GLORIOUS UNSEEN in concert TONIGHT @ New Hope. 7:00pm…
Tired of your kids saying they are bored? Tired of your SPOUSE saying they are bored? Want to spice up your SOUL life and walk with JESUS this week?
$5 at the door for a GREAT CONCERT with all the proceeds going to help us fund the YOUTH PASTOR training center in LIBERIA.
Need one final reason to go? THE OFFICE is still in re-runs.
blessings and peace!
I can’t begin to say THANK YOU to everyone who helped donate, pack, sort and DELIVER the relief packages to the flood damaged area in COLUMBUS, INDIANA last week. (My hometown growing up.) Can you imagine running from the flood waters as these people to the right did with just a handful of possessions? Please continue to pray.
This place called NEW HOPE is truly amazing at how we respond to needs as they arise. We help bring NEW HOPE to the world spiritually and physically through CHRIST’S POWER and VISION! Let’s never forget WHO we serve and WHY we serve! The POWER of EVERYONE really does make a difference. Here in THE STICKS and around the world!
Please head over to PASTOR TOM’S BLOG for a brief summary from some of the youth and leaders who went and some pics of their journey. THANKS TOM and THE GANG and to everyone who served those we might only meet in ETERNITY!
Blessings and peace.
ONE SERVICE thoughts: I will try to be brief and remind you that words cannot paint the picture of what took place!
1. Yesterday was an amazing day that only GOD could orchestrate. I am still amped and was up early. (well, fairly early). The weather was beautiful, the technology held fine and all was so smooth for a large event! (1 slideshow of each location to browse. Thanks to all who sent pics. I could only use the ones that were compatible and viewable for now. Thanks TOM for L-ville!)
2. The newspaper article said I spearheaded the event. No…I mentioned the vision to a few other pastors, leaders and our staff, and we ALL spearheaded the event. We had great leadership at all levels to pull this one off. Paid, unpaid, lay staff, ministerial associations, etc. This would have never happened without EVERYONE stepping up! THANK YOU!
3. Singing Tomlin’s: GOD OF THIS CITY was a highlight in Ashland (I helped @ that event). WHY? As I held my hands up and screamed it out…for ONCE I wasn’t staring at the back of my eyes or the dark weird ceiling @ New Hope, but the blue skies and I pictured the skies being pealed back and GOD SEATED ON THE THRONE accepting the ADORATION and INTERCESSION of that song. WOW. I can’t wait until our ASHLAND CAMPUS launches in a few short weeks!
4. Communion, and the messages from both locations were AMAZING, BIBLICAL and ANOINTED. Another highlight was fellowshipping with others from all churches @ the free lunch afterwards. Breaking bread together in communion and fellowship is also mandated!
5. DIFFERENCES are OK. We need DIFFERENT churches and ministries and focuses. He calls us ALL to UNIQUE callings. But UNITY is mandated in John 17. And no, we are not universalists. SALVATION through CHRIST and FAITH in HIM ALONE was our UNIFIER. Not all the other categories that we think we have nailed down.
6. The attitudes and beauty of all the churches coming together at both places were amazing. Why did I ever fear? We truly were ONE yesterday and it is a day I will never forget. It was truly up there as a LIFE HIGHLIGHT for Tiffany and I.
7. I pray that this is just the beginning. NO…we don’t have time to do every little thing together as the church community. But I pray that a REVOLUTION was started and a FIRE was lit, and that what HE Started will spread.
8. I am thankful that many other churches will join us next year in both locations and that WOOSTER will experience their first ONE SERVICE next year. We are setting the date in the next 2 weeks for next years event. Thanks to those churches who sent delegations and those who will be PRAYING about joining us next year.
9. 1,600-1,800 people from around 17+ churches came together on a SUNDAY MORNING to worship HIM! No count on decisions for CHRIST yet…that is one of the MAIN REASONS we did this EVENT. Will update that when it comes in. And a HUGE THANKS to our SAVIOR! Without HIM we would be heading to HELL. HE PROVIDED THE WAY. So glad that yesterday (and those in all the other CHRIST preaching, BIBLE BELIEVING, RADICALLY SOLD-OUT churches around the county and the WORLD jumped on that PATH!) And I would love to talk to OTHER PASTORS who would like to do THIS in their CITY!!!
