other leaders including board, staff, greeters and ushers joined me in asking everyone to back up and clear the vehicle entrance and closest ring surrounding the building, allowing the emergency vehicles easy access to the facility. All of this both ensured the safety of everyone involved and allowed for the Police and Firemen to quickly rectify the situation.

I want to thank everyone for an incredible job well done.

Having described everything that occurred, let me also explain what is happening at a deeper level. Having worked in Thailand for 14 years and having followed missionaries who spent their entire lives in that country, I understand the significance of this weekend’s service. In the history of Christian mission in Thailand, no one has seen the response to the gospel and potential for a church planting movement to occur in the northeast of Thailand as have Jim and Kathy Sappia. I lived in the same city as they live; and I wasn’t the first missionary there. We have always counted the number of converts on one hand. But this couple, who spoke to us yesterday, is seeing dozens of people coming to Christ, both in the prisons and now in the villages where those prisoners reside. Do you really think that Satan wants one more church, a church of 1500 adults, to hear about this and throw our support behind Jim and Kathy? This is spiritual warfare. Jim and Kathy both got sick just before arriving and Jim practically lost his voice by the noon service. This is not a coincidence; and I refuse to accept it as such.

So what do we do about it?

First, here are some links to yesterday’s service that will be active tonight: subscribe to a podcast or watch online. If you missed it then you stand for God by clicking on the link and seeing the calling of God on Jim and Kathy and the message that they brought. Don’t wait. Watch it right away.

Second, be here this Sunday. This was the first in our Exponential series. If Satan will go to this length to interfere with the first message, imagine what God has for us in the whole series.

Third, stay tuned for another communiqué later this week. Our leadership team is praying through and working on an additional piece that we believe is an appropriate response to the events of the weekend.

Fourth, pray. Pray for God to have an open door in your life and throughout this series in the heart of our community of believers that we call Princeton Alliance Church. Don’t miss this opportunity to pray for Jim and Kathy as well. Find their list of prayer requests in last week’s bulletin.

“…and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matt 16:18

Boyd A. Hannold
Senior Pastor
Princeton Alliance Church

This Sunday, September 13, we will have one service.  It starts at 10 a.m. and we plan on having 90 minutes together to worship and hear what God has for us this year.  As I am writing this, the tent is up out back and we just finished setting up the chairs.  The rain continues to hold off and the forecast is for a sunny day on Sunday. 

So here are the points to remember:
• Dress for the weather and I will emphasize the word “casual.”  Please put on your walking shoes as it all happens outside this week.
• We will have LOTS of people to help you park.  Since that is the biggest logistical issue we face this week, PLEASE be patient and follow the instructions of the parkers.  We have a lot of vehicles to park with a limited amount of permanent and temporary spaces that need to be filled in an orderly manner.
• The check-in for all children FOURTH GRADE AND YOUNGER will be in the front of the sanctuary.  Please enter the front doors of the building if you are bringing children in that age bracket.  All children and youth above fourth grade will join you under the tent out back. 
Now that you know the specifics, please join us in praying for the weekend.
• Pray for a great time of worship.
• Pray for the Word of God and the Spirit of God to speak clearly to us.
• Pray for the health of dozens of volunteers and staff that have responsibilities on that day.
• Pray that this is only the beginning of a memorable year in serving our Lord.
• Pray for great weather!

For so many of you that are volunteering to make this possible, I thank you!  I especially thank the Children’s Ministry volunteers as they are sacrificing their time with us under the tent in order to be with our kids on Sunday morning.  God sees!

See you this Sunday.

I am here with three other pastors from NJ at the invitation of our District Superintendent.  We have been praying together and dreaming about what this would be like starting in NJ.  Some of the presentations have been about the roadblocks and possible discouragements – disunity in your church, criticism from members, few people stepping up, lack of outward focus, feeling alone, lack of vision, etc.

And I don’t see that in our church.

Yeah, we make mistakes and we don’t always agree but I love our church.  We have vision and we want to make a difference in our communities and the world.  We have a great staff and we expect God to work in us and through us.  We have tons of volunteers working in youth and children and He Cares, We Care ministries.  I started to feel really great about our church and then I thought…

We don’t have an excuse.

If churches with all those problems are supposed to step through them and be the world changing church that God calls all of us to be, then what about us?  If we don’t have to overcome this stuff then what is keeping us from doing great things for God?

We don’t have an excuse.

We should be leading the way.  And why can’t we?  What if we believed that we can grow and expand in a lousy economy?  What if we believe we can bring hope to crumbling marriages and families out of work?  What if 48 baptisms a few weeks ago are only a fraction of those that God will lead us to this year?  What if we plant a church?  What if we actually raise twice the $250,000 that we pledged for missions?

What if God gives us one big dream that only He can fulfill and we will all know it when it happens?

Francis Chan is telling us to use all the “systems” and ideas you can find but make sure you sit down with the Bible and the Spirit and let God speak to you through the Word.  It’s about the Holy Spirit and his reign in our lives.  He’s right.

I don’t want an excuse.  I want a mission.

