Planting a church in Chicago | Insights for life from the life of a church planter

Time 2021-06-11 17:10:57

Web Name: Planting a church in Chicago | Insights for life from the life of a church planter

WebSite: http://joshgutteridge.wordpress.com

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Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!One platitude that we repeat often in our home is “Gratitude is the attitude that sets the altitude.” Sometimes “corny” platitudes work!When I was young I heard a sermon on Psalm 107, which is all about giving thanks to God. In the sermon, I remember the book Robinson Crusoe being quoted as an illustration. Of course, Crusoe is a classic book about a man stranded on an island after being shipwrecked. He must make a decision about his attitude. He decides to come up with a list of the “evils” he faces and the “goods.” We would call it a “pros and cons” list. In his list, note how the “goods” outweigh the “evils.” It is good medicine for us stranded souls tempted by despair, boredom, sickness, and, in too many cases, grief. It is a nice method, one worthy of our own practice. Read Robison Crusoe’s list below and then make your own.“Evil: I am singled out and separated, as it were, from all the world, to be miserable.Good: But I am singled out, too, from all the ship s crew, to be spared from death; and He that miraculously saved me from death can deliver me from this condition.Good: But I am not starved, and perishing on a barren place, affording no sustenance.Good: But I am in a hot climate, where, if I had clothes, I could hardly wear them.Evil: I am without any defence, or means to resist any violence of man or beast.Good: But I am cast on an island where I see no wild beasts to hurt me, as I saw on the coast of Africa; and what if I had been shipwrecked there?Good: But God wonderfully sent the ship in near enough to the shore, that I have got out as many necessary things as will either supply my wants or enable me to supply myself, even as long as I live.Upon the whole, here was an undoubted testimony that there was scarce any condition in the world so miserable but there was something negative or something positive to be thankful for in it; and let this stand as a direction from the experience of the most miserable of all conditions in this world: that we may always find in it something to comfort ourselves from, and to set, in the description of good and evil, on the credit side of the account.Having now brought my mind a little to relish my condition, and given over looking out to sea, to see if I could spy a ship I say, giving over these things, I begun to apply myself to arrange my way of living, and to make things as easy to me as I could.”I am coming to terms that Coronavirus is a historic event bigger than 9/11. It’s a tragedy that is not just about one city or country; it s global a pandemic. It affects every part of everyone inside and out. The ripple effect of this pandemic in culture is likely to continue long after it is brought into submission by modern medicine. How long, for example, will it be before we can confidently be in large groups of people? How long, Lord, before we can again gather at our churches for worship?In the midst of it there are things we can and cannot control. God, grant me the wisdom to know the difference. We can’t control how the world will respond. We can’t control when the worldwide and nationwide pandemic will actually be over. We can’t control the things our local leaders say: “you can be put in custody if you go for long walks or long bike rides” (this statement is as dumb as the college students who party on beaches in Florida which is really dumb). But what we can address practically is the panic, the fear.Panic is not good! It s not good because our world needs emotionally healthy people more than ever. It s not good because our loved ones, including spouses, children, parents, and friends, need non-anxious people in their lives. It’s not good because it reveals that we are tempted by practical atheism that God is not relevant to the real business of life.“Don’t panic!” Easier said than done. Social media + 24-hour news is enough to drive anyone to anxiety, and some to madness. Some have a sort of weird pleasure in exploiting this to stoke fears and hatred. People on the fringes of my world of gospel preaching, too, like to tell us this is the end of the world. And don’t get me started on the politics of the thing. Wow! People are crazy. And you and I need to be sober-minded and not join in the hysterics.But we can’t waste our time either. Binge watching Netflix or pursuing comedic videos for hours at a time is not helpful. Don’t get me wrong, my family and I are watching some of our favorite movies, sharing funny videos, and keeping up with the news. But we try to limit our screen time so that we can read, talk, and learn to be quiet. I read a headline today through my twitter feed that reads, “Quarantining at home has led to an unexpected revival of puzzles.” That’s moving in the right direction. Tomorrow I’m buying a puzzle.More than this, though, we need a word spoken to us. Better yet, we need the Word from the Author. Take Revelation 1:17-20 as an example. Jesus tells John living in exile on the island of Patmos, “Do not be afraid.” Due to being exiled for testifying about Jesus, John was isolated from his church, worshipping by himself on Sunday when Jesus gave this command. In a spectacular vision, John gets a glimpse too profound for words. He sees Jesus in His current risen state. The vision of Jesus is as One who is utterly holy and is the future warrior King and Judge. John becomes