Goin’ out old school: TO GOD BE THE GLORY…GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE…so loved HE the world that He gave us HIS SON. Who yielded HIS life an atonement for sin and opened the LIFE GATE that ALL may go in! Praise the Lord…let the EARTH hear HIS voice…!!!!!!!!!!
Well, there is no party really. We are all TOO TIRED, but BLOWN AWAY!
Here’s a quick snap shot, with more to follow: 1,600+ people in Ashland and Loudonville from 16+ churches gathered to worship and celebrate our SAVIOR.
What do you think happened? EXACTLY. Words can’t even paint the picture. I will post some shots and video next week. More to come.
The start of a revolution is rumbling.
ONLY GOD.
Blessings and Peace!!!!
I can honestly say that I have not heard many people tell me that they have been involved in what we are about to do as a COMMUNITY of FAITH this weekend.
As we gather in 2 locations for the ONE SERVICE event with 17+ churches involved, I can honestly say that this is RARE. It shouldn’t be. To OBEY HIS command to be ONE. (John 17). Head to the One Service BLOG and we want to HEAR from YOU TODAY about this.
This weekend it will be a reality. I can’t believe this amazing weekend is here already…and I can’t wait! I can honestly say that I am beyond PUMPED about what GOD will be doing this weekend!. And no, I could care LESS about the weather. He knew the forecast eons ago. Whether inside or outside…this thing will be OFF the CHAIN…JESUS STYLE!!
Some important info if you are coming:
In LOUDONVILLE: Please ride the shuttle from NEW HOPE. It will save a lot of headaches. Don’t forget your sunscreen and a CHAIR.
In ASHLAND: Please respect the parking areas and DO NOT park @ Southview GBC as people do normally for football games.
BOTH SERVICE LOCATIONS are serving a FREE lunch afterwards, so plan on staying and FELLOWSHIPPING together!
AND LAST BUT VERY IMPORTANT!!!!! Please to everyone at all campuses and churches, don’t forget to be faithful with your GIVING. I have to be real here: Every outdoor event we do (and other churches say this as well)…they have miserable giving and have hardships for weeks, no…MONTHS to come (it almost KILLED us last year outdoors due to the weather…and by the way, if you can’t come due to whatever reason, you can now give online at our website). Let’s not let that stop what GOD wants to do. Our BUILDING FUND especially needs a kick in the pants this SUMMER @ the Hope so we can PAY OUR MORTGAGE. No…Really. We need NEW PEOPLE stepping up there as well. Let’s be faithful every week. SERMON OVER. (But you guys always say to tell it like it is…so there:)
CAN’T WAIT! See ya there! Who ya bringing?
I have always loved communicating. I am working hard to develop my gifts in this area.
If you want to get serious about your gift of teaching is this must read book: COMMUNICATING FOR CHANGE, by: Andy Stanley. This book CHANGED me RADICALLY.
I promise that it will revolutionize your teaching and better than that, it will allow your HEARERS (since that is really the key right?) To retain, grow and more importantly CHANGE by allowing the Word of God to speak in a concise, powerful way.
Public speaking is the art of diluting a two-minute idea with a two-hour vocabulary. – Evan Esar
Yep. It sure is. And I am working HARD at this one. Check out some of our teachings from New Hope on-line HERE.
I am considering a pre-conference session on TEACHING and COMMUNICATING late Monday the day before we kick off THE STICKS. Would love to gather people coming to THE STICKS for a few hours of dialogue and idea sharing on one of our most important jobs. Thoughts?
blessings and peace.
If you are in a small to medium sized town…this short POST is a must read by Kent Shaffer.
Kent describes (for any size church) why we should not “mimic” other churches, but seek to understand why something is “successful” in one context and try to apply that to our context.
Early on at New Hope, we learned to do this very well. We always took the PRINCIPAL, not the FINE POINTS of any idea or opportunity (though the fine points many times DID work in our ministry as well). Watching those who had GONE BEFORE us on the sometimes LONG and LONELY ROAD of both success and failure was one of the primary reasons I believe we have had IMPACT in our context.
