South Mishawaka Church Plant

letter to a friend...

2011-02-23T08:26:00.000-08:00

In March it will be Epic Church's one year anniversary from our public launch. I recently sent an e-mail to my friend Mike reflecting on where God has brought us in this last year. Mike Moran is the Pastor of Kettlebrook Church in West Bend, Wisconsin. I really respect him and Mike and his church was the first church to "buy in" and partner in the dream of Epic. As I reflect on God's faithfulness over this last year, I simply stand humbled at how He has built His church beyond our imagination. To Him truly be all the Glory! Below is a portion of the e-mail that I sent to my friend Mike.

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Hi Mike,

You and Kettlebrook were on my heart this morning and I felt impressed to give you an update in regards to Epic in order to encourage you all and to allow you to celebrate with what God is doing.

As you last heard, we had made our Epic challenge of $53,000 in October of 2010 which made it so we were no longer in need of outside financial assistance. Since that time, Epic agreed to help partner with a church plant in an urban area in Michigan in addition to the church planters that we are supporting in Asia.

In November Epic was told about an incredible facility that had come available in the heart of our community. It’s an 18,000 square foot building that has a gymnasium that was built on in 2007. Additionally, it came with 10 acres of land. It’s located right next to an elementary school in the heart of several new subdivisions. What’s more, Epic was offered the deal of a lifetime – simply take over the mortgage of the property (for about $1,000 more per month than what we were paying for the rent of the school for 4 hours a week). After much prayer our entire congregation unanimously agreed that this was God’s provision and next step for Epic but not without first considering how this building would allow us to better live out our Vision and Values.

Shortly after acquiring the building I had an individual come to me and ask me to go to lunch. We went to lunch and he shared that he and his wife are absolutely thrilled with the vision and values of Epic along with direction that the church was heading. He then proceeded to tell me that he and his wife would like to donate $100,000 towards this new building for whatever the leadership deemed necessary for start up. He also asked that it they be kept anonymous and that he and his wife do not want any type of “say” or influence on how the money should be spent...He went on to say that they are not the type that will leave a church if they don’t like how it was being spent... they just want to be blessing. So, Epic is in the midst of doing some renovating so that we can have our grand opening in our new building on April 17th...it feels like we’re doing a launch all over again and it’s pretty exciting!

Additionally, we’re excited to mention that the nearby public school to the new property has already contacted Epic and asked if they could begin holding some sports practices in our gymnasium. We’re so thrilled that before this building has the opportunity to serve us on Sundays for our worship gatherings, that it’s already serving our community...and we have so many more ideas and plans on how we can serve our community with this new tool that God has blessed us with.

Finally, and a piece that I’m most excited about. Epic is going to be planting another church in Goshen, Indiana (about 20 minutes away from Epic). Epic is going to be the mother church and will be planting this church without any other assistance. We are looking to introduce our planter to our congregation and bring him onto our staff in the next week. He has already gathered his team and it looks like we will be able to get them holding their own worship services within the next several months. Naturally we would love for your continued prayers for Epic and this exciting new church plant.

In March, Epic will officially be 1 year old (from our public launch to our community). There have been several who have been reconciled to God and many more who are living far from God but have begun attending Epic and are taking their next steps with God.

I share all of this with you, because I was reminded once again this morning about the step of Faith that you and the people of Kettlebrook took in partnering with Epic. As I recall, you all were the first church to “buy in” as partners and soon several others jumped in and followed the testimony of your lead and faith step. Thanks for being the first to believe in what God could do, we are so grateful for your belief and we trust that you are encouraged by the fruit that has sprung forth for the Kingdom of God! To Him be all the glory.

Anyway just want to say that I’m so grateful for you and our brothers and sisters at Kettlebrook!

-Jeremy

Molly...

2010-07-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, Molly, the school custodian sat in during the worship Gathering . Afterwards, I had a chance to talk with her for a significant amount of time as people were leaving. She really poured out her heart to me, and we had an incredible conversation about God and life. Our conversation eventually turned towards me having the opportunity to share the plan of salvation with her. Molly admitted that she had never gone to church prior to Epic coming to the school. She has been going through a tough time but felt that God was drawing her to himself. I then asked her if she was ready to make the choice to follow Jesus. She said that she was, so I led her over to the chairs in the lobby and prayed with her to receive Christ as her Lord and Savior. She said she had a real sense of peace after praying together. Yea God!!! Please pray for Molly and Epic as we help her take her next steps in her new relationship with God.

Open...

2010-06-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

This last week, during my personal prayer time, I began praying, "God, would You move in our midst and pour yourself out in our Gatherings in such a way that we can't miss You?"

Last Sunday we showed up to the school an hour and a half before our Gathering started only to discover that we didn't have power. The storms that came through on Friday left many homes and buildings without power. The school had a generator back up but it was only enough power to flush a few toilets and turn on a couple lights. I was so proud of the resilient attitude of our church. We looked things over and quickly reassessed what our Gathering would entail for the day. Instead of focusing on what we didn't have we got pretty excited about what did have.

1. We had a beautiful day.

2. We had an overhang outdoors that would hold everyone and protect us from the direct sunlight.

3. We still had use of the restrooms.

4. We had a wonderful playground on the other side of the school for the kids to play on after their lesson.

5. We have portable chairs, and tables that we could just move outside.

6. We have an incredibly gifted and flexible worship team that was able to put together an acoustic set on the fly. They had to come up with songs that were a little more familiar from their original set list. Then Our drummer realized that he had some paint buckets in his car (which sounded really cool). The custodian allowed us to use an acoustic piano that was on rollers in the music room. We had an acoustic guitar and singers with great hearts and voices.

7. We had a children's ministry that was able to adapt and still make things run with excellence. I heard one of our kids say, this was the best Sunday ever, I wish we could do this every week.

8. We had a Gathering that was full of people that saw this as an opportunity rather than an obstacle and they were grateful for the opportunity to still gather for worship.

9. We had prayer. Prior to our Gathering many of us prayed and thanked God for this opportunity. We asked that He would be our focus and that He would still bring the people.

