TWO YEARS AGO THIS PAST SUNDAY...

TWO YEARS AGO This Past Sunday (june 15, 2008)... Evident Church had it's first official public preview service.  Just wanted to say thanks to the original team and crew that made it happen.  So many lives have been forever changed!  God has done so much and I couldn't be more proud and more thankful for the amazing people God has brought around for the journey.  You guys are all awesome and Raelyn and I want to thank you from the bottom of my hearts.  Evident is poised for another great season of God's faithfulness and fruitfulness, can't wait to see what's ahead!  Love you guys! Pastor Josh P.S. - Click the namethatchurch.com button on the right to watch a video of our first preview service. We've certainly come a long ways...great memories however! (more media on our website)

Evident is a Family

Hi guys,

For some of you this is an update, for some of you this may be the first you're hearing of this.  To give you a little back story, on Wednesday of this week Russ & Jennifer McKee took Cameron to the hospital with a fever and other symptoms.  In the process of doing some testing the doctors discovered that his platelet level was dangerously low, a possible indication of some fairly serious things.  Fearing this, Thursday night he was transferred to Children's Hospital in downtown Detroit for more testing.  Further blood tests and a spinal tap confirmed what was feared.  He has been diagnosed with Leukemia (AML Type 2).  Leukemia is essentially cancer of the blood.  It is treatable and treatment for Cameron has already begun.

This is obviously a VERY scary and overwhelming time for the Russ, Jennifer, Cameron, Cole, Cassidy, and the extended family.  They covet your prayers and support now more than ever.  They are hopeful, their spirits are high, and they are learning to put their trust in God.  They are glad any time someone from the church family calls, writes, or stops in to see them.  They love Evident and you all have been (and continue to be) such an encouragement to them.

Here is some of their info just so you have it...

Russ's number is (586) 206-8087.

Jennifer's number is (586) 206-6797.

Their address is 45750 Spagnuolo, Macomb, MI, 48044.

Don't hesitate to come around them any way you think would be appropriate or might feel led during this time.  Just to give you a heads-up, as a church we are planning on coming around them financially in some way possibly through a special offering.  This is something you could be thinking and praying about.

Thanks for your prayers.  Don't hesitate to call if you have questions.  I will be sharing a little bit about all of this with the church on Sunday and will also try to keep you updated as I know more.

God is still on the throne.

Love you guys,

Josh Hossler

Evident Church

Lead Pastor

EvidentChurch.com

Easter Sunday Recap

We are grateful for God's grace that he continues to pour out on us week after week.  Very excited about what God's doing at Evident.  Here’s a quick recap of the weekend:

- Evident stepped up and really invited.  Very proud of them for that.  This is the most momentum and influence I’ve felt as a church since we launched.  Saw a ton of first-timers, had one guy come who hadn’t been in church for 38-yrs.

- Evident had it's biggest weekend ever since our grand opening!  We had 173 in attendance and 10 decisions for Christ!!!  I hesitate posting numbers because I know how sidetracked they can get me but at the same time I didn't want to miss this opportunity for my church and others to celebrate with us on this.  It was a great day and honestly what I'm most excited about is just what I see God doing in and thru Evident these days (10-decisions for Christ... awesome!!).

- Our staff, leaders, and volunteers are AMAZING.  They all showed up yesterday with amazing attitudes, ready to serve, do things well, and celebrate Jesus.  Kids, worship, guest services, portability... everyone knocked it out of the park.  Thank you for all you do!

- Felt compelled to preach a resurrection apologetic (you can hear it here, click media). God was faithful and really used it.

- Thanks for everyone who prayed, invited, and laid it out there for Easter!  Don’t get discouraged if your family or friends didn’t come or didn’t make a decision for Christ.  Keep working on them, we know God is.

- This Sunday we kick-off a really important new series this called “Love is the Movement” based primarily out of the book of Acts.  Really looking forward to going deeper in relationships and connections with each other through it.

Again, so grateful for God’s grace and a great weekend.  Keep inviting!  Can’t wait to see what he’s going to do this week!

Make the Most of Easter (part 2)

Easter is the biggest season of the year for Christians and the Gospel.  Easter Sunday is honestly like Super-Bowl Sunday for me, full of excitement and anticipation!  I've been gearing up for this for a long time! Here are a few suggestions for making the most of it this year:

1) INVITE - This is one of those times when people are most open to Christianity and church.  Why not make the most of the natural season of Easter to open up a conversation with someone and invite them to come with you to church!  We will do our best to present the Gospel in the most clear and concise way possible... but this only works if you bring people with you! (One Service Easter Sunday (April 4), 10am, Seneca Middle School, FREE Easter Egg Hunt for the Kids)

2) PRAY - It’s not enough just to have an Easter service, but we want the realities of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus impact people’s lives.  This is something only God can do.  Be praying for Evident’s Easter service.  Be praying for your family and friends who don’t know Christ.  Be praying for the community.  I'm praying that we see dozens people accept Christ this Easter season!

3) DON'T MISS IT! - This is two fold... The first is pretty simple, don’t miss this Easter service at Evident.  This is Evident’s second Easter service ever and it's going to be great!!  Second, I don’t want you personally to miss the meaning of this season. Slow down, set aside some time for you and your family to focus in on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus - take it all in.  Here are a few Scripture readings that might help: Isaiah 52:13-53: 12; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 19:1-20:31.

