SERMON TITLE: Ministry Celebration 2025
TEXT: multiple
SPEAKER: multiple
DATE: 9-7-25
Sermon Discussion Guide
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As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.
And today is our ministry celebration weekend. A time where we look back over the past year and celebrate God’s faithfulness to us as a congregation. You’ll hear from a variety of staff members today who are going to share what’s been happening in their ministry areas and how God has uniquely helped their ministry to help us be a faith family around here. For that’s the theme for us today. Of our five discipleship characteristics — the five goals we have for every follower of Jesus here at Gateway — that we’d be…
This year the staff thought we would celebrate how God has and is forming us into the family he desires us to be. So — with that in mind — let me pray for us — and then we’ll look at something that Jesus said about family.
Heavenly Father, even how we address you reminds us of this discipleship value — you’re our Father — which means — we’re a family. You’re our Heavenly Father. Our good, kind, merciful, holy, just, and creator of all things Father — who’s adopted us into your family.
Spirit, it’s your work in our lives that calls us into your family. This is the work you do when you apply all that Jesus accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection on our behalf. You give us new life — a new life as part of your family.
And, Jesus, us being adopted into a new family — into your family — is only possible because you love us. And — in your love — you gave your life so we could and can be part of your family. Help us to celebrate what it means to be part of your family today. Not because we’re awesome — but because you are. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen
In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke — we find a moment in Jesus’ life recorded three different times. The three gospel accounts are virtually identical — so this morning we’ll look at how Matthew records the moment. We’re in Matthew chapter twelve — beginning in verse forty-six.
Matthew 12:46–50 ESV
46 While he (Jesus) was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
A brief defense of Jesus and then an observation that should stir in all of our hearts amazement and thankfulness.
Here’s my brief defense of Jesus: He’s not being a jerk to his earthly family. It’s easier than you may realize to read into Jesus our sinfulness when he makes a statement like the one he says here. But we can’t forget that — while he hung on the cross — Jesus made sure his mom would be taken care of after his death. Jesus loved his earthly family — so that’s not what his statement is about here in Matthew.
So what is Jesus saying? What he’s saying is a truth that should stir in all of our hearts amazement and thankfulness. For when he was told that his family was waiting outside for him, Jesus said, “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” — that’s another way of saying, “They’re my family.”
Though none of us are part of Jesus’ earthly family — we all have the opportunity to be part of his heavenly family. This is what I was referring to earlier during my prayer — it’s what theologians call our adoption. You see, when a person believes in Jesus Christ — that his life, death, and resurrection are the only means of salvation and rescue and everlasting joy and hope — when one believes in Jesus — they’re adopted into the family of God.
This is the moment when we become a child of God and brothers and sisters in Christ. Where our relationships transform into that of spiritual mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters — and even children — with each other. And — we even become brothers and sisters of Jesus — that’s what he tells us.
Now for some bad news: Not everyone is a child of God. Not everyone is part of Jesus’ family. For — as Jesus says, “It’s only those who do the will of his Father in heaven who are my brothers, sisters, and mothers.”
So — before we celebrate all of the ways that God has been growing us together as a faith family this past year — I want to extend an invitation to all who are listening: an invitation to become part of Jesus’ family. But — before you say yes — know that there’s a cost to being part of this family: You must die to yourself, give up your way, stop living for things, people — even for yourself — and instead — live for your Father in heaven. It’s quite the cost — for sure — but it’s a cost that’s infinitely worth it. For it comes with an amazing return on the investment:
So as you hear story after story of the wonderful ways that God has and is shaping us into a family — know that these stories can be part of your story — and that you can be part of our story and part of our family — if you allow your story to be in the hands of Jesus Christ.
At this time — and having just reminded us of how we’ve been welcomed into God’s family — let’s take some time to stand and welcome each other as we’ve been welcomed by Christ.
One of the many ways that God is at work shaping us into a family here at Gateway Church is through our weekend services at each campus.
When we gather to worship on Sunday mornings, there are 2 aspects of our worship. One is the vertical which is us in relation to God. The second is the horizontal, which is us in relation to each other as the body of Christ and that is an important focus for the Worship Department this year. Sundays should feel like a family reunion where we recount memories and share stories full of Gospel hope through our songs, prayers and teaching. If we are honest, some Sundays we come out of habit with a cold heart but the sound of brothers and sisters singing, softens us and ushers us into worship. Other Sundays, we come desperately needing to cry out, sing and pray and doing this alongside your church family, strengthens us. This is why our worship leaders spend intentional time each week crafting a worship service that leads us through the gospel story week after week, so that we remember. Here are some behind the scenes looks at what we do before the gathering on Sunday morning.
(Worship Video)
Not only is God shaping us into a family as we worship together, he's also working in and through us as we serve together.
