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Hi ONEchapel Friends and Family,

Check out your opportunities to connect this weekend!

BECOME – Women’s Event

Ladies, don’t miss this evening of encouraging worship, amazing stories and future vision for women’s ministry at ONEchapel. My incredible wife, Aimee, is inviting every woman at ONEchapel to join her this Friday night at 7pm at our Monterey Oaks location. If you’re trying to connect at ONEchapel, this is an awesome opportunity to meet other women who are on the journey with you. All are encouraged to bring snacks to share and an item to donate to the Christian Women’s Job Corps or the South Austin Pregnancy Resource Center. (List of items is online at onechapel.com/women). Come ready to experience the genuine community of sisterhood at ONEchapel.

LET’S PAINT THIS SCHOOL! (Sunset Valley Elementary)

In our mission to be a blessing to our community, we’ve adopted the Sunset Valley Elementary School. We’re joining with them on beautification projects, teacher and staff appreciation and, ultimately, mentoring and reading programs for kids. This Saturday, May 19th will be one of our first opportunities to put some muscle into their first big project—painting the school. I’m going to be there and I’d love for you to join me. We need about 13 more people to be part of this tangible expression of God’s love. Load the kids up in the car and wear your paintin’ clothes for a really fun Saturday morning – starting 8am at Sunset Valley Elementary School.

 FIGHT TO THE FINISH

We started a new message series last Sunday on the Book of 2nd Timothy called “Fight to the Finish!” We’re talking about how the Apostle Paul coached his young apprentice, Timothy, on how to stay steady in difficult times and how to keep his eyes on the prize. If you need strength, encouragement and tools to help you fight to the finish, join us on Sunday at any of our services, 9:30am, 11:30am and 5:30pm. You will be glad you did!

Hang in there, don’t give up and keep fighting the good fight! You can make it because Christ is with you and fighting for you.

I’m praying for you this week,

Ross

Hi ONEchapel Family,

Just a reminder that we are having our summer training for new Connect Group Leaders tomorrow morning (Saturday) from 9am-1:30pm at our Monterrey Oaks Campus.

I would love to see more of you engaging in community and serving others by leading a Connect Group. We’ll give you some training, coaching and resources so that you can do it. You don’t have to be a teacher and you don’t have to have a Bible degree. You just need to be willing to love people and encourage them as you walk this journey of faith together.

If you’re not sure, come check it out anyway and see if it’s something God might be leading you to do. Plus, we’ll have free food!

I hope to see you there.

Ross

Hi ONEchapel Family and Friends,

What a weekend! Family Sunday was so much fun! Celebrating water baptism, worshiping together, eating all kinds of delicious (not necessarily healthy) food, enjoying leisurely conversation and laughter while our kids ate sno-cones and played together created something wonderful: community. We’re sharing life with one another and I’m thankful for all of you who are opening up to God’s grace at ONEchapel. You are giving of yourselves and it is beautiful.

Giving always makes us more like God. John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world that He gave…” Giving encourages selflessness. Giving takes the focus off of us and places it on others. Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Giving is what the world is longing to see in God’s people. Giving of ourselves—our time, talent and treasure—is indispensable for cultivating the character of Christ in all of us. And the good news is the act of giving is the catalyst for God’s provision. Sowing always leads to reaping. Planting always yields a harvest.

My goal has always been for ONEchapel to be known for it’s generosity to others. By all indicators, we’re succeeding. We have given financially to people in need, to great causes in our city and to missionaries who are working among unreached people groups. We have given professional counseling sessions to married couples, food to the homeless and countless man-hours to clean up our city. We have given energy and effort to serving inside and outside the church. We have given love and understanding to one another. And, we have given our hearts to the vision of seeing our city come to Christ.

Thank you for being willing to conform to the image of Christ by giving. April was our largest financial month ever at ONEchapel and that allows us to do more, share more and give more. What an incredible blessing! We are doing our best to be good stewards of all that God is giving us—people, buildings, resources and finances. The future is going to be full of opportunities to serve more and more people.

I’m so pleased with where we are as a church. We’re not perfect, but we are moving in the right direction. We have more work to do. We need to care for new believers in a greater way. We need to create a more profound sense of community as we grow. We need to deepen our commitment to discipleship. We need to continue to reach out to our city with a practical demonstration of God’s love. And we will…if we all continue to give. Your financial gifts, your time and energy, and your love are all essential for our next season at ONEchapel!

