Yea God!

We just found out Sunday night that we will have a 5th church joining our lead team.  This is a huge answer to prayer as it helps both financially but also giving us another pool of potential launch team members.  We are thrilled to have Hillside join us and we know that they are going to be a wonderful addition to the team (St. Mark, Wakarusa, College Park & Sturgis).  Hillside took a congregational vote last night and an overwhelming majority voted to move forward and join the lead team - fully recognizing that this will be a sacrifice and faith challenge and yet believing that the Kingdom is worth it!  Ann and I were incredibly moved and encouraged by their faith step!

In some other news, I had the opportunity to preach at Granger Missionary Church yesterday and we were well received.  We appreciated the leadership allowing us to come in and share our hearts with their people and were grateful for several that were interested in partnering with us.

Ann and I are continuing a fast pace season right now as we are continuing to meet with people who are interested in possibly becoming a part of the launch team as well as trying to keep up with several other significant relationships in our neighborhood and area.  We actually have a week off from preaching this week, so were planning to head up to Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan to pay another visit (we have found this church to be an incredible blessing to us).  The "Next Step" Meetings are for anyone who is leaning towards potentially joining the launch team and would like to get to know us better and ask any questions that they might have before making their final decision in whether or not to commit.  These are some very exciting and yet anxious days all at the same time.  Please pray for God to sustain us with His strength, wisdom and discernment.  Also, please pray that God will protect our marriage and family during these very busy times.  I want to be sure to be Christ to Ann and Caitlin in addition to other (not to the exclusion of my family - I want to be sure to keep and intentional healthy balance of both).

Please be praying with us as we seek to try and find a meeting location.  We have some initial options that could get us through the first 6 months but we're continuing to try and find something that will be more long term.  We know God will provide we just want to have discernment to hear from Him!

Below are some significant upcoming dates:

April:

6 - Informational Meeting

7 - Informational Meeting

9 - Next Step Meeting

11 - Next Step Meeting

12 - Sharing at Crossroads Missionary Church

13 - Next Step Meeting

14 - Next Step Meeting

15-16 - Lead Team Retreat

20-23 - Exponential Church Planting Conference (in Orlando)

May:

3 - Preaching at College Park Missionary Church

17 - Preaching at Crossroads Missionary Church

31 - Sharing at Chapel Hill Missionary Church

June:

4-7 - Speak at Wakarusa Missionary Church youth retreat

14 - Share and Preach at Morenci Church of the Nazarene

Busy Times!

Hi Friends,

Ann and I are in the midst of a very fast pace season in life and ministry right now. We are either sharing or preaching at a church most Sundays from now until the middle of June. I’ve spoken at two churches over the last two weeks (St. Mark and Sturgis). Between the two churches we have had 49 people express interest in learning how they could potentially partner with us and/or potentially be a part of the launch team. We’re currently trying to follow up with all of them. I’m planning to preach at Wakarusa this Sunday and I’m hopeful that the Lord will continue to go before us and that there will be a favorable response there as well. Please pray that God will bring the right people to join this team…that they will be obedient to His call and that we will have discerning hearts.

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day and because everyone was outside, we had the opportunity to meet more of our neighbors. We tried to set up times to have them over and vice versa in order to get to know them better. Ann and I are so grateful for the people and friendships that the Lord continues to put before our path.

Please continue to be praying for us in regards to finding the right meeting place. I’ve made several phone calls and I’ve had many conversations with potential sites. I can tell this is going to be a huge challenge and God is naturally going to have to do the work…again (I should have seen that one coming by now!). Please pray that God will direct our steps and meet our needs in this area.

I can just see God’s hand at work in every area of my life. I’m grateful to have this vantage point and my prayer is that I wont get in the way of what He longs to do in me and through me. Additionally, I see that the Harvest in South Mishawaka seems to be so ripe and I’m excited to think of the ways that God longs to use Epic Church…may His name be glorified as His Kingdom continues to multiply. I recognize that there is an enemy of our souls who is doing everything possible to keep this from happening and so I would ask that you prayerfully do battle with us so that His attacks would fall short and that God’s purposes would be advanced.

Finally, I would ask for you to pray for God’s hand of protection to be on my heart, soul body and mind. I would ask for that same protection to be on Ann and Caitlin as well. We long to run the race in such a way so as to win the prize.

As always, thank you for your prayerful support of Epic Church and us.

Jeremy

God Is Amazing!

Hi Friends,

God is truly amazing! He continues to leave me in a place of childlike wonder as I reflect on who He is. I’m again reminded that Epic is His church and it is His plan, my only role is to be faithful and leave the rest to Him. Yesterday, I received the giving report for Epic. Two families whom I don’t even know have begun giving towards Epic! Additionally there was this church that decided to give over a $1,000. I’d never even heard of them before. As it turns out they had a heart to give towards a church plant and had learned of our ministry through word of mouth.

Ann and I have been working hard to get prepared for this upcoming season. This weekend I begin preaching and sharing at various churches. I’m doing this nearly every weekend until June. I’m also planning to have an informational meeting at most of these churches during the week. These meetings are intended to inform people how they can partner with us as well as to serve as means for recruiting people to be a part of the Lead Team for the church. Yesterday I drove to a place called Blissfield, MI to meet with my coach. We’re doing a considerable amount of traveling these next few months including driving to a church planting conference in Florida. My parents are actually planning to come and watch Caitlin in order that we can still take her and that Ann can join me at the conference (Let’s hear it for grandparents!!). We are looking forward to learning and being better equipped at this conference. We are very excited for the opportunity.

We’re still in the process of trying to find a place for Epic Church to meet. Please keep this, as well as the Lead Team coming together, as high matters of prayer.

Significant Upcoming Dates:

March:

8 – Preaching at St. Mark Missionary Church

11 – Informational Meeting at St. Mark Missionary Church

15 – Preaching at Sturgis Missionary Church

17 – Informational Meeting at Sturgis Missionary Church
22 – Preaching at Wakarusa Missionary Church

25 – Informational Meeting at Wakarusa Missionary Church

29 – Sharing at Granger Missionary Church


29 – (evening) Meeting with Hillside Missionary Church

April:

12 - Sharing at Crossroads Missionary Church
15-16 – Lead Team Retreat

20-23 – Exponential Church Planting Conference (in Orlando)



May:

3 – Preaching at College Park Missionary Church
17 - Preaching at Crossroads Missionary Church
31 – Sharing at Chapel Hill Missionary Church


Prayer Requests:

• For God’s protection over our marriage & Family…these are exciting & challenging days for our family.
• For incredible wisdom and provision as we seek to find a meeting place and recruit the launch team.
• For God to use me to impact lives as I preach at the various churches.
• That God will continue to go before us and meet our needs.
• For safety and good health over these next several months of travel.