My PR Person…

is six years old. When picking him up from his class at Pathway a few weeks ago the teacher said, "So, your son tells me you are starting a new church."

 

A neighbor was walking by a couple days ago and he started talking to her. After a few minutes I could hear him from a distance telling her about the new church.

 

And I got business cards. Kristen and I jokingly said that when we got them he ought to carry a few with him. And he hears everything. So, when they arrived in the mail, he showed up in the kitchen with his Spiderman wallet, asking for one of "our business cards about the church."

 

I'm lucky that our associate minister at Triple Pointe is already on the payroll- and he is happy to be paid in Fruit Roll-Ups.

 

What we are doing is new. Not that no one has ever done it, but we have never done it, and Triple Pointe Church has not existed previously. So, there is a lot of handshaking and introductions. Had one such meeting this morning.

 

And when there is so much new, the role of the Holy Spirit is so important. Let's pray that He directs us to the right people for the right things at the right time.

Fully God, Fully Man

Fully God
Fully Man

Fusion
Of opposites

Coming together
Of enemies

The incarnation
Is the lesson

Can man and God
Live together?

Can they
Be reconciled?

Can God live with man
And man not be destroyed?

Can man live with God
And God not be tainted?

Can man approach God?
Can man be accepted by God?

Can man be used of God?
Can man be treasured by God?

Can man be perfect?
Can he be changed?

Can he be redeemed?
Can he be forgiven?

In Christ
Both together

Even before the Cross
Man and God are coming together

Fully man
Fully God

Yes
Yes

They can be together

More experiences with local churches

We've been to Pathway (http://www.pathwaycommunity.org/) the last two Sundays. It's been great. Our kids have loved it. It's where some good friends and some family are on Sundays, which has been great, too.

We were there yesterday for Easter. And so were a few thousand other people. It was really really great. The message was great, music was moving, and the children's classes were excellent.

We had the chance to be back at Christ's Church at Georgetown (http://www.ccatg.org/) a couple weeks ago and get to be there again this week because a good friend is being baptized. Needless to say, it is always great to see our friends there.

I am cherishing this time, because I know it is short-lived. It is great to see all these area churches. We've been to 4 just in Fort Wayne in the past 6 weeks or so.

Life, Death, and Easter Egg Hunts

Life is very busy... like it is for you. Why you took time to read this blog is beyond me. Kristen has been gone for the past few days due to a family tragedy (see Death below). So, my goals with my studies have been somewhat stalled. I have been like a single dad with three boys. In part it has been great, just spending time with them and doing a lot around the house. But, it has been busy.

Death hursts like hell. Kristen has been gone because her sister lost a baby at 23 week in utero. Terrible. Painful. Lots of other words that could be written, but I don't want you to 'flag' my blog. Without going into the details, you will just understand that this experience with death has likely been similar to what you have experienced with death. God is good, times are bad, repeat.

The neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt was this afternoon. Kristen got back in town with the baby about five minutes before it started. After much preparation by the organizers (picture a field filled with hundreds if not thousands of colored plastic eggs), they got the kids together. "3 and under on the left side of the sidewalk." With that, the three and under crowd started slowly making their way out. However, some older kids thought that meant it was time for everyone to go. And once 3 or 4 went, it was like a crack in the dam. Suddenly, there was a flood of kids running to the eggs.

Now picture this. I had left the older two behind while my child who qualified for the 3 and under age group needed a little encouragement. So, when the flood of older kids started rushing down, my two were at the back of the pack. I told them to wait until I said it was time to go for it. I anticipated they would take their cue from the mob and start running.

But they didn't.

I look back about 20 yards and see the 5 year old in the Colts hoodie and the big boy in his stripped 'nice' shirt looking for their daddy's face (rather calmly).

I finally locked eyes with the big boy. "Daniel, go for it!" I said. And they did.

What's the point of this string of Life, Death and Easter Egg Hunts?

Life is busy, death sucks, don't follow the crowd.

Jesus has called us to be different. He has called us to be lights in a dark world. Let's not get so caught up in the daily crush to get more that we forget to look for our daddy's face.

One day, I will be a dead child coming to life in the arms of my loving Father. At that point, the pursuit of plastic eggs won't mean much.

It's like slowly turning a corner

As of later today (hopefully) I will have all the course work done for 2 of my 3 classes this semester. Then I have one long project in the third and I will be 100% done with all my course work for my Masters.

Things are getting in place for the ministry. CCLI liscensing, 501c3 status, relationships with area churches, research, relational connections, the launch team, facility, fundraising, the website...

All these things are now at least begun.

And it's April. The ticker that is counting down to our hard launch on September 13 is not adding any days.

I woke up this morning with a little more of a realization that in just over 5 months I am going to primarily be a church planter/pastor, not student.

"Oh God, you are my God. And I will ever praise you... I will seek you in the morning and learn to walk in your ways... and step by step you lead me, and I will follow you all of my days."

I sing that to my boys every night when I put them to bed.

Step

by

Step

The vision is clear... lead people who aren't following Jesus to LOVE GOD (through obedience to Jesus Christ, particularly in areas of access to God), GROW TOGETHER (because Christian maturity doesn't happen in a vacuum), and SERVE OTHERS (because selflessness is the goal of the gospel).

We take steps everyday to see this vision become a reality.

60 chairs

Craiglist is a beautiful thing. I think we are getting hooked on it. We sold our car on it last spring (yes, I said car). This week we did something else.

We bought 60 chairs. They are the foldable, stackable kind. Very similar to what you might find at an outdoor auction or wedding reception.

They're in ok shape. But here's the nice thing- the price. We got the 60 chairs for $80. New they would be over $17 each. We paid... (hold on while I get a calculator...) $1.34 each.

As I was powerwashing them all (with much help from my oldest son) yesterday, I was thinking about how we will use these. They were sitting in rows in the driveway. The driveway forms perfect theatre seating if you put a screen down by the sidewalk... neighborhood kids' movies?

Backyard parties.

Meetings in the basement.

Extra chairs for Sunday morning services.

So, that made me pray. I was praying as I was powerwashing. Praying for people who might sit in these seats someday and need to submit to Jesus for the first time.

It's so much more than just cheap chairs.

BTW- Powerwashing 60 chairs in your driveway in an affluent subdivision draws some interesting looks.

I admit it

I admit it. Sometimes I hesitate to tell people what we are doing. I mean, you never know how someone is going to respond when you say, "I'm starting a new church." Many people aren't sure what to say. My mom's honest reply was something along the lines of "Are you allowed to do that?" Probably most honest people have a similar thought.

So, this is my confession. Sometimes I would rather just say I am a student. After all, that is true. Of course when I tell them I am doing my Masters, they might ask "What in?" And then I have to say, "The New Testament of the Bible". Then I am ousted as a religious nut, right?

I'm kinda stuck. I cannot fly under the radar.

I wish I could pretend, with the Christian Pastor bravado that so many have, that I am always excited to proclaim whose I am from the rooftops.

Sometimes, I wouldn't mind saying, "I work as a manager at the new Wal-Mart." Or something else.

Now that I have admitted it, I have to say that I am getting over it. After all, God has entrusted us with the message of reconciliation that the dying world needs to hear.

When I became a Christian I was on fire for God and was ready to win the world to Christ (I was also immature in my approach). Over years of starts and stops, my passion cooled some.

And, to be honest, being in ministry often means putting up with a lot of church crap that can quench the most Spirit-filled among us.

But the truth remains- the Church is God's tool to save the world. After all, we are the ones who have been entrusted with the Good News.

