The Last "24"...
Tuesday, October 30, 2007



Ok, so I have to admit I am not a fan of "24" (I stay away from shows that require a weekly commitment to stay with them), but I understand that each episode is a based on an action packed 24 hours in the life of Agent Jack Bauer.

Well, consider this a report on an action packed 24 hours in Overflow's life....it has been awesome to see all that has happened in the past 24 hours. Myself, Cindy, and two others from our launch team traveled to Berrien Homes (a 160 unit Apartment Complex that is very close to the mall and our hearts and that we have been praying for since July) and spent a couple of hours passing out fliers for our Halloween Outreach and meeting residents. It was such a great experience as we made new friends, were very well received, and had the chance to interact with many of the children. In fact, we had a group of girls (ages 6-12) following us around and helping Cindy put fliers and cards in people's hands and the doors of the homes. They were so excited about helping and were full of smiles and kept saying, "2 more days till Halloween" (when we would see them again). Afterwards, our group just shared what a difference our time there had made in our lives as we were able to connect with people and really serve in a different way than we were used to. We are going to continue to spend time at Berrien Homes and will be prayerfully putting together an outreach program (during the after school time slot in their community center) for the children and would ask you to pray for us and them!

That was last night...this morning I had someone come into our office/lounge and tearfully ask for someone to pray with them because of the rough day they were having. It was such a blessing to be able to be here, in a mall, and available to pray for someone and see their spirits lifted up. I was able to share some Scripture with them and they took a cup of coffee with them and seemed to be in a much better frame of mind for their day ahead...it is a ministry center here in the mall! They even asked us to create a prayer request box and we are now going to have that ready as another avenue for us to connect people with God. Thank you for praying for us and continuing to support what God is doing with Overflow!

May your next "24" be blessed and may you too see God overflowing in your life!

In Pursuit,

Brian

posted by Brian @ 11:24 AM, ,




So much to share.....
Monday, October 22, 2007



There is so much to share this week I really don't know where to begin. I have continually been amazed lately at how things are unfolding here in the Benton Harbor/St. Joseph area. I am sitting in our mall office/lounge right now and have had so many people come through and ask questions in the last few days. Our location really is amazing as one person said the other day "you are in a mall!" We really do have a great opportunity to meet people in the community. Just the other day I had the chance to pray with a young man who is considering ministry and in the same week talked with someone who just need some extra perspective on their life and situation right now. It has been great and as two people said in the last twenty four hours..."this place is so peaceful". Thank you for praying for God's peace and presence to be with us in this ministry space "in the mall"!

We also were able to move to Stevensville to a small apartment this week as a family. It is a small place that we are renting in addition to still praying for our house in Battle Creek to sell. We are so thankful to be back together (I have been living with family in the Stevensville area 4-5 days a week and have been apart from Cindy and the kids), especially since I found out that Hannah had started drawing me out of the family....that was hard to take and definitely showed us it was time to get us all together! We had a great night last night and little Hannah fell asleep in my arms watching The Land Before Time.

We are also celebrating the fact that we have 5 people ready for Baptism and will be planning a Baptism service for December 2nd at 6pm! It has been so encouraging to see each of these people growing in their relationship with Christ and ready to take this public step of celebrating their new life in Christ. Please keep them and our Sun/Wed Life Group Bible Studies in your prayers.

Here are the upcoming Overflow Events and a few ways you can continue to pray for us:

Thank you for sharing in our vision "To live as a Christ centered movement for all people that transforms our region and beyond".

In Pursuit,

Brian

posted by Brian @ 5:39 PM, ,




October Bently Newsletter Is Posted....
Friday, October 12, 2007


We have just posted our new Bently for October, 2007 as a PDF file.
Please take the time to read all that has been happening as God continues to work in Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, MI. We are truly praising Him for you and for His work in this area! Thank you for being involved with us.

The Bently is posted on right side of our blog. Enjoy and
thank you so much for your support, prayers, and sharing in this
journey with us! We are so blessed by all of you....

In Pursuit,

Brian & Cindy (Hannah & Dawson, too)

posted by Brian @ 9:59 AM, ,




We are open!!!
Friday, October 5, 2007

It is official....the Overflow Office & Lounge is open! This past Wednesday I opened the doors for the first time and in just under 8 hours had close to 25 people stop in. Many were curious and had many questions about what we were up to and what the space was for. Everyone seemed to be encouraged by it and I had the opportunity to share our vision, get into discussions about the God and the community, share a cup of coffee/tea with a few people, provide directions for those that were lost within the mall, and even lend our bathroom to someone in need :)

It was a great start and showed me the potential that is there and a glimpse of why God has so clearly led us into the mall and where the people are. Throughout the week I was also able to hold a few meetings with community leaders in our office/lounge and could not believe the response and how things just continue to fall into place for Overflow. We are very blessed and humbled by all that is happening.

Currently, we have the following upcoming and on-going events and would love to have your prayers, support, and know that everyone is always welcome:


On a personal and family level we are continuing to ask God to show us what to do with our housing situation. We are trusting that God is going to provide a way for us to be in the community as a family and would ask that you pray with us in this way and ask God to clearly show us what to do. We are exploring other options at this point, because the buyer for our home is still at large....

Look for the newest Bently Newsletter to be posted and sent out this week and have a great weekend!

In Pursuit,

Brian
John 3:30

posted by Brian @ 7:46 PM, ,