08/27/07 UPDATE
It's hard to believe that we are less than 3 weeks from our public launch service! Last week, we asked everyone on our prayer team to commit to praying for us daily and sent them a guide to help in the process. On one day, we asked for God's provision of all that we will need for the launch of the church. On another, we asked for Him to draw lost people. We saw specific answers to both of those requests last week.
We've been asking for provision (specifically, for financial resources) for several weeks now - both for us personally and for the church. God has really been moving to provide those in the last week or two. A few weeks ago, I had a local church give us several pieces for a sound system. Then I found out that a Sunday School class in Alabama was working to give us a trailer. Last week, things really took off.
On Monday a pastor returned my call from the week before. He said, "You won't believe me, but God woke me up in the middle of the night to remind me to return your call." We talked and they committed to partner with us financially.
On Wednesday, I got a check in the mail from another local church. They had told me that they would be partnering with us from August through the end of the year, and possibly longer. When I opened the envelope, it was four time the amount I was expecting. When I called to thank the pastor, he said that we would be receiving that each month through the end of the year! At that point, we'll reevaluate and see where things stand.
Finally, I received word that one of our parnters will be re-commiting to provide us with health insurance and some personal support for six more months.
All of this is really exciting because we were really up against a wall. It would be nice to think that you can start a church with no money or resources, but it just isn't possible today. It is really encouraging to see God work through His people to bring things about. These gifts will allow us to purchase some desperately needed equipment, contact 10,000 homes twice about our launch, and relieve some stress around here!
My prayers are really focused on reaching people now. It's been great to see new faces each week. Now, I'm praying for a large turnout of people on September 16th. I've been praying for 60 families that we have contacted this summer and who have expressed an interest in the church. Last night we had one of them come to our cookout! I'm praying that we will see many more and that they will meet Jesus and become part of the church.
As you think of us this week, pray for God to open opportunities to meet people. Pray for Him to continue drawing those that we've already met. Finally, pray that all of our publicity that is going out in the next few weeks will also draw people.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
08/20/07 UPDATE
Yesterday went really well. We were able to get everything set up in plenty of time and it worked pretty well. We had a meeting to discuss changes/improvements and the general consensus was that we could have easily handled a lot more people. Which brings us to the numbers - we had 31 total (19 adults, 2 youth, and 10 children). The good news is that all of those are locals who we may see again. We had some people who were at last month's service and some new ones. The good news is that the pool of "prospects" keeps growning. Hopefully, we'll be able to get more of them in attendance once things stabilize. I would really like to see more people attending, but I think we will see more once we begin meeting weekly.
One cool "its a small world" thing - there was a young couple that came Sunday. They are in school at Creighton. The way they found out about the church is that a young lady who was in our church in Florida (and has now moved on) was in Sunday School at a church in Mobile, AL. She found out they went to school in O and got their email. She sent it to me and I contacted them. They showed up Sunday and said they'd be back!
One concern is leadership. So far, things have gone really well, however, we have two very vital families that will be leaving after September 9th. One fulfilled their commitment to help us through the summer. The other (Jeff and Kelly) are deploying until January. Basically, everybody is doing something, so when anyone leaves, there is a hole. Pray for God to provide other leaders. He has added great people along the process and there are others who are potentials, but we need more.
The other big concern is continuing to meet new people. We no longer have mission teams to come and contact a large number of people at once. We are limited in the numbers of people we can contact ourselves. We are planning two direct mail campaigns to contact almost 12,000 homes each time, but I'm not sure if we will have the funds to do both of them. Pray for God to provide the money and for the contacts to be profitable. Also pray that He will continue drawing those that we have contacted.
Another big item last week was that the boys began school. They loved it. We haven't noticed a lot of problems with them being the "new kids" (Jackson was the only new student in his class). They've started to make friends and seem to be thriving.
Yesterday went really well. We were able to get everything set up in plenty of time and it worked pretty well. We had a meeting to discuss changes/improvements and the general consensus was that we could have easily handled a lot more people. Which brings us to the numbers - we had 31 total (19 adults, 2 youth, and 10 children). The good news is that all of those are locals who we may see again. We had some people who were at last month's service and some new ones. The good news is that the pool of "prospects" keeps growning. Hopefully, we'll be able to get more of them in attendance once things stabilize. I would really like to see more people attending, but I think we will see more once we begin meeting weekly.
One cool "its a small world" thing - there was a young couple that came Sunday. They are in school at Creighton. The way they found out about the church is that a young lady who was in our church in Florida (and has now moved on) was in Sunday School at a church in Mobile, AL. She found out they went to school in O and got their email. She sent it to me and I contacted them. They showed up Sunday and said they'd be back!
One concern is leadership. So far, things have gone really well, however, we have two very vital families that will be leaving after September 9th. One fulfilled their commitment to help us through the summer. The other (Jeff and Kelly) are deploying until January. Basically, everybody is doing something, so when anyone leaves, there is a hole. Pray for God to provide other leaders. He has added great people along the process and there are others who are potentials, but we need more.
The other big concern is continuing to meet new people. We no longer have mission teams to come and contact a large number of people at once. We are limited in the numbers of people we can contact ourselves. We are planning two direct mail campaigns to contact almost 12,000 homes each time, but I'm not sure if we will have the funds to do both of them. Pray for God to provide the money and for the contacts to be profitable. Also pray that He will continue drawing those that we have contacted.