So, that brings me to this morning. We finally got our YMCA membership, something we have been looking forward to. I want to make the YTMCA a place where I purposefully connect with those who are outsiders to the church world through coaching teams and connecting with men.

This morning I got there after a great breakfast meeting at about 8:00. And I was praying. Praying that in a very individual setting (picture fifty adults and 98 ear buds), I would get to meet someone or talk with another man a little bit.

I worked through the weight machines and didn't get to talk with anyone. I was discouraged and thought that once I was on the eliptical that it was less likely to meet anyone. But I did! Troy and I had a great talk for several minutes. Then I noticed another man that I had met at a doctor's office and got to talk with him and get his name. I suspect I will see both of them again.

And in talking with one of them, it rolled off my tongue with no hesitation... "I am starting a new church."

I hope you are comfortable enough with your Jesus that you are growing in boldness.

Permit me a Bible study.

The believers in the book of Acts were being persecuted. Their leaders had been jailed. The pressure was mounting. Their flegling band they called the 'Church' was on the brink of being stillborn. And they prayed. Did they pray for safety or favor or God to shut down their enemies?

No.

They prayed for bold speech, so they might proclaim God's message faithfully.

That's what I'm praying for, too.

Join me?

When we band together, are filled with the Holy Spirit, and proclaim his Word with boldness, we cannot be stopped, even by hell itself.

Official Website

Drum roll please....

Our webiste is up and running! It has a few bugs to work out (the online giving still needs adjusting before it will be up on the site) but many other things work and it looks great!

Check it out, make it your home page (it has Fort Wayne weather on the home page).

http://www.triplepointechurch.com/

For a 20 minute unscripted talk on how TPC came to be,

check out Extra--> Downloads!

Have fun!

I was realizing as I sat in a Disciples of Christ church this past Sunday morning that I have been to a lot of different churches lately. I counted them...

Six in about the past 2 months.

I've been to two "Christian Churches/Churches of Christ", two community churches, a Lutheran church and a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

You know what I found?

They all think that Jesus is pretty great.

If I were to list the churches whose senior leaders I have had one on one talks with I would have to add...

Our Lady of Good Hope
Journey Church
C.U.M.O.
The River
Broadway Christian
Christ's Hope
Georgetown
Cedar Creek

And I feel like I am forgetting someone.

The point I am trying to make?

Other churches aren't our enemies. We aren't in competition. We aren't Burger King and they aren't McDonald's. On a page of our new website, I actually recommend other area churches. I provide links that take you from the TPC page to the pages of other sites.

Probably not a link to BK on MickieD's site.

Is TPC different from every other church out there?

Yes.

And no.

It's time to come together. We might not have long to keep screwing around.

Switching Modes

Hey everyone. Going to be working on Masters stuff for the next week. So, I will be checking out. When we come back, though, I hope to announce the new website. It's basically up, so should be ready for public consumption soon.

BTW- it looks great.

Grace to you,
Patrick

InAsMuch

I spent some time volunteering recently at InAsMuch ministry downtown here in Fort Wayne. I would characterize their ministry in these ways:

1. Organized chaos as they help many people
2. Accountability- the ask people they pledge to help to do a few things, such as
   -Do two take home Bible studies
   -Attend church service (at any Christian church in the area)
   -Work up a budget
   -Try actively to get a job
   -Pay their other bills
3. Sharing the gospel. This isn't a joke- I watched it happen as they talked frankly with clients about trusting Jesus and getting into church and praying with them out loud.

It was good. I felt like they had a great balance of helping people and challenging them to grow.

InAsMuch deserves support.

Break All The Walls Down

I have often wondered, "What keeps churches from coming together?"

We would all say that denominationalism is a disease that we would like to overcome (at least most of us would say that). We might not actually want uniqunesses to fade away, since that would deny the uniqueness obviously present in the world. But we would more likely agree that the walls between people should be lowered.

So, what keeps the minister at a new non-denominational church in town from having coffee with the priest at the nearby Catholic Church?

Apparently it only takes a phone call.

I had coffee with a brother yesterday. He might wear a collar and I might wear a tie (sometimes), but it is the man who wore a crown of thorns who lives in each of our hearts.

Can I be honest? I really like Father Mark. And I am not just saying that. I like to talk with people who are smarter than I am. So, I liked talking to him.

Some of our doctrines differ, but there is one that is the same- there is no hope in this world without Jesus Christ.

Do I have visions of TPC and OLGH doing joint missions in inner city Fort Wayne? Not really. But do I have intend to get togehter with Mark again and get the book from him that he reccommended as I work on my Masters Thesis? Yes. And maybe I can get him to give me a golf lesson sometime, too.

What stops you? Are there walls between you and a brother or sister from a 'different' kind of church? If so, it's only because of your own inhibitions or ignorance.

Make a call this week. Seek a relationship for the sake of having a relationship. It's good. It's right. It's what God desires.

I prayed for Father Mark, and he pronounced a blessing on me. He asked that he Holy Spirit come upon me and remain upon me both now and forever. How could anyone argue with that?

Sorta feels like we gave the devil the finger.

Foundations

I posted this pic some time ago and it continues to apply.

I am not a builder, but I am guessing that the bigger something is, the more important the foundation is.

Some of the foundations of this ministry are:

• Process We ain't making cheeseburgers, here. However, the process is still important. Where do we want people to come in? Once they come in, what are we trying to accomplish in their lives? Where do we want them to move next? What does success look like? What does failure look like? If we are trying to lead people to Christ, what is the process?


• Financial It ain't all about money, but without some money, things will be hard. We want to have neighborhood parties, we want to help people, we want to support local and foreign missions and do things right. So, it is important to establish not only funds coming in, but the appropriate process and accountability. We need to raise about $8,000 in monthly support.


• Launch Team We need at least 35 trained adults for this ministry, adults who buy into the vision and process. This group needs to be committed to each other and to outsiders. They must also be faithful givers.


• Relational Contacts I have begun networking and will continue. We will have attended many local churches before launch and I will have sat for breakfast, coffee or lunch with many local leaders and pastors. Our launch team also must establish good relational contacts with outsiders and other community influencers.


• Facility We need it to well facilitate worship service and children's activities. We would like a good location and a good price. People will ask where we meet- it is important.
  

God has called us to reach people for Christ who are not going to church right now.
We LOVE GOD through obedience to Jesus Christ. We GROW TOGETHER because Christian maturity does not happen in a vacuum. We SERVE OTHERS because selflessness is the goal of the gospel.

We build upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. Then we realize there is pre-launch work that is needed. Then we must follow this simple process.

Thursday

Thursday was a good day. I was downtown in Fort Wayne at about 7am. I was supposed to meet Alyn Biddle (more on that in a moment) at 8:15. But I have gotten so conditioned to a long commute into 'downtown' areas after being in Cinci, I left way too early.

So, I hit the Dunkin Donuts in the dowtown library first.

Alyn (the InAsMuch minister from Broadway Christian Church) lead a ministry that is a compassion based ministry in downtown Fort Wayne. In our 2.5 hours together, I learned a lot about InAsMuch, but want to share two things with you now:

• They have an excellent structure and process for helping people out of poverty, not just handing them food, clothes or money without any exit strategy.
• They share the gospel with everyone they help. They provide accountability and help people to grow, not just survive another day.

After my time with him, including a prayer walk around downtown, I met my wonderful sister Penny for a quick lunch and then went to a meeting at the Chamber of Commerce about handling media outlets as a small business/non-profit leader.

