Hickory Center

I would like to officially announce our location for the fall.

The first home of Triple Pointe Church will be Hickory Center Elementary School! They have a wonderful facility with great leadership and a great reputation in our community.

The principal expressed when we toured it the first time over a month ago that we could use his building. Now we have submitted the appropriate paper work, different contacts have been made, and we are cleared for launch (sorry, bad pun)!

Seriously, we have sensed spiritually that this was perhaps the right location for months, and to see it come to fruition is nothing less than a miracle.

We will use their cafeteria, gym, and a couple of classrooms.

Join us in thanking God for his provision. Here are the positives we see with their facility:

• Plenty of space
  
• Plenty of parking
  
• Good reputation in the community
  
• Easy to find (right behind Carroll, one of the largest high schools in Northern Indiana)
  
• Very centralized rooms in the facility (gym, cafeteria and classroom doors all about 30 feet apart)
  
• Friendly to people who don't go to church (nothing intimidating about a very modern elementary school)
  
• We have a couple connections with employees at the school
  
• Great areas for kids (including the gym)
  
• Many other small details

Week in Review

Here are some numbers to give you a little perspective on TPC's week at the Allen County Fair…

We gave out about 2300 popsicles. We started the week with 1300 in our possession and had to purchase an additional 1,000.
The Launch Team worked approximately 150 man hours (actually, most of them were probably woman hours).

Just a guess at how many people walked by our booth. Probably about 8,000-10,000.

There are now 650 TPC pens circulating individually in our community.

Some of our most common questions:

1. Where is Triple Pointe Church (by far our most common question)?
   
2. Is this a non-denominational church?
   
3. What do people wear to TPC?
   

Surprisingly, when people sense that we are a small church (more of a small team at the moment) they are more interested instead of less.

Rough guesses on the tattoos, water and prizes were in my last post.

Most importantly- we had the opportunity to serve people and show them kindness. And second most importantly we got the name of TPC out in a really positive way.

Day 4 and 5

Were great days. Attempting to get at some totals:

2300 popsicles given out
600 TPC pens
Something like 1000 prizes for kids
About 700 temporary tatoos
About 400 cups of cold water
About 500 little cards that give the website for TPC and the launch date
About 250 flyers with more info about TPC

And countless good conversations.

I think I have invited more people to church this week than I had in the past five years! I probably personally invited people to TPC around 300 times or more.

Great job, Launch Team this week! We served people in Christ's name and got the name of TPC out in the community in a positive way. Which, by the way, were our two goals!

Days 2 and 3

Day 2-

Rainy and chilly, but still a good day.

Day 3-

Huge day, bigger than day 1. Lots of great conversations and connections. It was kids day, so we gave out more than ever. We actually ran out of frozen popsicles! Estimating we have given out around 900 popsicles at the end of Thursday, along with about 550 TPC pens, 100s of 'Coming September 13' cards, flyers, temporary tatoos and kids prizes, and cups of water. Thank you, Jesus, for an opportunity to serve our community, and invite people to TPC!!

Day 4 is today, and Ed opens it up with the help of some wonderful ladies. Please go before us, Jesus.

Day 1

Day 1 at the fair:

1. People love popsicles
2. Kids love temporary tatoos
3. The fair staff is fabulous

After giving out like 350+ popsicles, tons of tatoos and other prizes, dozens of TPC pens and info to dozens upon dozens of people, and many great conversations with people who are in and out of the church, day 1 is over. Can't wait for day 2!

gettin rollin @ the fair.

gettin rollin @ the fair. given out over 100 popsicles already & just o! the banner & booth look great! way 2 go team!

Our Church Baby Shower

We have a list of needs before we launch.

Everything from a sound board to baby supplies.

Would you look at this list and see if there is something God would lead you to provide? Perhaps you have some children's items you see on the list that you don't use anymore and are still in great shape.

Maybe you are connected to a church that has a closet with some extra sound stuff that they could donte to TPC.

Maybe you have been wanting to contribute to our mission and see some items on the list that you would like to purchase new for us.