more afraid of this Jesus than his circumstances. Jesus graciously puts his hand on John and gives the command to release fear. The present tense suggests something like, “stop being afraid.”Why? “I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades” (Rev. 1:17-19). Jesus’ Gospel is about death followed by resurrection. Jesus is not saying he is the way out of the problem. He is saying that he is the way through a life of tribulation. In another famous passage, Jesus speaks these words over us: “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Don’t panic! It’s ok. I know what I am doing. This might be a season where things hurt, but don’t give into fear. I’ve gone through the death this world brings and I have come out on the other side. I will bring you through too.And what about death? We are going to hear more about death. This will only stoke our fears and anxieties, not to mention agonizing grief for those who lose loved ones. Death is our greatest enemy not only because it’s something we must face, but because it affects everyone we love and care about. But death has been defeated and the fear of death gives way to hope in the presence of Jesus. Jesus delivers people who because of the “fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Heb. 2:15). This the great business of Jesus, the very Good News he tells us to confess and announce. Jesus defeats death and gives life, hope, and the comforting promise of a new heavens and a new earth (Rev. 21).I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?The promise of eternal life is enough because of the One who promises it. He holds the keys. According to John, Jesus walks among the lampstands (churches) and holds the stars (angels) in his hand too (Rev. 1:12-16). The thought is meant to stoke the imagination, to strengthen the heart, to cause the believer to stand up with his shoulders back. Jesus is present. He is active. He is not silent.“Neighborhood mapping” survey the neighborhood; serve the neighborhood; listen and pray for the neighborhood. We have met people this way and have strong leads for people who want to learn the Bible and learn about Jesus. From these connections we hope to add people to our Launch Group meetings which begin in early 2020. Personal and Ministry development meet with a Cohort of church leaders once a month; get one to one coaching from a church planter who is further along in the process of planting a church in Chicago; network with other leaders in the city for mutual support and practical ministry advice. Do ministry that is, I volunteer in ministries that need help sharing the gospel. For example, I go to the local Juvenile Detention Center here in my neighborhood and share the gospel with incarcerated teens. This has been very rewarding for me!!!! Church Observation go to churches; see what God is doing in different churches in the city of Chicago. We limit our church experiences to various Protestant expressions. For example, I see no point in attending a Greek Orthodox Church. We go as a family, sometimes with friends of ours and talk about our experience afterward. Theological formation Digging into Scriptures asking what does God require of his church? What is the mission, nature, and purpose of a church in any given context? What do I really believe the “Gospel” means and how it changes lives? In other words, do I know what I believe and why I believe it? Am I drifting from biblical roots? I am, personally, in constant need of reform because my heart naturally drifts from Christ and the pure gospel. I also study the history of the church which lately has been focused on the Reformation and also the Puritans. You might be asking don t you already know that stuff? Again, I am tempted to drift. Also, I have been doing pastoral ministry for 14 years and have regular preaching and teaching ministries. It has been healthy for me to stop, remember things I learned long ago, and return to those truths in areas where maybe I have been a bit off. Put milk in the fridge That is, I fundraise by reaching out to churches, networks that support church planting and individuals. I have been substitute teaching from time to time and Cheri works. We have awesome monthly supporters who support our ministry. God is providing! You have to do things you don’t want to do to get where you want to go. Strangely, those very unwanted things become sources of deep joy. This theme runs throughout my life. I had to go to college to learn Greek, seminary to learn Hebrew, clean out my car to date my wife, and preach in jails to learn how to preach. Yet, these very experiences became deep blessings, full of memories of God’s faithfulness. So it is in church planting.On weekends, when I am tired, I take a deep breath, say a prayer and walk outside of my apartment. As my feet hit the pavement my heart beats. I know what is coming. I am going to interrupt people’s lives to ask them to do a “neighborhood survey.” Some will accept my offer. Others will not. We are bold as lions when making our plans but can be timid as sheep when it comes to actually doing them. Mercifully, we don’t have to be lions when we have the Lion who is with us always! (BOOM! Preach it, preacha!)The first time we “hit the streets” to speak with people in our neighborhood, we came across a homeless person. His name is Robert. He was willing to speak to us, which was a relief (we had been turned down several times). Robert was articulate and qualified for the questions! He knew the neighborhood, having lived in it since the 70’s when he fled Baltimore to avoid a drug addiction and start over. We talked long after the short survey. We discussed