Sunday AM Recap
March 29, 2026
Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/noW0ohejLcs?si=x1jQ43HO4uq6-Jgc
Apostle Susan Powers opened the service with some remembrances of Palm Sundays from the past. See attached pictures. (Note from Teacher Sara: I threw in some more from this same year. Also, I was wrong. It was 2011 - Sean is holding MATTHEW in one of these pictures, not Anna.) They are from Palm Sunday 2011, back in the days when the congregation would walk the street in front of the church with palm branches while the worship team opened the windows and sang “Hosanna! Blessed in He who comes in the name of the Lord!” This is part of our heritage as a church.
Palm Sunday is the celebration of when Jesus entered Jerusalem. He entered on a donkey. (Homework: which psalm mentions the savior coming in on a donkey?)
Apostle Susan also shared a psalm that Cathy Spangler wrote this week, on March 27th, the day of her late husband’s birthday. Stacea Kuehn read it to the congregation:
LORD GOD ALMIGHTY!!!
You are GOD alone!
You are GOD of our History (“HIS” STORY…..we are HIS “story”)
You are GOD of our past …individually and corporately
You were with us THEN
You are with us NOW!
You were faithful THEN!
You are faithful NOW!
So, as we face the days ahead..
WE REMEMBER…
You are WITH US!
You are ABLE to KEEP US
EMPOWER US
GUIDE US
through the unknown of our future!
We KNOW Your plans are good!
As we walk with You, we will NOT be lost.
By YOUR Grace we WILL fulfill our purpose!
We look back to move forward.
Apostle shared a little bit about her journey this week. It has been a hard week, and she has felt unable to overcome her feelings. In her lament to the Lord, he said “you are walking through the valley of the shadow. But take heart.” And then she was reminded of Psalm 91. About 10-15 years ago, Apostle George felt led to frame this psalm and give it to their children.
She went on to speak about walking through this shadow, and also the distractions we experience that take us away from the journey God has for us. He is with you, He is overshadowing you, He is protecting you, and sometimes He takes us where we don’t want to go. But it’s a natural part of this life. We need to learn how to walk through these valleys of the shadow.
Andrea Colyer led worship.
Early Childhood Worship
Link: https://youtu.be/y8Pvztovsik?si=yKhCxS3LY_zVnC8_
Bible Story: Phillip and the Ethiopian
Verse: 1 John 1:9
Message: Apostle Susan Powers
The Gardens
As Apostle Susan started this morning sharing with the congregation her journey about being in the valley of the shadow, her mother was being admitted to the hospital because she most likely had a stroke. Apostle prayed about whether or not she should pass off the mic and go to her mother…as we all should be prepared to have the mic handed to us to share on Sunday morning, for we live in a world where nothing is certain but HIM.
She asked “should I go?” He said “you stay”.
She was to bring this message about the Gardens at CCC because this is the DAY OF PREPARATION. What are we preparing for? Passover - where we leave Egypt and journey through the telling, the history. Through the telling, we remember where our people came from.
So, she is determined to be faithful, knowing that her mother is in God’s hands.
What are we to do with walking through the valley of the shadow?
This morning, you should have sensed the wings of the Lord stretched over us, and if you didn’t, go to Psalm 91 and proclaim it until you believe it. Nothing touches you that He doesn’t allow.
He died for us and He did NOT stay in the grave!
In preparation for this message, Apostle went to gather all the notes and everything God has shown her about The Gardens. But she couldn't find any of it. And the Lord told her:
“Susan, casting vision requires responsibility for the doer and the hearer.”
This is your charge - to listen and to hear the Word of the Lord. And when God gives you a charge, He is serious about it. We don’t understand the gravity of the Word of the Lord and how to steward it - or use it wisely. There is a spirit of presumption in the Western Church - where we presume to know what God is saying. That's the sin of presumption.
Apostle’s bed was covered with paperwork as she dug and looked for where she put the papers about the Gardens, because God has been speaking to her about the Gardens everywhere and at any time.
It has been her angst over how disorganized her paperwork and everything had become. It’s understandable, but understanding didn’t help the organization. Very frustrating.
So she feels like she wasted the day - but it wasn't a waste, because the Holy Sprit helped her sort through what she needed to sort and find what she needed to find, to put together a document to help, instruct, and lay a foundation.
She asks the question to us that He asked her:
“What are The Gardens at CCC?”
…and what will it look like?
We’ve had LOTS of teachings on gardens. What does a garden look like?