Afterwards I had so many people comment on what an incredible experience it was. Some even asked if we could do that more often! The presence of God was evident and it was so simple and different. I was reminded at how often I seem to put God in a box and expect Him to work according to MY plans, MY comfort zones and MY traditions. As if to say God can't work outside the lines that I've drawn in the sand. In reality God doesn't need for me to figure everything out for Him, all He needs from me is an open heart!

www.epicmishawaka.org

Journey's

2010-05-03T05:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went to the graduation ceremony for Bethel College as several of our students from Epic were graduating. Yesterday reminded me of just how grateful I am for the college students that have journeyed with us at Epic. Several of them have stepped up in huge ways and are being used by God. This last Sunday was our last Sunday with some and several will be heading home or on various trips throughout the summer. We're going to miss them and were already looking forward to their return! One of our students, Casey Hasselkus recently blogged about her journey with Epic.

http://caseyhasselkus.blogspot.com/2010/04/epic-journey.html

Week 2

2010-03-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

We had a great second week as well. During our first week we had a guy from Michigan that came and visited. He was so compelled with our heart for meeting needs and reaching out to our community that he wanted to help partner with us. As it turns out, he is a distributor for an organization that gives away large amounts of free food to other non-for-profit organizations. He ended up getting 1,000 lbs. of apples and 80 loaves of bread and asked us if we could use them to help touch some lives in our community. Our team rallied to the challenge and we distributed every last apple and loaf of bread to multiple families in need. As a result we were able to have so many incredible conversations with people as we started the conversation by simply letting people know that God loves them. So many were blessed and several asked what church we were with (we only told them if they asked as our heart is that people will know that God loves them and that they would get involved in any church that serious about being devoted followers of Jesus).

On Wednesday I received another phone call that challenged our team significantly. We learned that due to a mechanical issue we would no longer be able to use the stage in the gym where we were holding our worship gatherings. This posed several significant issues. First we didn't have any stage (and I'm really short). Secondly, Even if we get a stage we don't have a big enough trailer to haul it in.

As we prayed and talked with others, we ended up having a church allow us to use their portable stage that they were just storing and not using...and they told us we could use it long term. Then, one of our team members posted our need on his facebook status and a guy responded that his father had a 24 foot trailer that he wasn't using and he thought we could use it long term. On that Sunday, we ended up completely flipping the direction and using the new stage and most people said that they liked the feel even better.

We ended up having 105 people (which I found out is pretty decent for the second week) and most importantly, we had 12 first time visitors from the community that came (not very usual...but awesome)!

God continues to go before us and He continues to remind us that nothing catches Him by surprise...it's His church that He's building after all!

Public Launch Sunday...

2010-03-08T20:04:00.000-08:00

We had an amazing first Sunday! We conservatively had 198 people in attendance (although we think there were more than that...and we’re double checking our figures). Our team did a really great job inviting and there were several faces that I didn’t know or recognize from within the community. We had two families that came as a result of our promotion (one of which was a single Father who hadn’t been to church in over 7 years).

On a personal note, Ann and I had 15 of our friends from the community and neighborhood show up (plus all of their kids)! Many of them said that they really enjoyed it and are planning to come back. At the end of my message as we went into our second worship set, there were several who were visibly moved by God! In fact one of my friends that was a prayerful and financial supporter came down from Wisconsin posted on our Epic Facebook wall, “One of the most powerful (services) I've ever attended...EPIC is amazing!!!! God is really at work here.”

Friends, it’s apparent that lives are being impacted and changed, and we’re asking God to continue to use us for so much more! Please keep praying for us!

This Sunday - The Big Day!

2010-03-03T06:42:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time in waiting but this Sunday is the day! We will be having our first public worship gathering. The team has been working their tails off and I'm so thankful for each and every one of them. The last two weeks we held our preview services at the Meadows Edge Elementary School (where we will now meet) and they went incredibly well. Last week Jennie Kintner spoke and I heard nothing but positive feedback. Again the strength is the incredible team that God has brought to Epic. I'm really excited as I've had several of my friends and family members mention that they are coming this Sunday. We even have some of our supporters from Wisconsin and Colorado coming in to be a part of this momentous occasion. We're so grateful for all of you who have prayed and supported us in so many different ways!

As we go into this Sunday, please pray that God will:

• Bring the people in that need to be there.
• That God will move in hearts and lives would be changed.
• That Epic will have a significant ongoing impact in our community and around the world.
• That God will continue to give us a heart for people who are far from Him.
• That God’s provision and protection would be on us physically, spiritually and emotionally.

On a more personal note, I could use your prayers as Ann and I had a loss in our family this last Sunday night. One minute before we were supposed to start our service, Ann and I received a text that we needed to "get to the hospital now." We had to leave and the team went on without us. As it turns out, our nephew Joshua was born on Sunday night but was only with us for an hour after his birth. We were made aware of this diagnosis prior to his birth so it didn't come as a total shock. However our family is deeply saddened by this and would appreciate your prayers. Please especially remember my brother, Jonathan and his wife, Kristin as they mourn the loss of their first child. Ann and I are so grateful for all of your prayers and encouragement!

Pre-Launch...

2010-02-18T17:21:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday night was our final worship gathering at First United Methodist Church. We are so grateful to the leadership and people of FUMC for graciously allowing us to use their facilities over the last 5 months. Our final worship gathering was special as we had several guests from some of the partnering churches along with the 5 senior pastors and their spouses from the 5 lead team churches (which have supplied us with people and finances) came to pray a prayer of commissioning over our launch team. It was a very inspiring night and we're excited to begin this next phase.

I've been in several meetings trying to nail down all the final details before our public launch on March 7th. We are in the midst of a marketing campaign that Josh Yoder is heading up. Josh and the team are doing a great job with the marketing and have been really creative in this effort. Our different ministry teams are working endless hours to get prepared but everything seems to be coming together and I'm being constantly reminded of how grateful I am for the people that God brought to this team. It's so evident that we have the right people with the right gifts and He has continued to meet our needs.

Please be in prayer for our us as we begin this next phase of our church plant:

• Please pray that God move in the hearts of the people within our community and that they will come out to Epic and that we will be faithful in doing our part in their lives as God does His part.
• Please pray for God’s provision and blessing upon us.
• Please pray for God’s protection on our team (spiritual, emotional, physical).
• Please pray that God would go before us and that we would follow His lead.
• Please pray that people who are far from God will be reconciled to Him through this ministry.

Countdown!

2010-02-04T05:46:00.000-08:00

I just met with our launch team last night and there is a general sense of anxious anticipation. We are looking forward to our public launch on March 7th at Meadows Edge Elementary School. Our Worship gathering time will be at 10:30 on Sunday mornings. We are calling this "Stage 2" of our launch. With our Stage 2 launch we have re-invited our previous launch team members to re-up their commitment to be a part of this second stage and I'm excited to tell you that everyone has decided to do so and we have the privilege of having new people joining the team.

We are getting ready to start our Home Groups. Currently we have three homes that we will be launching in the next week and there are more that we are prepared to start after we begin our public gatherings. The home groups will be a significant part our spiritual formation process and helping people get connected to Epic.

It's so amazing to see how God is continuing to go before us and meet our needs. When we initially put our plan together in October, we had a goal of raising $50,000 in order to purchase everything we needed to do our launch. As of January we had raised/saved up $24,000 and this seemed significantly off pace for where we needed to be by March. Once again God reminded us that He is building His church and that He is our provider in both resources and people. We have so many talented and gifted individuals on our launch team that God brought and they have been able to be creative and resourceful to the point that it now appears that we are only going to have to spend $10,000 to launch (and still do our ministry with excellence). From God having another church allow us to use their trailer to being able to build things at cost, we are seeing everything come together for way under the initial estimated start price. God is so amazing! What's most exciting is that this allows us to use the additional money to continue in other forms of outreach to our community. Yea God!