One other note- in the last 5 days we have met and had good conversations with about a dozen neighbors. It's been great, and we look forward to getting to know them all better as the weather starts to warm up!

Thank you, Lord.

Onward marching

We have spent the past couple of days unpacking box after box. The house is looking better all the time and we will even be able to park one van in the garage tonight. We've gotten tons of help, for which we are grateful.

I am sitting in the library down the road and people watching as I type. We have been doing a bit of the same in our neighborhood. We've been blessed to meet a few neighbors already and are excited to see what is to come.

With a couple of friends last night I reminded us all of what success looks like in this venture.

• It does not look like getting a bunch of Christians together to do church the way we always thought it could be done.
• It does look like people coming to love God for the first time through obedience to Christ, growing together because Christian maturity doesn't happen in a vacuum, and serving others because that's the goal of the gospel.

Donations are coming in, the launch team is being assembled, a website will be up and running soon, my office will be unpacked, contacts are being made, and opportunities are being realized.

Thank you, Lord. You are good.

We made it!!

The days waned, school work was wrapped up, good byes were said, trucks were loaded, help was given...

And we made it. We arrived at our new home (which we all love!) tonight before 5:00pm. We have unloaded some, have more unloading to do tomorrow at 1:00, and are settling in.

A significant question has occurred to me. It's in the form of a multiple choice that I will also pose to you...

Are you:

A. Living the dream

B. Living a dream

C. Both A. and B.

We chose option C. Think about it with me. We moved here for a non-existing church and a job that has no income for people we don't yet know.

Are we crazy? Crazy like a fox, who counts his risk and makes his move.

Mark 10:29"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.

We are significantly rolling the dice here. But we are rolling the dice on God.

So, welcome to the next chapter of the greatest story ever told- not the Riecke family story, but the story of the most important organization on the face of the planet- the Church of Jesus Christ.

Introducing...

Welcome to Triple Pointe Church! We have debated over our name for some time, but have settled on this name, suggested by a good friend. Some of the reasons we have selected it are:

• It reflects the triune God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)


• It reflects our discipleship process (Love God, Grow Together, Serve Others)


• It's unique, but not off the wall


• It's easy to discuss in conversation; "We'd love to have you join us at Triple Pointe this weekend."


• There are some good web domains available that integrate this name

I would say I hope you like it. However, my hope is that it works. That it is one more tool that helps us reach people who don't go to church anywhere right now. That's a whole lot more important than if I like it or not.

On the practical side, it doesn't change anything quite yet (Checks can still be made out to "The Development" and mailed to the address that is in a previous post). And the address of this blog will remain the same. I am in conversation with a group about an actual church website and that may be up and running in the near future.

If you like the name, I welcome your comments. If you don't- too late! Haha.

LOVE CONQUERS ALL,

Patrick

200 Days and Counting!

Out of the mouths of babes

Apparently, our kids are listening... all the time.

Sometimes that is not a good thing, but recently it was a very good thing.

I have been wanting to post about this for some time, but also wanted to let it all play out first.

Our oldest came to us last week sometime. He had been pretending with his brothers in their room. They had set up a fort, which is not uncommon for boys in general, or our boys in specific. This fort was a little different, though. In the fort they brought all their 'Jesus books'. Bible stories, Bibles, kids devotional books, etc.

DP therefore decided the fort was the 'Jesus Club'. He made a sign that read, "Jesus Club For Everyone". We didn't notice it at first, but his wheels were turning. Eventually, he came up to Kristen and I downstairs.

"I want to have a Jesus party and invite all my friends in our neighborhood over."

We were a little surprised, but knowing our oldest, it wasn't a huge shock.

"We'll have food and talk about Jesus." He says.

"Why do you want to do that?" I ask, just to see what's behind the surface.

"I don't know if they all go to church, so I want to tell them about God so they will be sure to know about him and Jesus."

Enter tears from mom and dad.

Actually, we held it together and starting talking about details and why it might not be the best approach to go immediately to their houses right that minute and ask them to come over. So, he started planning.

The next few days it was all we heard about. The "Jesus Party". He made signs, cleaned up the downstairs (only to see his brothers destroy it many times over). He talked about who to invite and wanted to make flyers, a menu, the whole nine yards.

We convinced him it was fine to just talk with people instead of doing a mass mailing and that we could just love them with the love of Jesus while they were over. I didn't necessarily want to see my 6 year old giving his first sermon yet, though I am sure that will come.

So, after many trips out to finally catch all our neighbors with kids, last night was the night. Total of 6 neighbors kids from baby to middle school and some parents. We had desserts, ice cream, cookies, etc.

And even though we didn't read the entire Bible to them like he might have wanted, the love of Christ was present.

Thank you, Daniel, for understanding the world better than most Christian adults (me included).

Crossway Church

At 5:45 this morning I left the house. I pulled up in front of a friend's place. He pastors a church plant in Independence, KY. His neighbor drives the truck. Yeah, the truck.

The truck that picks up and hauls one of the trailors they use to set up their stuff for service every Sunday morning. Yes, one of their trailers. They haul two each week.

So, we got the place where they store the trailers it was snowy and cold. That presented some interesting issues. Frozen pad locks, slick hills, iced trucks.

But we still got both of them to the high school they rent by 7:00 am. We unloaded all the goods for the main worship area, children's area and hospitality center.

It was all set up by about 8:00 in the main room, about 9:00 in the children's area. I got to help a lot.

It was at about 8:00 am, when I was using a lighter trying to defrost some padlocks that things started to get real.

Without getting into all the wonderful (and gritty details) I will highlight the three main things I learned today:

1. Kids can help. There were kids everywhere (young kids) helping with everything from setting up tents, projectors, fences and playpens in the children's area to coffee supplies and communion in the adult areas.


2. Things you move every week wear out fast. You've heard the phrase "7 moves equals a housefire"? Yeah, similar with a portable church. Only thing- you move seven times in just seven weeks. My takeaway- get a great trailer, get organized, and get high quality storage items.


3. "It's a lot of work, but it's also very gratifying." This comment, or something similar, seems to be the most repeated comment I hear from people who are involved in this kind of thing. They understand the work load, but they also see that it makes a unique impact in people's lives. Strap in, it's going to be a fun ride!

Thank you Crossway, for letting me come with you today.

P.S.- One other takeaway. I drove past the church we have been a part of while we have lived here on my way to my firend's house at 5:45- uh, no one was there yet. My guess is it's because there aren't any trailers to haul there.

Colossians 4

3And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
4Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.
5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Church Planter/Door Greeter

Tonight we went to First Church. They had a movie night for adults- FIREPROOF. And a Christian juggler (?) for the kids (which our oldest loved).

But we got there about 45 minutes early (just Kristen and DP and me, the others were home with Aunt MiMi).

Kristen was working a table and DP and I jumped in to be door greeters. He took the one side and I took the other. He was pumped about it and did a great job (until it was time for kids stuff to start).

It was great. I am a church planter now and I got to open the door and say "Welcome to First Church- do you know where you're going?" Because there were a lot new people- including a family we invited.

Welcome to the church- can I help you find your way around?

Hmm. Sounds like a good role, man. Welcome to the church. Come on in, let me help you out.

Sorry if this is incoherent, I'm pretty tired. There something signifcant here, I hope you see it.

Love to all!
Patrick

Opportunities

So, spent about 3 1/2 hours with the local fire chief this morning. And no, my kids did not set anything on fire. He and his wife are a part of our class at church. He was the fire chief in Bloomington, IN at age 30. He had a few things to say about being a leader when you are still young.

