chazzdaddy

Archive for January, 2008

Guest Post by Vicki Twining

In Uncategorized on January 31, 2008 at 4:03 pm

Well, as we sit here in Loudonville waiting to see how hard we’ll be hammered by the latest winter storm, Pastor Charles is suffering through the heat in Orlando, where it’s supposed to 78 degrees today. OK, if it will make you feel a little bit better, he is working. He and Tiffany, along with Pastor Jeff and Traci, are attending a conference designed especially for large church pastors and their wives. Pastor Charles reports he’s getting a lot of great stuff networking with other large church pastors. No doubt he’s doing a good bit of sharing as well, considering the amazing things God has done, and is doing, here at New Hope. He’ll be back at the keyboard with regular posts next week.

I continue to be amazed at the ways God uses this tool shed we call New Hope and its servants. I am thankful Pastor Charles is a leader who dares to be different and step “outside the box” to reach people for Christ. Jesus said we will do even greater works than He did. “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12-13). I am made humble, and sometimes a bit anxious, by those words. Am I obedient enough to allow the Holy Spirit to accomplish such great things through me? Do I listen? If I listen, do I act accordingly? Do I trust God enough to overcome my own fears and step outside my comfort zone to do His will? If I choose not to obey Him, what blessing will I deny someone else today? Am I the only one who struggles with these questions? How ‘bout you?

dang it…

In Big Church-Small Town;, New Hope Stuff on January 25, 2008 at 2:26 pm

Dear Charles:

Thanks for sending the completed speaker request form back to me so quickly! Perry was honored to receive your request. Tony Morgan has shared your amazing story with us. We are excited to hear how God is at work in your ministry! Perry appreciates your invitation to build a conference around his schedule, however; we are entering a very busy season a NewSpring Church and must decline this event at this time. We look forward to seeing you at Unleash and will be praying for you as you continue to reach more people for Jesus!

I asked about 2009 already…we’ll see if we can strike gold next year. Any thoughts on a keynote speaker?

what will perry do?

In Big Church-Small Town;, Church Leadership on January 24, 2008 at 3:24 am

Will Perry Noble from New Spring Church join us for a conference this fall where we encourage small to medium size town Pastors, or those who desire to take their church to the next level who minister in larger contexts? Or will we get the big…”I am honored to have been asked to speak at your event, BUT”…

It is our dream to show the world what can be done with no money, a few people, lots of vision, passion and a strong dose of God in the mix! That seemed to be New Springs story as well…

We desire to see Pastors not just hear about how they should be encouraged, but encourage them by showing them how they can do some of the cutting edge stuff while remaining true to what God has called them to do…with little staff, little money and as we said…a whole lotta God, vision and passion.

So…Perry is the biggest name we have contacted…will he show? We’ll see. The request was put in this week. Dwight Mason from NewPointe Church, who is also knocking it out of the park in a small town has this passion and we have been talking about it for quite some time.

2 days, amazing speakers, breakout workshops with HANDS-ON practical stuff and not just theory. All the makings for a great gathering where we actually take practical stuff with us for the journey. Oh yeah…and a great price. Not the hundreds of dollars that is the norm these days. I’ll keep ya posted.

blessings and peace.

thought provoking…

In Watch This on January 22, 2008 at 8:01 pm

Tom sent me this link today…you know, a link from a link, so I thought I would share this link with you. From Seth Godin’s blog…Very thought provoking…

blessings and peace…oh and a little curiosity to you as well (one of my greatest assets if I may say so…I just hope the cat lives to see another day…)

weekend reflections…

In Big Church-Small Town;, New Hope Stuff, Wooster Campus on January 21, 2008 at 3:01 pm

If you missed the teaching on race this past weekend…you might check it out HERE (when it is posted later today probably). We will not be silent.

Great turn-out this weekend despite the dip in the mercury. The huge church that we really love to watch actually canceled church due to a little snow in Atlanta. Speaking of snow…the I “love” snow people are losing in the polls…come on now.

Thanks to our Wooster congregation, team and Pastor Tim as they continue to invest and invite during the transition over there. Our God reigns! We will impact that county in a huge way…here we come!

Great New to New Hope lunch yesterday. If you are new to New Hope…get in on the next one. Our first one was a great time getting to know each other and the church. Big thanks to Jeff for coordinating the efforts.