Currently we're really heavy into the public marketing stage of our launch. Please pray that this will be effective and that we will have wisdom in this area. Once again, I feel good about my marketing team since I'm working with two young business majors/graduates who have some expertise and creativity in this.

Please pray that everything will come together for our preview services and then for our public launch on March 7th. Please pray that we wont lose sight of what we're about and why we're doing this...that we will remain focused on the vision and the mission!

Finally, please pray for God's hand to move in several ways:

• To touch people's hearts and lives in our community through Epic.
• To protect the hearts, minds and families of those who are a part of this team/church.
• To continue to provide.
• To continue to lead us (and that we wont let go of his hand).

Thank you for your prayerful support.

Thanks to our Incredible Launch Team

2009-12-23T23:37:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Grateful

2009-11-26T05:49:00.000-08:00

It's Thanksgiving and there's so much we have to be grateful for.

Last Sunday was our seventh week of holding our worship gatherings. The spirit has been great and it is apparent by both the new faces that we’re seeing and the comments we are receiving that God is moving and building His church. A week ago, we had 82 people (our highest attendance) so far. We have had 30 new visitors and several have asked how they can get involved.

Last Saturday, we delivered 27 Thanksgiving meals to 27 different needy families living near our meeting place. It was amazing the opportunities we had to build relationships and share God’s love with these people.

Last Friday, I had the final meeting with our finance team and we put together a working budget. Money is going to be extremely tight! We still have several items that we need to have donated or purchased before we can move forward with our public launch that we are tentatively planning for March. Yet God, shows His faithfulness as a couple of weeks ago, a church planter that I didn’t even know, happened to “by chance” look at my website and saw that we were trying to find a trailer. As it turns out they are no longer in need of their 16-foot trailer come January. They told us we are welcome to use it. I was moved by their generosity and Kingdom-mindedness! God is so Amazing and continues to show His faithfulness!

I’m currently in the process of thinking through starting small groups. I want to be wise about doing this right. Please pray for me that I will do this in God’s timing and with His wisdom. Also that all of the components and people needed would come together to make this happen.

On December 6^th, I’m excited to have Jennie Kintner, one of our launch team members share her first message with Epic. Jennie is a very gifted communicator and I'm looking forward to hearing her share! We are planning to have her join the speaking rotation once a month. On December 13^th we are planning to have a special Christmas Worship Gathering and this should be a really wonderful time.

Prayer Requests:

· God’s Financial Provision and Wisdom in Stewardship. We need about $50,000 worth of capital expenditures.

· God will continue to use us and expand our impact in our community.

· I need God’s Wisdom and Strength as I lead the church.

· I need God’s wisdom, timing and effectiveness as I look to start small groups.

· God will continue to build His church and that we wont get in the way.

· God’s provision and protection will be on our families.

· Endurance as we recognize that this is a marathon.

This Sunday!

2009-10-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

The time is finally here! This Sunday evening we will officially begin holding our first worship gathering. This is our first stage of our 2 stage launch. We are so grateful for the people of First United Methodist Church who allowing us to use their facility. They have been an incredible blessing to work with and they really have heart for the Kingdom. We will be meeting in their Fellowship Hall on Sunday evenings starting this Sunday...YEAH! They are also allowing us to use their equipment and children's ministry space. Thanks for all of you who have been praying with us to find this place. God is Faithful!

Below are some other praises and prayer requests:

Praises:

We have a place to store our trailer (when we get a trailer). Answer to prayer!
We have a great location to meet for our services. Thanks for praying about this.
We have an incredibly committed launch team!

Prayer Requests:

We have our first official worship gathering (Soft launch) this Sunday Night! Please pray that God will move in a mighty way and that He will Glorified and the lives will be changed.
Pray that we will remain wise stewards with our resources and time.
That people who are far from God, will become fully devoted followers of Jesus as a result of this ministry.
God will continue to protect our hearts, bodies and minds.
That more and more of the right people will come to join our team over the next several weeks.
God will give me His words this Sunday as I preach.
We need people with a passion for children to come and help us out (like most churches:)
That we will continue to build relationships and meet needs of those living in and around South Mishawaka.

Thank you for all of your prayerful support!

God's Hands

2009-09-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

I want to give you an encouraging update.

We are really close to declaring our official meeting sight for our October 11th launch. This Wednesday I will be able to officially make that location known. Please pray as we make this final decision.

This morning I met with a local business man and he knows of someone that may have a place that could work for an office space for us. It is not currently being used and would need some handy work done on it, but it would have three rooms and a conference room space. It would be an ideal location if it works out. Please join with us and pray that this would work out for us.

This is a portion of an e-mail sent out to our launch team from Kim Selis one of our launch team members and local outreach coordinator at Epic:

“We were able to deliver 24 packs of groceries to families in need. Each "pack" contained one bag of frozen food, one bag of non-perishable items, one bag of bread items and one gallon of milk! It was truly amazing to see!

Many opened their doors to us and shared prayer requests, some, while it seemed they had need, felt that their neighbors needed the food more and sent us there, some were just thankful for the food.

There were doors opened for us to return. We were able to take prayer requests from these homes and we prayed together as a team for those requests and will continue to pray and follow up with them.

The group also loaded up, after the delivery and went to one of the homes to help a woman, who had fire damage. The men worked to unhook her stove and get it out to the trash and the women (and children) wiped down walls and the bathroom.”

I drove away from this neighborhood overwhelmed with emotion as I was just so proud of our team and the way they are allowing God to use them to “get their hands dirty” and Live Out His love to this community.

From there I drove to one of our other outreaches that one of our launch team members was leading that afternoon. Peter Metzger who is a senior at Bethel College was hosting the Epic Skate Invitational at Bethel College. People from all over drove in and were able to take part in this event and then were made aware of a new church coming to South Mishawaka. They were given our information and it turned out to be a great day.

The details are coming together in God's timing and we are remaining dependent on His leading. Please continue to pray with us for the following:

God would use us to meet needs in our community and develop ongoing relationships.
God would give us discernment on a location for our stage 1 launch this Oct.
God would would provide us with an office space and storage space for our trailer.
God will protect our hearts and minds and that we will continue to abide in Him!

I remain humbled to reflect on God holding us in His hands, while inviting us to be His hands.

Abiding in Him!

2009-09-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

After much prayer and counsel we have decided to go with a 2 stage launch. Our first launch will take place in a church and we are still targeting that to take place on Oct. 11th. However, this will be more of a word of mouth launch that will be intended to help us build up the launch team and save up finances for a few months (we are trying to save up close to $60,000 to purchase portable equipment). On March 7th we are planning to do our public launch which will take place at Meadow's Edge Elementary School.

