In this Edition:
Message from Pastor Kris
Can I let you in on a little secret? I'm terrible at New Year's resolutions. Not so much because I don't keep them, but because I don't make them. Nevertheless, the New Year is a time of reflection for me. It's a time to gain perspective and perhaps make a fresh start. A lot of people are begging for your attention right now promising a "new year, new you." Jesus is calling in the midst of the distraction, and He's calling you to more. More peace, more trust, more truth, and more of Him. How can you answer the invitation this year? For those who are new in faith or have yet to be baptized, I encourage you to consider the next step of baptism. Baptism is our external witness to the transformation Jesus has brought into our lives. If you would like more information, or if the Holy Spirit is leading you into the waters, please register for our upcoming baptism and baptism class at shawneealliance.com/baptism. We have started a new series, "Called to More." Salvation is the greatest gift mankind has ever received, but Jesus does not simply leave us on our own while we're on this earth. He is involved in each and every day, and is leading us deeper into a transforming faith. Join us at 9:30 or 11:00 am on Sundays as we continue to see new faith, healing, and transformation in the power of Jesus!
Follow Jesus
Salvation
Here at Shawnee Alliance, we believe that part of transformed lives includes accepting Christ as our Savior. When an individual makes this decision, we want to recognize that and come together to celebrate such an exciting moment!
If you are ready to make that decision or have more questions about what that looks like, we would like to connect with you and pray with you! If you have made that decision and would like to let us know we would love to hear your story and talk about what's next!
Baptism
If you have accepted Jesus into your life, Baptism is an opportunity to make known our transformation to our friends, family, and church as we step forward in faith and obedience to Jesus. Through baptism, we step into His grace, declare our love for Him, and embrace the new life He offers!
Baptisms will be on Sunday, February 22
during 9:30 & 11am church services in the Activity Center. If you'd like to be Baptized, register below and attend the class on Sunday, February 15 at 10:45am in East Campus Room F.
Prayer
Prayer is a vital part of following Jesus. It connects us to the Savior who leads, the Healer who restores, and the Spirit who equips us to live according to God’s purposes. Through prayer, we bring our needs and the needs of others before God, offer thanks, and listen for His guidance. It is more than asking—it is joining God in His work, growing in faith, and trusting His timing and wisdom. Prayer in our personal lives and with those closest to us is important, and we also have the opportunity to join with others to pray over our church, our community, and the world around us. Serving on the church prayer team is one way to take part in this shared calling.
Gather Together...
Being part of a community walking together in the Christian faith helps us stay encouraged, focused, and strengthened in our walk with Jesus.
Sunday Morning Worship
Sunday mornings are our time as a church family to come together around God’s Word and presence. It’s a chance to worship God, be encouraged in our faith, and align our hearts as a community. Worship is where we are reminded that following Jesus happens in relationship with Him and with each other. It’s also a great opportunity to invite friends, neighbors, or family to experience God’s love alongside you and see what it means to follow Him.
After Sunday, we continue growing and connecting in smaller settings.
Wednesday Night Groups
Getting involved in a group is a great way to join community and deepen your faith!
Join us on Wednesdays Jan. 7 - May 6 from 6:30-8pm for Adults, Kids & Youth Groups
High School-Adult Groups:
- Faith Track (Room A), led by Pastor Kris & Emma Rex - Jan 7-28
- Bible Institute (Rooms B/C)
- Grief Share (Hopeshakers Youth Room D) - Jan 7-Apr 1
- People of the Word: Numbers & Deuteronomy (Room J/LifeWise Middle School)
- "Stuck" Women's Bible Study (Room F) - Jan 7 - Mar 4
- "Chase" Women's Bible Study (Room F), - Mar 11 - Apr 29
- "Iron Sharpens Iron" Men's Bible Study (Scout Room L)
LIFE Groups
LIFE Groups create space for the kind of community that cannot happen in a large gathering alone. In these smaller settings, we are known, encouraged, prayed for, and supported as we walk through both everyday life and unexpected challenges. This is where faith becomes personal, where questions are welcomed, and where we remind one another that we are not meant to follow Jesus alone. These groups reflect the rhythm of the early church and help move us from simply attending to truly belonging.
