Yesterday, theMOVEMENT Church in Oakland celebrated it's fifth Easter since starting in the fall of 2013. It was an absolutely incredible Easter Service that you had to be at to fully appreciate all that God is doing within our church.

Though many things took place in yesterday's service that cannot be quantified by a number, here are a few of the numbers that tell the story of God's grace and faithfulness towards our community of faith.

Over 250 in Attendance - I am not entitled to anybody attending any service.
Dozens of 1st-Time Guests - It is a privilege to host guests on any Sunday, but to be trusted with a guest's Easter Sunday is a special honor.
9 Baptisms - Our highest number in a single service ever. 6 were students. (We've never baptized anyone in our student ministry before.) 3 were men. (I love seeing grown men go public with their faith in Christ. One was from Ghana!)
6 "Baptizers" - Every person was baptized by the person discipling them! (Also, I didn't baptize a single person!)
35 Kids - The growth in our kids ministry has been so encouraging. The amount of kids attending, over the last several months, has gone up, but more importantly, the number of volunteers joyfully engaged with the kids ministry is also super exciting!
Dozens of Volunteers - Set-up. Tear down. Guest Services. Kids Ministry. Student Ministry. Music Ministry. The awesome day that our church and our guests were able to experience is owed in large part to the sacrificial service of our volunteers.
3 Staff Members - Not including me, our church has 3 full-time staff members, and I can't thank them enough for everything they do to serve the church. Because of their leadership, even though there are a lot of moving parts on an Easter Sunday, I was able to focus my attention solely on preaching and connecting with our guests. I praise God that they free me up to do what only I can do!
1 "Old Friend" - I was so encouraged to see a former member of our church, Colton, join us for yesterday's service. Several years ago, it was an Easter Service at theMOVEMENT that re-ignited his love for Jesus. He got baptized at theMOVEMENT shortly thereafter. He has since moved to Arizona, but I praise God for being able to re-connect with him yesterday!
1 Gospel Proclaimed - The only news that has the power to save!
1 Christ Risen - The only Person through which salvation can come!

I am grateful. That God would use a wretched, rebellious, sinner like me to lead a Church is something I will never completely understand, but I will always be grateful for. If this were a movie, I have one of the best seats in the house, and I don't want to miss a thing!