Last night I met with our launch team and it seemed important for us to stop and use our meeting time for prayer. We took time to remind ourselves that it is God who must build His church and that all of our strategies and planning are meaningless without His empowerment. John 15:5 has been in my mind all week long. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." I challenged the team to double their prayer focus in the coming weeks prior to our launch. I shared with them that in order for us to be fruitful we have to be tapped in and know HIS power.

Despite the enemy's attempts to thwart us from the mission we continue to see God's Hand. Our team remains committed and we are continuing to grow. We now have 33 adults and 31 children on our launch team (and we are still seeking more)! We had $16,000 come in last month despite having several of our families struggling to find work. We are so grateful for our outside partnerships (churches and friends) that are faithfully giving towards this church plant. We can't thank you enough!

God is amazing and it is our deep desire to abide in Him and to walk in accordance to His leading. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Below are some ongoing prayer requests:

God will protect our hearts and minds.
We will remain steadfast on our mission of living in and living out God's love as we seek to reach people that are far from God.
God will provide us with the right meeting space for our Oct. 11th launch.
God will continue to meet our financial needs (both for Epic and our individual families).
Physical and relational protection on our families.
That we will abide in Him and as a result He will make us fruitful.
That we will have victory over the ongoing attacks from the enemy.

Josh...and stuff!

2009-08-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

There’s so much to share with you. We have made an update video that I would invite you to check out at: http://www.epicmishawaka.org/Epic/Video.html

We have had a huge answer to prayer. As many of you know, I have been praying a great deal for administrative help. Recently one of our launch team members, Josh Yoder, quit his very good paying job in a management position because it ended up interfering with his commitment to the Epic Launch Team on Sundays. Josh is a recent graduate from Purdue University and has his degree in Business management. In hearing this, it seemed to me that perhaps God’s person for the position was already on our team. He has the skill, I know him and his heart (as a former student in my youth ministry), He believes and is deeply committed to the vision at Epic and he’s somebody I could work with. Finally, the big test was when I told him that he would need to raise his support and work a part time job, as Epic would be unable to pay him. After praying about it and seeking Godly counsel, he came back and said that he thought God was in this, and that he was ready to take another step of faith to become the Intern for the Director of Administration while raising his support to do so. As of late this last week we confirmed and finalized the decision and Josh is officially on board. This is a huge blessing and answer to prayer! Please be praying with Josh, as naturally a step like this can be unnerving and yet very rewarding. Please pray for God to honor his step of Faith and obedience and that Josh’s needs would be met.

Please be praying for the following:

· I am going tomorrow to meet with the principal for the school. We will be talking about ways that we can partner with the school. Additionally we will talk about a rental agreement in that school. Please pray that everything would go smoothly for this.

· Please pray for unity in our team and within our partnering churches.

· Pray that I will have incredible wisdom and discernment to lead.

· Please pray for us as we continue to try and be Christ to our community.

· Pray for God's hand of protection to be on our hearts and families.

· Please pray for God to bring more people to our launch team.

· Pray that God will supply all our needs.

· Please pray that God will continue to build His church and that His will would be done and that He May get all the Glory!

Momentum

2009-06-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited about our Launch Team. We are now up to 22 adults and 21 kids (mostly young children). Our Launch Team is very committed and it's awesome to have a team of people that have a heart for Living in and Living out God's love. We are humbled to be used by God to lead such an amazing team of people.

A couple of weeks ago, we partnered with the city of Mishawaka and a couple of other local churches in the community (River Valley and Vineyard) to help work on a home that the city of Mishawaka selected for us. It was cool to be tangible expressions of Christ's body and love. It was exciting to see various churches partnering together for the sake of the Kingdom.

Last weekend our Launch team did a prayer walk over a large section of South Mishawaka. It was incredible to be walking throughout the city and to actually see the needs. Over 46% of South Mishawaka is low income/poverty line. It was moving to walk the streets and to see those first hand (at a slower pace of walking vs. driving) as we sought to look with the eyes of God. Our prayer is that God would touch and bless the hearts and lives of those who are so desperately in need. Also, that we would be Christ to our community. It was an incredible day to be praying the needs that God put before us.

The Launch Team will be meeting again this Sunday for our next session where we will be covering vision, training, values and community. Please pray that God will give us incredible insight and unity as we go into this meeting. In conjunction with our meetings, the Launch Team is reading two books this summer (of which I highly recommend for any church) "Simple Church" & "Jim and Casper go to church." Thanks to the inspiration of the "Jim and Casper" book the launch team is planning to break into smaller groups and set up several dates to visit a variety of churches in order to learn and grow from our experiences. Please pray that God will give us His heart and mind as we consider what it's like for a "new person" to come to our future gatherings.

Thanks for your ongoing prayerful support. Below is a short list of prayer requests that you can pray on our behalf.

Pray that God will bring more of the "right people" to join our launch team. We have a goal to have 42 adults on our launch team prior to our launch this October.
Pray that God will solidify where we will be meeting. Our goal is to know this by the end of the month.
Pray for God's protection on our hearts, minds and family.
Pray for a heart and mind of unity and focus within our Launch Team.
Pray for God's blessing and protection to be upon our Lead Team churches in addition to all of our partnering churches.
Pray that God will give Ann and I wisdom to lead.
Pray that God will continue to raise up more prayer and financial partners.

Blessed to have you partnering with us!

We’re Growing!

2009-06-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

We have officially had our first Launch Team Meeting this last Saturday. We had a great time of building relationships and spent some time praying together. It ended up being a wonderful and inspiring time. I can’t tell you how exciting it was to look around the room and to see the diversity of ages, stages of life, gift mix and passion. Nevertheless we were unified in coming together in order that we may make a difference for the sake of God’s Kingdom as we seek to “Live in and Live out God’s love.” Are team is continuing to grow. We are officially up to 18 adults with several others still considering their potential partnership with us. Ann and I were at Hillside Missionary Church this last Sunday and we had a very warm response from the people there. We had several that indicated an interest in partnering with Epic in some form.

We could use your ongoing prayers for us in the following ways:
• God would continue to bring more of the right people to join the Epic Church Plant. We have a goal of a minimum of 42 adults by Oct.
• God would continue to raise up prayerful and financial supporters.
• God would provide us with a location.
• God would have his hand of protection on all of our launch team members – Emotionally, physically, relationally, spiritually
• God would Ann and I incredible wisdom and discernment beyond our experience and own abilities.
• Epic would be used in a mighty way to impact lives as we remain focused on bringing the love of Christ to those who are far from God. Thanks for your prayers!

And the Journey Continues...

2009-05-14T04:22:00.000-07:00

Ann, Caitlin and I have recently returned from a great deal of traveling in the car. We recently returned from a time that served as both a conference and much needed family vacation time in Orlando. As I look at what appears to be a very full summer and fall, we feel very refreshed, equipped and excited for this next leg of the journey with Epic.