Hi everyone! For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Kristi St. Amour and I’m the Hospitality Director here at Gateway Church. I get to work with those that serve in our parking lot, as greeters & ushers, at our Resource Centers and in our cafes as we welcome all of the members and guests that walk through our doors on Sunday mornings. We have over 250 people in our church family that serve in these areas!
We have been talking this morning about how we are a family here at Gateway Church. I want you to picture for a few moments that you are hosting a large gathering for your family in your home.
How would you want everyone to feel in the first few minutes upon arriving at your home? Whether it is an aunt that you have known for 35 years or your nephew is bringing his fiance for the first time, you would probably want them to feel welcome. No matter if it is your first time here at Gateway or if you have been attending for decades, it is our hope that you all feel welcome and that you are a part of our church family.
As you tell people about your family gathering, you might tell them where to park when they arrive and let them know which door to enter. We are thankful for our parking crews that wave hello and help make our parking lot safe and efficient.
I’m guessing that you would greet all who enter your home. We are thankful for our greeters who joyfully welcome each person as they walk through our doors.
As a host, you may offer something to eat or drink to your guests. You spend time preparing food before people arrive and cleaning up after they leave. We are thankful for those that come early to prepare our coffee, those who serve our drinks with a smile, and for those that clean up our cafes… they definitely have the gift of service by being willing to do dishes!
Imagine at your family gathering that everyone is busy talking and interacting with each other but there is someone that is completely on their own amongst all of the connecting. What if it was your nephew’s fiance that was meeting your family for the first time? I am sure he would desire that family members reach out to her and get to know her. In a sermon a few months ago, Pastor Josh reminded us that the biblical definition of hospitality is to welcome a stranger. As a church family, let it not just be the responsibility of our Hospitality team to welcome everyone but instead each one of us is actively welcoming others into our church family.
At your family gathering, you probably wouldn’t be super grumpy as you welcomed everyone. Romans 15:7 says, “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” We have joy because of what Christ has done for us. Let’s show that joy to all who enter so that they are drawn not to Gateway Church, but leave here drawn closer to Christ.
Finally, It might be weird if everyone at your family gathering all stood up at the same time and left in a rush as soon as someone was done speaking. So we invite you to stay and enjoy time with your Gateway family after the service today (and every Sunday!). We are celebrating today, so we have cupcakes in our cafe. We also have a place to take pictures with your family, your life group members, your friends… all who are a part of our church family.
And if you don’t already know us, come say hello at the Resource Center… We would love to meet you this morning!
Before we hear from our Next Gen ministries, watch this video to see what our summer has looked like, here at Gateway Church.
If you can't tell, it was a great summer here and I'm so thankful that my family was able to be a part of it for the first time.
Good morning everyone! My name is Justin Bower and I am the Next Gen Director here at Gateway Church. Our Next Gen ministry encompasses all we do from a child’s birth till they graduate high school. This is our Sunday morning Infant/Toddler classes, Kidway, and the Attic, our Sunday evening Youth Group, and many events and initiatives throughout the year. Focusing on our vision for family, there are so many spaces in our Next Gen ministries that highlight and create families.
In the family, we are called to hear the needs and hearts of each of our members and some members of our family need a different approach to love, care, and the gospel than others. This past year, we decided to expand our Diverse Needs ministries and created a Young Adult Diverse Needs Life Group that created a space in which these members of our family can come together and learn about Jesus and the Bible in a way that is appropriate for them. Fun fact, for all of these young adults, this is the only space that they regularly are connected with our Church Family outside of Sunday mornings. That is beautiful and truly a practical example of being a family in action.
Over the past year we have implemented challenges and initiatives so that families can be equipped and practice Biblical principles at home with their family and act out our family value in intentional ways outside of a Sunday Morning. Through our Pray for Me Campaign we connected individuals across the generations to families in our church. Through this challenge, we had 38 families being intentionally prayed for by different people in church. One beautiful example of this is a story that Elaine Swope shared with me.
She said, “I've truly enjoyed praying for my 5 kiddo's. I've texted back and forth with their mother, I mailed them a small puzzle. I shared that Jesus's character is displayed by the fruit of the Spirit and by accepting Christ they too are to display the fruit of the Spirit. This was truly a lesson the Holy Spirit put on my heart to share with them.”
The Pray for Me Campaign was such a clear way to bring us closer together as a family that the Next Gen Team is continuing to find ways to connect our church in praying for the families and our kids of this generation because prayer is powerful and we would love every kid and youth in our ministries to be prayed for!
A group of our youth went to the University of Illinois Chicago to partner with Cru Ministries and connect with international students, mostly from the Middle East to talk about faith, Jesus and God. However, one of the most impactful parts was the connection our students formed with each other and with the college students in Cru Ministries. It’s through trips like this that our church and kids can grow closer and feel more like a family when faced with life and sharing the news of Jesus together.
