Newsletter Update December 2009

The following newsletter is being distributed online and via snail mail. Check it out and feel free to leave your thoughts! The formatting got a little messed up, but you get the idea!!! Click on the blue text to download the .doc file and read it with better formatting.

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Renovate NewsletterNov09

Hello Friends!

I wanted to take a minute to update you on our lives in Winchester and the progress we’ve made with Renovate Church since moving to Winchester VA in June 2009.

First, Shelley and I are both doing well in our jobs. We’re both working at colleges, and we enjoy what we’re doing. Being bi-vocational, commuting church planters is very challenging, but we are beginning to build some relational inroads. Chloe is doing well in school. She’s learning to read, can already count to 100, can write well, and she’s only 4 years old! She continues to amaze us every day. We have also recently found out that baby #2 is on the way!

We’ve been living in the community of Stephens City, which is a neighboring community to Winchester. There are a lot of housing developments here, and we’ve begun to connect with our neighbors.

So far, we’ve held several relationship-building, community outreach, meet-and-greet type events, like an end of summer party, a Halloween block party, info sessions, as well as taking advantage of similar opportunities that friends have hosted. We’ve found that this area has a huge commuter culture. Many people, including ourselves drive more than 45 minutes, or even an hour and a half (one way) to work, and making new friends is challenging. People here want to connect with others, but are slow to trust newcomers. Although I grew up here, I’ve been gone for 10 years. Reconnecting has been a top priority, and our biggest challenge.

We’ve begun a small, home based Bible study, which meets on Monday nights. Conversations have been messy, to say the least. Our people have been out of church for years, have tons of hurts and church junk, and we’ve been sorting through the incongruencies between who Jesus is and how Christian often behave. We’ve been studying the Gospel of John, which is a great “Intro to Jesus” book. We’re truly learning how to live out our mission statement, which is to “Engage the emerging culture in ways that re-present Jesus Christ.”

I have been able to complete the legal and administrative requirements for starting a church early. We are totally legal, have our own tax ID, website, and all that good stuff! Donations directly to Renovate Church are tax deductible!

I want you to know that although it’s difficult to stay connected with all of you, we value your prayers, your influence, and your impact on our lives. You have impacted us so much already, and you’ll never know how much!

This coming holiday season present some interesting opportunities for us, and for Renovate Church. Here’s how you can help:

1. Pray
   1. We need leaders in our church. As part of our commitment to reaching people who don’t go to church already, I have not recruited Christians from other churches to join us. This presents leadership challenges, as well as relational challenges. Shelley and I can only do so much ourselves, and we are limited in our circle of relationships. We need God to supernaturally send us leaders, as well as those who are far from God. This is all about people, and we need to connect with people and build deep friendships.
   2. I am still compiling our Board of Overseers. This is a group of leaders who I trust, who I count as mentors, and who are willing to hold me accountable. I’m looking for 3 more people, from ministry, non-profit, and business worlds, who are willing to invest in my life as a pastor and leader. They also make up the initial board of the church, for legal purposes.
   3. Spiritual and mind battles. Every day seems like a spiritual and emotional roller coaster. When we don’t see the results (in man’s eyes) that others have, or there just isn’t enough time in the day, it wears on us. This is challenging in ways that can’t be put into words. I even cut a toe off in a lawn mower this summer! Luckily, they sewed it back on! That too was an unexpected challenge!
   4. Supernatural guidance. There is a fine line between human effort and divine intervention. Every day, every event, every plan made is a balance between doing what we’re called to do, and allowing God to be God. We are doing the things we know to do, but there comes a point where it’s no longer up to us, and it’s up to God to do the work.
2. Give
   1. Ministry costs money. We all know that. Right now, Renovate is supported by generous givers like you and your church, as well as my family’s income. There are several ways to give:                                       i.       Commit to a monthly gift personally, or as a church                                                                       ii.      Quarterly special offerings from your church                                                                                 iii.      A missions-designated special offering for Christmas. I’ve seen churches raise thousands of
      dollars for missions and church planting. ‘Tis the season to be giving!                                               iv.      Tax returns. This is usually a big sacrifice. Most of us look forward to this each year. Your                            sacrificial gift could result in a transformed life                                                                             v.      Your gift will allow us to continue to hold more relationship building events, do more
      community outreach, marketing/promotion, and simply bless people!