I’m excited to say that we have had 11 adults sign on to our launch team at this point and we are thrilled by their partnership. We’re planning to have our first official Launch Team Meeting May 30th. We’re optimistic that there will be even more people joining us to be a part of the Launch Team by then as several more are still taking time to pray and consider. Additionally, Ann and I are planning to be in two more churches this month (Hillside and College Park) where we will be inviting people from these communities to join in partnering with us. Please pray that God will move in the hearts of these people in regards to their partnership and involvement with Epic. Our goal is to have at least 42 adults prior to our launch in October.

On the Financial front, we have a goal to raise a total of $250,000 (over two years). We currently have just over $135,000 that has been pledged and/or received. Please pray that God will continue to provide financially. We want to thank so many of you have pledged and given of your finances. I know that in these economic times it would one might be tempted to “hold back.” Thank you for your courageous faith steps and desire to help advance the Kingdom of God.

We are still in the process of trying to find a location. We have been told that we are able rent one of the schools in South Mishawaka, but only for six months max. This at least gives us an option to launch, and we are certainly grateful for this option. However, we are looking for something that would be more long term, affordable, and able to help us better serve the community. Please continue to pray with us as we seek God’s direction and provision in this matter.

On a more personal note, Ann and I are continuing to build relationships in our neighborhood and community. As I am typing this I’m looking out the back door of my home and noticing that there are 4 more new homes going in behind us. We’re excited about these potential relationships and it’s exciting to think about how God already knows who will be moving into them.

Thank you for your support and partnership with us. Together God will use us to make a difference and to bring honor to His name as we Live in/out His Love!

Jeremy

Launch Team!

2009-04-14T09:57:00.000-07:00

Ann and I continue to meet with people who are interested in the church plant in one form or another. We’ve been preaching and sharing at various churches and have had many people indicate a level of interest - whether it be partnering in prayer, finances, periodic tasks/projects or even joining the church by being a part of the lead team. We’re continually being reminded that God is building His church and that we need to be sure to follow His lead.

We have had several informational meetings, with over 70 people from various churches either in attendance or asking for information on the church plant. As people have prayed and begin to count the costs, 22 people have come to our “Next Step” Meetings at this point in time. Out of that group we have had 3 people already commit to being a part of the Launch Team! All of the others remain interested but need more time to pray. We’re planning to hear back from them around the first week in May. In sharing this news with my Church Planting Coach, he seemed very pleased with the initial progress and response from people in the stage that we’re in. Our hope is to have an idea of an initial group to start the Launch Team by May. We’re planning to still have several other opportunities for people to join along the way. I’m planning to preach in two more of our Lead Team churches (College Park & Hillside) in May and we’re hopeful that out of these pools more people will get on board by joining the Launch Team. Please continue to pray that God will move in the hearts of those He has planned to form this Launch Team. Pray that God will give Ann and I wisdom.

In the next few weeks I will be doing a significant amount of traveling. I will be taking part in our Lead Team Retreat with our Lead Team Churches (College Park, Hillside, St. Mark, Sturgis & Wakarusa). Additionally, I will be taking part in the Exponential Church Planting Conference. This is a wonderful opportunity to gain more insight and skills in planting a multiplying church. Please pray that I will learn what God has for Epic and for me during these times at the retreat and conference.

On a personal note, Ann and I are continuing to meet more of our neighbors and people in South Mishawaka and we are enjoying building these relationships and getting to know our neighbors. My daughter has especially enjoyed getting to meet new friends and have other kids to play with (Mom and Dad get a little boring after awhile). Please pray that we will build more friendships and grow the relationships that we have formed. Finally please pray for God’s ongoing protection on our family and for our hearts.

It feels like a snowball is being formed and we’re excited to see how it continues to grow. This will only happen through God leading the way and for your ongoing support. Many thanks for your faithfulness in partnering with us.

Jeremy

Yea God!

2009-03-31T19:43:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-03-18T06:16:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-03-06T06:21:00.000-08:00

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.

Update!!

2009-02-13T04:31:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends,

I want to share with you some exciting praises and updates and then give you some items to be praying with us.

Praise/Update:

Things are beginning to ramp up. Ann and I have begun to have conversations with people that say that they would be interested in taking the next step to discover if being a part of Epic Church (in some form) is what God has next for them. We’ve had several great conversations over the last month and we’re excited about the potential of what God may choose to do with these people in regards to partnering with Epic.

This week Ann and I went and met with a church up in Michigan and had an awesome time of sharing our hearts and vision with them. I received a phone call from the Sr. Pastor yesterday and he said that their church board unanimously decided to take a major step of faith and send us a $10,000 donation towards the ministry of Epic. Additionally they would like to partner with us and know of any tangible needs that the ministry may have in order that they might be able to help towards those needs as well. This is a giant step of faith for this church in these times and to say that I was humbled and encouraged by them would be a considerable understatement.

Significant Upcoming Dates:

February:
18-19 - Growing Healthy Churches Cluster Meeting (in Columbus, OH)
22 – Share at St. Mark Missionary Church

March:
8 – Preaching at St. Mark Missionary Church
11 – Informational Meeting at St. Mark Missionary Church
15 – Preaching at Sturgis Missionary Church
22 – Preaching at Wakarusa Missionary Church
25 – Informational Meeting at Wakarusa Missionary Church
29 – Sharing at Granger Missionary Church

April:
15-16 – Lead Team Retreat
20-23 – Exponential Church Planting Conference (in Orlando)

May:
3 – Preaching at College Park Missionary Church

Requests:

* Please continue to pray for God to go before us and to provide and give wisdom.

* Please continue to pray for his hand of protection to be on our family. Pray for us physically (Jeremy is currently feeling ill), emotionally and spiritually.

* Please pray for God to bring the people He has for this church and those that are to be on the Launch Team. Pray that we will be wise and incredibly sensitive towards His leading as this is a crucial step towards launching this church.

* Please pray for God to move in the hearts of those we will be speaking to in the near future in regards to a space to be renting.

* Please pray for us as we seek to impact our community and reflect the love, humility and compassion of Christ.

* Please pray for God to give us His words as we continue to share and begin preaching at churches.

Prayer and Praise Update...

2009-01-25T06:15:00.000-08:00

"See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand." James 5:7-8

Requests:

Caitlin came down with the flu last night. Please pray that she gets better quickly. I'm supposed to leave for a church planting conference in Orlando this Wednesday, please pray that God will keep Ann and I from getting sick while I'm away. Please pray that my time at the conference will be a very beneficial time.

Ann and I continue to develop new relationships and are continuing to nurture relationships we have built since moving. James 5:7-8 has been impressed on my heart - please pray these verses with me.