Wonderful opportunity for me to learn from a godly man.

So, if last year at this time you would have told me that I would have the opportunity to have personal connections with a bunch of church planters from Fort Wayne, Northern KY and inner city Cinci, have breakfast several times with one of the founders of Promise Keepers and personal counsel from one of the world's leading authorities on the gospel of John, with a fire chief thrown in for good measure...

I'd have said, "only if God wills."

He did.

Thanks, God.

Watershed Moment

As Kristen and I lay in bed last night before finally falling asleep, I told her something she already knew.

You see, yesterday morning was a our last morning at our church here before we move in 12 days.

"I don't quite know how to say this, but I realized something today." I said. "We like, left the institutional/traditional church today."

"Yeah, I know." She says (and she does, because she always knows things before I do).

"I mean, not like "Hey, we are outta here" kind of leaving. It's just that the road ahead does not look like the road behind."

There are no more kid's choirs or already staffed children's ministries in our future.

There are no padded pews or established budgets.

There are no people in this new ministry who have 'been there for years'.

There is no building, no money (very little, anyway), no staff (yet), no history to build on.

It's like the first day of school. Do you remember that? You've been so ready for it. You've prepared, built up for it. You've got your school supplies, your spiderman lunch box, your new 'school clothes'.

And then the day comes. And you are on the bus, or in the classroom, and you realize that mom's not there.

That's a little like what this feels like.

Warning- If you are thinking about joining with this ministry, you must be ready for this experience. You don't have to turn your back on 'normal' churches. But you do have to realize that our immediate future with this new ministry will not look like anything you have experienced so far. If you think you need the comfort of what normal churches offer, you need to stay there! This not a judgment, just a heads up before you make any decision.

That said, I am reminded of Jesus' words to Peter.

Matthew 19:28-30 (English Standard Version)
28Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

What we are about to enter into is going to be a wild ride marked distinctly by God's love and faithfulness. We will need God more than we have ever needed him. We will see God move in more dynamic ways than ever. We will see people in a new way and love them more intensely.

Just as I would not go back in time and refuse to go to school, just like the natural steps of progression in our lives from babyhood to boyhood to adolescence to teenage years to college to adulthood to marriage to children are all marked by harrowing passages that we would never think of refusing to cross, so too this. There's no turning back now.

Meeting New Brothers

So, how did I end up in the gracious home of a pastor who has planted a church in inner city Cincinnati yesterday?

It’s all about the Kingdom of God, baby.

You see, it went like this…

Years ago (I won’t say how many) my sisters were in school with a man who now lives in Cincinnati. He is working at this church in the inner city working with some kids who have it pretty tough- just go ahead and picture all the things the words ‘inner city’ brings up in your mind.

I never met him (except one time when I was about 5 years old). Until one of my wonderful sisters (I have quite a lot of wonderful sisters) wrote me and told me he was in the area.

So, naturally, I found him on facebook.

We finally connected yesterday and went out for lunch. As we talked about church planting and ministry and the ups and downs, it was like talking with someone I had known for a long time.

Afterwards, we went over to the man’s house who is the pastor of the church where he volunteers. As we entered Pat’s house (yeah, his name is Patrick, by the way), we were welcomed warmly. He’s got three crazy boys (just like me). He’s got his masters and wants to do his doctorate someday (again, two Patricks alike). And when I asked Pat and Galen both what the highs and lows were of their ministry, they answered the same.

People.

This deal is all about people.

You live with them, you laugh with them, you cry with them, you pray with them, you teach them, you do their weddings and funerals.

We are so ready to get back into the swing like this.

I don’t mean to belittle anything that happens within the traditional church. After all, it’s where I came to know Jesus and where I served for nearly a decade. But there needs to be a subtle change. Wise senior ministers are making those changes. I’m happy to see some of those changes at my home church. The traditional church emphasizes church attendance, programs and the offering totals.

God emphasizes love, relationships and service.

The two emphases are not mutually exclusive, but I believe it is time in the US for a revamping, a retooling, of how we ‘do church’.

“What kind of effect has doing this sort of ministry had on your boys?” I asked Pat.

“It’s been great.” He said, “They’re growing up thinking that this is what church is all about- the people and the relationships. It’s not about coming in, sitting down and being quiet in a pew for 60 minutes.”

And to my new brother, I say amen.

You?

I can talk inside my brain

So, the other day I am driving back from a friend's house. We had stopped over and picked up some boxes from them. The boys had played pretty hard and it was close to bedtime, so they were uncharacteristically quiet as we drove along the dark back Kentucky road through the paths of snow.

Until my middle son spoke up.

"Hey guys, guess what?" (Read with the 4 year old lisp in place)

"What?" say my 6 year old and 3 year old.

"I can talk inside my bwain."

"What?" I ask.

Quiet.

Then, laughing, "I was just doin it. I can talk inside my bwain."

Me- "You can talk inside your brain?"

Him, laughing, "Yeah!"

Everyone starts giggling.

Me- "Did you just notice that?"

More giggling.

Me- "Isn't it amazing how God made us so that we can talk inside our brains? I have to be honest, guys, these days Daddy does a lot of talking inside his brain."

To me, what we are doing right now is getting our "inside the bwain" talking out into group talking. I talked for some time on the phone the other night to a good friend who had a great idea about a name for the new minsitry. Whether or not we adopt this particular name, it was a refining conversation about why we are doing what we are doing.

More, please.

"Patrick is doing a lot of talking inside his own brain." But I need more talking outside my brain. I know that many of you are talking inside your brain about some of these concepts and actions.

Would you please let that brain talk out? You don't have to be right, just thoughtful.

Hit me up. Call me. Email me. Make a comment on here.

Let's turn some of our brain talking into group talk. It's what separates us from the mental patients (and not much else).

Maybe this is why I am doing this

I am thirty.
To some of you that sounds old.
To many, that sounds young.
To me, it's in between.

Thirteen years ago I was walking along the River Greenway in Fort Wayne. I was lonely, angry, and feeling like I hated the world. As I sat on a bench at the one mile mark out from the parking lot on Lake Ave, a figure approached in the distance. I am thinking, "I hope they don't talk to me."
As he gets closer, I realize he's an old man. To me, he's really really old. I am seventeen, he's probably 70.

"Hello!" he says with cheeriness that is like nails on a chalkboard to me."Hello." I reply. He ensues to make conversation with me. Even though I don't want to talk with him in the least, he seems to care. He asks what brings me to Greenway. I tell them I just came out there to think (a surprisingly honest answer). He asks me what I come out there to think about. And I mutter something about my job, school, my family and girlfriend. At this point, his chipperness hasn't been slowed by my gloom.

He says, "Do you know what I think about when I come out here?" I'm thinking, "No, and I don't care."But I say, "No, what?"

"I think about the Lord Jesus Christ."

Now, understand that lots of other people had invested in my spiritually. My parents always took me to church. They talked with me about God all the time. We prayed regularly. I served at church. And just before all this, there had been even more people talking with me about God. For some reason, though, I had not let it click yet.

I say that to preface what I say next.

In that moment, I was face to face with Jesus for the first time.

This man, though a stranger, loved me. And he loved Jesus Christ.

Sounds remarkably like he was fulfilling the greatest two commandments.

In that moment, I was converted. If my life was a mountain range, this was the watershed.

Why? Because of love, caring, and words spoken about Jesus.

His name is Bill Dunn.

Maybe one reason I am doing this is because I would like to lead a church full of Bill Dunns. I'd like to be a servant leader to a group who is taking the love of Christ to the streets- in the lives of family, friends, co-workers, strangers, the poor, the needy globally.