   3. Go

   2. Maybe you or someone you know is interested in church planting. We need people who will commit to be leaders in the Winchester community and surrounding area. We are purposefully bi-vocational. It may be slower growth, but it allows us to be in the community, shoulder to shoulder with the people we are reaching. Our prayer is for leaders from within and from outside of the area to step up with us and transform our community for Jesus.
   3. Send a mission team from your church! We can canvas the area with fliers, do service projects, and bless this community in ways that will change your life just as much as it will transform the lives of those here in Winchester.
   4. Let me come to your church! I am booking Sundays after the holidays. Think of this as a Missionary on furlough type event. By inviting me to your church, it allows me to update your congregation on our progress, and give them an opportunity to sow seeds into our ministry.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope it’s not been too long! Below is all the info you’ll need to contact us, or to give. Thank you in advance for your prayers, your gift, your invitation, and your time!

Brandon Bowers,

Lead Pastor of Renovate Church

Checks can be written out to “Renovate Church.” Our church and personal mailing address is 106 Ian Court Stephens City VA 22655. My cell is now 304-671-4472. My email is b3.bowers@gmail.com and our website is www.renovate540.com

What Should I Tell Them?

I’ve been listening to the song, “Should I Tell Them?” by a Christian music artist by the name of Shaun Groves today. I’m posting the lyrics below so you can read them, then I’ll do some follow-up commentary.

Walking with you is not without hazards
Trippings this traveler’s curse
Price paid for falling is more than my stumble
In a world that is watching and waiting for words

But I listened when You said to go
And I set out in spite of my fears
About truth mixed with my imperfection
And the question of what to say when I got here

And now that I’m here
Should I tell them that
You are the one who has made me
And saved me and set up a home there inside
Should I tell them that I am a perfect example
Of all You can do with a life.
What should I say to them?
What if I’m failing them?
What should i tell the tonight?

Now don’t get me wrong
I’m thankful to be here
With this song to sing and a spotlight on me,
But lately I’m wondering if you are mistaken,
If you’re seeing all of me there is to see.

Cause on every face I detect
The same questions I’ve posed to you
Like do you speak through the imperfect
Are we too dirty for your light to get through?
I want your light to get through.

What should I tell them when
They’re thirsty Lord
My cup is empty Lord
Come and lead me here in this place
Cuz I’m honest, yeah, but I’m unprepared
And I’m just plain afraid

I find these lyrics to be very powerful, especially as a church planter. (I usually am not a fan of a lot of Christian music. Much of it is cheesy, insincere, or manufactured to sell CD’s. Groves, and a few other artists are pretty authentic in their lyrics, and I really like that..) Anyways, sometimes, I feel so many feelings of inadequacy, but in the end, I know God called me to do this, therefore I must.

I moved back to my hometown ,where my family and my friends are. So if this thing crashes and burns, there’s no saving face. I try to keep my ego out of this, try to stay humble, try to keep focused on God and what he’s calling me to do. But like the song says, I’m imperfect, unprepared, and just plain afraid.

So I want to be straight up in saying that I’m not the super pastor who seems to have it all together. I need help. I need God’s help. I need the help of my family, friends, and those who may become part of Renovate. In the end, it’s not about me, it about the simple gospel, and Shaun Groves states it pretty clearly – Jesus is the one who made me, and saved me, and set up a home there inside.

I’d also like to encourage not just other pastors, but other believers here. Don’t feel like you need to keep up some facade of perfection. Everyone knows that if you come off looking perfect, you’re either really fake, or just a great liar. Let down your guard and let people see the real you. They can relate to that, and in that, you make a friend, who you can then tell them about Jesus.