Another big item last week was that the boys began school. They loved it. We haven't noticed a lot of problems with them being the "new kids" (Jackson was the only new student in his class). They've started to make friends and seem to be thriving.
Monday, August 13, 2007
08/13/07 UPDATE
We had a bit of a "bummer" moment last week. I had to give up one of my toys. Due to the fact that vehicles are dropping like flies in our driveway, I had to sell the Jeep. The praise is that it sold quickly and we got close to what we wanted for it. Please pray that we will be able to find the right van as a replacement. I hate buying cars because i always feel like i make a bad decision.
Two other notes of praise from last week regard other needed items. A local church moved from a movie theater into a storefront and upgraded their sound equipment in the process. They gave us several components that will really help for the next service. We are moving to a new, much larger space and need more sound. Please pray for the remainder of the components to be provided.
The other praise is that a group is planning to give us a trailer (or at least a large contribution towards one). I know that doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is. Currently, we borrow a trailer, which means I have to store all of the stuff for the service in our garage. On set up day, we have to load everything up, drive to the site, set it up, tear it down, load it back up, and unload it into our garage. This will allow us to store everything and only have to unload and load it once. That's a big deal, for which we are very thankful.
We had a launch team meeting last night to prepare for next Sunday. This will be a stressful Sunday, because it will be our first time meeting in this location. We will also have to set up on Sunday morning in about an hour and a half. Since we haven't done this before, it will be a little dicey.
Please pray for us this week:
For the service on the 19th. Pray that God will draw the people He wants there.
Direction as I prepare for two bulk mailings before the launch service on 9/16. Also pray for the funds needed.
Pray for leaders and servants to help in the work.
Pray for the Spirit to go before us, prepare the way, and give us His power.
We had a bit of a "bummer" moment last week. I had to give up one of my toys. Due to the fact that vehicles are dropping like flies in our driveway, I had to sell the Jeep. The praise is that it sold quickly and we got close to what we wanted for it. Please pray that we will be able to find the right van as a replacement. I hate buying cars because i always feel like i make a bad decision.
Two other notes of praise from last week regard other needed items. A local church moved from a movie theater into a storefront and upgraded their sound equipment in the process. They gave us several components that will really help for the next service. We are moving to a new, much larger space and need more sound. Please pray for the remainder of the components to be provided.
The other praise is that a group is planning to give us a trailer (or at least a large contribution towards one). I know that doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is. Currently, we borrow a trailer, which means I have to store all of the stuff for the service in our garage. On set up day, we have to load everything up, drive to the site, set it up, tear it down, load it back up, and unload it into our garage. This will allow us to store everything and only have to unload and load it once. That's a big deal, for which we are very thankful.
We had a launch team meeting last night to prepare for next Sunday. This will be a stressful Sunday, because it will be our first time meeting in this location. We will also have to set up on Sunday morning in about an hour and a half. Since we haven't done this before, it will be a little dicey.
Please pray for us this week:
For the service on the 19th. Pray that God will draw the people He wants there.
Direction as I prepare for two bulk mailings before the launch service on 9/16. Also pray for the funds needed.
Pray for leaders and servants to help in the work.
Pray for the Spirit to go before us, prepare the way, and give us His power.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Monday, August 06, 2007
08/06/07 UPDATE
I had three primary activities this week: a mission team doing a basketball camp, the coaching network, and a comeback event.
The mission team was great, once again. They worked hard, did anything that I asked them, and were of incredible value to us. They were from Oklahoma and conducted basketball camps for us in two neighborhoods. They went pretty well, although the turnout was low. We did both of them in neighborhoods where we had already done block parties. The cool thing was that I had people come up and ask "Is this being done by the church that did the party?" We did the party on June 10 and these people weren't able to come, but still remembered it. I thought that was really good.
Sunday night, we hosted "Ice Cream at the Park" for people who have come to the church or expressed an interest. We had 11 adults, which was pretty good. They were all people we know pretty well and who have helped us in different ways. It's good to see the relationships building and developing.
This week, we continue the process of trying to connect with new people, follow up with people we've already met, and plan our service for August 19th. We don't have any more mission teams coming up before the launch on September 16th, so we have to do the hard work of continuing to make contact with new people (primarily by passing out an invitation card door to door). We also have to find ways to "remind" people we've already met that we are meeting (it's easy to slip out of someone's mind, even if they are interested).
I'm also a bit stressed as we plan our service for August 19th. We have to figure out how to set up the new location, how to get it done in a very short time, and who will cover all the necessary jobs. We'll be meeting Sunday night to try and figure a lot of those details out.
I had three primary activities this week: a mission team doing a basketball camp, the coaching network, and a comeback event.
The mission team was great, once again. They worked hard, did anything that I asked them, and were of incredible value to us. They were from Oklahoma and conducted basketball camps for us in two neighborhoods. They went pretty well, although the turnout was low. We did both of them in neighborhoods where we had already done block parties. The cool thing was that I had people come up and ask "Is this being done by the church that did the party?" We did the party on June 10 and these people weren't able to come, but still remembered it. I thought that was really good.
Sunday night, we hosted "Ice Cream at the Park" for people who have come to the church or expressed an interest. We had 11 adults, which was pretty good. They were all people we know pretty well and who have helped us in different ways. It's good to see the relationships building and developing.
This week, we continue the process of trying to connect with new people, follow up with people we've already met, and plan our service for August 19th. We don't have any more mission teams coming up before the launch on September 16th, so we have to do the hard work of continuing to make contact with new people (primarily by passing out an invitation card door to door). We also have to find ways to "remind" people we've already met that we are meeting (it's easy to slip out of someone's mind, even if they are interested).