Thank you for your faithfulness. You’re looking more and more like Jesus all the time!

Ross

P.S. Give others a chance to connect by becoming a Connect Group Leader. Sign up for the training this Saturday, May 5th, 9am-1:30pm by going to www.onechapel.com & clicking on “Connect Group Leadership Training.” We’d love for you to join us!

Hi ONEchapel Family and Friends,

FAMILY SUNDAY

This Sunday, April 29th, is “Family Sunday” which means all the kids will join us in the Living Room for a service geared towards kids of all ages. We’ll have a classroom open for kids who need to run around, but we’ll all join together celebrating Jesus in our generational culture.

POTLUCK!

Then, on Sunday evening, we’ll share a potluck dinner with the whole church family at 5:30pm and celebrate baptism during our evening of worship immediately following the potluck. Bring a dish or dessert and we’ll provide everything else. We’ll have burgers and dogs cooking and bouncy-castles for the kids. Then we’ll come together for worship and water baptism. It’s going to be an all-around-fabulous event.

WATER BAPTISM IS FOR YOU

If you have not been water baptized since you believed in Christ, this Sunday night is your opportunity. Jesus was water baptized, the first century believers baptized new converts and people all over the world throughout history have identified with Christ’s death, burial and resurrection by entering the waters of baptism.

Water Baptism is truly about a fresh start! It’s not just a ritual; it has real meaning. It’s not about salvation–that only happens by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). Water baptism is really about choosing the life of power, authority and freedom that Jesus wants you to live. Don’t let this opportunity go by. Sign up for the class this Sunday at 3:30pm by going to www.onechapel.com and clicking on “Water Baptism” where you can get all the details and instructions.

Come on, take the plunge,

Ross

Hi ONEchapel Family and Friends!

FAMILY SUNDAY – April 29!

This Sunday is “Family Sunday” and that means we’ll have the whole family worshipping together in our Sunday morning services. This practice emphasizes our family culture and encourages all of us to realize we’re part of something bigger than our individual interests. We’ll design the services with the whole family in mind, which makes it so much fun! You won’t want to miss it because these Sundays are always special and surprising!

POTLUCK!

You might remember old-fashioned church potlucks in the fellowship hall—this is not that! It’s a church picnic on steroids! We’re celebrating what Jesus is doing in our ONEchapel community by having a huge potluck and night of worship at the 5:30pm service time. We want all of you to bring a side dish or dessert to share and we’ll provide burgers, dogs and drinks. We’ll have a huge barbecue pit going, bounce-houses for the kids and snow cones for everybody. It is going to be a blast!

WORSHIP AND WATER BAPTISM

After we eat together, we’ll be gathering in the “Living Room” for an evening of worship and celebration featuring water baptism. These nights are always special and full of God’s presence. If you want to be water baptized, sign up for the class (Sunday, April 29 at 3:30pm) and get all the details at www.onechapel.com by clicking on “Water Baptism.” Water baptism is a sacrament of the church where we welcome our new life in Christ and say good-bye to our old ways of sin and death. If you’ve not been baptized since you believed, or if you were baptized as a child and want to make this declaration as an adult, this is your night!

No matter what, don’t miss this incredible family celebration!

I look forward to hanging out with you!

Ross

Hi ONEchapel Family,

We are gearing up for LOVE AUSTIN this Saturday, meeting all over the city to serve, help and share kindness. It’s not only good for the people we help, but good for us as well. If you haven’t signed up yet, go to www.onechapel.com and click on “Love Austin.” There are still a lot of opportunities to serve.

If you sign up, you’ll get an email soon with some general instructions. On Saturday, just go the location you signed up for at the time listed on the website. You will receive instructions, a T-shirt and any resources you need to serve. Then, after you’re finished with your project come on over to the “LOVE AUSTIN After Party” for burgers and fellowship at the Ben Garza Office (3800 Ben Garza Lane ATX 78749). We’ll have a quick debrief and report around 12:45pm.

Think of it! Free T-shirts, free burgers and a whole morning of service with good friends! We’re going to have a great day of working together and lovin’ Austin!

I hope to see you there!

Ross

Greetings ONEchapel Family and Friends,

EASTER SUNDAY – April 8th

The move to three services is going great and I’m so thankful for all of our volunteers serving to make the 5:30pm service special. It has a wonderfully relaxed vibe and I’m really enjoying it. Jesus is doing much among us and the Easter season is such a great time of the year to invite someone to church! Pray for God to show you who you can invite to join you for our Easter services at 9:30am, 11:30am and 5:30pm. We’ll have a presence-filled time of worship and a clear presentation of the Gospel as we share some Resurrection Stories.