Mentorship
Mentorship invites us into relationships where faith can be seen, shared, and strengthened. There are seasons when following Jesus feels unclear or difficult, and we need someone who knows God, sees the real us regularly, and lovingly calls us toward faithfulness. Mentorship is not about having all the answers, but about walking with someone who helps us listen for God’s voice and respond with trust. Mentorship reminds us that following Jesus was never meant to be a solitary journey. God often works through trusted relationships to encourage growth, challenge us in love, and draw us closer to Him. As you remain engaged in the life of the church, be attentive to the ways God may be inviting you into deeper, faith forming relationships.
Join us Sunday, January 25, for additional information on how to connect through mentorship.
... and Serve
When we come together with a shared purpose, the natural outpouring is a desire to see that purpose grow and make a difference in the lives of others.
Kids and Youth Ministries
Our Kids, Middle School, and High School ministries invite students to get to know Jesus and grow alongside other believers. Through worship, Scripture, and intentional community, students of every age are welcomed as members of the church today. Volunteers serve together to walk alongside young people as they follow Christ and grow in faith.
Worship and Tech Team
Wednesday night rolls around, and the Worship and Tech Team gathers. Some tune instruments. Others test microphones or check lights. Conversation flows with laughter, encouragement, and prayer. This is more than a rehearsal. It is a team that learns together, supports one another, and serves together. On Sunday morning, all that preparation comes together as we worship together. Whether on stage, behind the soundboard, or running cameras, joining this team could be your next step in growing closer to Jesus while serving alongside others.
Hospitality Team
Before and after Sunday morning services, our dedicated Hospitality Team brings the light of Jesus to our guests and regular attendees. They arrive early to meet new people, greet them with a smile, encourage them, and answer any questions they may have. This is more than greeting new faces; it is creating an environment that welcomes each person to a new experience with God each week. Whether you greet, usher, make coffee or drive the shuttle, you each carry the hospitality of Jesus to all who drive into our parking lots and walk through our doors.
Chair Team
Sunday mornings and special services throughout the year, the Chair Team gathers to create spaces where people can encounter Jesus. The team sets up chairs, prays over the space, and encourages one another as they serve together. This is more than preparation—it is a team serving together, growing together, and supporting the life of the church. Whether you serve weekly or once a month, you have the opportunity to bless others and help make every gathering welcoming.
Go
We believe that as we grow in our relationship with Jesus and with others, we are called out beyond ourselves to the world around us.
Everyone who walks through the doors of Our Daily Bread is a friend. This humble, faith-based ministry provides a hot meal for the body and a helping of God’s Word for the soul. We also offer a clothing room stocked with donated clothes and hygiene products, and occasionally prepare care bags for guests. Meals are free thanks to the generosity of individuals, churches, and organizations in our community, and for many guests, this is the only hot meal they will eat that day. Volunteers are the heart of the ministry, and Shawnee Alliance teams serve on the 3rd Thursdays and 4th Tuesdays of each month from 11:00 am–1:00 pm. Volunteers help in the kitchen, serve trays to the elderly, stock the pantry, visit and pray with guests, and share encouragement in practical ways. With just three staff members, every pair of hands makes a difference, creating space for relationships to form and God’s love to be shared in action.
Heartbeat of Lima, one of our Vision Sunday partners, provides life-affirming, Christ-centered support to women, men, and children, helping them grow healthier relationships. You can get involved by serving as a Parenting Class Advocate, mentoring women one-on-one as they walk through a fully prepared Christian curriculum. Advocates provide encouragement, accountability, and spiritual guidance, helping clients build relationships and receive support they may not have elsewhere. You can also support Heartbeat by donating items from the wish list, including baby essentials, clothing, and personal care products.