I'm also a bit stressed as we plan our service for August 19th. We have to figure out how to set up the new location, how to get it done in a very short time, and who will cover all the necessary jobs. We'll be meeting Sunday night to try and figure a lot of those details out.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
07/30/07 UPDATE
I received some feedback from our service on the 22nd last week. I'll let it speak for itself. It's why we do what we do!
"Yes, my son and I were both there on Sunday. It was very nice. You do a great job. We enjoyed the music too. My son and I just wanted to visit, as I am Catholic and baptized my son Catholic as well. I just didn't feel very comfortable attending Catholic Church anymore, so I just stopped going. That was about 5 years ago! Now that my son is almost 4, I want us both to get back into the religious community, and eventually get my 1 year old daughter involved. (My husband will be difficult to convince.) I started researching different Christian denominations and was just getting confused, didn't know where to even start and was getting discouraged. About a week later, a lady from Redeemer [Jacqueline] came to my door with a flier for the neighborhood picnic. I took it as a sign. :) Anyway, that's how we found you and we will visit again in August and see if Redeemer is right for us. Thank you for checking in with us! Have a great day!"
"I never really liked going to church because I always felt pressure from everyone to believe or act a certain way. I liked redeemer because I did not feel the pressure I used to feel going to the different churches I have been to throughout my days. You read from the bible and explain what the meaning of what you are reading is in a way we can all understand and that is something I like. No, pressure, just straight up reading from the bible. You can't go wrong with that."
Please pray for the countless people like this that we have met this summer. They are both unchurched and God is working in both of their lives. Pray that God will keep drawing them to Himself, open their eyes to the truth of the gospel, and give them faith to respond. This is God's work!
I received some feedback from our service on the 22nd last week. I'll let it speak for itself. It's why we do what we do!
"Yes, my son and I were both there on Sunday. It was very nice. You do a great job. We enjoyed the music too. My son and I just wanted to visit, as I am Catholic and baptized my son Catholic as well. I just didn't feel very comfortable attending Catholic Church anymore, so I just stopped going. That was about 5 years ago! Now that my son is almost 4, I want us both to get back into the religious community, and eventually get my 1 year old daughter involved. (My husband will be difficult to convince.) I started researching different Christian denominations and was just getting confused, didn't know where to even start and was getting discouraged. About a week later, a lady from Redeemer [Jacqueline] came to my door with a flier for the neighborhood picnic. I took it as a sign. :) Anyway, that's how we found you and we will visit again in August and see if Redeemer is right for us. Thank you for checking in with us! Have a great day!"
"I never really liked going to church because I always felt pressure from everyone to believe or act a certain way. I liked redeemer because I did not feel the pressure I used to feel going to the different churches I have been to throughout my days. You read from the bible and explain what the meaning of what you are reading is in a way we can all understand and that is something I like. No, pressure, just straight up reading from the bible. You can't go wrong with that."
Please pray for the countless people like this that we have met this summer. They are both unchurched and God is working in both of their lives. Pray that God will keep drawing them to Himself, open their eyes to the truth of the gospel, and give them faith to respond. This is God's work!
Monday, July 23, 2007
07/23/07 UPDATE
The past week was ridiculously busy once again. We had two mission teams who hosted three block parties and passed out around 2,000 fliers. We also had our second service.
The block parties went really well. We had between 80 and 100 at each.
The service was also great. We had 49. For those keeping score (I am), we had 29 last month. Several of them were talking about coming back next month as well. In addition to these, we have added a ton of prospects who are very interested in the service and just couldn't be there yesterday. Hopefully, we'll see a lot more of those attend in the next couple of months, or at least when we reach weekly service Sept. 16th. It was all very encouraging as we discussed it.
Keep up the praying! God is hearing and answering.
The past week was ridiculously busy once again. We had two mission teams who hosted three block parties and passed out around 2,000 fliers. We also had our second service.
The block parties went really well. We had between 80 and 100 at each.
The service was also great. We had 49. For those keeping score (I am), we had 29 last month. Several of them were talking about coming back next month as well. In addition to these, we have added a ton of prospects who are very interested in the service and just couldn't be there yesterday. Hopefully, we'll see a lot more of those attend in the next couple of months, or at least when we reach weekly service Sept. 16th. It was all very encouraging as we discussed it.
Keep up the praying! God is hearing and answering.
Monday, July 16, 2007
7/16/07 UPDATE
Last week took "service" to a new level for a mission team visiting us. They were doing a Backyard Bible Club in one of the neighborhoods where we had done a block party. We were getting ready to leave and I saw a lady walking up who had been at the block party. She said, "I know this isn't what you guys came up here to do, but the recycling truck's back gate just fell open and it dumped the whole load in the street in front of my house. My sister and I are trying to help them clean it up and we would really appreciate your help." We all loaded up (probably 11 youth, 4 adults, and myself) and went around the corner. In my mind, I was thinking there was a little pile of stuff because they hadn't picked everything up yet. WRONG!!! We came around the corner and there was this gargantuan mound of garbage in the street. The wind was blowing and papers, cans, bottles, and other junk was going everywhere. The worst part was that the garbage truck pulled back around to help, so we had to smell it the whole time. Anyway, we got it all picked up and sent them on their way.