RESURRECTION STORIES – April 1st

Speaking of Resurrection Stories, don’t forget to upload your 2 minute or less video of how God has poured resurrection life into the dead places of your heart or life experience. We all need to hear the encouraging testimonies of God’s redeeming power! It’s easy to do. Just follow the directions by clicking on “Resurrection Stories” at www.onechapel.com. We need your story submission by Sunday, April 1st!

LOVE AUSTIN – April 14th

It’s not enough to invite people to church; we also need to live this resurrection power outside the walls of our church. We must find more and more ways to share the mercy, grace and love of Christ in a very practical way by serving others in our city.

Mark your calendar for LOVE AUSTIN, Saturday, April 14th from 8am to 1pm. Imagine cleaning up a city park with friends, feeding the homeless downtown, or sprucing up the South Austin Pregnancy Resource Center. You can view all of the options for serving now at www.onechapel.com by clicking on “LOVE AUSTIN.” This isn’t just an outreach. It is designed to be a taste of what it’s like to be engaged in serving outside of our church—a lifestyle we can all embrace. Join our entire leadership team and me as we take another step towards becoming a merciful, restoring and loving church. Invite a friend who doesn’t know Jesus to join you because it is a perfect opportunity to live out the gospel in front of them. You never know what God will do when you set aside time to express the love of Christ to others in our city. Don’t hesitate. Sign up now!

I love what Jesus is doing with us. Let’s keep growing together!

Ross

Hi ONEchapel Family and Friends,

This Easter at we want to share with one another the incredible work that Jesus has done and is doing in our lives. Revelation 12:11 says, “They triumphed over him (the enemy) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”

There is awesome power in telling our stories. And there is transformational power when our life stories intersect with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. These are resurrection stories. Whether it is a story about failure and redemption; weakness and overcoming; or tragedy and triumph, we want you to tell your story through the medium of video. Your family, your marriage, your job, your heart, your salvation and your calling have potentially been touched by the sting of death and the power of resurrection.

Please pray about the resurrection story you can tell and then send your video to us by Sunday, April 1st! All you have to do is go to www.onechapel.com and upload your video.

Just follow these simple instructions:

1. Capture your Story.

Use your iPhone, Android, video camera, or other device to capture a 2-minute version of your story. Use imagery as much as you are able. Show that thing, that person, those people or other images that illustrate your story and what Jesus has restored to life. As you shoot those images, narrate your story in the background. We want to see your story rather than just hear it talked about.

2. Download your Story video to your computer.

You can use any of these file types: mp4 ogg avi mov wmv flv ogv webm. (Not sure how to do this? Search Google or ask a thirteen year old).

3. Upload your Story by “commenting” in the space provided.
Insert your name, a comment if you wish, and upload the file from your computer.
Click “Choose File”, locate your story file, and click “Upload”.
Wait until it uploads and you see the file name on the screen (this might take a little time so be patient).

4. Fill out the “CAPTCHA” form for authentication.

This let’s us know that you are someone who really wants to participate and your video is not spam.

5. Click “Save”.

That’s it. We will take those stories and put them together in different videos that will encourage our family here at ONEchapel as well as people in our city. You can also submit a DVD or another form of media, by dropping it off at the Ben Garza House (3800 Ben Garza Lane ATX 78749).

Remember, Your video cannot be more than 2 minutes long.

It should be images that show your story rather than you telling the story to the camera. By participating you are agreeing to allow ONEchapel to use your story publicly. No one else will see any comments you post on this page or the video that you post. Not every video will be able to be used.

Thank you for sharing your Resurrection Story with us…we’re excited to tell it!

He is Risen!

Ross

Hey ONEchapel Family and Friends,

I just want to remind you that we are going to three services this Sunday, March 18th! This new service will begin at 5:30pm and will be the same theme and content as the morning church services at 9:30am and 11:30am. We’re moving to three services to relieve some pressure on the 11:30am service (hint, hint) and to create the opportunity for those who are unable to come to church on Sunday morning.

Will you help us spread the word about this new service? Email, Facebook or Tweet about it. Or, maybe its just time to invite someone who you’ve been praying for and then take them out for coffee afterwards. We’ll end this new service at 7pm—plenty of time for conversation and connection at a South Austin hot spot.