the gospel of Jesus and why he had so many struggles in his life. He said frankly, “it is all in my mind.” After we spoke with him we prayed and moved on. Later, as I was talking to someone else, Robert happened to be walking by in a completely different area of our neighborhood. He had some more insight to share and then moved on. I love Robert!Pray for Robert! One neighbor we met had a younger brother who had died just two days before. This man knew everyone. He knew the assistant to the Alderman. He gave us a name to a leader in the local school who would be interested in our having services in the auditorium. His family had owned homes in the neighborhood for years. He told us he would be interested in a Bible study. Later that weekend, we took his family a meal with condolences for their loss. They live on the next street over from us to the north. We are praying that he and some of his family members will join our Launch Group.Everyone has a story don t they?These and more stories like them have filled our weekends and our hearts as we cultivate a desire to truly know the area we are wanting to reach with the Gospel. Honestly, it is hard to hit those streets. Sometimes I would rather rest or read. But afterwards I am ignited with passion and filled with hope for our mission. I am finding it is getting easier. I am also loving the city more and more.Cheri came up with the idea of going to the laundromat to get surveys done. She is SO SMART! There we are at the laundromat down the street and we met several people. One lady was so happy to learn we were starting a church that she expressed a strong desire to join our mission. I spoke with a young man (18) who was doing laundry with his Mom. I got confused as the Mom kept answering his questions for him. On the question, “do you believe there is a God?” his Mom said, “You better say yes and remember what you were taught!” HA! I secretly marked his survey as a “two for one” survey.So far we have surveyed the part of our area where we live and walk our dogs. We have learned that our region of the Near West Side is known as “United Center Park.” Soon we will venture to other districts (i.e. “Tri-Taylor”).By the end of October we should have enough surveys to compile at least a picture of this community. One of our supporters, Darin McCoy, is trained in survey analysis and has volunteered to capture the results and meaning of our surveys. We will keep you posted on these results. As we walk around the United Center Park we notice it is littered with trash. It really is a beautiful neighborhood, but the trash is insane. So we have scheduled a Clean Up Day (10.19) and the alderman’s office has directed us to supplies we can use for the purpose.Please keep me in prayer as I have joined the local Chamber of Commerce here in our area. This will connect us to business leaders and help us to advertise our upcoming events here in October and beyond. Pray that we will have favor with the Chamber and find ways to serve them with no strings attached. We want to be well-known as a community of believers that genuinely offers help.I am going to jail! I have met and really love the head chaplain at the Juvenile Detention Center here in the Near West Side. Eric, the chaplain, has many inroads to local leaders and ministries here in this area. He is a gospel-driving man who is excited we are here and we are excited to have met him. He has offered to drive me around and show me some areas here. This coming Tuesday (10.8) I will join him in speaking with young men who have found themselves in the detention center. Pray that as I preach and share the gospel, God will open hearts and eyes to see the life-changing good news of Jesus.My daughter’s middle school is without a P.E. teacher. I inquired about this position and they offered me the job! But I decided against taking it as it would drain me to teach a P.E. class full time AND try to plant our church. However, I am substituting a couple of days out of the week until they find someone. This has led to other connections that could be significant for our church. The school is PreK-8th grade. You can imagine the stories I bring home to the family after being a P.E. teacher for a day. One Kindergarten girl needed her shoes tied. As I was tying her shoes she said, “WOW!” I inquired, “What?!” She said softly, “You smell like my favorite cereal.” I was to scared to ask her what her favorite cereal was!You have to do what you don’t want to do to get to where you want to go. For me this includes websites and social media! But I have the joy to announce that we have both up and running. We have named our church, “Redeem City Church.” You can find our website at www.redeemcitychurch.com. I have also started a YouTube channel, “Redeem Media.” Again, let me say, that building these platforms has been filled with sweat (no blood yet). But the joy of thinking through how to communicate on these platforms has been more than I expected.In our world, it is said you must find your passion. But passion is not some magical pill you find out on the streets and suddenly you are ready! It is something you build over time and through experiences God gives you. Life comes to us through stretches and strains, not in ease and leisure. Selfishly, I wish passion could be found “out there,” fully grown and full of purpose. But then I would miss out on trusting God and letting Him lead me on the great adventure of discovery and growth. Practically, I am trying to borough into the soil of this city to lay gospel seed as opposed to laying a stick of gospel dynamite on the curb if you take my meaning. We feel true fruit for the Kingdom comes