I flew to NYC for my coaching meeting and it went great. For one thing, they moved offices and are now about 4 blocks off Time's Square, so we actually got to see NYC. While I was there, it was my turn to present what we are doing as a church. One section requires us to present a budget and plan to raise finances. I said, "Well, this plan is basically garbage, because we haven't been able to raise any serious amounts of money (like I had articulated a need for in the plan - I had hoped to raise $20,000 to lead us up to launch on Sept. 16). However, God has been faithful to provide. So far, there hasn't been one thing that we needed to do that we were unable to do. He's always been right on time . . . and He has yet to be early."
That really has been the testimony so far.
God always seems to answer a big prayer request of mine during our coaching meetings and after this one, I got an email from a pastor who wants us to participate in their missions conference, which might open some partnership opportunities. I also heard from another church that I haven't even directly contacted that is going to help support us monthly. While a lot of people have received large amounts of support from churches, we have been primarily funded by individuals and smaller donations.
Another area of praise is that I received a call from one of the people I met at an earlier block party and we'll be going to lunch on Friday. Also, several of the "prospects" for the church seem to be moving steadily in the direction of joining up.
We have another big week this week, with 3 block parties and our second service. The mission team that is coming up will be smaller than expected, which will strain our plan, so pray that we'll be able to get everything done that is necessary. Also, pray for God to draw people to the service on Sunday. I've gotten a lot of positive leads from people, so pray that they will follow through and come.
PRAISES:
Another trip to NYC went well.
I had several productive contacts with people last week.
New opportunities for partnership are developing.
PRAYER:
3 block parties (and the publicity regarding them).
Our second service on July 22.
That the people we have contacted will remember the service and attend.
New propects to develop through the events this week.
Last week took "service" to a new level for a mission team visiting us. They were doing a Backyard Bible Club in one of the neighborhoods where we had done a block party. We were getting ready to leave and I saw a lady walking up who had been at the block party. She said, "I know this isn't what you guys came up here to do, but the recycling truck's back gate just fell open and it dumped the whole load in the street in front of my house. My sister and I are trying to help them clean it up and we would really appreciate your help." We all loaded up (probably 11 youth, 4 adults, and myself) and went around the corner. In my mind, I was thinking there was a little pile of stuff because they hadn't picked everything up yet. WRONG!!! We came around the corner and there was this gargantuan mound of garbage in the street. The wind was blowing and papers, cans, bottles, and other junk was going everywhere. The worst part was that the garbage truck pulled back around to help, so we had to smell it the whole time. Anyway, we got it all picked up and sent them on their way.
I flew to NYC for my coaching meeting and it went great. For one thing, they moved offices and are now about 4 blocks off Time's Square, so we actually got to see NYC. While I was there, it was my turn to present what we are doing as a church. One section requires us to present a budget and plan to raise finances. I said, "Well, this plan is basically garbage, because we haven't been able to raise any serious amounts of money (like I had articulated a need for in the plan - I had hoped to raise $20,000 to lead us up to launch on Sept. 16). However, God has been faithful to provide. So far, there hasn't been one thing that we needed to do that we were unable to do. He's always been right on time . . . and He has yet to be early."
That really has been the testimony so far.
God always seems to answer a big prayer request of mine during our coaching meetings and after this one, I got an email from a pastor who wants us to participate in their missions conference, which might open some partnership opportunities. I also heard from another church that I haven't even directly contacted that is going to help support us monthly. While a lot of people have received large amounts of support from churches, we have been primarily funded by individuals and smaller donations.
Another area of praise is that I received a call from one of the people I met at an earlier block party and we'll be going to lunch on Friday. Also, several of the "prospects" for the church seem to be moving steadily in the direction of joining up.
We have another big week this week, with 3 block parties and our second service. The mission team that is coming up will be smaller than expected, which will strain our plan, so pray that we'll be able to get everything done that is necessary. Also, pray for God to draw people to the service on Sunday. I've gotten a lot of positive leads from people, so pray that they will follow through and come.
PRAISES:
Another trip to NYC went well.
I had several productive contacts with people last week.
New opportunities for partnership are developing.
PRAYER:
3 block parties (and the publicity regarding them).
Our second service on July 22.
That the people we have contacted will remember the service and attend.
New propects to develop through the events this week.
Monday, July 09, 2007
07/09/07 UPDATE
Yet another cultural difference - people in Omaha go berserk over the 4th of July. Fireworks are outlawed within the city limits, which doesn't really stop anybody. They go out and buy the really big stuff - like the professional type stuff and do their own shows from their yards. I heard stories of people spending several thousand on their shows! Judging by the skyline, it's another case of one-upmanship. We have a neighbor who went out and bought a ton of them. Everybody on our street gathered around the circle and watched. We're on a hill and as you look down the street, you can see a long way. As far as we could see, there were these huge displays going on. It blew us away. I wish i had a video camera to capture it and post it because words don't do it justice.
Other than that, the big news of the week was our block parties on Saturday and Sunday nights. We knocked on roughly 1200 doors to advertise. The Saturday night crowd was kind of disappointing. There were not as many people and they were all Christians committed to their churches. The Sunday night party was awesome, however. We had 47 adults and 50 kids. Many of them were not churched and we had very productive conversations with several of them. We had nine request more information on the church and several more who were not registered. It was really encouraging and we were excited about the results.
One interesting note was that we met two church planters through our work.
Prayer requests:
We have a team hosting backyard Bible clubs in two neighborhoods Monday through Thursday.
I will be traveling to NYC for coaching.
We have several couples who are considering helping us out. Pray that God will clarify that call for us and them.
