amazed by what god is doing
first of all, sorry for the lack in updating since our sunday night discussion regarding the church. to summarize the night- was not really at all what i expected- did not bring a lot of new people in (4) but did end up being exactly what we needed as a community. we ate- lots of good food, and then about 45 of us sat in a circled and shared our stories- where we have been, why we were there, and what it was that had held some back from being part of the church. the word of the night was "welcome"- they were sitting in that circle, invested in Advent simply because they always feel as if they are welcome- the most important person in the world one said- when they walk through the doors of our community. we have people from about every background possible, people at various points of faith- some still not sure they "buy" into this blind faith stuff, yet they continue to come, to come with questions and passion to learn, and to be part of something bigger than themselves. i am humbled to be called the pastor of this group. the evening helped me focus more on my vision for the next six months- we are going to start education, as well as have small group meetings in people's homes to vision together about what we want to be. after these meetings we will come together again for a large community dinner once again. hopefully, down the road we will advertise "hate church?" again to bring in those that wish to come and talk.
in retrospect, it was an amazing night, one that gave me much needed energy and excitement. this energy has been contagious i feel to the rest of our group. this past sunday we had two baptisms- payton's being one of them. the assistant to the bishop (my boss) came to baptize payton and preach. he was greeted by 130 friendly faces (46 kids). not a bad showing! our town hall was packed, and now we are trying to figure out what to do if our growth continues as it is- we are running out of space- good problem. tonight as well was a surprise at what god is up to- we expected about 30 people for supper and worship, and were greeted by 65. i can not begin to say how amazed i am at the goodness of god and what god is doing- holy crap, and to think i get to be part of this- wow wow wow.
in retrospect, it was an amazing night, one that gave me much needed energy and excitement. this energy has been contagious i feel to the rest of our group. this past sunday we had two baptisms- payton's being one of them. the assistant to the bishop (my boss) came to baptize payton and preach. he was greeted by 130 friendly faces (46 kids). not a bad showing! our town hall was packed, and now we are trying to figure out what to do if our growth continues as it is- we are running out of space- good problem. tonight as well was a surprise at what god is up to- we expected about 30 people for supper and worship, and were greeted by 65. i can not begin to say how amazed i am at the goodness of god and what god is doing- holy crap, and to think i get to be part of this- wow wow wow.
It is just awesome to read this post and imagine JG grinning from ear to ear. I am so thankful for this witness to God's faithfulness to the church. I pray that this will nurture you energy for months to come. I would recommend that you take a multi-vitamin so you have help remembering all the names you will have to.
You cannot imagine how great it is to see the fruit of faithfulness, and the phrase of "all are welcome" really being lived out.
Just so you know that things are going well, in the past 10 years there has never been 130 at one service where I serve. Someone sure made a great choice in where to develop a church in an underserved area. Peace my friend.
Posted by
Chad K |
10:37 PM
yay!!! i can't be happier for you, for god, or for those people. i can imagine that part of the challenge right now is holding people back long enough so you can ask all the appropriate questions...that kind of energy is awesome.
i have a feeling you're pretty beat these days, with the baby and all, but adrenaline does wonders for us. you're continually in our prayers.
Posted by
kendi |
1:00 PM
I'm moved to tears, tears of joy, when I read this. It's such a faith builder to hear how God continues to work through you and the people to bring Advent to life.
You're doing amazing work, J. I can picture you, too, as CK with you grinning ear to ear with excitement. I wish I was there to share it with you.
Prayers are with you as always! Blessings!
Posted by
~moe~ |
3:03 PM
Reading about what the Spirit is doing through you and the community God has called you to is truly inspiring. You are doing great work and it sounds like you are right where God needs you and that what is taking place now among you and your community could be just the beginning of something truly amazing.
Posted by
Steve |
12:56 PM
by the way, my education session with those people went very well. i had them imagine that they were a fly on the wall in a "do you hate church?" meeting and imagine what they would here. it worked very well, got them to think about their own negative experiences and yet why they continue to show up. it was a great exercise to get them to think about listening to others' stories and accepting their circumstances and convictions. a good first step. they all want to meet you, by the way. they have a lot of respect for what you're doing. and we prayed for you and for advent, that things would continue to move and grow.
Posted by
kendi |
1:45 PM