better through seed planted than mini explosions.Of course, all is vain without the grace and the presence of God. The Gospel of Jesus connects us to our heavenly Father and He has resources for us to spare.My Bible reading today was Luke 15. This isa well known chapter in the Bible. It includes the parable of the lost son, along with two other parables Jesus used to emphasize his heart to go far out to reach the lost. I noted in the chapter that one of the themes is joy. The joy of finding a cointhat was lost; the joy of a Father who welcomes back his wayward son. It occurred to me that the mission of God in this world is not just about finding broken people,but rejoicing when they are found. I would argue that the whole purpose of mission is to rejoice in the Father who seeks and finds; who redeems and restores. The mission of Jesus is one wherethe joy of the Father is not a nice benefit, but the point ofit all!Let us celebrate with Him!I know what it is to have joy as a father. A few weeks ago Abby and Ashley returned from their epic missiontrip to Japan. I rejoiced! I can still see them at the airport when I turned that corner and they were looking for me. And then to spend the next few days letting them hold forth their amazing journey, stories, and opportunities of ministry. And, of course, I wanted to know all about Tokyo, which I think might be the safest and cleanest city in the world. They shared with us theiropportunities to go to Senshu University to reach out to students on campus; to pray for theheartbreaking, nationwide epidemic of depression and suicide; and toserve Paz church,which is doing so much to reach and restore the Japanese peoplewith the gospel of Jesus.It goes without saying, Abby and Ashley came back safely and full of passion.After they returned, I leftto begina solojourney to Oklahoma City to reunite with myhometown friends and family. In route, Imade quick stops in Champagne, IL andEast Peoria, IL to catch up with my friends (a shout out to Tim, Jessica, Chad, Darin, and Heidi). I realized how muchwe miss the good people we have come to know in Central IL. It is here where I need to tell you about my rental car. I scheduled a sedan to drive back to Oklahoma. But when I arrived at Enterprise they did not have a sedan, but were willing to upgrade me for free to an oversized, gas guzzling truck (to be specific, a RAM [insert large engine number here] with a Hemi ). I wondered if Enterprise was going to pay my gas bill. Apparently not. Parking these trucksin normal sizedparking spacestakes NASA moon landing skills!Nevertheless, I felt pretty masculine drivingthe RAMaround; Ilistened to country music ( God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy );andI fit right into the Oklahoma lifestyle. I stayed in Oklahoma City for nearly a week. I got to catch up and share our vision with some more friends in Tulsa along the way. I reunited withMom and Dad; my brother Sean and sister-in-law Rene ( Josh, we are going to celebrate the crap out of you! ); my nephew and niece, as well as new and old friends. I also spent a day with my mother-in-law and went to her church in Kingfisher, OK. I had an agenda with my trip; it was toshare with family and friends our vision and makesure they arepraying for us.But it was not all business. I ate a ton of food and saw the Spiderman movie!(I m a Marvel geek these days).The joy of sharing our vision has been amazing. Think about it: we are joining the God of the universe to invite people to be rescued and redeemed from broken sinful humanity into a glorious future in the kingdom of God. We are on a rescue mission to help people find and follow Jesus in the neighborhoods of Chicago. That is compelling stuff! Andfor any follower of Jesus, it is a rescue mission we are all apart of one way or the other.We arerejoicingin how God is raising up prayer warriors, partners, and churches to jump in with us. With God s help and grace we will bear much fruit! However, being away from Cheri baby and the A-Teamfor nearly a week washard. It was time to return home.We reunited again.In all of our reunions, we alwayssit around and tell stories, which end with side splitting laughter.During one of these reunions,we were in downtown Chicago at Five Guys and westartedon one of our laughing fits and the natives were looking at us like we were crazy. That s because we are crazy!This past weekend, Iwas invited to preach atWest Hills Community Church in Westmont, IL to fill in for their pastor.West Hills is anamazing community of people! We had a blast together. I preached my heart out and met some new friends. They wereencouraging andwelcoming. After the service,one of the familiesof the churchinvited us to lunch and we broke bread together. Our whole family was encouraged by their generosity, fellowship and open hearts to the Word of God. By the way, it felt good to preach again. Thank you West Hills for such a wonderful reception. God bless you! As I look back on the last few weeks, here is what I am learning. I am learning that it is easy to focus on what is lacking, or incomplete (the job never quite feels done). We have had some tough circumstances too. We had a tire destroyed by a spike in the back alley of our apartment. Also,our van ran out of power on the girls while I was gone because the alternator died. In short, not everything has gone according to plan. Tears have been shed.I m sure you know what I mean. There is always a seemingly good excuse to forgo joy in life! And, for me, there are times when I forget that God is sovereign. Buttaking my thoughts captive, I think about how much has been provided, and the many blessings we