Tonight, come be a part of our mission…bringing hope.  Do you or your neighbors need hope about our economy?  Town Hall for Hope is a live simulcast with Dave Ramseyto bring clarity and direction for these challenging times.  Don’t miss the hope, tonight, at 8:00pm in the sanctuary.

The word passion comes from the Latin meaning “to suffer” or “to endure.”  Originally, the word was designated to refer only to Good Friday, to Christ’s sufferings on the cross.  Eventually, it was used to describe the entire week beginning with Palm Sunday and ending with Easter.  Christ’s endurance was not simply demonstrated on that Friday but throughout the five days leading up to it.  And the victory that ensued on the following Easter Sunday serves as the fruit of that endurance.

But there is another meaning to the word passion.  It means to do something with great emotion and intensity.  That too describes Jesus in this week that so many around the world will commemorate.  He rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday with resolute purpose.  He faced death on Good Friday with courage.  He rose up on Easter morning to complete the reason for which He came.

Clearly the word passion describes our Lord.  What we need to consider is if it describes his church.  Is the word applicable to us?  As we come together on Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter, do we do so out of duty or with passion.  Are we excited and moved by the commemoration of Jesus’ coronation, his sacrificial death and his incredible victory over death?  I hope so.

Check out the web or the weekend worship folder for all the Passion Week activities and times.

I hope to see you at all of them.

I think the services this past weekend represent who we are.  God is a God of first and second chances.  It was great to see those come forward who got a grasp on that.  Find Jesus.  Find life.  And that was only the first part of my thrill.  It was exciting to see how many of you came forward to pray for those who sought prayer.  At the 10:30 service alone 45 people were prepared to pray for others.  I don’t think I ever remember a weekend where so many were prepared to pray for other people.

Yeah.  That’s who we are.

And remember, we have designated the section in the sanctuary over by the stairs as the prayer mat.  After every service from now on you can pray and be prayed for there where the prayer banners will be stationed.

Actually, this weekend I was not there for every service.  I left to join Living Hope Alliance Church in Trenton for their service.  I had not visited them since they moved into their new building.  This is a building that the city donated to them free of charge for the good will they have brought to Trenton.  Amazing.  God does the incredible.  They have a building, a parking lot, and a yard that is large enough for two soccer fields.  Pretty cool.

And this weekend is baptism.  Come prepared to rejoice.  Come prepared to here how Jesus is relevant today.  And some of you should come prepared to get wet.  Just wait and you’ll see what I mean.

Whew!  See you this weekend.

We are entering into the final two weeks of our Ecclesia series.  We will be looking at the two sacraments practiced by the Protestant Church – communion and baptism.  Communion symbolizes the doorway to the church.  Christ’s sacrifice on the cross paves the way for personal cleansing and a relationship with God.  Josh will be sharing this weekend and I ask that everyone be praying for a clear message and call concerning the sacrifice of Christ and the elements of communion that facilitate our remembrance of that event.  We trust some will make a decision this weekend to enter that door they have only previously gazed at from a distance.  Then we hope they will be baptized the following week.  We have several young people scheduled for baptism on the final weekend of the series and we would love to have more of you participate.  Matt will be bringing the message and I will have the privilege of baptizing everyone.

Let me ask.  Have you made a decision to follow Christ?  Have you followed it up with baptism?  These next two weeks could be excitingly crucial for you in taking a significant step forward in experiencing life to the fullest.

See you this weekend.

“Ah, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.”  But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

Pretty clear, huh?  I called the next day and 6 months later I was in Thailand.

I trust the daily readings are a source of encouragement to you.  The Word speaks today as it did when it was first written.  It is a living and powerful thing, inspired by the Spirit and designed for our direction and correction.  Make the effort.  Its worth it.

And speaking of Thailand, please continue to seek God for your part in partnering with the mission vision of PAC.  Checks made out to Princeton Alliance Church should include the letters “GCF” in the note section.  Pray for Timothy Jeng and Vision Thailand 2010.  Pray for David and Cindy Peace in New Delhi.  Ask God where he might want you to join in forming a team to go overseas this year or next.  This could be something big for us and for his kingdom.

Men, see you this Saturday morning at the breakfast.  Everyone else, see you this weekend.

Ash Wednesday was nicely placed between the first two weeks of our series on the church entitled, Ecclesia.  Last week we started the series with Christ as the head of the church.  Ash Wednesday allowed us to continue in reflection of Christ and how real repentance and new life starts with us as the church.  Then this coming week is about elders.  Now that we acknowledge Christ as our Lord, who helps us stay on track?  I hope you can come and hear what the Bible says about the office of elder this weekend.

Then next weekend we will talk about the mission of the church – the Great Commission.  We will have a guest speaker from Thailand, one of our three focus countries.  Timothy Jeng has served the church in Thailand for 30 years and is a personal friend of mine.  I am sure that you will have a greater understanding of that country, and even more importantly a greater passion to partner with Timothy there, after meeting him the weekend of March 7-8.

Don’t forget to faithfully bring your Faith Promise funds.  What you pledged in December for the current year’s mission fund is critical in supporting the work in Thailand.  We can’t give it until you do.  Just mark your check GCF (Great Commission Fund) when you make it out to Princeton Alliance Church (check bulletin for details).

See you this weekend.