The Soldier

February 10, 2026

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Josh Parsons - North Shore

Luke 7:1-10 ESV

After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 Now a centurion

had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 3 When the centurion

heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when

they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for

he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” 6 And Jesus went with them. When he was

not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not

worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and

let my servant be healed. 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one,

‘Go,

’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 when

Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not

even in Israel have I found such faith.” 10 And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they

found the servant well.



Connect with Us:

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Mark Wilson, a long-time business owner and faithful member of The Orchard, recently took a bold step to share his faith with his team of 50+ employees. While known for his kindness, Mark realized he had never openly shined for Christ at work. So, he hosted a voluntary lunch to share his story of faith. The impact has been incredible—sparking new conversations and inspiring others. Watch Mark’s story and consider how you too can shine for Christ. Do you, or someone you know, have a SHINE story? Let us know!
December 19, 2025
The Orchard Itasca shared the following testimony about Kenny's baptism during their weekly Sunday service. Kenny is a resident of the Forest View Nursing and Rehab Facility in Itasca where our people have been ministering for the past two years. Kenny and his friend, Karen now regularly attend services, and Kenny was baptized on Sunday, September 28. We rejoice in the fruit that is being born through this ministry! We are also excited that one of the couples who regularly participates in the ministry has plans to offer a Bible study at the facility. We pray that The Orchard Itasca will continue to bring light and hope to the residents and staff!
December 12, 2025
The Orchard Itasca shared the following testimony about how they are ministering at Forest View Nursing Home. A man named Christian is a resident at the Forest View Nursing Home where our people go to minister quarterly. He likely has some form of Parkinson’s Disease and because of this has lost most of the function in his hands and feet. Some of our people have visited with Christian on previous trips. At our July visit, a couple from our church Mike and Deb Marunde went to his room. Since it had been a few months since our last visit, they didn’t think he would remember them. However, when they introduced themselves, Christian looked up and said “Mike!” He remembered! He looked at Mike and said, “I miss you.”