First Portico Service

August 22nd
11:00 am
Portico Church

Today was our first Sunday morning service! So awesome! We've been meeting as a church body for several months already, but today was the first Sunday morning service meeting as Portico Church!

So, we're meeting in a building that the Salvation Army used as their headquarters until last year. The sanctuary is already set up with a stage and pews. We met last night from 7-9 to set up and run through worship for the morning. Even though the place is set up like a church, there is still a lot to do as far as getting all the trussing up. Last nights set up was fairly easy because we haven't got our sound system in yet, so hopefully by next week. :) There are also two childrens rooms that were set up and made ready for the kids in the morning!

Because we don't have our sound system yet, we had acoustic worship. Tracy led worship with Rachel on vocals and me on guitar. I think God really met us there! Then Mark preached from Ephesians 2. He talked about how we used to follow the ways of the world and were hopeless. How if we weren't living for God then we were living for the ruler of the Kingdom of the air, who is Satan. We could not be good enough for God. BUT... "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." Eph 2:4,5 Gods grace saved us. Grace isn't deserved and can't be earned. I love it!

I have to say, my favorite part of the service was when Mark was talking about how we were hopeless, then we get to verse 4 and it says, "but". It was at this point in the service Mark gave the quote that I hope he will be remembered for for the rest of his life: "God is the creator of big but's." Yeah - that quote will live on and on... :).

I have to say that I am certainly honored that God called me to serve in Portland. Honored and humbled. I think about how I get to be a part of what God is doing here, and I look at the people I get to do it with and I thank God! I know today is just the beginning. I can't wait to see where we are in a few months or years. Can't wait to see the lives that will be changed. Can't wait to see how Gods name will be glorified in Portland. It happened this morning. At Portico Church.