Luis Palau is doing a big evangelistic crusade in O this weekend.
Yet another cultural difference - people in Omaha go berserk over the 4th of July. Fireworks are outlawed within the city limits, which doesn't really stop anybody. They go out and buy the really big stuff - like the professional type stuff and do their own shows from their yards. I heard stories of people spending several thousand on their shows! Judging by the skyline, it's another case of one-upmanship. We have a neighbor who went out and bought a ton of them. Everybody on our street gathered around the circle and watched. We're on a hill and as you look down the street, you can see a long way. As far as we could see, there were these huge displays going on. It blew us away. I wish i had a video camera to capture it and post it because words don't do it justice.
Other than that, the big news of the week was our block parties on Saturday and Sunday nights. We knocked on roughly 1200 doors to advertise. The Saturday night crowd was kind of disappointing. There were not as many people and they were all Christians committed to their churches. The Sunday night party was awesome, however. We had 47 adults and 50 kids. Many of them were not churched and we had very productive conversations with several of them. We had nine request more information on the church and several more who were not registered. It was really encouraging and we were excited about the results.
One interesting note was that we met two church planters through our work.
Prayer requests:
We have a team hosting backyard Bible clubs in two neighborhoods Monday through Thursday.
I will be traveling to NYC for coaching.
We have several couples who are considering helping us out. Pray that God will clarify that call for us and them.
Luis Palau is doing a big evangelistic crusade in O this weekend.
Monday, July 02, 2007
07/02/07 UPDATE
Honestly, this last week was a little slow and boring. It's the calm before the storm, because July is going to be crazy. I used the slower week to get ahead for some of the things in July - trying to get my reading done for the coaching meeting, planning the year ahead, etc. I won't try to make the details sound more glorious than they were.
Please pray for us this week as we get prepared for the arrival of another mission team. Technically, it's two teams, but they will be working in tandem. The first one is hosting two neighborhood parties on July 7 and 8. These will be used to promote the work of the second team, which will be hosting Backyard Bible Clubs on the 9-12. Pray for God to prepare the hearts of the people in these neighborhoods.
Honestly, this last week was a little slow and boring. It's the calm before the storm, because July is going to be crazy. I used the slower week to get ahead for some of the things in July - trying to get my reading done for the coaching meeting, planning the year ahead, etc. I won't try to make the details sound more glorious than they were.
Please pray for us this week as we get prepared for the arrival of another mission team. Technically, it's two teams, but they will be working in tandem. The first one is hosting two neighborhood parties on July 7 and 8. These will be used to promote the work of the second team, which will be hosting Backyard Bible Clubs on the 9-12. Pray for God to prepare the hearts of the people in these neighborhoods.
Monday, June 25, 2007
06/25/07 UPDATE
This week's update is all over the place, so I'll try to keep it brief.
I'm an addict. I admit it. We were given tickets to two games of the College World Series. Awesome! I'm hooked.
Our trusty van gave up the ghost this week. The engine is shot, so I have a really big paperweight in the front driveway. Please pray for us as we consider the next steps in that area.
Our basement apartment it coming along really well. It should be finished on Saturday, except for floor coverings.
Last night we had a cookout to hang out with some of the people who are helping with/interested in the church (see picture). We had 12 adults (2 more had to cancel at the last minute). It was a great time. It seems like people are beginning to "gel" with one another and become more interested in the church. I think any and all of them would be a big help, so we're praying for God's leadership. This week, we're also arranging several "get togethers" with others who couldn't make the cookout. In addition, I meet someone nearly every day who's interested in the church. A lot of them are tickling in from contacts the mission team did a week or so ago. In short, everything seems to be going really well.
Thanks for your prayers, I really feel there impact. When we're hit with what would ordinarily be a very discouraging situation, I've been able to just shrug it off and trust God to handle it. That's totally a grace-of-God thing, so I'm appreciative. Keep it up . . . please!
Monday, June 18, 2007
06/18/07 UPDATE
I had my third church planter coaching meeting last week. I'm really thankful that we got involved there - I think things would have turned out far different if we hadn't. It's probably been the best thing I've been involved with as far as training and leadership.
That kept me out of the loop most of the week. One real encouragement was that I talked to 6 people on Monday who all volunteered that they really wanted to make the service and just couldn't. They are planning to make the July service. I've also secured the worship leader for that service.
The two biggest notes of praise are that it appears we have a location to meet for the coming year. A middle school in the area has approved our application and are sending it to the district. That is great news - I've really been sweating it.
The other thing was a family issue - I've asked you to pray about our schooling options. Homeschooling just wasn't working out and we can't afford Christian schools here. J'line had some concerns about public schooling, but did find one public school program that we all really liked (they have a different educational format). She applied, but the boys were way down on the waiting list and they didn't see any real chance that they would get in. However, we got the call on Monday and they made it. They went and saw it and are pretty excited. We've talked with a lot of people here that say it is basically an underground Christian school.
Anyway, things here are really good. Please pray this week for:
Our "comeback event" Sunday night. We are inviting people who have expressed an interest in the church to a cookout here. It is meant to be a relationship-building time. Pray for the right people to turn out.
Two, continue to pray for our planning and preparations for the mission teams next month and our second monthly service.
I had my third church planter coaching meeting last week. I'm really thankful that we got involved there - I think things would have turned out far different if we hadn't. It's probably been the best thing I've been involved with as far as training and leadership.