Borders
Growth
Ground has been prepared (tilled, etc.)
Certain plants do certain things
Things in it you don’t want - because seed gets blown from all over the place
The seed isn’t necessarily something you plant…so when stuff comes up that you didn’t want…you have to weed your garden. Which is not fun. The best time to do that is when the ground is soft - after a rain.
Scriptures tell us that winter is past, springtime has come. In the Spring, it’s supposed to be warm and rainy…but right now we are having hot/freezing/no rain.
So what happens when we don’t have enough rain? We PRAY - because who delivers the rain? The LORD.
The drought isn’t necessarily the enemy! The Word of God says that the earth is the Lord’s and all that is within it. The enemy has access, but only limited. So you have to stop blaming the enemy for the weeds and the drought - you stop and ask God, what does this mean and what must I do?
He may tell you to weed the garden, or water the garden, or anything else.
Another question: what do you do when you want to grow carrots? Carrots are not grown on top of the ground, they grow down into the ground. What if you want to grow carrots and corn? You can’t put them in the same space. The root systems will mess with each other.
So - we know some things about gardens.
Who are the inhabitants of the gardens at CCC? Me and them. Who is the “them”?
God has said they are on the way…are you ready?
How many are there?
What are we supposed to do?
Who are the gardeners? EVERYONE HERE. EVERYONE AT CCC.
So - GET READY. Which we have heard before!
So let’s start at the beginning.
The very first mention of a garden:
Genesis 2:4-9 (AMP)
4 This is the history of [the origin of] the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day [that is, days of creation] that the [a]Lord God made the earth and the heavens— 5 no shrub or plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to [b]cultivate the ground, 6 but a [c]mist (fog, dew, vapor) used to rise from the land and water the entire surface of the ground— 7 then the Lord God [d]formed [that is, created the body of] man from the [e]dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being [an individual complete in body and spirit]. 8 And the Lord God [f]planted a garden (oasis) in the east, in Eden (delight, land of happiness); and He put the man whom He had formed (created) there. 9 And [in that garden] the Lord God caused to grow from the ground every tree that is desirable and pleasing to the sight and good (suitable, pleasant) for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the [experiential] knowledge (recognition) of [the difference between] good and evil.
What is the central, focus point of creation? MAN. Because he was made in God’s image.
Before the foundations of the earth, YOU had an assignment. So many go through their lives never walking in their assignment.
Let’s take a look at the History of Christ’s Community Church…
Date of the first Sunday of the first service: October 26, 1997. Westside Elementary School. There were about 200 people.
Some were curious. Some were called. Some were in transition and then were called elsewhere. And some were stuck.
God knew you would be here now - and this history is YOUR history. HE has counted your days. The earth is the Lord’s and ALL that is in it.
How old is the church? 29 years old. The Lord has known all that would happen - even Apostle George going to heaven on January 17th.
Why is all that important? Because if you are going to know where you are going, you need to know where you have been. That’s what Passover is all about!
We were ALL once slaves. But the blood of the lamb of God has been applied to our lives, and the spirit of death passed over us. It was nothing we earned or deserved - a free gift that cost you everything.
The first recorded (if God says something, WRITE IT DOWN) Word at CCC was on January 25, 1998. Who named the church Christ’s Community Church? God did. Who brought the word about the name? George Powers.
Bone of my bone
Flesh of my fleesh
You are my bride
You are my church, my chosen
Look fully in my face
Trust me fully
Submit to me fully
Apostle Susan is not sure who had the tongue, but it was the first time she had the interpretation.
(Some of you are being held back by fear - and not the fear of the Lord.)
December 8, 1997
Title of the message: “Heritage vs Tradition” (Pastor George Powers)
They were leaving a church because they could no longer live with the traditions of man superseding the heritage of God and not being allowed to move in and teach about ALL the gifts God has for His church.
We need the Word of the Lord released so the Gardens can continue - not just start, because it has already started.
One of the words released about heritage vs tradition is found in Isaiah 61:11:
For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
And as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
So the Lord God will [most certainly] cause righteousness and justice and praise
To spring up before all the nations [through the power of His word].
That was the message Pastor George was inspired to bring.
This is why we celebrate Passover, and the feasts and festivals - and even Palm Sunday, although it doesn't look like it once did.
“Garden” is repeated many times throughout Scripture.
