Church Planting Boot Camp....day 3
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
This week we are at church planting boot camp at Trinity University in Chicago, Illinois. It is Wednesday morning and we have been through two days of sprints, long hill runs, push-ups, sit-ups, and obstacle courses.....OK, so not really, but in many ways it has felt that way. We have had an incredible two days and have been saturated with so many great thoughts and ideas. Throughout it all, we have been doing our best to prayerfully listen to God and are asking for His help in preparing us and the SJBH area for this new church plant (MOVEMENT of people). It has been exciting and we thank each and everyone of you for your prayers and continued support. Yesterday, it was especially helpful as we spent the afternoon looking at demographics, people groups, and the difficulty of a cross-cultural ministry. We felt overwhelmed asking God is this what you have for us? God responded through a fellow church planter, the trainers, and scripture, and as a result, were given a crystal clear vision of what God's desire for us and OVERFLOW (the name of our church plant) is.
Here are our vision and mission statements:
Vision: “Overflow is a church community for all peoples that exists to be a movement that crosses boundaries-- transforming lives in our region and beyond.”
Mission: “Overflow exists to reach the un-churched and de-churched in our world, journeying together as we learn how to passionately follow Christ and serve others.”
What was so helpful for us yesterday was the encouragement to allow our burden and what is in our DNA to come out in our vision/mission. As we did this, we realized that a large part of our burden and the DNA for OVERFLOW involves crossing the economic, social, and racial boundaries that are so prevalent in the SJ/BH region that God has called us to. Our hope is to reach those who don't know Christ and MOBILIZE them to join us in following and serving Him in our world and working to see true transformation.
As we have talked about this, we have become even more excited about God's call to this area and look forward to see God work in this region and beyond. Romans 15:13 says, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may OVERFLOW with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit". This is our prayer and our request for you to continue to pray that God fills us while we are here at boot camp, protects us from those things that are not from Him, and prepares us to OVERFLOW with Him.
We are truly thankful for each of you and appreciate your prayers,
Brian & Cindy
"Love God. Love People. Join the Movement."
posted by Brian @ 8:23 AM,
2 Comments:
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At May 16, 2007 4:34 PM,
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Exciting stuff here. Thanks for sharing how God continues to unfold this vision in your lives. Love Romans 15:13, it's my favorite verse.
Jay -
At May 18, 2007 7:51 PM,
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I am sooooo excited about all that you shared. Amazing! (is an understatement!!) I'm pleased amd proud to pass this onto several interested parties; and I am honored and privileged to keep you covered in prayer. Looking forward to future updates.
