3/17 Sunday Announcements

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1. *LENT DEVOTIONAL GUIDE – As we continue into this season of lent, we are using the online devotional by our friends at Highland Park Presbyterian Church of Dallas. One Scripture text is given per week, with different aspects of the text highlighted throughout each day to draw us deeper into God’s Word. This week’s text is HEBREWS 12:1-3 with the theme, “The Clarity of Call.” In these days leading up to Easter, let us grow our hunger for the LORD through a fresh devotion to Him! The devotional can be found at the QR code or unlisted online webpage here: https://www.hosannapc.org/lent.html
2. *NEW TABLE SIGNS AND NEWCOMER’S WELCOMING PLATE SHEETS! – *If you are a new or returning visitor, please be ushered to a seat with a welcoming plate sheet, and let our Welcoming Team serve you a meal and a cup of water. It is our joy to serve you! For our Covenant Partners, let us be the hands and feet of Jesus in serving our guests in table fellowship. Let each empty plate sheet remind us to always be reaching out to those around us to share the living bread of Jesus Christ and to grow together in reflecting His image and love into the world.
3. *TODAY’S LUNCH MENU – SOYBEAN SPROUT RICE with soy/sesame/garlic sauce (kong-na-mul-bap)! – Also a children’s menu of seaweed and rice will be provided weekly. As time allows, join us after-service to break bread together in the gym as an important part of our worship on the LORD’s day. Today’s menu is delicious Korean soybean sprout rice! Thank the team that prepared it by enjoying the soup!
4. *TABLES/CHAIRS SETUP/CLEANUP continues – For all Sundays in March, Hosanna is taking stewardship of the 12:45pm Saturday setting-up and 1:00pm Sunday cleaning-up of the tables/chairs, seating for 300 people, in the gym for Sunday lunch. *Special thank you to those who helped yesterday’s setup. Cleanup continues today at 1:00pm with table wipe-down and chairs/tables cleanup. Thank you!
5. *TODAY, SESSION/ELDER BOARD meeting, 1:45pm @ Corner Conference Room – The session is gathering today for their monthly meeting. Pray for our Elders as they shepherd, govern, and guard the spiritual health of our congregation.
6. *THIS FRIDAY (3/22), AGAPE life group FELLOWSHIP NIGHT! – This Friday, we invite all young adults, college, postgraduates, and newlyweds to a fellowship night at Cidercade Arlington. See our shepherd, Deacon Hana Lee, for details.
7. *NEXT SUNDAY (3/23), MINISTRY TEAM (Deacons & Elders) LEADERS meeting, 1:45pm @ Corner Conference Room – The Ministry Team Leaders of Deacons, Elders, and Advisors will gather next Sunday to pray, evaluate, and dream of new ways to flourish our community. Pray for our Deacons and Elders as they work together in spiritual leadership, godly unity, and common purpose to advance Christ and His Kingdom through Hosanna.
8. *APRIL SPRING PICNIC! – *We continue to ask all to be aware that on 4/21 (Sun), we will not gather at our church facility but at Mary Heads Carter Park in Carrollton for an outdoor Sunday worship, followed by a delicious BBQ picnic lunch with games/fellowship, and prizes from 10am to 3pm. *The purpose of our Spring Picnic is to be a “House of Prayer for All Nations” (ISAIAH 56:1-8), calling all to true righteous worship (not sourced in a location) and mobilizing cross-generational fellowship across our congregation (from children to adults) to inspire godly unity and outreach to our neighbors in need of His love and His house. As we keep announcing this blessed picnic worship throughout the next few weeks, familiarize yourself with the location change for that particular Sunday (4/21). Enjoy God’s beautiful outdoor weather and creation as we become a house of prayer for all nations! *DISCLAIMER: This event is not sponsored by the City of Carrollton.
9. *KINGDOM EXPANSION PRAYER – After two complete cycles of praying for God’s Kingdom to expand in the state of Texas through the work of our Texas Presbytery and ECO denominational family, we are moving to pray for a wider vision of God’s Kingdom to expand through the global prayer guide for the persecuted church and persecuted Christians worldwide from The Voice of the Martyrs organization. Today, we are praying for our persecuted Algerian brothers and sisters in Christ in north Africa.

 
**Prayer Topic: Persecuted Christians in Algeria, north Africa
     Before the founding of Islam in the seventh century and the subsequent invasion by Arab Muslims, Algeria was inhabited by the Berber people. Today, they live mainly in Algeria’s mountainous Kabylie area in the north, while Arabs inhabit the rest of the country. The Christian faith has a long history in North Africa, especially among ethnic Berbers. The early church father Augustine of Hippo is thought to have been a Berber from Algeria. After centuries of oppressive Muslim occupation, public Christian worship and witness have largely disappeared, but many Berbers are now rediscovering their Christian heritage. Churches have seen rapid growth, and Algeria has experienced one of the world’s largest movements of Muslims coming to faith in Christ. Algerian Christians are reaching out boldly to their Muslim countrymen, causing increased persecution in an uncertain political climate.
     97 percent of Algerians are Sunni Muslims. Christian converts from Islam are persecuted by the government and their own family members. They also face a variety of hardships from the local community.
     Algeria is a shining example of church growth in North Africa and is also a leader for theological training and church development in the region. Nearly all of the church growth has occurred within the Berber community. Although churches are allowed to meet openly, in 2018 the government temporarily closed many church buildings and harassed congregations. Berber Christians, who are watched carefully, have gained a collective voice through an association of churches. Sharing the gospel with Arabs can cause serious problems, but Berber Christians continue to share the gospel boldly in and around al-Qaida terrorist camps. Secret communities of Arab Christians exist throughout the country. While it is not common for Christians to be imprisoned, one believer was imprisoned for nearly a year in connection with a social media post.
 
The Scripture for today is:
 
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10)
 
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
 
Prayer by Pastor Chester:
Our Father, we lift up to You our Algerian brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ in northern Africa, specifically among the ethic Berber community. We pray for the Algerian church leaders to be strong and wise while they endure hardship. Although the government seeks to close down their church doors, we ask for their safety and new worshipping communities to form throughout the land of Algeria, for Your gospel cannot be stopped! We pray for our Algerian brothers and sisters who suffer at the hands of their unbelieving family members, that they remain steadfast in Your love for them and fervent in their testimony of new life in Your Son. We pray that Your salvation by grace through Christ alone may spread through Bible distribution and media. Help us remember Algeria prayerfully, and not take for granted the freedom we have to gather and worship Christ freely today. In the risen Savior of Algeria, Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.