Mark 6:40
They sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties [so that the crowd resembled an orderly arrangement of colorful garden plots].
tThis was a reflection of the garden
Luke 22:39-40
39 And He came out and went, as was His habit, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed Him. 40 When He arrived at the place [called Gethsemane], He said to them, “Pray continually that you may not fall into temptation.”
Our days of praying are NOT over - we probably need to RAMP up our prayer inspirations again! Because the darkness is going to get darker - but YOU’RE here, and HE’S here in YOU!
John 19:41
41 Now there was a garden at the place where He was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb [cut out of solid rock] in which no one had yet been laid.
John 20:15
15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? For whom are you looking?” Supposing that He was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you are the one who has carried Him away from here, tell me where you have put Him, and I will take Him away.”
Who showed up? The WOMEN - because they had to prepare His body because they couldn’t do it before then because of the Sabbath…this is why God said to be bi-calendar, because we need to understand GOD’S timeline here…
Why did she think He was the gardener? Because He was in the GARDEN!
Why all these Scriptures? Because the Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword.
1 Corinthians 3:9
For we are God’s fellow workers [His servants working together]; you are God’s cultivated field [His garden, His vineyard], God’s building.
YOU are God’s cultivated field - HIS garden, HIS vineyard
There are 68 references in the Word to His Garden.
How many gardens will be housed here at CCC? We do not know. Apostle has personally received instruction on some - but don’t clamp down on a number. Hold it loosely. Because as we become obedient to His call, we will be surprised.
The first garden: YOU.
Song of Songs 4:12 (King James)
12 A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
Song of Songs 8:13 (King James)
Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.
Different translations shared - go study!
Remember that Solomon represents the groom (Jesus).
Garden #1 has to be YOU - YOU WITH HIM. There is no other way. If you do not tend your own garden of intimacy with Him, you will not be allowed to tend a garden.
Every single one of us is a gardener. You can’t opt out of what God wants you to do. So let Him change your mind and stop thinking of what you aren’t going to do and think about what God might do.
Lyrics to Garden by Misty Edwards
It's You and me alone God You and me alone
Here it's You and me alone God You and me alone
You've hedged me in with skin all around me
I'm a garden enclosed a locked garden
Life takes place behind the face.
So come into Your garden
Come into Your garden.
Here O Lord! Have I prepared a place for You!
I'm no longer my own I'm Your garden
I don't want to wasted my time living on the outside
I'm going to live from the inside out
I don't want to waste my life living on the outside
I'm going to live from the inside out
Locked garden - protected
Remember Apostle George’s funeral and the message from Pastor Jeff: Apostle was a gatekeeper. Because he stood in the gap for the sheep. A locked garden is protected from the wolves.
You can invite Him into your garden all day, every day! The more intimate time you spend in the garden with Him, the more value you have in the Kingdom because you look like Him! You smell like Him! There’s a fragrance that happens in His presence that does not happen any other place! And it is the fragrance of the Lord that draws people to Him - and that should be the goal. Intimacy with Him.
What does it mean to live from the inside out? Living on the outside is living for the earthly stuff…cell phone example. Living on the outside is a waste of time. What’s on the inside? The good stuff.
“Come into Your garden”…pray that every day. When He calls, show up! And He comes when you call!
Life takes place behind the face…behind the masks and stuff we put on. He knows what goes on, he’s not distracted. Don’t believe that He is made in your image.
There will not be just one garden. God said gardens. Will there still be a church? We are part of a body of believer God brought together in 1997. We have not done everything right. We have repented, and we’ve had to be corrected. You might have the biggest garden here, but if you don’t receive instruction from the Lord you will not have the power to sustain it.
What is the first garden?
You and me alone, God.
Psalm 24:1
The earth [b]is the Lord’s, and the fullness of it,
The world, and those who dwell in it.
God so loved the WORLD - not just the church. He sent the only and only Yeshua to take our punishment for everything done and not yet done.
Worship and warfare.
Teaching the skill in worship and music, and outlets like creative writing, art, flags. Gifts to inspire others. This is NOT just the worship team! We are going to learn more and more not just to sing songs but to let the flow of the Spirit come in the house and then to move and have His way - because that’s when warfare happens. ALL Ages
Teaching on the 5 Fold Ministry.
We have this calling before we even knew what it meant - and it’s ok to learn more when you don’t know!
Spiritual gifts.
(If you have not turned in your spiritual gifts test, please come get one and take it!! We need to know where your gifts are!)
Some of your gifts may seem scary, but we will teach! We will learn together so we can all be everything God wants us to be!
Salvation.