We're beginning the very early stages of recruiting the launch team. We're looking for 45-100 people (ideally) that have hearts like Missionaries to the people of South Mishawaka and match the values and vision of Epic Church that God has put on our hearts. Please pray for God to go before us and to give us much needed wisdom and discernment as we start this process.

Please pray for God to continue to provide financially. This has been extra challenging with the economy.

Please pray for God's hand of protection to be on our family: Physically, emotionally, & spiritually. Pray too that He will continue to meet our needs.

Praise:

Ann, Caitlin and I are grateful for our home and are continuing to get settled and unpacked after living out of suitcase for 4 months. The time we had with our parents was a wonderful time for Caitlin to bond with her grandparents. It's really neat to see this... she has 4 awesome grandparents!

Ann and I have had opportunities to meet some of our neighbors and we're excited to develop these relationships. One of our neighbors who also just move in, were actually a part of a church plant several years ago... pretty cool!

Ann and I have had meetings with some churches that are considering partnering with us. We were encouraged by our times with them and are prayerfully hopeful for their partnership.

We are continuing to develop relationships with our friends in South Mishawaka and we're just loving these people and our times together.

Our family and "long time" friends have been an incredible inspiration and encouragement to us.

Home update & Praise:

2008-12-31T04:29:00.000-08:00

Our prayers have been that God would go before us in every aspect and He certainly has! As it turns out with this unusual weather in December it exposed some serious grade issues as well as some tile issues with our home -hence significant water in the basement. Long story short, it was good that this happened before we owned the home (as this issue wouldn't normally have happened until Spring time) and the contractor was able to correct it with the warmer weather. Additionally, we discovered that if our personal items would have been in there and that had happened, our personal items would have been our loss unless we were to get into a big legal battle.

After a great deal of helpful advice from friends and family who knew how to handle this situation far better than us (you know who you are and we thank you so much) we had to have several meetings with our contractor and third party inspections, but it all looks good and seems corrected. Ann and I are closing on the house this morning...YEA! We have a little bit of painting to do over the next few days, but we're hoping to start moving our things in this Saturday. Thanks for your prayers and concerns! God is so Faithful!!!

Prayer for our home...

2008-12-26T11:43:00.000-08:00

Please pray. Ann and I previously postponed on the closing of our new home a week ago. We thought the issue had been resolved until we went into the basement again this morning. Due to the road conditions, the contractor said he couldn't make it out to look at it today and we are supposed to close this Monday morning. Also, due to contract issues, we really need to close before the end of the year. This has turned into a very complicated and difficult situation. Please pray for God's wisdom and intervention as we seek to navigate through this matter.

On the bright side, Ann and I had a wonderful time celebrating Christ being with us and being with our families for Christmas!

Epic Church Video

2008-12-22T07:03:00.000-08:00

Check out this video...it will give you yet another glimpse into the heart and purpose behind Epic Church.

Prayer Update...

2008-12-12T19:47:00.000-08:00

Praises:

Ann, Caitlin and I had a chance to catch up with some friends last Saturday. We were able to hear of what God was doing in each other's lives and Ann and I left very inspired and encouraged!
Ann and I have seen people offer to support us without our initiation. Thanks for your prayers, God is building His church!
Ann and I had the opportunity to share our vision with a Sunday School Class at Wakarusa Missionary Church. It was a wonderful time and they were very encouraging towards us.
Ann and I are supposed to be closing on our house Dec. 22nd.
We've seen several of our relationships with people in South Mishawaka continue to develop... we're grateful for these friendships!

Requests:

Please pray for others to continue to give and join in giving towards the church. Pray that God will continue to bring about others who have a similar burden for reaching out to the people of South Mishawaka.
Please pray that God will bring about the people He has to help launch this church. Pray that Ann and I will have faith, discernment and courage in this area.
Please pray that others will continue to be prompted to pray for this ministry and for Ann, Caitlin and I.
Ann and I are going out of town for a few days. Please pray that God will watch over us and Caitlin. Please pray that this time will be very beneficial to Ann and I as we have this significant amount of time together.
Please pray that God will have His hand of protection on my family and me: Pray that He will protect us Spiritually, Physically and Emotionally.

Prayer Update

2008-12-02T11:20:00.000-08:00

Requests:

Raising financial support has been very difficult. Please pray for God to provide and that we will remain encouraged.
In January, Ann and I will begin the process of recruiting the Launch team. Please pray that God will move in the hearts of the right people to be a part of this church plant. Pray that we will have incredible wisdom and discernment.
December 22nd we will be closing on our house, please pray that things will go smoothly.
Please pray that God will continue to allow us to build significant relationships in South Mishawaka.
Please pray that Epic church will be a beacon of Grace and Hope as we seek to be tangible extensions of His Love.

Praise:

God continues to meet our needs. Every time I have a meeting or thought of discouragement, God continues to "surprise" us with means of provision and encouragement.
I had an awesome meeting today with a pastor who had a vision and heart for partnering in the planting of a church in South Mishawaka before God had even put it on my heart. I'm excited in the potential of this relationship.
Ann and I are so thankful for our parents allowing us to live with them since August...last night, Ann and I were able to go out on a date together and we had a wonderful time time together.
We have so much to be thankful for, we enjoyed getting to spend time with some of our friends and family over Thanksgiving.

Prayer and Praise Update...

2008-11-17T14:51:00.000-08:00

Prayer Requests:

Ann and I are sharing with College Park Missionary Church (one of our lead teams) please pray that God's anointing will be upon us.
Please pray that we will continue to develop deeper relationships with our friends in South Mishawaka.
With the economy it's becoming more and more difficult to find financial partners. Yet during these times of great need, it also makes for great opportunities for the church. Please pray that God will move in many hearts that they might be willing to take the bold steps of faith to reach out at such an opportune time. I'm reminded of how great the harvest is.
Please pray that God will continue to protect Ann, Caitlin and I on three fronts - physically, emotionally, spiritually.
Please pray that God will help things to go smoothly with the purchase and moving into our home in December.

Praises:

It appears that Ann and I will get to move into our home a couple of weeks earlier than anticipated. We're looking at possibly being able to move in as early as December 15th.
I had a wonderful meeting with a church that is interested in both prayerfully and financially supporting us.
Ann and I were able to meet with some friends from WI, who are current supporters and potential supporters. It was great to share our hearts and vision with them and they were very encouraging of us!
Ann and I are continuing to build relationships with friends from South Mishawaka!

Prayer and Praise Update...

2008-11-03T09:59:00.000-08:00

Requests:

One of our churches on the lead team had to pull out. They indicated that they believed in Ann and I and the vision but the leadership didn't feel that the church was at a place to be able to join in the lead team. We are in need of at least 1 new or ideally 2 more churches to join the lead team.
Please pray that God would direct us to the right people, businesses and churches to financially partner with us. I'm having several conversations with people and churches saying, "We'd like to partner with you, but the economy is affecting us."
Ann and I are still building relationships and trying to reach out to people of South Mishawaka. Please pray that God will continue to build and bring new relationships to us.
Please pray that we will remain encouraged and that we will have wisdom and courage.
Please pray for God's hand of protection on our hearts and family.
Please pray that God will raise up others who will commit to praying for us and this ministry.