That kept me out of the loop most of the week. One real encouragement was that I talked to 6 people on Monday who all volunteered that they really wanted to make the service and just couldn't. They are planning to make the July service. I've also secured the worship leader for that service.
The two biggest notes of praise are that it appears we have a location to meet for the coming year. A middle school in the area has approved our application and are sending it to the district. That is great news - I've really been sweating it.
The other thing was a family issue - I've asked you to pray about our schooling options. Homeschooling just wasn't working out and we can't afford Christian schools here. J'line had some concerns about public schooling, but did find one public school program that we all really liked (they have a different educational format). She applied, but the boys were way down on the waiting list and they didn't see any real chance that they would get in. However, we got the call on Monday and they made it. They went and saw it and are pretty excited. We've talked with a lot of people here that say it is basically an underground Christian school.
Anyway, things here are really good. Please pray this week for:
Our "comeback event" Sunday night. We are inviting people who have expressed an interest in the church to a cookout here. It is meant to be a relationship-building time. Pray for the right people to turn out.
Two, continue to pray for our planning and preparations for the mission teams next month and our second monthly service.
Monday, June 11, 2007
06/11/07 UPDATE
Well, I guess the question on everyone's mind is "How did Sunday go?" We had 29 people, kids and all. There were 7 from a mission team, so there were 22 "official prospects." There were several people that I was fairly confident would be there who weren't. We also were so busy that we didn't get to invite all the people that we wanted to. Basically, that is encouraging because there are a ton of prospects to continue developing throughout the summer. This was step #1 in the process, not really the "start." That will come September 16.
I was asked how I felt about the process and I told them "really good." We put that together with basically one week of publicity. Before the next service, we will host 4 more block parties and have time to cultivate many of the contacts we've already made. There's also August to continue that and then an intense time of publicity (including 2 mass mailers) before the public launch on September 16. I think things are going well.
Also, everything seemed to go without any problems, so I think we are prepared for a lot more people. Since there was a small turnout, I have the opportunity to prepare for our follow up, etc. for the next meeting.
To finalize the updates from last week, we had a block party on Friday and had a great turnout. There were 80 people registered and probably more present. We had several really good contacts. The mission team was a tremendous help. They contacted about 1700 homes over the week, did three block parties, and worked without complaint. They were awesome!
I left yesterday and unloaded all of our supplies in the garage. I had a ton left to do, but i turned off the cell phone, unplugged the phone, and took a nap! We have had an exhausting couple of weeks and more on the horizon.
The picture above is of our meeting space. For clarification, the bottles on the lower right are flavored syrups for coffee:)
Friday, June 08, 2007
Thursday update
We re-distributed fliers in the neighborhood announcing the rescheduled neighborhood party. We got a great reception and had the party last night. There were more people, although not a ton more. We gave away a kid's bicycle and they were all really excited about that.
We do have several really solid prospects - as in, I expect them to be there on Sunday. There are also several others that are a real possibility for attending.
we're really excited about it. Please pray for Friday night's party.
We re-distributed fliers in the neighborhood announcing the rescheduled neighborhood party. We got a great reception and had the party last night. There were more people, although not a ton more. We gave away a kid's bicycle and they were all really excited about that.
We do have several really solid prospects - as in, I expect them to be there on Sunday. There are also several others that are a real possibility for attending.
we're really excited about it. Please pray for Friday night's party.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
06/06/07 UPDATE
Just got home from the block party. The wind was gusting over 50 miles an hour. We pulled up and a small tree (6 or 7 feet) was blown over. We set up the bounce house and started filling it up until the "D ring" we used to tie it down with straightened out in the wind. We used my gas grill to cook and had to put it inside the trailer so it would stay lit. We decided it was ridiculous and unsafe to continue, so we cancelled the games and served the food. We told everyone to help themselves to the food and we'd try again tomorrow night.
In spite of the awful weather, we had 50-75 people show up. Of those, we had several good contacts. At least two of them plan to attend Sunday. They actually sought me out to meet me, so i feel like they will actually come. We also made several other good contacts that are a step towards developing a relationship.
Overall, it turned out to be a success. We plan to let everyone know that we're trying again tomorrow night.
Just got home from the block party. The wind was gusting over 50 miles an hour. We pulled up and a small tree (6 or 7 feet) was blown over. We set up the bounce house and started filling it up until the "D ring" we used to tie it down with straightened out in the wind. We used my gas grill to cook and had to put it inside the trailer so it would stay lit. We decided it was ridiculous and unsafe to continue, so we cancelled the games and served the food. We told everyone to help themselves to the food and we'd try again tomorrow night.
In spite of the awful weather, we had 50-75 people show up. Of those, we had several good contacts. At least two of them plan to attend Sunday. They actually sought me out to meet me, so i feel like they will actually come. We also made several other good contacts that are a step towards developing a relationship.
Overall, it turned out to be a success. We plan to let everyone know that we're trying again tomorrow night.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
UPDATE
I figured I would update more often this week since things are going pretty quickly.
The team from Arkansas is here. We spent yesterday touring the area, doing orientation - boring stuff. Today, they passed out fliers for the block parties and invite cards for the church. We had a pretty good response for the parties. In fact, it was funny to see kids riding around on their bikes with the announcements to tell their friends. At one area, the teams had kids on bikes coming up and asking for a flier.
We had three prospects surface through the contacts. Pray for me as we follow up with them. Pray for others to respond to the invitations. They contacted just under 1200 homes today. Most of the people were gone, but a few were at home.