Water baptism. Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Because people will come to church looking for Jesus, and we have to be ready for their questions - ALL of us, for it is not just the job of the pastor!
Disciplemaking.
People NEED disciplemaking - impartation!
Deliverance.
This is a daily gift that most Christians don;t use - we walk around with the most horrific demons and wounds and no one has helped them. Recommendation: Frank Perretti books.
Kids!
If we don’t have the ability to make disciples of the kids, who will? Some of this has been done by interfacing with other churches in the area…BECAUSE WE ARE NOT IN COMPETITION WITH EACH OTHER. Or…you make the disciples of them yourself! Some of these things we were not meant to do.
School of the prophets.
Amos 3:7
Surely the Lord God does nothing
[a]Without revealing His secret plan [of the judgment to come]
To His servants the prophets.
Technical skills to enhance ministry: social media, sound ministry, tech support.
Maybe even for ministries down the street, outside the church walls
Israel and the Hebraic Calendar, teaching and keeping.
YOU are God’s answer to the anti-Semetic spirit on the earth,
Number of government) Heritage of the Lord: Keeping covenant with the four gates, the walls, of the city, the why and wherefores, instructions of the Lord.
There will be those that come and do not join the church. It’s not the goal of the Gardens. The goal of the Gardens is to be obedient to what God says to do, which will require us to get out of the box we put Jesus in.
This is not an all inclusive list. Be dreaming - what else? What can I do to help? Where do I fit in with my giftings, Lord? Where are you calling me to stretch out?
We are not coming to grow a church or a tribe. Growth comes from natural planting. Sometimes accidental planting happens, but it’s not as effective as intentional planting.
THEY ARE COMING. They are being drawn and sent.
Who’s coming, Lord?
“Some do not yet have Jesus”. Some will have Jesus on a surface level and assume to know Him and will need greater depth in the days to come.
In this world you will have much trouble. They’re going to hate you. You HAVE weapons of warfare the enemy does not have - and don't use them, and you are dead.
“Some are broken and battered by this world they struggle with, and need directions to other trusted resources.”
We are not in competitions for ministries! There are very good ministries in this community, such as Celebrate Recovery. If you don’t know these ministries, you can’t direct people where they should go! We should not do ministries we have not been called to, but we can be a resource to direct people.
We are to plant two apple trees at CCC, at the direction of the Lord. Planted as a reminder and a sign of the planting of the Gardens of CCC.
The first one will be in the front east yard to honor and remember Apostle Emeritus George Powers. It will include a sturdy metal bench where we can put a memorial plaque for Apostle Emeritus on it to honor his life of sacrifice. We cannot forget that this is going to cost you. Saying yes to God is always a cost .
Pastor Jeff’s has a vision for the door by the office: a prayer tower as an emergency exit, with a ladder, not steps. In this tower, there will be a wooden gate as a memorial to the gatekeeper who God chose to start CCC.
And there will be a second tree.
Why? God said we needed to. Why two trees? There were two main trees in The Garden. Two very significant trees: Tree of Life and Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Which should you eat from? Tree of Life!
Why two trees? Because you have to have a choice. Hopefully they bear fruit - fruit that the generations to come can have that’s a memorial to what has come before.
Apple: flesh, seed, skin. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You were born into a curse as a result of eating from the Tree of Knowledge But that curse has been reversed - the power of the RISEN Lord. Not just the entry, not just the Last Supper, not just the crucifixion, but the resurrection! We’re alive because HE’S alive!
So your gifts - that are really his - are going to be utilized, in each and every one of us. And we are going to grow the Gardens of CCC. We will mark out the plots with the boundaries and wait for revelation for what to plant and how to plant. We are going to come together as a unit and do this thing, and YOU’RE going to be involved! And it will be fun - because you were made for this! You have everything you need to do this thing that you are calling us to do!
And if you don’t show up, you may be voluntold what to do!
We’re not just a church. The church is the heart of the Gardens. Pit Stop is still in existence to teach about HIS seasons and times.
We have the reminders all around the sanctuary. A board for Dreams, Visions, and Words Pit Stop Board. Government and military board.
Apostle Susan finished with the blessing - the Aaronic blessing, Numbers 6:24-26. The priestly blessing.
The Lord bless you, and keep you [protect you, sustain you, and guard you];
The Lord make His face shine upon you [with favor],
And be gracious to you [surrounding you with lovingkindness];
The Lord lift up His countenance (face) upon you [with divine approval],
And give you peace [a tranquil heart and life].’