Life Lessons from the Mission Field
Reflections from one who has been called and equipped:
As an avid wanna-be traveler and a service gifted Christian, missions felt like a natural fit for me. What I did not realize was how deeply these trips would shape my faith. In China, I encountered true persecution. Showing passports to attend church, sensing oppression in public spaces, seeing fear and emptiness in people’s eyes, and watching strangers walk away in tears when we ran out of Bibles. During one Bible teaching, a thousand people changed my understanding of Scripture’s value. When my fourteen-year-old daughter was detained for six hours, the mom in me panicked, but the Christian in me learned to trust that she was in God’s hands. From underground believers to worship music broadcast through a security agent’s radio, that trip became a monumental marker in my faith journey. In Mexico, I led a team of teenagers with less than two weeks to prepare. We served through VBS, construction, and creative worship. Watching children’s faces light up as they received dancing silks for worship and play taught me to notice the small wonders God places before us every day. In Providence, Rhode Island, serving twice in a diverse immigrant community, I learned there is no insignificant contribution in God’s kingdom. Whether tending community gardens, painting buildings, building worm farm boxes, or listening to the story of a highly educated woman now underemployed, I saw 1 Corinthians 10:31 lived out in ordinary faithfulness: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." An exhausting and seemingly failed trip through Brussels, after our plans to reach Burkina Faso collapsed, became a lesson in surrender. As God clearly closed one door, I realized the mission was not about us. It was about the Burkinabè women learning they were capable of hosting a large event without outside help. That truth was confirmed when missionaries later had to evacuate the region. God used our disappointment to strengthen local believers, proving that they could do all things through Him who gives them strength. In Conakry, Guinea, I witnessed God’s work across boundaries. At an eye clinic, people wept with joy as they received sight and prayer. In a Christian school, mostly Muslim students sang praise and recited Scripture. Teachers embodied Jesus to the children entrusted to them. I saw believers working together across the city, heard of villages of refuge for new converts, and worshiped in French to songs I knew by heart. Through it all, I learned this truth: "I AM Who I AM" (Exodus 3:14) is not restricted by boundaries, language, or religion.
Walk in Unity
Christmas Eve Offering Update
Each Christmas Eve we like to bless an organization in the community, and because of your generosity we were able to bless Mission of Hope with $2,801.69. Thank you to all who gave to our Christmas Eve offering!
Wish List Update
The Honda Generator for Church Events has been donated! Thank you!
Ministry Items still in need:
- East Campus and Activity Center Technology Equipment: $12,810: $790 donated so far!
- Sanctuary Lobby Furniture and Activity Center Landscaping Updates: $5,500
- Worship Sound Updates and Equipment: $27,000
- KidsMin Carpet Replacement and Decor Updates: $21,000: $1,030.60 donated so far!
Additional funds donated of $3,733.30 have been received and will be distributed to the Wish List items above. Links are provided above for those who would like to continue giving toward these ministry items! Thank you for your generosity!
Recurring Giving
As we continue walking together in generous giving, we invite you to join in the recurring giving option in the Church Center app or online. This allows you to schedule when to send your tithes and offerings to the church, without having to enter it in each time you want to give!
Giving
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. - Malachi 3:10
God is so generous to us, and He invites us to join Him in generous living! When you give your tithe, you make ministry possible, help create welcoming spaces, and extend Christ's love in our community and throughout the world.
2025 Giving Statements
Giving statements for 2025 have been sent to the email we have on file for you. Please confirm that your contact info is correct in the Church Center App or by filling out a Connect Card. If you have any questions, or would like to request a copy to be mailed to you, please contact the office or email the Treasurer at treasurer@shawneealliance.com.
Questions about giving to the church? Find out more here!
Check out our Upcoming Events!
We hope you enjoyed this edition of the Shawnee Alliance SnapShot! Please visit shawneealliance.com/media to view previous editions of this newsletter, watch sermons and testimony videos, and more!
If you no longer wish to receive the SnapShot, please email office@shawneealliance.com to be removed from the email list. (Clicking "unsubscribe" removes you from all church communications including emergency email notifications, updated information about an event you registered for, scheduled volunteer communications, etc.)