Jackson went out with the teams today. He said he wanted "to help." He's also volunteered to help Jacqueline teach the "children's class" on Sunday. It's cool to see them pitching in and helping.
We were supposed to have severe weather tomorrow night, please pray that it will be clear.
Thanks for praying.
I figured I would update more often this week since things are going pretty quickly.
The team from Arkansas is here. We spent yesterday touring the area, doing orientation - boring stuff. Today, they passed out fliers for the block parties and invite cards for the church. We had a pretty good response for the parties. In fact, it was funny to see kids riding around on their bikes with the announcements to tell their friends. At one area, the teams had kids on bikes coming up and asking for a flier.
We had three prospects surface through the contacts. Pray for me as we follow up with them. Pray for others to respond to the invitations. They contacted just under 1200 homes today. Most of the people were gone, but a few were at home.
Jackson went out with the teams today. He said he wanted "to help." He's also volunteered to help Jacqueline teach the "children's class" on Sunday. It's cool to see them pitching in and helping.
We were supposed to have severe weather tomorrow night, please pray that it will be clear.
Thanks for praying.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
06/04/07 UPDATE
We are at a critical time for the work. A mission team is arriving Sunday night to canvas neighborhoods with our fliers and host two block parties. Then, Sunday is our first monthly service. This is really nerve-wracking because we may have nobody show up or we may have too many. I've been praying for 75 and asking you to pray for 75, so we're planning that way.
Last week was a whirlwind of trying to get all the details finalized. We got a lot done, but there's still a lot left. The biggest thing is all the uncertainty. We're trying to get prepared, but there is so much that is unknown. It's pretty exiciting, but also scary at the same time.
I cannot overstate how crucial this time is, so I'd like to ask you to step up your prayers. Please try to do something that will remind you to pray for us each day.
When you do, pray that God will:
1. Create opportunities for us to connect with those He is drawing to Himself.
2. Save those who don't know Him.
3. Draw believers who are not a part of a church.
4. Allow the block parties to come together.
5. Help us prepare for the service on Sunday.
Pray for all the details to be covered.
Pray for the worship to glorify Him.
Pray for me as I preach.
PRAY FOR PEOPLE TO SHOW UP!!!:)
Thanks for all that you are doing for us. You are truly a part of all that is taking place as you pray.
We are at a critical time for the work. A mission team is arriving Sunday night to canvas neighborhoods with our fliers and host two block parties. Then, Sunday is our first monthly service. This is really nerve-wracking because we may have nobody show up or we may have too many. I've been praying for 75 and asking you to pray for 75, so we're planning that way.
Last week was a whirlwind of trying to get all the details finalized. We got a lot done, but there's still a lot left. The biggest thing is all the uncertainty. We're trying to get prepared, but there is so much that is unknown. It's pretty exiciting, but also scary at the same time.
I cannot overstate how crucial this time is, so I'd like to ask you to step up your prayers. Please try to do something that will remind you to pray for us each day.
When you do, pray that God will:
1. Create opportunities for us to connect with those He is drawing to Himself.
2. Save those who don't know Him.
3. Draw believers who are not a part of a church.
4. Allow the block parties to come together.
5. Help us prepare for the service on Sunday.
Pray for all the details to be covered.
Pray for the worship to glorify Him.
Pray for me as I preach.
PRAY FOR PEOPLE TO SHOW UP!!!:)
Thanks for all that you are doing for us. You are truly a part of all that is taking place as you pray.
Monday, May 28, 2007
05/28/07 UPDATE
As you can tell by the mid-week post last week, the order of the week was to find a place to meet. I was planning on a high school in the area that would have been a great setup, but they aren't interested in renting to a church. That was fine, so i went with my back-up - a middle school in the area who have been really receptive about us meeting there. However, the district set a policy that no groups can come in during the summer due to construction. SOOOOO . . . we were left with no place to meet through the summer. I spent all week searching the area for some temporary digs. I've found several possibilities and hope to nail something down by Wednesday. Also, we're still trying to find someone who can fill in for us to lead worship on June 10th. Oh yeah, and we're still trying to scrape together the money to buy the equipment we need by the 10th. Oh, and I'm trying to nail down the specifics for the mission team that will be here next week conducting block parties.
Get a picture of what life is like around here? Fun stuff. Actually, it is fun in a wierd sort of way. Despite having nothing pinned down, we have a strong sense that God is in control. I know He is at work in areas that we aren't even aware of. For example, I got a call about a church that is considering helping us out of the blue. I finally contacted a guy about leading the worship (or others who could) and he seemed really interested. God keeps showing up - i read someone describe it as God leaving sticky notes everywhere to remind us that He's working. We're working hard to do all that we can as He leads and trusting Him to come through.
Things have really picked up - we are moving into the "make or break" time for the plant. Next week, a mission team shows up to lead 2 block parties and canvas a couple of neighborhoods with fliers about the church. Then on the 10th, we have our first service. I don't generally get nervous, but I have to admit, I get a knot in my stomach every time I think about that.
Please pray for:
1. A meeting place for the 10th.
2. A worship leader for the 10th.
3. Partners to provide funding for startup costs.
4. Preparations for the mission teams who are coming.
As you can tell by the mid-week post last week, the order of the week was to find a place to meet. I was planning on a high school in the area that would have been a great setup, but they aren't interested in renting to a church. That was fine, so i went with my back-up - a middle school in the area who have been really receptive about us meeting there. However, the district set a policy that no groups can come in during the summer due to construction. SOOOOO . . . we were left with no place to meet through the summer. I spent all week searching the area for some temporary digs. I've found several possibilities and hope to nail something down by Wednesday. Also, we're still trying to find someone who can fill in for us to lead worship on June 10th. Oh yeah, and we're still trying to scrape together the money to buy the equipment we need by the 10th. Oh, and I'm trying to nail down the specifics for the mission team that will be here next week conducting block parties.