Praises:

While we may have lost a church from the lead team we just had a new church join the team, Sturgis Missionary Church. Now if we can get at least one more church on board.
I've had some wonderful meetings with potential church partners. All have agreed to be prayer partners and several are considering being financial supporters of us.
Ann and I recently attended a church planting conference. We learned a great deal and we had a wonderful time networking and dreaming with other church planters who are taking similar faith steps.
While going to the conference we were able to be spend some time with friends...they were an encouragement to us.
Ann and I are so grateful for our friends and family who are very supportive of us.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support!

Prayer & Praise Update

2008-10-20T15:26:00.000-07:00

Requests:

I just received news that one of my former coworkers from Northbrook Church suddenly died of a heart attack last night while he was out hunting. My heart is heavy for his family and the Northbrook family. Please pray for all of us who are affected by the news of Rick's passing.
Ann and I will be attending a church planting conference this week. Please pray that the time will be fruitful and that Caitlin will be okay while we are away.
I have several important meetings with potential partnering churches over the next several weeks. Please pray that God would bring about the support and partners.
Please pray that I will be Christ to my wife and daughter and that we will continue to grow together.
Please pray that God will give me wisdom and that He will protect my heart and mind.

Praises:

I'm using this new tool for my quiet times and absolutely loving it. God is continuing to show me more and more of His character and faithfulness.
I've had some really positive meetings over this last week.
We're getting the opportunity to see some of our good friends before going to the retreat.
God just continues to provide and meet our needs. I'm amazed at the "by chance" meetings I have with individuals that God uses.
We're continuing to develop some wonderful friendships with people from South Mishawaka.
I'm grateful for my Abba Father's love...His love that caused Him to send His son...the love that sets us free...the love that gives us life...life eternal. As I reflect on the life of my friend Rick, I'm grateful for the Love of my Heavenly Father...The one who LOVES to GIVE life!

Prayer & Praise Update

2008-10-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

Requests:

I have a couple of meetings with leaders of potentially partnering churches. Please pray that God will go before me in these meetings.
I'm trying to work on a promotional video for the church plant, please pray that this will come together smoothly and that it will be done with excellence.
Ann and I will be going to a church planting conference in a couple of weeks. Please pray that our minds will be open and that this will be a very beneficial time for us to continue to dream and learn.
Please pray that God will continue to guide me to people who have a heart to give towards the ministry of this church plant.
Caitlin is still really struggling with the transition. We are spending half of the week with my parents and the other half of the week with Ann's parents. This has been challenging for all of us, but especially for Caitlin.
Please pray that God will protect our marriage and family.
Ann and I have continued building relationships with new friends in South Mishawaka. Please pray that God will continue to bless and grow these relationships that we are forming.
Please pray that we will hear clearly from God...that He would guard our hearts and minds.
Please pray that God will give Ann and I wisdom beyond our years and experience!!!
Please continue to pray for the leaders of the Lead Team and their churches. Please pray for God's protection of them (Jim - College Park, Jeff - Cedar Road, John - St. Mark, Paul -Wakarusa).
Next month Ann and I will begin sharing with partnering churches. Please pray that God's anointing will be on us.

Praises:

Ann and I continue to meet new people and are forming some wonderful new Friendships in South Mishawaka. We're absolutely loving it!
I had a great meeting in Ohio with my church planting coach. He is great for provoking my thinking about ministry and leadership. I also had an opportunity to meet with some church planters who are much further "down the road" than I. It was a great time connecting with them.
I'm continuing to read and learn. A book that I've particularly wrestled with but appreciated is "They Like Jesus, but Not the Church" - Dan Kimble
Ann and I have continued visiting a number of different churches and have loved worshiping with them as well as observing and learning from them. Caitlin has done incredibly well meeting new people and going to new classes each week...We are so grateful!
There are several who have contacted me over the last couple of weeks just wondering how they can be of support to us and the church. There continues to be interest...yea God!
I've finally finished the first draft of writing out the Vision, Core Values, Basic Strategy and Core Beliefs for this new church. I'd be happy to e-mail it to you to get your feedback and if you're interested. e-mail me at: levanjt@aol.com
I just continue to be amazed with God's faithfulness and encouragement to us.
We're grateful for those of you who are faithfully praying for us...God is using YOU to make a difference in us and through us!

Prayer update: Week 4

2008-10-02T09:48:00.000-07:00

Requests:

Please pray for God's direction as I seek to raise financial support in the midst of these difficult economic times. I'm trying to raise an average of $12,500 per month.
Please pray for our family/marriage as this is a very trying time as we're in transition. Our families have still been incredible hosts, but it's been tough for Ann and I to have significant time alone to share our hearts with one another. Pray that I will love Ann in the way Christ loves the Church.
Please pray that we would continue to make and grow in the new and exciting relationships that we've developed within Mishawaka.
I've been sick this whole week, please pray that I get well soon.
Please continue praying for those that God intends to partner with this future church.
Please pray that we will find another member of the lead team.
Please Pray that God will give me wisdom and that He would protect my heart and mind.
Please pray that Ann and I would remain encouraged.
Pray that God will use this church to help meet the needs of those living in Mishawaka.
Pray that my time alone with God will be life changing...that I will allow those times to be what God desires for me to have.
Please pray that I wont move ahead of God and then ask Him to bless it, but rather that I would be blessed in joining Him in what He's doing. May my heart be moved over the same things that moves His heart.

Praises:

We've continued to build some incredible friendships with people in Mishawaka. We've continue to have some really cool conversations as we've met some really wonderful people.
We've had friends that have either taken us to dinner or have shot us e-mails letting us know that God has put us on their heart and that they're praying for us.
I've had several conversations with people that seem interested in the new church.
God just continues to meet our needs down to the details...I needed an i-pod to help me with what I'm working on and I had a friend give me an extra one that he had.
I've had a friend working on a website for the new church (for free), this is a huge help to me. Some of you know that I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to technology. :)
For those that are praying for us. We can absolutely tell that God is with us...and we need your prayers. Thank you!

Prayer update: Week 3

2008-09-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

Lead Team just before golfing (From left to right): John Gregory - St. Mark, Jeff Truex - Cedar Road, Me, Jim Bear - College Park, Paul Commons - Wakarusa

Requests:

Please continue to pray for me as I am continuing to work on the "Who we are" page (mission statements, values, statements of faith, etc) of our new church.

Please pray that God will continue to bring even more prayerful supporters of this ministry.

Please pray that God will continue to bring about financial donors and commitments towards the ministry.