If you are a part of the Building New Hope project at the Loudonville Campus…HELP! We are already way behind for the year, which is a shocker…let’s all pray and work and give our way out of this funk as we reach people in our “tool shed.”

Speaking of our building space, we are already out of much space now in 3 services! Not sure what we will be doing, but we will be talking seriously as a leadership team and with our congregation about what steps to formulate in the next 2-3 years. We cannot go to 4 services again with all of our campuses coming on-line. I didn’t think we would be talking about that already…but what great problems to have! I am speechless.

And all I can say about next week is…click HERE for what we will be talking about. If you thought the first 2 were unmentionable…you might be in for a shocker this weekend. For the full story on this, with help and information, click HERE.

Going skiing today since it will climb all the way up to 22 degrees…

And last but not least (thanks to Gary Schroeder)…“We might have budgets, strategies, professionalism, and sophistication in organizational practices, but those do not explain our effectiveness. Our effectiveness is explained by our dependence on God.” –Jayakumar Christian, World Vision, India

wow. that is our fire too I pray. blessings and peace.

a new record…and some ice

In Ashland Campus, Church Leadership, New Hope Stuff on January 19, 2008 at 3:07 pm

Wow…new record to the re:gurge blog. Thanks for boosting the stats…I should give a false lead-in title all the time.

And if you are into some serious fundamentalist lists of “doctrine” you must check out this SITE…I am not into picking on other ministries, but may this serve as an educational piece on why we do things the way that we do, and I will leave it at that.

And an update on our Ashland Campus Site Location that many have been asking about at the Ashland Launch Blog.

It’s chilly today. Glad Pastor Tom took the kids to Ice…I mean Snow Camp this weekend. Hope they are roasting chestnuts on an open fire or something…That’s where the pic is from.

blessings and peace.

our family is moving to ashland…

In Big Church-Small Town;, Church Leadership, New Hope Stuff on January 17, 2008 at 9:07 pm

Don’t get your underwear in a wad. Of course we are NOT, but rumor has it we are. I love hearing about my and our churches “other life.” It humors me at times. And other times it hurts a bit. If you are wondering…this one is humorous.

The Hill family is launching the Ashland Campus as a family together. We signed up for the launch team and answered God’s call to be a part of the launch as a family unlike the Wooster launch where only I was involved to a great extent and not the rest of my family.

Some haven’t understood the Multi-Site thing. That we are 1 church in multiple locations. I am the Pastor of 1 church with 2, soon to be 3 campuses. I will love, nurture, lead and care for each campus because we are all 1 church in an effort to build bigger numbers to impress people.

Not.

So that we can fulfill the great commission. We actually believe we have to go into all the world to save lost people and help them grow to become passionate followers of Christ.

Yes, we are transitioning (as we have been for years) my role of chief care and shepherd for the Loudonville Campus to other Pastors at the Loudonville Campus so I can focus on teaching and leading all our campuses. I CAN’T DO IT ALL…We have to grow smaller as we grow larger, and we have to learn to care for one another as the body of Christ, and not just 1 Pastor. I know this is a change for many people to actually have to live out the mandates of Scripture instead of watching some poor soul in a suit do all the work while his family burns up and his soul burns out, but that is not how it is supposed to be. Oops, hope that came out right! :\

So…I will focus on my gifts of teaching and leadership, and we will all including staff and the laity focus on BEING THE CHURCH. Of becoming an UNSTOPPABLE FORCE, and it will take ALL OF US to do that!

You will see the same of me, the same love, the same care, the same everything, except for some hasty exits on the weekends at some services so that I can get to each campus. It will look much like it did when we transitioned to the Wooster Campus.

Now that I have stopped preaching, I will say that maybe someone has heard that we have for a long time considered being in a more central local to all 3 campuses in the future if they begin to grow like our first campus for a variety of reasons. Maybe, maybe not. That is up to the Lord.

Our heart is for all of the people @ New Hope. Those at the first campus in Loudonville, those who packed up to Wooster and who have joined from their community, and those who will be a part in the Ashland Campus. Who would have thought we’d be talking about this stuff 5 years ago??????

I will say that it does bless my heart that people love us that much. But I always end the gossip mill pretty quick. So now as Paul Harvey says…now you have the rest of the story!

Speaking of other stories…if you weren’t at 3rd Wednesday last night…the rest of the story on Matt’s resignation as the Wooster Campus Pastor can be found HERE. He will be greatly missed! He was a great brother and friend. I know God has the perfect place of service for him, and maybe one day he will be back with us Lord-willing! (In the interim, Pastor Tim is leading the Wooster Campus…so pray for him!)