Remember, most people will say yes to being invited to church if only someone would ask.

Open your eyes. See the harvest. Take the risk. God is with you!

Ross

Hey ONEchapel Family and Friends,

Daylight Savings Time begins this Sunday, March 11th! Make sure to set your clocks ahead one hour on Saturday night! We all lose an hour of sleep but we’ll gain so much more in church on Sunday morning!

40 Days in the Word continues this week as we learn, love and live the Scriptures. It’s not too late to find a connect group at www.onechapel.com by clicking on “40 Days in the Word” where you can look at a map with groups near you and sign up for daily email devotions from our One Year Bible readings. Text “OCDEVO” to 313131 to receive daily texts with a link for these encouraging devotionals. Here’s this weeks Bible memory verse: “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” Psalm 119:18.

We’re adding a new 5:30pm service on Sunday, March 18th! Our current services are crowded and people are committing their lives to Jesus every week. What a miracle! I want some of you to switch over to this new 5:30pm service to attend and to serve others who will come. If you are not serving on Team ONE, contact Kristi Savage at kristi.savage@onechapel.com. You’ll find purpose and meaning when you begin to serve others!

Eater Sunday is April 8th. We’ll have our three services at 9:30am, 11:30am and 5:30pm. Easter is one of the highest church attendance Sundays of the year and I want you to start praying about whom you will invite to join us at ONEchapel. Statistics tell us that 82% of people would come to church if someone would simply ask. We’ll have a clear presentation of the gospel, grace-filled worship and of course, the highly coveted ONEchapel coffee mugs for every guest.

LOVE AUSTIN is coming April 14th! If you know of a neighbor in desperate need of practical help, or know of a ministry that you would like partnering with to serve the needs of our city, please let us know. We’re putting together a list of servant-oriented projects for “LOVE AUSTIN” on Saturday, April 14th from 8am to 1pm. Our goal will be to serve the people in our city with a practical display of love, kindness and strategic mission. If you have an idea, email info@onechapel.com. Our purpose is not to just have an event; but to develop a lifestyle of mission in our communities. We want to partner with those who are doing great work already and fill in the gaps where needs are not being met.

Make sure you get “LOVE AUSTIN” on your calendar! Let’s all commit to setting aside time to love and serve by doing what others can not or will not do. Let’s be the hands and feet of Jesus to our city.

I love serving with you…

Ross

P.S. Remember to “Spring Forward” one hour this Saturday for Daylight Savings Time!

Hi ONEchapel,

This week we launched “40 Days in the Word” and Connect Groups are meeting all around our city sharing life and studying the Word of God together. Find a group that’s just right for you at www.onechapel.com by clicking on “40 Days in the Word.” Check out the map for a group near your house or workplace.

You can also sign up for daily devotionals based on our One Year Bible reading plan, or text OCDEVO to 313131 to receive a daily text that will encourage you to learn, love and live the Word every day. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to connect and grow in the Scriptures.

I also want to remind you that we are adding a new church service to our Sunday schedule in order to accommodate growth. This service will start at 5:30pm and end promptly at 7:00pm beginning March 18th. It will be based on the same message and worship experience as the morning gatherings and will include full service childcare and classes. If you want to volunteer to serve on “Team ONE” to facilitate this extra service just email kristi.savage@onechapel.com or visit the UConnect table on Sunday morning in the lobby.

These are exciting days at ONEchapel and I’m enjoying what Jesus is doing in us and through us to reach a city that needs him.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly – Colossians 3:16

(This weeks memory verse)

Ross

P.S. If you took a baby bottle for the South Austin Pregnancy Resource Center, bring it back to church this Sunday–even if it’s not full of money. They would like for us to turn them in so that they can be used again to bless this great work. Thanks!

Hi ONEchapel Family and Friends! Get Ready for 40 Days in the Word! Some of you have been asking, “What is this all about?” Well, this new series at ONEchapel is a focus on the Word of God in a way that will help all of us love, learn and live the Scriptures. This 40-Day [...]

Hey ONEchapel Family and Friends, I’m excited to announce that as a church, we’re going to spend “40 Days in the Word” leading up to Easter. For six weeks we’ll encourage every person, family and Connect Group to join together in studying God’s Word. Our kick-off Sunday will be February 26th. During this season, I [...]