This Sunday, as a church we are going to take a big chance. We are NOT having services on Sunday morning! Instead, we – as a church – will go out into our city to serve and BE the church, not just GO to church.

If you are a OneLifer, let me go ahead and tell you – this is NOT a freebie Sunday that you can just take off! We want hundreds of OneLifers out in our community serving our strategic ministry partners to show that we are SERIOUS about making a difference in our city for Jesus!

Here are the six different opportunities you have to Serve The City with us!

1. Friendship Church Clothes Closet – Friendship Church – OneLife’s original sponsor church and a church “re-plant” themselves – offers an incredible ministry each month, distributing free clothing to those in need in the Karns/Powell community. They have a need for clothing to be organized and restocked before next month, so we’ll be sending a team to help them get ready!

2. Angelic Homeless Ministry – This ministry helps hundreds of homeless and displaced individuals in downtown Knoxville every day. We will be partnering with them all throughout 2012, starting this Sunday with helping them around their facility and serving in any way that they have a need.

3. The Overflow Church, Setup/Tear Down – This Sunday marks The Overflow Church’s one year anniversary! This is a church that OneLife partnered with to help get started. To assist them in their one year celebration, we want to help them with their setup and teardown since they are similar to OneLife in that they are a portable church. This team will also attend their one year celebration service!

4. The Overflow Church, Children’s Ministry – So that all of The Overflow Church’s volunteers can experience the celebration service, we will be volunteering in their children’s ministry for them! This team will work with kids birth through 5th grade for their one, 11:00 service.

5. Powell High School Cleanup/Landscaping – Come help us fill the gap in an area for the high school that they aren’t able to do for themselves. We want to clean up their campus and do some light landscaping to help it look great for the Spring semester.

6. Powell Middle School Teachers Gifts – The principal at Powell Middle School communicated that one of their major needs is providing teachers with tissues and hand sanitizer. Normally, teachers have to provide these for themselves! So we are going to put together gift bags with these items for the teachers and deliver them to the school. Come to the OneLife office this Sunday to assemble these gift bags.

If you haven’t signed up for one of these opportunities yet, contact natalie@onelifeknox.com as soon as possible to let us know which opportunity you would like!

Then, make sure you attend our worship night on Sunday night to celebrate all the God did through us that morning! This will be a stripped down time of worship, communion, and celebration. DON’T miss it! This worship night will be held at 6:30 p.m. at Friendship Church on Ball Road in Karns (click here for directions).

Can’t wait to see all that God does as we take chances for Him!!

I haven’t been this excited about a New Year ever in my life! Momentum is at an all-time high at OneLife, so I can’t wait to see what the new year has in store. Here’s a few bits of news you need to know about.

One Combined Service this Sunday, January 1, 11 a.m.
We will ring in the new year with one combined service this Sunday at Jubilee Center. This will also be a “family service” where our elementary students will join us for worship. OneLife Kidz will still be available for birth through pre-school.

Year End Giving Opportunities
According to IRS guidelines, you can still make donations and receive credit for that gift toward your 2011 tax deductions. All checks mailed must be postmarked December 31 or earlier. The same is true for online gifts that must be made before the end of the day on Saturday. Mail donations to PO Box 1763, Powell, TN 37849 or give online at onelifeknox.com/give.

New Series Starts Sunday
Ready to be challenged in 2012? Want to commit to some big changes that you can actually keep for the entire year? Then it’s time for you – and us – to take some chances! Get uncomfortable and commit to being bold in 2012 as we spend the month of January in the series “Chance Takers: It’s Time to Go All In.”

As I write this, I can hear Christmas music coming down the hall. Christmas videos are being made. Christmas songs are being practiced by the worship team. A Christmas float is being built. We even have our own Christmas Tree in the office lobby!

I love it!

Here are some important dates you need to know as a OneLifer so you can celebrate Christmas with us all month long!

Friday, December 2, 7pm – Knoxville Christmas Parade - The OneLife Band will be making its way down Gay Street on an incredible float built by OneLife volunteers! Come watch the parade live downtown or on WVLT Channel 5. Want to help build the float? Vols are working every night this week! Email creative@onelifeknox.com to get involved!

Saturday, December 3, 5pm – Powell Christmas Parade - The OneLife Band will take the show on the road to Emory Rd in Powell! For this parade, we need a HOARDE of volunteers to throw candy and pass out invitations to the Christmas Eve service! If you want to be part of this, email volunteer@onelifeknox.com to sign up!

Sunday, December 4, 9:30 and 11am – OneLife Christmas Series - Christmas songs and stories all month long kick off this Sunday morning with a brand new series called “Unwrapped.”

Sunday, December 11, 6pm – OneLife Volunteer Christmas Party at Jubilee Center - All volunteers have been invited to attend our annual Christmas Party. Come enjoy a great catered dinner, entertainment, and a big THANKS from the OneLife staff for all you’ve done this year. RSVP by December 1 at www.onelifeknox.com/party.

Saturday, December 24, 4 and 6pm – Powell Community Christmas Eve Service at Powell High School - OneLife Church began hosting a community Christmas Eve service two years ago, and this has quickly become the most anticipated event of the year! Last year the auditorium at Powell High School was packed out, so a second service has been added. A limited number of seats will be available, so reserve and print your free tickets at www.powellchristmas.com. Spread the word to your friends and family so they can reserve their tickets, too! Then sign up this Sunday to volunteer at one of the services as we serve our community!

Sunday, December 25 – Christmas - Each year we take the last Sunday of the year “off” to give our staff and volunteers time with family and allow the Christmas Eve service to fill in for this “missed” Sunday. This year that just happens to be on Christmas so we encourage everyone to celebrate Jesus with their families!

Sunday, January 1, 11am - Kick off the New Year in style with one combined service at Jubilee Center!

You are invited to be part of a small group night of prayer, worship, and challenging teaching. We will be partnering with churches all across the country this Friday night for a live simulcast called Secret Church. It will be held in Suite 102 of the OneLife Office beginning at 7 p.m.

This is an intense night of challenging growth where you will be stretched to take God as seriously as those who have to worship him in hiding, often risking their own lives to do so. I dare you to challenge yourself to be a part of it! Because it lasts well into the night (ends at 1 a.m.), we will not provide childcare. Additionally, limited spaces are available and already half of them are filled! There is a cost for the event but if you commit to attend, OneLife will cover this cost for you.

Find out more about the event here: www.disciplemakingintl.org/secretchurch/ and then email pastor@onelifeknox.com if you plan to attend so we can have enough materials available.

Hope to see you there! I dare you…