Please pray that God will continue to move in the hearts of those who will be a part of the launch team for this new church. May He bring about people that He's put a specific call on their lives to be a part of this new church plant.

Please pray that I will have the wisdom to know how to properly balance ministry and family time. May I be Christ not only to those that I minister to in South Mishawaka, but also to my family.

Ann and I are moving into a home in South Mishawaka in December, please pray that all of those details work out smoothly and timely.

Please pray for our neighbors that we will have an immediate impact.

Please continue to pray for Ann as she works/ministers at Starbucks.

Please pray for our protection in traveling home this Wed. from Wisconsin to Michigan.

Please pray that God would guard our hearts, minds, marriage, family and physical health.

May Ann and I be incredibly sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and courageous to act upon His leading.

Please pray for our Lead Team churches (Cedar Road, College Park, St. Mark, & Wakarusa) may God bless & protect their churches and their Ministry Staffs.

Please pray that we will soon find another church or two to be a part of our lead team of churches.

Please pray for Tom Blalock, Terry Powell, & Mike Peters (Our District Leadership). May God bless them and their families. Also that they would continue to have incredible Wisdom and courage as they bring leadership and influence to the District and to this ministry.

Pray that my personal walk with God would continue to grow and that my quiet times with Him would be rich.

Please pray that God will meet our every need both in ministry and personally.

Please pray that God will build His church and that I won't get in the way.

Praises:

I had an awesome time with the guys during our lead team retreat this last week. We had some great time of discussion, prayer and fellowship. I'm grateful for each of them and their churches!

Ann has already had some great conversations at Starbucks. She's even had opportunities to share about the church plant with people she's working with, and they seem very interested and have said that they want to come.

We were able to go to a recent church plant last Sunday and it was an inspiring and educational experience. Ann and I gained some good insight from this time. Additionally, this church announced that we were there and that they intended to put information in their bulletin on how their congregation can begin prayerfully supporting us. We were very encouraged!

Ann and I had a goal of bringing in $10,000 towards the this new ministry before Oct. 1st and God provided and we met that goal as of yesterday, Sept. 22nd. God is so faithful! A special thanks to those of you who helped us reach that goal.

In addition to picking up the last of our belongings from Wisconsin, we've enjoyed seeing some friends and being encouraged by them.

Both Ann's parents and my parents (whom we're living with until Dec.) have been incredibly gracious and supportive of us...we're so thankful for our family! It's hard to imagine doing this plant without them and we're grateful we don't have to.

I've made some really good progress over this last week with the Mission Statement, core values and statements of faith. I'm getting close to being finished with them.

Ann and I are finding that our change of pace with ministry is both stretching and refreshing.

I am now drawing an income which is a huge relief to both Ann and I.

Ann and I are grateful for the partnerships that God has aligned us with.

We are both very humbled and thankful for the ways we continue to see God provide in every aspect along the way. He just continues to blow us away with His faithfulness.

Again we are so thankful for you and your prayerful support! We are grateful that God is using you to partner with us for the furthering of His Kingdom! To Him be all the Glory!!!

Prayer update: Week 2

2008-09-16T05:37:00.000-07:00

Requests:

Please continue to pray for more prayer supporters for this ministry.
Please continue to pray for God to raise up more financial supporters.
I'm going to our first lead team retreat Thursday - Friday. Please pray that the retreat would be encouraging & inspiring. Additionally pray that other churches would be moved to join the lead team. (A lead team is comprised of 5-8 partnering churches who serve as direct encouragement and support of this church plant and then seek to come together to plant more churches together in the future).
Pray for God to work through the Pastors of our lead team. Pray that God would give them wisdom and favor as they rally support for this church plant within their churches and neighboring churches with whom they have influence.
Ann, Caitlin & I are traveling to pick up the remainder of our belongings from Wisconsin. Please pray for our safe travels.
I'm continuing to work on the vision statement, core values and statements of faith. I'm feeling the levity of this process as I consider composing something that will influence our ministry for years to come. Please pray that God would give me the words that would properly express the passion and vision that He's put on my heart for the people of Mishawaka.
Please continue to pray for the future core team of the church...that God would move in the hearts of the right people to partner with us.
Please continue to pray for our future neighbors in South Mishawaka. Ann and I are looking to move in a neighborhood in December.
Please pray for God to protect our hearts and minds. Please also pray that God would continue protect our marriage and our family.
Please pray for Caitlin as she continues in this time of transition.
Please pray that Ann and I would have energy and strength.

Praises:

I've already had several opportunities to meet with "lost" people in South Mishawaka. There is already an awareness and interest in the church plant.
God continues to move in the hearts of people that are giving significantly and sacrificially to the future ministry of this church.
Ann and I visited a church this last weekend that was incredibly inspiring and encouraging. It was full of good ideas as we were considering our ministry to South Mishawaka. Ann and I were excited as we sat at lunch together and dreamed of what God could do.
God just continues to provide our needs and we continue to be humbled by His faithfulness.
We've had some encouraging meetings with friends and potential supporter of the church plant.
Our family (from both sides) have just been incredibly encouraging and supportive of us. We're so grateful that God has given us such a wonderful family. Caitlin thinks her grandparents can walk on water. Of course they think she does too. :)
God has really used several of our Wisconsin friends who continue to offer us encouragement and support. We're humbled and grateful for their Kingdom Mindedness!
I'm grateful for you...your prayerful support. This ministry can't happen without a strong foundation of prayer.

Prayer Requests & Praises...

2008-09-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

Requests:

Please pray that God will raise up even more prayer supporters to pray for us and this new church.
Pray for the people of South Mishawaka that will soon be touched by this ministry.
Pray for the people that will eventually be our neighbors (once we buy a home) that we will have an incredible connection and ministry to them.
Pray for God to protect our family (Physically, Emotionally, Spiritually)...we are very tired from the move and attempting to get settled.
Ann begins her new job today at Starbucks by Notre Dame, pray that she be able to see how God can use her there.
Pray for Caitlin as she is still missing "home" and trying to adjust.
Pray that God will align us quickly with those who are impassioned to financially support this new church.
Pray that we will hear clearly from God and be courageous to follow His leading.
I'm working on the Mission and value statements of the church. Pray that God will guide my heart.
Even though we aren't recruiting the core team yet, please pray that God will begin putting the call on the lives of those who are to join us.
Pray that we will remain encouraged.

Praises:

I had a really encouraging meeting with a Church Planting Coach last Saturday. I look forward to his continued mentoring relationship.
Money is coming in from people we didn't expect...God is continuing to show us that He will be the one to build His church.
I had a conversation with an area Baptist church that was a church plant to Mishawaka 16 years ago. The pastor seems excited to meet with me and to explore potential ways to have his church support us.
The time of being back with our family has been incredibly rich and enjoyable. Caitlin is really bonding with both sets of her grandparents!
I've had some very encouraging meetings with potential partners and supporters.