haveexperienced. The urgent , they say,can sometimes eclipse the important. And focusing on whatisn t completecan sometimestempt me toforget what has been accomplished. With God s grace, we have accomplished a lot these last few weeks. And for that, I rejoice!I live on a street in Chicago that if you were to walk 2.5 miles to the east you would arrive at Sear s Tower. If you kept walking from there you would walk right up to Buckingham Fountain. Of course, as you go east, the apartments, condos and business districts get more affluent and trendy. However, if you go directly west from where I live and cross over Western Ave (the closet corner to our apartment to the west), things get more dangerous. Last weekend at the 2400 block of Western there were several shootings. We heard shots fire, which at the time we thought were fireworks being set off in anticipation of the 4th of July! We read about the shootings a few days later. I live on this razor s edge. Go one way and you have affluence; the other way you have people living on the margins of poverty and violence. If you were here you might feel we live to close to the dangerous part. However, our little niche is like a small haven, a refuge from both wealth and violence. Praise God for this dwelling place! Chicago has 77 neighborhoods and we live in one that is within 2.5 square miles with 74,000 people as its residents. It is called the Near West Side. We are learning, however, that this neighborhood has many distinct areas, blocks, and flavors. There are many parts of it that are being renewed with new condominiums built around the United Center which is walking distance from where I live (three blocks northeast of my apartment). Across the street from us is government housing; but directly east and north of us is single family homes with more development clearly in the works. Everywhere we walk it is like this; patches of development mixed with a boarded up building here and there along with small sections of government housing. I get the sense the boarded up buildings won t be there for long. Recently, our banker told us that most of the development along with young professionals is moving our way. In short, our side of the neighborhood is very fluid and dynamic in terms of economy and race; place and space. The question we must answer is why did God lead us here? To whom shall we direct our outreach efforts and gather to love God and love neighbor? On the one hand we feel called to plant a church for those no one wants to plant a church for! Our vision is to be a search and rescue mission. We didn t come here to look pretty (it s impossible for Cheri baby to not be pretty, she can t help it). This morning my bible reading included Jesus first sermon in his hometown synagogue when he quoted Isaiah:The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord s favor. Luke 4:18-19Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Luke 5:31-32And yet, while we have a rescue vision for the down and out , we do not deny that the up and coming need rescuing as well. Presumption and pride that can come from affluence (or the relentless pursuit of it) is a killer to the worship of the One true God, relationships, and the flourishing of the soul. We need God to be God in our life, not money. We need the Savior for peace and security, not the perfect neighborhood. How do we pursue success and excellence without it consuming us? This is a worthy and relevant question that I believe the Christian gospel has adequate answers for. Our answers might come from the grocery store of all places. Cheri and I went to the Pete s Fresh Market near our apartment the other day. Here the whole neighborhood comes together with all colors, languages, and economic tribes. As we are walking around, I hear a Russian couple speaking in their language and sounding like they are arguing about an item they were looking at. We go to the next aisle and an African American family is talking loudly about applesause. In the midst of this diversity the song being played softly in the background is Witchy Woman by the Eagles. I couldn t help but hum the tune even if it seemed comically out of place. This Witchy Woman moment reminded me we are called to be a church for this neighborhood; for all of it. Our method is not to target an economic group, racial group, or age group but to target the neighborhood and to engage the culture with a Christ-centered, Good News saturated worldview. One measure of our success will be does our church look like the people of Pete s Market? If Jesus came here today in the flesh to the Near West Side, He would reach some from every tribe of the neighborhood; the tax collector and the fisherman; the pharisee and the peasant. He would also develop the neighborhood spiritually and socially. Remember how He had compassion on the villages because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matt. 9.36). He did not just want the crowds to go to heaven; He wanted them to become kingdom communities getting a foretaste of what is coming and to be developed around the truth of the kingdom, the truth of Scripture (see the Sermon on the Mount as an example). What does life look like for people here if they are rooted in Jesus, learning the Bible, and blessing their neighborhood? I believe we all are put on planet earth for divine purposes imago dei. Who we are and where we are is not by accident. I find myself in this neighborhood, eager to learn and listen to it so I can show and share the love of Jesus. I am convicted by this. In my life I have tended to want to be somewhere else to reach and serve people who are like me more than the people who are