Last but not least…for the latest info on the Ashland Campus, go HERE.

We have an amazing church. While most churches fight about the level of service they receive inside their holy huddle…we are actually out on the front lines just like the early church and taking it to the streets…YOU ALL ARE AMAZING! KEEP IT UP!

blessings and peace.

ps. I heard a story that Pastor Jeff kissed Matt on the lips @ a staff meeting once…

hey there…

In My Life, New Hope Stuff; Teaching Series on January 16, 2008 at 12:13 am

So we kicked off the series we can’t mention this weekend. Almost 900 in Loudonville and approaching 200 @ Wootown. wow.

I did something very different and it really hit a nerve. God’s Word is so powerful.

Miss it? Catch it HERE.

I guess it caused quite a stir…at least that’s what we are hearing. God’s Word usually does that to me as well. His Word is life-altering.

Don’t forget…3rd Wednesday Worship this ummm…Wednesday @ 7 pm @ all campuses. You won’t want to miss it…

On a lighter note…the skiing is getting much better out there…for you ski freaks. My 20 year-old cousin and aunt are up from Florida. He had NEVER seen snow in person. He then caught pneumonia, and after healing so quick as only a 20 year-old can is now skiing every hill @ Snow Trails. (His first night!) Of course he had a great teacher. He skied for like 8 hours straight yesterday…no joke . He is an animal.

Catch the ski bug…

blessings and peace.

underwear?

In New Hope Stuff on January 12, 2008 at 7:55 pm

Yep…the UN-MENTION-ABLES are here. Wow…can’t believe I haven’t gotten one e-mail or phone call about us using underwear to advertise our next series.

We are digging into the topics the church is all hush-hush about. You won’t want to miss it.

By the way…this weekend I am doing something totally different with the message that I have never done before. Hope it works. Seriously…you won’t want to miss this weeks worship of our God at any of our campuses. It will be very unique and worth the trip.

Check out the updates on our Ashland Campus HERE.

blessings and peace!

funerals

In Big Church-Small Town;, Devotional on January 10, 2008 at 3:22 am

I don’t do funerals…normally. I chose to do Celebration of Life Services. God uniquely designed each of us, put us on this earth for an appointed time, for an appointed purpose and we all have some sort of legacy we have left…whether 90 years or 90 months.

I have yet to be at a funeral where no one showed up. Life is important and should be celebrated…I mean, if God really “knot us together in our Mother’s womb” than we are pretty darn special.

In a small town…this is such a huge opportunity to connect and reconnect with the people of the community who would never come to your church…and the thing is you know most of the people or have a connection somehow with them. Many people have “heard about New Hope” and that opens up a great conversation about whether they will give it a shot sometime. This is the beauty of small town ministry.

I did that for hours tonight at calling hours for a young man who took his life.

People almost always end up at New Hope after a funeral. Where else are you going to get that kind of attention and that kind of openness to spiritual matters? People are open, searching and ready to hear the story of hope. What else do we have to offer? A church service with lights and fog with a kickin’ band, a church program, a great kid’s ministry…come on.

I would never be a Pastor if I didn’t believe in the hope we have. That’s what keeps me going. That’s what will keep them going. That is what I will share tomorrow. That hope is what people will cling to. That hope is the hope of the world.

“We grieve with hope.” 1 Thessalonians 4

blessings and peace.

let’s see…

In Big Church-Small Town;, New Hope Stuff on January 9, 2008 at 12:35 am

I survived the mountain fairly intact. If you know me…I am extreme to the max, so being a new skier who tackles whatever is not a good combination…so, this I know, that Our God Reigns or I would be in Heaven by now. And yes, I did every black diamond runs with ease…so I am getting better thanks to my friend turned ski coach Clay Braden…

Great time, though I never imagined wearing very little clothing while skiing in January in New York. People skiing gin shorts…come on! Just wait, I am sure we are in for it now that we were tempted with Spring…welcome to Ohio. So to brighten your day a bit cause by the time you read this reality will be back…here is a pic from the OBX from this summer…yes, I am also bald and white in the summer. Some things never change.