This is why THE STICKS excites me. We are going to be talking specifically about OUR CONTEXTS in small to medium sized towns and I have heard VERY LITTLE about that in my few years of pastoral leadership.
The dialogue, networking and Lord-willing, YEAR to YEAR refinement as we gather will be an amazing voice for the rest of us who can through God’s power MAKE BIG IMPACTS in SMALL PLACES. (By the way…we only have 400 spots available…and when they are gone, they are really gone…so don’t wait.)
“Where there is no guidance, a people falls,
but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14–esv)
blessings and peace!
pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldbeere/2331817330/
OK…I’ll be honest right now about the conference we are hosting called THE STICKS.
My ultimate goal is to HANG OUT, NETWORK and LEARN from all of you who are also in small to medium sized towns. What? We do not claim to have this corner of the market figured out just because there are a bunch of people running around here. (bunch of people is all relative, since 44,000 of the 54,000 people in our county are unchurched…anyway…)
I will have my NOTES out and ready as I learn from some of the best leaders in America, most of which are from small to medium sized towns. One of the best is the church we are teaming up with from NEWPOINTE and their Lead Pastor, Dwight Mason.
And the X-FACTOR…YOU! You are really the star of the gathering. The EQUIP sessions are for DISCUSSION, DISCOVERY, and TRUE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS. I pray our team learns a TON from YOU and your teams as we facilitate with other leaders and churches what mistakes and victories we have had, and the principals we think they are founded on. And by the way…there are less than 400 seats available.
Just being HONEST. What do you think? Hit the COMMENTS below and start the conversation.
“Where there is no guidance, a people falls,
but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14–esv)
blessings and peace.
pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyecaramba/9935434/
If I could name one of the hardest, but also most rewarding, parts of my job….that would be fairly easy: FINDING, TRAINING and DEVELOPING LEADERS. Do you TRACK with that?
John Maxwell in Developing the Leaders Around You writes: “A leader’s success can be defined as the maximum utilization of the abilities of those under him.” (or her).
Here in lies the problem, especially if you are in SMALL TOWN America: Getting people to come to SMALL TOWN America. We have a larger ministry comparatively across the United States and when we need to hire outside (which we prefer not to do) they say…LOUDONwhere???
Which takes us to leading from the inside out in our church family as a HUGE priority. That requires MASSIVE amounts of TIME, ENERGY and PATIENCE! But we are COMMITTED to doing this.
I and our new EXECUTIVE PASTOR (who is knocking it out of the park) have recently re-organized my schedule around LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT and I have begun MENTORING 3 people who we have identified with LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL, one of which has already joined our staff as ASHLAND CAMPUS PASTOR.
So…what about you? How do you do it in either a LARGE community or the challenge of a SMALL community? Hit the COMMENTS button below and let’s help each other on this one.
Blessing and peace to you and HONOR to our LEADER, Jesus Christ!
pic: http://flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2137729430/
I can honestly say that I am a HUGE dreamer. I am also a HUGE believer in the WORD. But when I used to read the GREAT COMMISSION…
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (niv)
…I can honestly say that I never thought 5-1/2 years ago that NEW HOPE would be fulfilling the GREAT COMMISSION in that little phrase of ALL NATIONS. Not that we have even arrived at reaching into even a few nations, but seeing God work through the OBEDIENCE of his people has been amazing.
Case in point: 1 month from today I will be on my way to our campus in SOUTHEAST ASIA to visit our house campus…and to BAPTIZE some new believers…are you kidding me? A DVD sent to another nation is making GREAT COMMISSION impact? Putting a well into Malawi, Africa? Helping to fund a youth pastor’s training center in Liberia, Africa. Our 5th campus popping up this year? Only God.
I pray that we at NEW HOPE and wherever YOU call HOME in the MISSION…stay WHITE HOT and leverage all of our creativity, resources, passion, prayers and technology to continue to fulfill this COMMAND!
If a little tiny town can leverage it’s the above resources for the GREAT COMMISSION…anyone can! Let’s DREAM BIG and be OBEDIENT!
blessings and peace!
pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/caro/2195197835/