Lastly, I would be remiss to mention one of the consistent and intentional ways we have designed to create mini-families in our Next Gen Ministries. From Preschool through High School, we intentionally set aside small group spaces on a Sunday morning or evening. Our small group structure, which is by age and grade in Kidway and then divided by grade and gender in Youth Group, is set up as a space where close and intimate discipleship happens. Our small group classes in Kidway and Youth have consistent and safe adults that teach them Biblical basics that are age appropriate but also act as spiritual mothers and fathers to walk alongside these kids as another Christian adult in their lives pointing them to Jesus. Our volunteers deeply care for these children. Feel confident that your kids are being prayed for, cared for and are creating christian relationships as they consistently attend.
Thank you for trusting us and the Lord with your kids.
Now please check out the screens as we hear from someone who brings a whole lot of energy and authenticity to our family, our GO Director.
(Go Video)
Good morning everyone! My name is Joe Sherrieb and I’m the Life Group Director here at Gateway and I am going to share about how God continues to work in and through us, to shape us, as we grow older together.
This past year, I’ve gotten the pleasure to hear about some really awesome stories happening across our Life Groups. And if I could sum up these stories into one word, I’d have to use the word “family”.
We’re not just talking about people meeting once a week — or every other week — to talk about the Bible — though that is happening — and we think discussing God’s Word and how to apply it to our lives IS important. — but it’s more than that. It’s also caring for one another like family. It’s people showing up when someone’s hurting. It’s people celebrating wins. It’s really just living out the “one anothers” in Scripture. It’s people praying, encouraging, texting, feeding each other — you know — all the things families should do.
And here’s why it matters. We’re not meant to follow Jesus alone as his disciples. It’s just not how he designed the church. In fact — that’s why our two main values in Life Groups are Word-based application and caring for one another. Because we believe that truth — and love — are meant to go hand-in-hand.
And to celebrate what this actually looks like, we’ve got a video to show you of two friends who are going to share how their Life Groups have been a family to each other. These stories are powerful — and actually really personal — and they’re examples of what we hope EVERY Life Group is about and grows into.
And as you hear these testimonies — first — I’d like to ask those who are in a Life Group to be encouraged by them, and maybe even allow them to provide you with some ideas of how you can care for those in your Life Group and be family to them. And second — if you're not in a Life Group, consider these testimonies a word of exhortation for you to get plugged into a group. Some of you have us looking for a good fit for you right now! Awesome! Please be patient with us as we help to find you a group you’ll thrive in. But for those who haven’t yet considered joining one, I hope this video encourages you to get connected in one.
And with all that — let’s take a look at these testimonies!
Now does anyone have a great transition into a talk about the Operations of the church? Yeah, me neither. In fact, I struggled at first to think of how the Operations Department reflects the importance of Family here at Gateway Church. It can be easy to focus on facilities, contracts, numbers, dates, processes, and policies, and lose sight of what our department needs to stay focused on. The Operations Department exists to enable and support ministry…well beyond Sunday.
One way this takes place within our facilities is through hosting birthday parties, showers, weddings, Life Groups, and funerals. We're able to come alongside people of our church in their times of celebration as well as times of earthly sorrow, and everything in between. We use our facilities to host prayer gatherings and classes. We even open our doors for people in the community to come have a safe place for their kids to play. While I can't tell you the number of little feet climbing the play structure or the amount of laughter that can be heard through our halls, I can tell you that we've hosted at least 34 events like these in our facilities over the past year.
Then taking a look outside of our facilities, it's been great to see how our Deacons have come alongside various members of Gateway Church through our benevolence program. Over the past 12 months, they have cared for 40 Gateway Church families in one way or another. In some cases a project was completed around the house. Other times it was through meals, counsel, or guidance in something they were facing. Still in other cases it was financially. In fact, our benevolence program has been able to pay $18,052.64 towards various bills to help members in their time of need over the past 12 months.
Last but not least for the Operations Department, each year we prepare a budget as a church. This may be something that you do in your home. Similar to setting money aside for the family vacation or for the roof you know is going to need replaced next year, ministries submit their budgets as they plan for activities and events. This past year, Gateway Church allocated 12.4% of our overall budget to Next Gen ministries, investing in families. Once again showing that family truly is a priority here!
We give thanks to God the Father that our Savior, Jesus Christ, before he suffered, gave us this meal to help us remember his sacrifice until he returns. At his last supper, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this in remembrance of me.” For whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. - 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
In this meal we proclaim that our faith has been signed — it’s been paid for — and sealed — it’s guaranteed. For Christ has died. Christ is risen. And Christ will come again.
May you go with thankfulness to God for the way he’s shaping us into his faith family. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
Stories, news, and resources for things happening at Gateway Church.