Get a picture of what life is like around here? Fun stuff. Actually, it is fun in a wierd sort of way. Despite having nothing pinned down, we have a strong sense that God is in control. I know He is at work in areas that we aren't even aware of. For example, I got a call about a church that is considering helping us out of the blue. I finally contacted a guy about leading the worship (or others who could) and he seemed really interested. God keeps showing up - i read someone describe it as God leaving sticky notes everywhere to remind us that He's working. We're working hard to do all that we can as He leads and trusting Him to come through.
Things have really picked up - we are moving into the "make or break" time for the plant. Next week, a mission team shows up to lead 2 block parties and canvas a couple of neighborhoods with fliers about the church. Then on the 10th, we have our first service. I don't generally get nervous, but I have to admit, I get a knot in my stomach every time I think about that.
Please pray for:
1. A meeting place for the 10th.
2. A worship leader for the 10th.
3. Partners to provide funding for startup costs.
4. Preparations for the mission teams who are coming.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
MIDWEEK REQUEST
I have a big request. We've been counting on using one of the schools in the area for a meeting space. I was informed today that the district policy is that none of their properties will be available through the summer due to construction. I realize that God has the correct place out there, but I need to find it - yesterday. Please pray in that regard.
I have a big request. We've been counting on using one of the schools in the area for a meeting space. I was informed today that the district policy is that none of their properties will be available through the summer due to construction. I realize that God has the correct place out there, but I need to find it - yesterday. Please pray in that regard.
Monday, May 21, 2007
05/21/07 UPDATE
I watched the movie Facing the Giants last week. It was a very predictable story line (you know how everything is going to turn out) and the acting was pretty weak. Normally, I would never admit to having seen a movie like it, BUT it hit me right where I'm living. I really resonated with it and God encouraged me through it, mainly because I totally related with the character and his story.
Anyway, one scene in particular stood out to me. A Christian guy is telling the football coach that God isn't through with him yet. When the coach asks if he really thought God wanted that message communicated to him, the man replied by telling a story. He said, "There were two farmers in an area that was facing severe drought. One of the farmers saw the other returning from working his field and asked what he was doing. The farmer replied, 'I'm preparing for rain.'"
That's how I feel right now. As we've started planning for our first services, all the details seem to be falling into place, except one - We still don't have any people. Things are going according to plans, because we're planning to get people through the mission team that is here on June 3-9 and our first service on June 10. I was just hoping to start gathering some people before then. Mainly, it would relieve my anxiety to see people signing up beforehand. I want to see it, not have to wait for it. I told Jeff and Kelly that I feel like we're preparing for rain and trusting God to bring the rain.
That is my main focus of prayer right now - God send the rain (people). My aim is to do everything I can to prepare for it and trust God to send it at the right time. I know He won't send it if we're not ready and prepared.
That being said, I am seeing His hand all around us as we prepare. All the details seem to be falling into place - they aren't all filled, but they are steadily progressing.
Of particular concern this week, pray for:
1. God to draw people to Himself through our work.
2. Finalizing the details needed for our first service - there's too many to list in detail.
3. A worship leader.
4. Clarity about what to preach for these first services - I'm having an incredibly hard time settling on something.
5. Wisdom as I plan for our mission teams to arrive. I have to reserve places for block parties and other things, so pray for God to give us favor with the right people.
I watched the movie Facing the Giants last week. It was a very predictable story line (you know how everything is going to turn out) and the acting was pretty weak. Normally, I would never admit to having seen a movie like it, BUT it hit me right where I'm living. I really resonated with it and God encouraged me through it, mainly because I totally related with the character and his story.
Anyway, one scene in particular stood out to me. A Christian guy is telling the football coach that God isn't through with him yet. When the coach asks if he really thought God wanted that message communicated to him, the man replied by telling a story. He said, "There were two farmers in an area that was facing severe drought. One of the farmers saw the other returning from working his field and asked what he was doing. The farmer replied, 'I'm preparing for rain.'"
That's how I feel right now. As we've started planning for our first services, all the details seem to be falling into place, except one - We still don't have any people. Things are going according to plans, because we're planning to get people through the mission team that is here on June 3-9 and our first service on June 10. I was just hoping to start gathering some people before then. Mainly, it would relieve my anxiety to see people signing up beforehand. I want to see it, not have to wait for it. I told Jeff and Kelly that I feel like we're preparing for rain and trusting God to bring the rain.
That is my main focus of prayer right now - God send the rain (people). My aim is to do everything I can to prepare for it and trust God to send it at the right time. I know He won't send it if we're not ready and prepared.
That being said, I am seeing His hand all around us as we prepare. All the details seem to be falling into place - they aren't all filled, but they are steadily progressing.
Of particular concern this week, pray for:
1. God to draw people to Himself through our work.
2. Finalizing the details needed for our first service - there's too many to list in detail.
3. A worship leader.
4. Clarity about what to preach for these first services - I'm having an incredibly hard time settling on something.
5. Wisdom as I plan for our mission teams to arrive. I have to reserve places for block parties and other things, so pray for God to give us favor with the right people.
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