I think that's why Jesus came. He hoped that maybe, just maybe, by loving us so much we would want to spill that over into the lives of others so that they might come to know him as well.

It's a mission marked with love. Wanna join me?

Plans

I'm not an architect. And I would be terrible at that job if I ever tried it. But, I do think I understand the importance of a good plan.

To reach young families for Christ in Fort Wayne we cannot simply show up, hang a shingle and hope people who are lost without the love of Christ will find us and ask us about Jesus.

So…

Schedule of Outreach

Monthly Services- June 14, July 12, August 9

Launch- September 13

April 6-10 Service Evangelism team from Johnson Bible College?
Bake Cookies- That will be frozen and delivered to first time guests
Door to door- Asking if there is anything we can do to serve them
Service for the hospital
Prayer walks

June- Backyard parties; Neighborhood emphasis- We will host family-friendly backyard parties to promote relationships within the neighborhoods. Moonwalk for kids, goodie bags with candy and church info
Direct mail to the three to six neighborhoods
Sunday Brunch- Since we aren't holding weekly services yet, we will invite people in our neighborhoods over for a brunch at 10:00 on Sunday morning- a way to target those who aren't going to church at that time.

July- Backyard parties; Neighborhood emphasis
Gas buy-down before July 4^th – We will connect with a local gas station to buy down the cost of gas for a two hour time. We won't hard sell the church, but will likely wear shirts that contain the church name and web address.
Direct mail to the neighborhoods
Sunday Brunch

August- Backyard parties; Neighborhood emphasis
Direct mail to the three Neighborhoods
Sunday Brunch

Before Labor Day- Gas buy-down

September
13- Launch service
Direct mail to the three Neighborhoods
Connect Cards in the hands of the Launch Team

September 20- Week 2; special draw, TBA

October 31- Halloween Outreach- We will encourage our Launch Team and other people catching on at the church to be at home for at least part of the night (Halloween is on a Saturday) and give out full sized candy bars with information about the church services.

November 1- Special Service for outsiders- This is the Sunday morning just after Halloween.

December- Special Christmas service with an emphasis on inviting new people

2010
January- Special topical sermon series targeting on bringing in new people
Direct mail to the neighborhoods the week in between Christmas and New Year's
Consider partnering with the YMCA to help people get in shape in the area

March- Service evangelism team from Johnson Bible College

April- Begin to put into place semi-permanent outreach efforts (like occupational counseling, hospital service, budget coaching, partnering with a local service group like InAsMuch, pregnancy care center or Red Cross)

May- Teacher Appreciation Sunday
Invite area teachers to RSVP to our Sunday morning service, where they will receive a gift card for Wal-Mart and special recognition for their efforts.

Summer 2010-Backyard parties
Other activities TBA

Impact

The word impact is used all over the place today. Google "Impact" and you will discover an array of organizations from letterhead development paper companies to inner city youth ministries.

When I looked for the formal definition on my trusty laptop here, two words stood out. One was strike. Of course, in the physical sense of impact, there is always a striking.

"The bat made an impact on his brother's head."
See? That sentence implies striking.

The next word that stood out was alter. No, not the place where the priest says the mass- that's altar. Rather, impact carries the idea of that which recieves the impact being altered.

"That bat made an impact on his brother's head."
And likely, his brother was altered, for a time at least.

By both these definitions, the windshield on our 2001 Ford Windstar was impacted this week.

Like much of the area, we experienced 2 major winter storms on Tuesday and Wednesday. The progress of precipitation went like this: 5 inches of snow, then 1/2 of ice, then 4 more inches of snow.

So, we shoveled a lot this week. And our vans sit outside. So, they needed to be cleaned off.

And as we were cleaning off the black van, we got the ice off, for sure.

It wasn't till the next day when she had all the kids in the van that Kristen realized we had not only broken the ice.
Yeah.

Striking.

Altered.

And after a few hundred dollars, it was all reversed.






Now, as you can tell, the effect was felt all over, not just at the point of impact.

Then, this morning, Daniel and I went to a simulcast of the Super Bowl Prayer Breakfast put on by Athletes in Action. The key note person was Coach Tony Dungy.

People like John Stallworth, Derek Brooks and Warren Sapp talked about the impact that Tony and Lauren had made on their lives.



Yeah.

Striking.

Altered.







God's Agenda, Not Mine

Yesterday as I sat in the waiting room of the Auto Glass Shop, I was doing my school work. I had binder and highlighter in hand.

But God had a different agenda.

A man came in who was obviously looking for someone to talk with. So, I opened myself up and listened to him. We evetually got to the point where he was talking about losing his dad when he was 15, losing his mom last year, and his own death. He was recently diagnosed with something rather serious that will have life-altering consequences. So, he's thinking about eterninty.

We talked about the eternal nature of God and us, and the temporary nature of everything here.
At one point, when talking about his medical issues, he said once, "I should have died."

Then, again, he said later, "I should have died."

Although I had been just listening mostly, I took a chance here.

"Why didn't you?" I asked.

After stammering for a second, he said, "God's grace."

It's amazing when you listen and care and ask questions that people seem to come to that sometimes.

Then there was the nice lady that was working there. Her luck had been pretty bad. Single mom for years. Has one son who just got out of the Marines because he contracted menengitis overseas. Another son is joining the National Guard soon. She is helping take care of her grandbabies.

My heart went out to her. I told her that I have a good friend who just returned from Iraq and that military service is close to our hearts.

At this point in the day, I was on a roll, so I asked if I could pray for her right then. She said yes.

I prayed very briefly for direction for Keith and comfort for Joseph and help for her as she helps them.

She was a little misty eyed, but very thankful that someone had cared.

It's so easy. Really. So, why not do it more?

Impact is a striking.
An altering.

You've experienced it- someone has impacted you.

And Jesus said, "The greatest command is this- Love the Lord your God with everything you've got. Then love others as yourself."

We are on a mission from God. It is characterized by love for others.

Neighbor Ministry

As we have considered this new step in our lives, we have looked back into the past to places we have lived and thought over the ways we have been able to minister to our neighbors along the way.

The summer of 2001 came to mind when we used a van that we were loaned from a friend (the Rainwater family) to shuttle 5 neighborhood kids (and Kristen's little brother) to VBS and back for a week.

That same summer we established a good friendship with our neighbors and have had continued communication with them, even having their daughters in youth group and getting to baptize the mom.

Then there was the house before that were our neighbors across the street who weren't real church people had gone through some loss that was very similar to ours. We had dinner several times and talked about the hard issues and where God is at in it all.

We had several connections at our last home in Fort Wayne with neighbors and was able to have several over from time to time. When we stopped back by several months after moving we got to see one set again and had a good talk with them.

Then we moved to KY, where the summer seemed to last nearly forever. It was wonderful. Our house seemed to often be the place for kids to congregate. As I sit here I know that we have had good talks where we were given the opportunity to talk about faith with 5 or 6 of our closest neighbors. Some of them are more church people than others, but we have enjoyed just in the 10 months we have lived here.

We are looking forward to ramping this up a bit in our next place, since that will not only be our social opportunity to connect with others and hopefully show them the love of Jesus, but will be my job as well.

We are all called to let the love of Christ overflow out of our hearts and into the lives of people around us. We don't do it perfectly, but we can do it with his help.

On this note, I would like to recommend a great read.

Outflow by Steve Sjogren

Maybe I have mentioned it on here before. It is all about the love of Christ, in real and practical ways, flowing out of your life and into the lives of people around you. It's a five week devotional and you will cry and laugh your way through it.