That said, here is the list:


Sound Equipment
2 main speakers
2 monitor speakers
1 main subwoofer
6 vocal microphones
10 microphone cables of varying lengths
Sound board
125 foot snake
Sound compressor
Accompanying cables and connection cords
Some kind of digital recording device (CD, MP3, Hard Drive, etc)
4 microphone stands
2 boom microphone stands
4 passive direct boxes
3 wireless presenter microphones



Video Equipment
Computer projector
New laptop
Projection screen
A/V cables for projector



Children
2 portable cribs (pack and play style)
2 portable high chairs
2 child gates
3 bouncy seats
2 Portable CD/Cassette Player
2 large baby quilts
4 receiving blankets
2 crib sheets
Consumables (Lysol, Baby Wipes, Disposable Gloves, C-Fold Paper Towels,
Kleenex, Diapers of Assorted Small & Large Sizes, Diaper Sacks, Waterless
Soap, Changing Pad Covers)
1 set of baby blocks
4 baby dolls and accessories
1 multi-piece play set (such as a play kitchen)
3 larger baby toys (such as a baby piano or other musical toys)
3 educational baby toys
2 Collapsible exersaucers
6 large mesh bags to store toys
2 folding rocking chairs
4 storage bins for toys
2 toddler toilet seats
2 sets of puppets
6-8 balls of various types
4-6 large play toys (toddler and preschool)
4 riding toys
Assorted other toys and children’s items

Guest Services
Push button coffee dispensers

Trailer
Approximately 8’ x 24’ trailer with back door ramp

Other
Large white dry erase board with legs and wheels

Popsicles aplenty

Although we had some snags with popsicles not being frozen, we took nearly all our launch team to the festival today and gave out around 300 popsicles and lots of info cards about TPC!

Thank you, Lord for a great afternoon.

And now...

Tomorrow we host about 30 people at our house for lunch! A little worship, a thought from Jesus' life and mostly just spending time together.

Then we will head to the Festival to hand out free popsicles!!! So fun.

Somewhere in there we will likely purchase our sound system- at about $7,000 less than an initial quote- go craigslist!

Sunday we also finalize plans for our booth at the Fair.

Monday we set up for the Fair.

Tuesday-Sunday we work the Fair, giving out freebies and getting the word out in a positive way about TPC!

Sweet action!!!

Progress

Last night, our Associate Pastor, Ed McColley, arrived with his moving truck. After some cleaning and painting today, he will be moving in!

His new better half is with him and it's so great to see them beginning life together.

They will both be at our Launch Team meeting this week, which is also a huge blessing.

Then Ed will be here when we host the Launch Team and others at our place for lunch this Sunday and then go to the Three Rivers Festival to hand out popsicles.

Then, Monday, we set up our booth for the Allen County Fair and work it the rest of the week!

Please be in prayer as we make some of these initial and significant moves.

Adoption

As I sat in Catholic Mass this past Sunday, the reading from the letters came from Ephesians 1:5. It says that we were chosen by God to be adopted as his children through Jesus Christ.

Ironically, I was sitting right next to my precious baby niece who was adopted about a year ago. And right down the pew was my beautiful (almost) teenage niece who has been a huge joy in our family since she was adopted several years ago.

It made tears well up in my eyes.

After mass, while I was holding the little one at breakfast, I was whispering in her ear, "Uncle Patrick loves you, Uncle Patrick loves you."

Then she leaned back and said in her toddler way, "Wub you!" (and Uncle Patrick's heart melts)

Yeah, that's what it's like spiritually. We get to be held close by not just an uncle, but, also like my niece, by an adoring father. And our heavenly father can't help but whisper "God loves you, yes he does!"

Aren't you glad you have been adopted as sons and daughters by God?

Don't you hope more people will be?

Open Arms

Wednesday and Thursday I was in Chicago for a Growing Healthy Churches cluster.

On my way back home I stopped at Notre Dame.

I am an ND fan, and their campus is breathtaking in places.

In this picture you can see a long sidewalk that leads to a statue of Christ with open arms and a smile on his face.

John 1 says that Jesus came to those who were his own, but not many received him.

But to those who did receive him, he gave the right to become children of God.

When we open our hearts to him, he opens his to us.

What an amazing thing! It's like coming down a long path to a God who has open arms!

The mission of TPC is to bring this message- the message of the love and
grace of Jesus Christ to a world that more often sees God as having his arms
crossed instead of open.

Incarnation

I have been studying John 1, a passage I have studied many times before and will study many times again.

The main idea of the passage is incarnation- the coming of God in the form of Jesus... The Eternal Spirit taking on flesh and blood.

And he came to his own and his own did not receive him. But to those who did receive him, he gave the opportunity to to become the children of God.

Living things out is always more messy than just thinking about ideas in the board room, office, or imagination.

We are very much getting to the 'living it out' phase. And, as in everything, it is filled with ups and downs. Just like Jesus' life- just like your life.

However, I am thankful that we are in the reality phase rather than the theory phase. Above all else, it means we get to see God move more than ever.