around me. Thankfully God is showing me a new way. It has been a month since we relocated to Chicago to plant a church. It s time to start the blog. HI MOM! We are still glowing from the loving send off of our sending church CrossPoint Church. We already miss CrossPoint and our friends that we had the privilege to serve alongside of for nearly 8 years. We are comforted to know we are always connected and humbled to be supported as missionaries representing CrossPoint. We have already enjoyed some of the gifts they sent us off with including eating at Rosebud restaurant in Little Italy for Father s Day! My prayers and thanksgivings for CrossPoint are endless and frequent. I am praying for their pastoral search team and can t wait to see who God sends to lead such an awesome church! As we moved into our apartment at the beginning of June, it took us a little while to get settled. Unfortunately, the previous tenants left the apartment in ruins and building management had to come in to repaint and fix a bunch of stuff. In the end we did not mind as we got a new paint job and now feel like we are living in a brand new apartment. We love our apartment. Of course, we are getting used to the sights and sounds of Chicago: the humming of traffic at all hours of the night; the voices of people as they walk down our street; the music as it fades from loud to quiet according to the speed of cars driving by; the rumble of the train that is only a block away. The good news is that this noise has a rhythm to it. It might sound strange to say, but it helps one to sleep. Just as we settled into our apartment and found our rhythm (and the grocery store), Abby and Ashley left for their mission trip to Japan. They are still gone as I write this and we look forward to their return July 5th. As they have been away we have taken some time off from work and stress to go the beach, visit different churches, eat out on some gift cards gifted to us, and shop. In some ways we have treated our life here as a vacation knowing that soon we will begin the hard work of church planting and dealing with brokenness that exist in this beautiful city. I have been meeting with pastors in our Converge family that live and do ministry here in Chicago. A couple of them are coaching me as I begin thinking about ministry from the inside out. Already I am deriving much wisdom from them and learning new things as I think about what it means to be a church planter. These coaching sessions have only increased my passion and confirmed that we are right in the middle of God s sweet will for our lives.Speaking of God s sweet will: As some of you might know, Audrey, our youngest daughter, had some blood pressure problems as we were moving. Thankfully we just found out that she is free and clear of any serious issues such as kidney disease that can be associated with high blood pressure in a girl of her age. We are thankful! The doctors will monitor her blood pressure but express total optimism that she is good to go. Thank you for your prayers for her. She was very brave and dealt with all the change plus several very long doctors appointments with grace. She is loving the city too by the way (especially the LEGO store downtown; OH the suffering of a pastor s kid). Another development that was a little unexpected: Cheri found out about a job opening with Cornerstone Fund, which is a ministry partner of the Converge denomination. She applied and got the job! I m not surprised she is amazing and they are smart to add her to their team! Cheri getting this job is significant as it allows us to afford different schooling options for the girls this Fall, which we are finding out is really important! Cheri will start her new job the week of July 7th.As we move into the month of July the agenda for myself is to continue to raise money. We are amazed at God s provision and favor so far in our fundraising. We are way ahead of where we thought we would be at this time! PRAISE GOD! I am so grateful for our many partners who are giving into this ministry and I pray daily that together we bear much fruit for the gospel. Now, I will travel to see family and friends in Oklahoma. Pray that as I have these divine appointments I would be encouraging to potential new partners and that through them God will close the gap on our monthly need. Pray that God will inspire believers hearts to see the missional advantage and need of planting a church for the nations in the neighborhoods of Chicago! To learn more about our financial goals and needs click on the Give page.I know that many who are reading this now are our family and friends. Thank you for your support, prayers, and love. Subscribe to this blog! I will do my best to keep this updated along the way. My goal with this blog is to connect the challenges of being a church planter to the call of being a disciple of Jesus. I am hoping our journey might have some transferrable encouragements for you as a follower of Jesus. And I am hoping to have some ministry opportunities you can take advantage of as we begin to serve our neighborhood and the neighborhoods around us. In short, this adventure, this blog, this church plant is not about my family but it s all about Jesus and His many outposts of people in this world that await His coming and represent His Kingdom until He does come! So come with us on this adventure. Don t miss it! Life is too short and God is too good to ignore His radical call on our lives! Who knows maybe by following this you will get a crazy vision from God where people will say to you are you serious!? Privacy Cookies: This site uses cookies. 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