Love you guys and I'm praying we have an amazing, God-honoring Easter - can't wait to celebrate it with you!

Josh

Make the Most of Easter (part 1)

We're less than a week away from Easter (April 4) and we're REALLY excited about it!!!  We've been spending a lot of time planning and praying for this weekend.  We don't know exactly what God wants to do but we believe it's going to be great!  Here are some ways you can participate in making the most of Easter this year:

1) Invite.  Invite.  Invite.  Our friends and family are extremely open to attending church on Easter Sunday, lets invite them to join us.  I've been doing this as much as I can!  One thing you can use to invite is that there will be a free Easter Egg hunt for the kids.  We also have more invite cards if you need any this week.

2) Utilize your Facebook status or Twitter updates to invite your friends to join you.   Let them know where you're going to church, what time, and where the service is (we are having one 10am Easter service at Seneca).  Don't be annoying about this but be genuinely excited about what God is doing in your life and in your church.

3) Begin praying now for our Easter service.  The most important factor in people opening their hearts to the grace of God is NOT the presentation.  It's the condition of their own heart.  Pray that our friends and family who attend on Easter Sunday would be open, ready and anxious to hear the message of God's grace and forgiveness.

4) Check out Evident's Easter themed website, and forward it to someone.  The site looks amazing!  Check it out and it's as simple as forwarding it on to a few friends and saying, "Hey, check this out!"  There are all kinds of resources on the website that will help them learn more about our church and possibly consider coming.  Do what you can and help spread the word, you never know how God is going to work in someone's life.

Can't wait to see what God does this weekend!!!

Welcome to the Team!

Mike Stiner - Director of Student Ministries

(mike.s@evidentchurch.com)

We are excited to also be adding Mike Stiner to the team at Evident! Mike will be overseeing junior and senior high ministries and helping provide leadership for our students. He has a passion to see students grow spiritually and help them reach out to their friends. If you have questions about student ministries at Evident you can email Mike at mike.s@evidentchurch.com.

Here's a little bit more about Mike in his own words...

“I currently go to Rochester College and I graduate in just about a year and a half. My degree will be in Christian Ministry. I currently also wait tables at the marvelous Shields Pizza in Macomb. I love listening to all kinds of music and watching great movies. I am the man at Wii Tennis. That’s right I even beat Josh Hossler in it! I have a huge passion for students to find Jesus and to live a life in which Jesus can be seen through them at school, home, sports, and etc. My favorite Bible story is the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.”

Introducing Mike Harper

Mike Harper - Director of Community Outreach
(mike.h@evidentchurch.com)


Evident is a team effort and we’re excited to welcome Mike Harper. Mike is Evident’s Director of Community Outreach and will be heading up our SERVE ministry. His mission will be to help us serve and love the community in ways that show them Jesus' love. Mike and his wife Allison love Jesus and have a passion for serving. We’re very excited to have them on board!


In his own words, here's a little more about Mike...
"I am 37 years old and married to my lovely wife Allison. We have a 7-month-old son named Garrett. I am a student at Rochester College seeking a degree in biblical studies and plan on continuing on for my masters of divinity. My hobbies consist of spending time outdoors gardening, hiking, fishing, hunting, and camping. Reaching out to the community through acts of Christian service is my passion. For many people we may be the only sermon they ever hear. My life verse is Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose."

Communication Strategy (Update)

Hey Guys,

For some of you, you haven't heard from me in a while.  I promise you it's not because I haven't wanted to let you know what's been going on.  Things have been CRAZY the last year and half as Evident has launched and things have gotten under way.  God has done and is continuing to do great things at Evident of which I am blown away and grateful for.  Keep praying for us and keep supporting us in whatever ways you can.  Know that your prayers and support have done amazing things in the Kingdom!

I wanted to post to let you know I'm shifting how I communicate these days.  Most of my attention now is focused on communicating with and leading Evident directly.  In addition to this blog, here are several other great ways of keeping up with what God is doing in my life and the life of Evident.

1) Evident Weekly Emails - if you're not already receiving our weekly email updates and would like to simply email us at info@evidentchurch.com and let us know you'd like to be added.  These emails give updates on all sorts of events, sermon series, and weekly happenings at Evident.

2) Twitter - you can also follow me personally on Twitter.  If you have a Twitter account simply click this link and then click follow. If you don't (and don't care to) you can go to this website periodically to see what I'm up to (my Twitter updates are also featured on the sidebar of my blog).  Twitter is a great way to see snippets of my daily life and happenings.

3) Facebook - if you and I aren't already friends on Facebook we need to be!  If you have a Facebook account simply search for me "Josh Hossler" in the search box and invite me to be your friend.  If you do not have a Facebook and would like to connect, you can begin that process here.

4) Evident's Website - lastly, Evident's website (www.EvidentChurch.com) is loaded with great content (photos, videos, sermons, etc.), updates, and all kinds of information about whats going on at the church.  While this way is not as personal, it's still a good way to keep up with some of the church stuff.

What's happening with this blog?  Well, I still plan on using it from time to time but don't hold your breath between postings.  I really do still want to you to be in the loop on what's going on so please dive in on one or more of the forms of communication I mentioned above.  If you've been a part of this journey with me so far, I can't thank you enough for your encouragement, prayer, and financial support.  Continue to pray for us.  God has done and is doing great things!

Love you guys - talk with you soon!

Josh

ps - don't stop checking back periodically as I will update this site with different things from time to time