Tuesday, February 16, 2016

His-Story

by Guest Blogger: Shawn Schrader


Everyone’s got a story.  No, not every story captures our heart, but that person’s story matters to them.  What’s your story?  Do you really think about it much?  Oftentimes our story just gets buried because maybe it doesn’t mean that much anymore.  If you’re a follower of Christ, you’ve got a great story.  At one point, that story defined your whole existence.  It was a critical occurrence in your life and it was the point at which the Bible says “the angels in heaven rejoiced” (Luke 15) because God intervened in your story.

Let me ask you another question (as if I haven’t already put you on the spot). Who were the key players in your story?  Yes, we understand that Christ is the center-point, but who were the people He used to help craft this story?  It’s important to remember that throughout history (or His-story) He’s used some pretty difficult trials and people to bring about a redemptive story.  As we look into our past sometimes we think that it’s only the good people that helped shape our story.  But in fact God uses even those who hate Him to draw people to Himself.  Think about the role of Pharoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Judas and even Pontus Pilot.  And on the other side, there’s great people of faith like Esther, Daniel, Peter and even a wretched and wonderful man named Paul.  In our lives we have the good and the bad and this I know for certain:  God’s used them to draw us to Himself.

People know that I love the greeter ministry and it’s really all about the story.  When I was in the midst of my trials, God was crafting a story I knew nothing about.  As I hesitantly sought Him and began to attend church I met a lot of really great people.  Most didn’t know my story, but one thing became apparent and it’s that they knew God was shaping my story.  You see, the church I came to Christ in was one that recognized that Jesus is working in every person’s life (John 5:17) and drawing them to Himself.  They, like many of you at AC3, realize that when a person comes through the doors for the first time, that it is God who’s drawing them and writing a wonderful story.  This weekend He’ll do it again.  Then again next week, and the following week and every week after that.  His work is not finished and for that reason our work continues.  He calls us ambassadors (1 Corinthians 5:20) not because we’re perfect but because we represent Him.  What a privilege it is to serve Him and be a part of His-story for others.  Next time you see an unfamiliar face, will you be a part of their story?  Though you may never know the full impact, I can assure you that God will.

Friday, February 12, 2016

Accepting the Challenge...Part 2

by Guest Blogger: Jaime Dodds

After the banquet, I have gotten asked many questions, but some of them have been frequent. I thought I would try to answer some of those here and give credit where credit is due!
  1. “Who made the huge frame?” Wayne Clinton made the frame with the help of his son, Bryan. I gave him a picture of an idea someone had showed me, told him that I the basic concept I had in mind, and said that I trusted him and his creativity. Let me tell you! I was so shocked to see how it came out! So much better than I had imagined, and so big! That took so much work, and it still is not done! Tim Ade will be helping Wayne with the finishing touches once the discs are complete.

  2. “Where did you get the discs on the napkins?” Tim Ade is responsible for the discs on the napkin ties. I gave him the discs, told him my idea, and he made a brand using his forge. He branded the AC3 heron onto approximately 400 of those discs. Kellie Ade then drilled holes into all of them for the ribbon or twine. The thought was that you could use them as an ornament of some kind. I am happy to see so many people around church wearing them as necklaces and to see them hanging from car mirrors. I am glad that they did not just get thrown away!

  3. “How long did it take to do all of those mason jars?” I did about 200 of them, and that took about 10 hours total. The rest were divvied up amongst a few volunteers­­Sarah Taylor, Mikki Trenkamp, Jessica Sautner, and Dana Callahan are responsible for the rest, so you can ask them personally how long it took each of them.

  4. “How much did all those mason jars cost?” Hmmm...about $10. No joke, I begged, stole, and borrowed (minus the stolen part.) I knew Mason jars are a big item as far as popularity and availability, so I was not going to spend church money on something that would be easy to borrow and returned without being ruined. I will say that every person that I borrowed jars from took them back as is, willing to clean and undecorated them. That itself was a giant help! Everything was done with hot glue so it wouldn’t ruin the jar and would be relatively easy to peel or scrape off!