If you think God might be calling you to great loving impact on the lives of people near you, read Outflow.

To learn more about Steve Sjogren, go to http://www.stevesjogren.com/

I am learning more about this everyday, and I am blessed to have the perfect model- Jesus, and the next best thing as well- my wife, Kristen!

Let the FUNdraising begin!

I have just submitted my first form to a church for consideration for funding. It was actually a great process.

The church has a system in place and well developed forms to be completed. So, it gave me a good opportunity to present the ministry.

When I think about the amount of money we need to pull all this off, it can be overwhelming! But, when I think of how God has shown up already, this is much more overwhelming.

In short, we are attempting to raise about $60,000 for a start up budget (one time gifts). 42,000 of this goes towards everything we need to start having morning services- from a sound board, to rockers in the nursery, to the signs inside and out, to the trailer it all goes in. All this comes from an amazing business called PCI (Portable Church Industries). Check them out at www.portablechurch.com

Then we have a rough draft year one budget of $210,000. We anticipate that some of this will come from weekly offerings, of course, but most new churches cannot raise their entire budget from the weekly offerings.

So, we are seeking:

1. $60,000 in one time gifts
2. About $8000 in monthly pledges and gifts

Would you help us? We need lots of help. Do you know people that could help? Do you know a church that you could talk with about taking us on as a mission for a year or two?

These dollars will translate into changed lives, not simply keeping lights on, or the salaries paid.

God has given us a vision to reach countless families with the unconditional love of Jesus Christ and by his power, this vision will be realized.

Imagine a few years from now when God has blessed us so much that we are launching a second congregation to advance the kingdom in a whole new way. Imagine the faces of people whose lives have been changed by the love and acceptance they have found in Christ. Imagine the momentum going forward of two congregations who work day and night to love people to Jesus and are making a significant difference in their community.

Now imagine you were a donor towards this cause from the beginning.

Paul tells us that some of us are to go and other as to send. We stand here, about to go. Will you help send us?

Please make tax deductible checks out to "The Development"
And mail to 1919 Bear Paw Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46815 c/o Keith Layman

Facebook

I have been thinking for some time about how to utilize electronic communication to minister to people who are outside Christ in this new venture.

One of my thoughts from the beginning was for the ministry itself to have a Facebook account. That way, when people who use FB get on they could recieve feeds about the minsitry.

This morning, I had another idea that added to this.

What we are trying to do is to lead people to love Gove, grow together and serve others.

In my experience one of the keys to all of the above is having genuine relationships and connections with others.

This is part of the reason we will be having backyard parties this summer at our house and hopefully a few other homes as well.

So- at these backyard parties, why don't we give people info on a FB group for the neighborhood?

As our Launch Team people share their lives with people in the neighborhood who are outside Christ, and build real relationships with these people (not simply with the goal of 'winning' them, but with the goal of loving them) we can make use of this social network tool.

Picture this- this August there are a handful of neighborhoods in North Fort Wayne that are pushing past the normal disconnectedness that accompanies most middle class subdivisions. And they are doing it, in part, because of the motivation of Christians who want to display the love of Christ to those who live near them.

If some of this doesn't excite you, I am sorry. It does me. The opportunity to love people and see people love God, grow together and serve others is why I am risking everything on this venture.

Only one life, then it's past. Only what's done for Christ will last.

BTW- if we aren't already friends on FB- look us up- our name is PatrickKristen

Salud,
Patrick

Race

It's a race against the clock. As usual. Don't you feel like you could say that pretty much any day of your life?

However, what I mean is that I have oodles of school work to do before we move in about 5 weeks. Having the flu today (it finally got to me) didn't help, although I did still manage to translate 33 verses of John 16.

I am so looking forward to the time in the near future when I am not just doing what I can when I can on this new ministry, but doing it all the time.

So, as long as I am upright tomorrow- more time at the library!

Sunday morning, the Flu, and strategy

We were supposed to travel back to KY last Saturday. Then, during the night on Friday Daniel woke up with the flu, as did Levi later and then Kristen. They were all down on Saturday and needing the comforts of a home, so we could not travel.

That put us leaving out Sunday morning. As we left our addition, I realized that the people in our neighborhood that we will be reaching out to with the love of Christ were probably home right then.

Now, it was about 11:30, so surely some had gone to church already and were back home. But there were a suprising number of people out- shoveling or doing some other work. Lots of cars parked in driveways. Lots of driveways with no new car tracks since the snow the night before.

That got me thinking yesterday about an opportunity.

See, there will be some time in the pre-launch phase where we will not yet be having Sunday morning services. We will visit other local congregations during this time and likely travel to a couple larger churches that are within driving distance.

However, what would be a good way to reach these families who are at home on Sunday morning?

What if we, in addition to the backyard parties on Saturday nights, hosted some Sunday morning brunches? Would that not connect sort of automatically with people who aren't going to church anywhere on Sundays? And with the house God has provided, we could do it and host multiple families.

There are 505 houses in our neighborhood. If the stats are true, then about 350 of them need to be reached with the love of Christ. So, if we had the modest goal of hosting 5% of those families on a few Sunday mornings, we could host about 17 families.

Hmm. God, could you use this?

The Fight

I remember some time ago a friend asking me what was the most surprising element of parenting. At the time I believe we only had two children. I answered after some thought.

The twenty-four hour nature of the job.

Parenting, like so many other things that are important, is a three steps forward and two steps back kind of a deal. And sometimes it is a three steps forward, three steps back process.

Many things are like this- and starting a ministry is one of those things.

This past week (even despite now being on our second round of the flu) could more aptly be described as 100 steps forward and about 15 steps back.

We are in a fight. The fight is not against other people we can see- it is against our Enemy. Certainly our Enemy does not want to see this type of ministry succeed.

We are reminded, though, that the good book says that greater is the one who is in us than he who is in the world. And Proverbs says that when you commit your plans to the Lord, he will make you prosper- he makes things turn out for his own ends.

Our mission is clear- to share the love of Jesus Christ in a life changing way with people who are outside the church in Fort Wayne.

Once the love of Jesus brings them in, they will have the chance to grow more like him alongside other believers.

The end of this is that they will be selfless servants- continuing the mission of spreading the love of Christ.

We should not think that this mission will go unnoticed.

But we will not stop. We will not be discouraged. We will not give in. We will stand toe to toe with the one who would dissuade us and declare the victory that only comes in Christ.

My brother-in-law gave me some good advice this week.

"When you doubt yourself, just stick your nose back in there."

There will be many obstacles- obstacles of doubt, disappointment, sin, money, accusations, rejection and others. But the obstacles will not define us- they will only serve to spur us forward.

We have often sung the following lines to our sons-

"Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross.
Lift high his royal banner, it must not suffer loss.
From victory unto victory, his army shall he lead.
Till every foe is vanquished and Christ is Lord indeed."

Only one life and then it's past- only what's done for Christ will last.

Onward,
Patrick

People People People

In a week bombarded by snow- sub-zero temps, and the flu earlier in the week- we have seen more people than I can count.

I believe I have had about 12 meetings so far. I think about 10 children 7 and under have visited our scantily furnished abode.

Some things are in place now. The ball is rolling. Slowly, maybe, but it's rolling.

Honesty

Had a great meeting at lunch today with Mark Cleaveland, pastor of The River on the Southwest side of town, and his associate, Scott, today. They are two heartfelt sincere men who were very kind and helpful.