Let’s see…I am excited about all of our campuses this new year. I have been busy working on the details with our team, and I can tell you that if you are a big church in a small town, there is not much out there to help you in planning. Most of the big guns have staff, money, and other resources at their disposal. We have…well, a vision and God on our side (not that they don’t have that too).

But that’s how New Hope got started in the first place. Oh yeah, and Jesus burst onto the scene worse than we did…for we did not have to move the livestock out of the barn to start ministry. Close to that, but not quite. We do have bats in the church though as one swooped some of my best friends in for Dad’s party…(They are working in the bell tower in the old part for Youthscape…so don’t fear.) I think someone caught it and ate it or something like that…welcome to Ohio again.

So let’s see…what’s your take on the amazing dreams God has given us to take the Great Commission seriously? (hit the comments below) We are called to go into all the world. I guess we figured after Loudonville that Wooster and Ashland were great places to start as we go into all the world! We truly feel that we have a unique ministry that we will bring to those towns who are looking for a touch from Jesus in a unique way. That’s New Hope. We are different. We are unique. We want to reach those who wouldn’t normally go to church. We are not afraid.

No people. No money. No staff. No problem. We just trust God will take care of the details and refuse to sit back while the world around us continues to go to an eternity without Christ. The Bible calls the place Hell, and Hell it will be.

Thanks for kickin’ it up a notch at the Hope and for taking God’s Word seriously. Yes, we actually believe and obey that stuff.

(Ashland launch team meeting this week…see details here.)

p.s.–Special prayer request please…I will be doing a funeral this week for a 22 year-old young man who took his life. Pray for the family and for me as we minister through this time.

Hope to hear from you below…

Blessings and peace. and let it snooooooooooooooooow.

vacation?

In Church Leadership, My Life on January 4, 2008 at 10:03 pm

Not really. With my traditional 2 weeks off after Christmas, which usually bring relief, this year it hasn’t happened. Not that I am complaining…I’m not. I just need some time off to refresh as the new year always brings a huge roar of pushing ahead on the vision. Do you refresh? Read this previous post on the importance of rest.

With Sandy’s services and some inner-church related issues that came up, today I finally am free of the mess and will be off through Monday and work a bit from home Tuesday and Wednesday.

Highlight is the skiing trip this Sunday-Monday @ Holiday Valley in New York. I learned how to do the aerial freestyle course (ramps, rails, etc.) and am excited to pursue my Winter passion. (My knees are black and blue and swollen really nice. After the first 2 ramps, I finally figured out it was better to land on both skis and not my butt and/or knees).

I ask prayer as I go through the next few days as I try to release from the normal strains of the ministry world and focus on some rest and fun. (And if anyone has a vacation home in Hawaii, that would come in handy each year at this time…hard to just cruise into the church when in Hawaii!)

Oh…and tonight is my Dad’s 60th surprise birthday party at the church. Can’t wait. The family has planned an awesome event! His birthday is the 23rd (mine is the 18th…large bills accepted). I figure I can announce it now that we are almost there.

So…catch you in th bloggosphere when I can…(which is by the way relaxing and a passion of mine ans not considered work to me…no thanks to Tom Roepke, who got me into this mess).

Oh…and catch this Perry Noble post on Presidential Candidates. I say DITTO.

Go Bucks. Please.

Blessings and Peace.

oh eight

In Church Leadership, New Hope Stuff on January 1, 2008 at 4:42 pm

I just graduated last week didn’t I? Man time flies.

Had a great time last night celebrating the new year. Glad there are no photos of me on the dance floor…though I did surprise a few people with my groove…anyway.

Here is how I see oh eight @ New Hope (short list):

  • Spiritually Growing Church With Many Becoming/Growing as Christ-Followers
  • Connection Points with our Church Community
  • Connection Points with our Community Outside the Walls
  • New Campus in Ashland
  • New Work in Asia
  • New Growth @ the Wooster Campus
  • Continued Growth @ the Loudonville Campus
  • New Staff/Direction/Incoming Vision
  • More Love for One Another and the World at Large–We Will Make an Impact
  • Stronger Core of Spiritual Living/Growth/Disciplines
  • Staying Uncomfortable
  • Way Too Much Fun, Creativity, and Impact as we Live Out the Mission

I am more excited for oh eight than I ever have been. As you know, with eternities on the line, and people who need a touch from the Savior here and around the world…we must not sit back and get comfortable. As we keep working toward our mission…we will through Christ become an unstoppable force. r u in?

blessings and peace.