  5. “How long did it take to set up?” The tables were wrapped on Tuesday the 22nd in the AC3 lobby. That took a few hours with a team of four people­­ Sarah Ade, Twila Crain, my daughter Courtney, and myself. From here on out, assume that any of the paid staff and any of the people on stage or in the sound booth were there helping where needed. The church had access to Cedarcrest for four hours on Wednesday the 23rd to start setting up. We had a bunch of teen volunteers show up to help with that, in addition to a few other volunteers that helped with the laying of the tarps and hauling of the tables most notably Lee and Dea Braaten, Dave White, Wayne Clinton, Chad Dodds. The volunteers that took on big jobs and were at the school shortly after 7:00 the morning of the 27th to help with getting the last minute touches on the room and getting the food started are the ones I will focus on. Konni Craig not only help set up but was also responsible for every photo board that decorated the space. She did beautiful work on all of those. If you did not get to see them, they will be on display in the AC3 lobby in the near future. Brenda Froland was responsible for getting the logs cut for the cupcake display, and for not only cutting all of the holly and fir branches but also filling out the holly and fir in all of the jars that you saw with floating candles. She filled them with water and candles and finished decorating the tables. It took a few hours just for this task. Dea Braaten not only helped in a major way on the Wednesday set­up team, but she then showed up early Sunday to help set up the childcare area. Without Dea, we definitely would not have been able to pull this off! Amy Sullivan took care of all of the food and did an amazing job! I can not even tell you how much food we went through!

The banquet was an amazing event pulling 20 years of people and memories together in one room. I am happy that I was given the opportunity to coordinate the event, but I can, in no way, take most of the credit. God used me in a beautiful way to organize others to help with His work. When you see those volunteers that I mentioned above, please thank them for their hard work and contribution! If I forgot anyone, please forgive me and tell me that I forgot to mention your contribution! I promise that I will not forget after the 25th­anniversary banquet. 




AC3 VB *Special* How Can You Help Part 2

Monday, February 8, 2016

AC3 VB *Special* How Can You Help?



Something new is happening in Marysville. How can you help? Check out this video with our own Pastor Dan Hazen. Enjoy! :)

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Accepting the Challenge...Part 1

by Guest Blogger: Jaime Dodds

350 brunch attendees...50 children...20 childcare volunteers...320 mason jars...wood and burlap all over the place...months of prep. The AC3 20th anniversary celebration that took place in December was a major undertaking, and I felt called to accept the challenge after attending AC3 for fewer than five months. I enjoy event planning, but it had never been on this large a scale, and for a group of people that I was so unfamiliar with.

Why did I decide to take on this project on when I wasn’t even super familiar with the church?  What did I get myself into?  I really hope that I do not fail or let anyone down. These were all thoughts that went through my mind numerous times. I prayed for clarity and for the event to go as smooth as possible. And while there were a couple of little snags, they were so minor that unless you knew what the original plan for something was, you would never know it was not something in the vision.  

A month has passed, and I consider the banquet to be a major success. I had a few team members that helped in huge ways and to whom I am so thankful. We were able to take a middle school gym and disguise it enough that we could focus on the celebration and not the basketball hoops above our heads. And what a celebration it was!

The banquet consisted of many ideas coming together to not only celebrate the church in a way that had not been done before, but also to glorify God in a way that is not seen very often because of the scale of the event. Everything from food to decorations was planned deliberately with the theme of nature, sustainability, and authenticity that AC3 strives towards every day.  Burlap and brown paper covered the tables to give a rustic feel.  Mason jars were wrapped in burlap and twine, with ribbon thrown in to give some color. Bins of fresh cut holly and fir were brought it as accents for floating candles. All of the plates, cups, and flatware were compostable in order to keep the banquet as environmentally responsible as possible. Included in our delicious brunch were dairy-free and gluten-free options to appeal to those with dietary needs and restrictions. Every detail was thought out and planned for.  I tend to overthink scenarios, and while there were a couple of things that came up that nobody had thought of, we were able to work as a team and quickly take care of any little issues that arose. 

 We were able to have fun and rejoice in AC3 and how God has used our church to change so many lives over 20 years.  Along with our regular attendees, there were banquet attendees that came from out of town.  There were also those who grew up at AC3 and no longer attend, but who still love AC3 and wanted to celebrate its successes.  It was like a reunion and anniversary party rolled into one! I can only imagine the joy that God had that day over his children coming together in honor of a church that has touched so many lives and is still going strong after 20 years. 

Twenty years is nothing to scoff at. From a church that was a handful of a people worshiping in a living room, to 200-300 people on any given weekend, it is a huge achievement that deserved to be honored. And while we were at a different building--which happened to be one of the first meeting sites of AC3--the banquet had the same feel of one of our “normal” weekend services. There was music, and a message delivered by Rick, a video put together by Nate Crain, and a drama.  The theme happened to be perseverance this time--where we have come from the past 20 years, and what we hope to do in the next 20 years--and what an amazing message it was.  This time, it was just done on a slightly larger scale. 

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

AC3 VB102 Clash of Clans


Check out this weeks VB as Rick and Dan discuss the upcoming series in February and touch on the Marysville Farmers Market second year upcoming. Enjoy! :)

Monday, February 1, 2016

Good Morning AC3 - Feb 2016



Looking for what's happening in February at AC3? Well, get all your info right here in our first Good Morning AC3! Enjoy :)