They are leading a church that is nearly 3 years old- started from scratch with a mission to reach people who aren't a part of church. They also have a mission to be a practical blessing to the community and have done many things in their area for people in need.

They were very honest with me (as others have been) about the hard task of allowing God to use you to build something from the ground up and how to do all while working to maintain a bond of love with other churches around you.

After all- we are all in this together.

So, although I have also had several other productive meetings since my last post, I only have time tonight to give a shout out to these two guys and to say a Thanks to them.

God is so Faithful

Had more meetings yesterday and one already today where God is conitnuing to show up and do amazing things. Please pray that:

• Focus is maintained and increased daily
• Funds cotinue to come in
• Open doors to speak the Word of God to those who need to know his Love
• The bond of love between brothers in Christ to be cherished continually

We praise God for his faithfulness in so many ways and we thank him that so far no one else in our family has gotten the flu and Aidan has recovered well.

The finger, the flu and the rest of my day

Today was amazing in great ways and not so great.

Just before we went to bed before a week of appointments and meetings, one of our boys woke up and started puking everywhere. We bedded him down in our room after that and he got up again at 12:45 am and did the same thing.

By 6 I was at a restaurant getting ready for the first appointment (with Eric Melby) of the week. Great breakfast and start to the week. Then it was off to mom and dad's to wash puked on stuff.

Then it was rearranging the meetings for the rest of the day because of the flu at our house.

Then two lunch meetings (btw- I was a Bob Evan's twice today)- both wen great.

Had a great lunch with Erick Riddle at Christ's Hope and Mike Kjergaard at Cedar Creek- wise and great men. They were a blessing and encouragement as we talked about our common goals in Christ.

Then tonight we had a meeting a small group of people that we are asking to consider joining the work. They were all great. It was a great night filled with questions and interest.

God is working amid my weakness.

Oh yea, the finger. I got flipped off in the car today for the first time in a little while. I guess I wasn't moving fast enough in the snow covered parking lot. He gave me the finger for about 20 straight seconds. I kept trying to catch his eye so I could smile at him, but he wouldn't look at me.

As I pulled away, I just started laughing. Not laughing at him, but just at the crazy twists of life- the flu, staying in this great house, God's clear leading and provision, people jumping on board, the tons of work.... and in the middle of it all--- I get the hand gesture that I gave out too frequently when I was in high school.

God's grace. That's the only common demoninator I find in today.

Hope his grace is as evident in your day.

So you hate the name

So you hate the name, The Development.

At least five of you do.

Hahaha. The great thing is- I don't care. I kinda hate it too.

Any other suggestions?

Leave a suggestion in the comment box. We might not adopt your idea either- but don't feel bad, no one likes my idea, either! Hahahahahaha!

Patrick

Roller Coaster

Tomorrow begins a week that we have been looking forward to for some time. I have 4 meetings tomorrow- with our worship leader, a potential board member, two area ministers and our launch team. More ministers the next day. After that, our financial guy, another minister, and my entire family. Then another ministry contact, a potential financial partner, a couple other potential board members and a couple more potential financial partners.

We went to Crossbridge Community Church this morning- they meet at the YMCA. Met Dan, their senior minister, his wife Kim, the worship minister (a fellow Northrop grad) and his wife Becky. We talked (while each entertaining questions from our respective children hovering around) after service for about half and hour. They were great and very excited to have someone else in the area working towards a similar goal- reaching people for the Kingdom.

This afternoon, as I was driving just a bit before reaching the Expresso Gallery (The Mill) on Dupont Road by Kroger, where I am typing this, I was praying. Not for me. Not for launch team members. Not for potential funds. Not for a board, meeting site, or bylaws that need to be written.

I was praying for the neighborhoods I was passing.

Neighborhoods full of people who need Christ's love in their lives.

We can't reach all of them... or can we? I guess that's God's call...
But even it cannot reach all of them, we can reach some. And by God's grace we will.

We got the fireplace and hot tub working in our new home today. We aren't living there yet, but just staying the week there.

I have images of having new friends in that living room- with the fire going- and sharing Christ's love with them.

I have visions of sitting in the hot tub with my wife and a couple on our leadership team rejoicing over the people who have been growing in Christ.

I walk through the about-to-be-finished basement and know that there will be countless appointments, sermons, conversations, meetings, and counseling sessions in that home office.

More and more I am...

Humbled.

Corinthians calls us God's ambassadors and tells us that we have the message of reconciliation. Then it also says that God has put this surpassingly great message of reconciliation in Jars of Clay so that it would be apparent that the message comes form God and not from us.

Please pray that:

• God gives me clarity in these appointments
• That God helps me build bridges
• That ministry doors begin opening wider and wider

Let the fun begin!

We arrived in Fort Wayne yesterday. We are staying at the wonderful house that we will be renting. It's a 4 bedroom home with a great basement that is in the process of being finished.

Upon arrival, we gathered out little troop in the new living room. Before we even looked through the house.

And we prayed. Prayed for opportunities.

The first night went great and we are loving what God is doing. We have about a million appointments set for this week and will be also seeing friends and family.

On the way up we had a special opportunity.

We met with a family that The Development intends to support financially. The Gables. They are a family of 7 who minister in the Ivory Coast, Africa.

To learn more about their ministry, please visit www.gablesinivorycoast.blogspot.com

This week, please pray about:

• Our newly forming launch team
• Open doors to share Christ
• Fundraising

More to come!

It's a Process

I have been reading a book I highly recommend:
Simple Church

The essence of this book conveys that a church ought to have a process- not just programs- for people within the body. What that means is that you have a developmental model for people to grow through in your midst. For example, a church might decide they want people to:

1. Love God
2. Grow Together
3. And Serve Others

So, they structure their efforts around these steps. They ask questions like, "How are we helping people to Love God (by following Jesus) for the first time? Where are we investing time, talent and dollars to facilitate this step?" They examine their programs, "What programs are we implementing to help people in this step, and are they effective- how do we know?" It's not enough to say that the Sunday morning service helps people to Love God for the first time. There has to be some evidence of that.

The next step is linear. Once people have been helped to Love God, how can we help them Grow Together? What ways can we spend time, talent and dollars to facilitate people's maturation process? Since Christian maturity cannot happen in a vacuum, what ways are we putting people together to sharpen one another and Grow Together?

Finally, people who have grown in their faith are ready to Serve Others. So, the church asks the question, "How are we living out our growth in Christ? How can we afford opportunities for as many people as possible to Love God in a practical way by Serving Others? If we have really Grown Together, then Jesus seems to think that will impact how we live in this world."

And here is the beauty. When we Serve Others, it can be a way to facilitate new people coming to Love God.

Now let's move from the hypothetical to the real.

This is how we will conduct The Development. Our Sunday morning services, neighborhood evangelism, backyard parties, service evangelism, and marriage outreaches will all be steps to help people Love God for the first time.

Then, once a family starts to catch on and show up 2-3 times on Sunday morning, we will invite them to come to weekly GT meals (Grow Together). These will not be traditional small groups, but will have an element where we sharpen one another.

After some time spent growing, we will help the new family find a way to purposefully Serve Others. Some people outside will be influenced by this and may take steps in their Love for God. So, the process repeats itself.

LoveGod->GrowTogether->ServeOthers-> LoveGod->GrowTogether->ServeOthers-> LoveGod->GrowTogether->ServeOthers-> LoveGod->GrowTogether->ServeOthers-> LoveGod->GrowTogether->ServeOthers-> LoveGod->GrowTogether->ServeOthers-> LoveGod->GrowTogether->ServeOthers-> LoveGod->GrowTogether->ServeOthers-> LoveGod->GrowTogether->ServeOthers-> LoveGod->GrowTogether->ServeOthers-> LoveGod->GrowTogether->ServeOthers->

Yeah, it’s like that.

