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from The Evangel - May 2023

CHANGED LIVES

To see more people know God’s life changing power and love, grow in community and live out his truth daily, we need YOU!

Speciﬁcally, we’re asking every member and friend of First Free Church to:

God’s Grace in Summer Missions

By Pastor Alex Ielase

Memorial Gifts

Bill Halas

Laurie Bezeck

John & Linda Gougler

Bob & Anne Hamilton

Irene Zack

For more information, please visit myfefc.org/changedlives.

Thank you for your continued support of this ministry!

Summertime means plenty of fun in the sun. It also brings great opportunities for ministry. Reach students are preparing for two main weeks. June 26July 1, a group of 16 students and leaders will be heading to the boardwalk of Ocean City, MD.

We will be ministering to folks in a few ways. There will be 4-6 visual sermons throughout each night. These are interactive-the preacher paints as they preach, invites the audience to solve riddles, ultimately leading to a Gospel message. Then, there’s an invitation to come forward for further questions, prayer, and discussion.

Serve Saturday is Back!

May 21, 2023

This May we will once again host our Serve Saturday ministry. This month we will focus on some much needed repairs and cleaning at the church building, as well as serving those in need within our church family. Please pray for those who will be served and for the fellowship of God’s people as we worship Him through service!

(“God’s Grace in Summer Missions” continued)

Along with the preaching, we also scatter across a distance of the boardwalk in smaller groups, inviting people for prayer requests and discussion. These interactions could be as quick as passing a Gospel tract to a person as they hurry by, to what starts as one question leading to long and heartfelt conversations. It is certainly nerve wracking to enter into this kind of ministry. God is ALWAYS faithful to lead and bless though, as we step out of our comfort zones by faith.

There will also be a skit acted out by some students which depicts a woman caught in temptation, and being freed by Jesus. It can be a demonstrative picture of the Gospel. Please pray for all students and leaders. We truly need the Holy Spirit every step of the way!

April at First Free

Please continue to pray for the ministries of First Free. Pray that God would be gloriﬁed, that His servants strengthened for the work of the Kingdom, and that new worshipers would have their eyes opened to Gospel of Jesus!

Welcome Team

Appreciation and Planning Luncheon

We are grateful to God for our warm and friendly Welcome Team at First Free Church! We are hosting a brief luncheon immediately following worship on Sunday, June 4, 2023, in the Adult Learning Center in appreciation of their service and to plan for a great 2023-2024 ministry year! If you have served on our Welcome Team this year, please plan to attend! Interested in serving on our Welcome Team? Contact the church oﬃce to let us know!

The other big week in our summer will be July 24-28. This is when many in our church will take part in Mission to McKeesport (M2M) and Summer Blast. During M2M, we will have over 25 students and leaders sent out into McKeesport to minister. We will be helping folks with small renovation and cleanup work, praying for and witnessing to people on the streets, running a slip n slide at the McKeesport Library with a Bible time, amongst other avenues. Then as the sun sets, students transition to our nightly Summer Blast program. It is such a blessing to get to know the kids who come, see them grow in the Lord, and get excited about Jesus. Students will be the main contact people for all the children, known as “encouragers.” Again, please pray for the Holy Spirit to bring children’s hearts to life during this week, as well as use each student to make an eternal impact. By God’s grace, it will be a great summer!

summer BLAST & summer POP!

First Free Church is once again preparing for an exciting summer of ministry through our high-energy, week-long summer BLAST & summer POP programs! Please pray for our new Interim Children’s Ministry Leader, Marie Zajdel, as she leads the preparations!