This is sort of like saying there are three areas that are important to a football team:

1. Offense
2. Defense
3. Special Teams

If the team spends too much time cutting the grass on the field, picking out nice uniforms, or running concessions, they will do one thing consistently- lose! The duties of cutting the grass, picking uniforms and running concessions are all important, but they are not what a football team is supposed to do!

I think you get the analogy.

One Week From Today

One week from today we will be in Fort Wayne preparing for a meeting with our potential launch team.

It's a beautiful thing.
We are so ready.

God has given us so many good contacts. The small group of people we are going to share with in that meeting are believers who are missional (they want others to experience what they have experienced in Christ), live in the area, and all are young- most married couples.

Beyond that, they are friends.

And some of them at least will become partners. Missionaries.

It won't be easy. It's more like signing up for the army than going to the carnival.

But I believe it is something that God honors (he has done so huge in our lives so far).

What could ruin our mission?

Grumpy Christians.

The most sincere threat to our mission to reach people who do not yet follow Jesus is not evil. Not rejection. Not pluralism. Let me paint for you a picture of my last day with The Development:

It's a day when we get filled up with people from other area churches who didn't like the way things were at their church. It was all about them and they weren't getting their itches scratched, so they up and left.

These people will be dealt with. They will be encouraged to have their personalities disappear behind the banner of the mission...

or find someplace else to grump.

Our mission to minister to the souls outside is too dear for me or other leaders to spend our time catering to Christians who think it's all about them.

One thing I learned from Acts class this semester (thank you, Dr. Jon Weatherly): The purpose of the book of Acts is to chronicle the vigorous advancement of the Gospel.

I want to be a part of the vigorous advancement of the Gospel.

And I won't let anyone get in the way. Those who want to join me in that advancement are welcome. Not those who think church should be a member-focused endeavour.

With that note, I begin my detailed prep for the Launch Team meeting- one week from today.

Giving God Honor

I want to give God honor. He has done amazing things lately. I mean.... a-m-a-z-i-n-g.

As you might guess, finances are interesting for our family right now. We have been very fortunate so far- blessed- in my Masters. I haven't worked since last March (other than a short stint this past summer), have completed 24 graduate hours and we have welcomed our fourth child- all with no school loans!

As of this week, we decided we were finally at the point where I was going to need to take out my first loan to bridge the gap between now and when the new ministry gets on its feet.

Enter God (again).

A fiend who wished to remain anonymous gave us a gift that will take all sorts of pressure off.

We also have in hand our first contribution directly to the ministry.

And, The Development will write its first check of missions support to Missionaries in AIDS stricken Ivory Coast (Africa).

And, my classes have worked out in the most ideal way possible- a way that will be ideal in three ways:

1. Ease for this trasition (mostly distance courses)
2. Learning (tailored to my interest and with my advisor)
3. Future (it allows me to take a course that will be a doorway to a possible PhD later)

And, lately I have been self-doubting about this venture just a bit (as is understandable). A good friend wrote me 3 pages of scripture giving me more courage.

And, I have been asking if I really have the right strengths for this opportunity that God is calling us to. Today I found a book in my boxes called "Strengthsfinder 2.0". It's a book we looked through at Christ's Church to discover our strengths. I share my list with you not to claim that I am really that great in any of these areas, but to show you how good God is- and to affirm that he knows what he is doing:

1. Analytical
2. Strategic
3. Learner
4. Ideation
5. Responsibility

Add to that my spiritual gifts of preaching, leadership and disicpleship and it makes me think that perhaps God does know what he is doing (not that it needs to make sense to me).

Do you want something to repeatedly pray about? This is all I ask:

Pray: "God, through your Spirit enable these believers to speak your Word with boldness."

He has done everything else, and is continuing to- so we must be faithful to speak his Word.

Please praise God with me.

Something to post

We have something we are excited to share. However, today we are helping Steve and Kelly move and don't have the time necessary.

God has been faithful beyond what words can express. We will try to share more late tonight or tomorrow.

Please keep praying for this minsitry- that the way would be cleared for us to begin speaking boldly the Word of God to people who need to hear the hope in Christ.

Patrick

A couple FAQs

After I posted about our trip to Fort Wayne, it occurred to me to answer just a couple FAQs:

• When are you moving to Fort Wayne?

We don't have a hard date yet, but likely the last week of February.

• Aren't you going to finish your masters?

Working on it today! I have three classes left that I will complete by April. Then I only have my thesis to complete before I graduate in December.

• Why another church?

Because it's needed! Less than a third of people in Fort Wayne are actively involved in the Christian faith. Our church will not be focused on people who already follow Christ- but on those who have yet to commit to him.

• What do the boys think?

They are thrilled- Daniel especially. Daniel and Aidan even understand the mission somewhat. (It is a great test of my communication abilities to explain evangelistic chruch planting to a 4 and 6 year old).

• How will you fund it?

With your help! We will ask our Launch Team to begin giving in the near future. We are looking for two years of financial support from churches as well as individuals who understand the need. We are working up a 'start up budget' (monies and things we need to start) and a regular budget.

• What do the local churches think about your coming?

Eveyone has been helpful. We look forward to building bridges in pratcial and meaningful ways as we link arms with them for the cause of Jesus Christ.

• What's the goal?

Simply put, our goal in the first 3 years is to lead about 200 people within young families to follow Christ who do not follow him now. We will spend huge amounts of money and effort and prayer to this end.

After three years, we will launch a new church who will follow a similar pattern. Thus, at year 6, there are two additional churches launched (for a total of 4) and at year 9-10 an additional 4 (for a total of 8).

• When do you plan to buy land and build your building?

We don't. Instead of spending tens of thousands of dollars on a mortgage, we would like to spend much less to rent a facility and use the excess to fund efforts to reach the lost, care for the broken locally, and bless the poor overseas.

• Who can join you?

Anyone who is willing to get their hands dirty for Christ. This ain't a country club. It ain't about me or you. It's not even just about God. It is about God and us advancing his agenda of love into people's lives.

• Will you be a 'Christian Church'?

Yes, we will be a church that follows Christ. However, we aren't unduly committed to any specific expression of Christianity.

• What will your worship service look like?

It will be simple. It will be engaging. It will not have laser lights and fog machines. Either literally or figuratively it will be a group of adults sitting at round tables discovering together what it means to love God in this world.

We are excited to say that we have a trip planned to Fort Wayne! And it is very soon! We will head to Fort Wayne on Saturday, January 10 and stay for about a week. For those who don’t know, we are going to be renting a friend's house.

Since our friends have already moved out, they are going to let us stay in the empty house when we are in town! It will feel so great to not only be in Fort Wayne having meetings and making some things happen, but also to be in the home where we will live for at least the next year.

We are planning meetings with all sorts of different people. Please pray about a few things:

1. Our launch team (a few people we will ask to help us get this whole thing off the ground, who will be instrumental to the success of this ministry).

2. Fundraising (we must raise at least about $60,000 for a start up fund and also raise some support for regular ministry for the early season of the ministry).

3. Ministry partnerships (we value the connection and mutual encouragement in the local body of Christ).

4. Focus (that we would not be dissuaded from the mission even one bit).

5. Young families in the target area who do not go to church regularly (that we could bring them into a more active involvement with faith in Jesus Christ).

Thank you!