Also, don’t worry about your feelings of inadequacy. My favorite Christian cliche is “God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called.” What he’s asked us to do comes down to some simple concepts – be friends with people who are far from God, and tell them about Jesus. So how many non-Christian friends do you have? I mean people you hang out with, not just random people at work or school. If you’re having a hard time answering that, then I beg you to get out of your Christian bubble and meet some new people. I’ve heard a few atheists say that the reason they don’t believe in Jesus was because if what the Bible says is true, then it would be the best news on Earth. And if that were the case, then they didn’t understand why more Christians weren’t sharing the news.. Wow. Very powerful.. It’s our responsibility to do this simple stuff, and from my experience, non-Christians are pretty fun people!

If your cup is empty, allow Jesus to fill it. If you’re unprepared, Jesus isn’t.

Just be willing.

The Christian Life, Without Expectations

The title of this blog is somewhat of a misnomer. There really is no Christian life totally without expectations. Even non-Christians have preconceived notions on how Christians should talk, act, and live life.

What I would like to propose is the Christian Life Without False or Unrealistic Expectations.

There are two groups on my mind and my heart as I write this:

1. Christians (and non-Christians) who try so hard to live up to unrealistic expectations placed upon them by other, well meaning, but often pretentious people.

2. Non-Christians who may be interested in God, yet refuse to take the next step due to the expectation that they must be perfect Christians, with Stepford Wife type lives, never making a mistake, looking pretty all the time, smiling all the time, and always living their best life now… Yes, that’s an underhanded slam at all the “how to live the perfect Christian life” books that have been written in the past few years.

Jesus gives us a simple expectation to live by in Matthew 11:28. I’m quoting this from The Message translation, because it’s worded perfectly to make my point

^28-30“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Here’s what I’d like to say to my two groups of people tonight:

To group number 1: Give yourself a break. The expectations placed upon you are more than likely unrealistic and unbiblical. It’s ok to screw up sometimes. You don’t have to live the perfect Christian life. We all know that you are tempted, think bad things, are worn out, and need a break. I am thinking about specific people here that I know and consider to be my friends. Jesus (and I) care about you. If you are being forced to live the perfect life in order to keep up a facade of perfection, then stop it. If not, you’re gonna explode someday. You’ll resent those people and yourself. Learn to make mistakes and live in the grace of Jesus Christ before you go off the deep end and make some really bad irreparable mistakes.

To group number 2: Being a Christian is supposed to be easy. You are allowed to come just as you are. Jesus doesn’t expect you to be perfect before you begin to follow him. You won’t even be perfect after you start following him. Just simply be willing to follow him, and the other stuff will fall into place. You can still have fun. You can keep your friends. You still get to enjoy life. The difference is that through your relationship with your creator, you’ll find the desire to do the “bad things” in life to slowly slip away. You’ll want to do the right things, and eventually, you’ll find it easier to do them.

I’ve been on both sides of the coin. I’ve been in church, afraid to let anyone know I was struggling. I was afraid that if people knew what I was dealing with, they’d think I was a horrible person, or that it would make the church look bad.

Bullcrap.

I’m a real person, with real struggles and temptations, just like you. I can say that over the last 2 years, and more so in the last few months, I have learned to walk in the “unforced rhythms of grace” more and more. Let me tell you that it’s a lot more fun. I’ve found myself able to better relate to non-Christians. I’ve found my ideas about church and church people changing. I’ve found my expectations of myself and others to become a lot easier and lighter. I’m finally able to come to God just as I am, without pretense, honestly, transparently, and with simplicity. It’s been great.

If you belong to either of the above groups, I’d like to invite you to join in the simple Christian life with me. Let’s do life together. Let’s eat, drink, be merry, have fun, study the Bible, share our struggles, and all the good, bad, and ugly of life..

Let’s just be friends… Without expectations.

Update and Reminder

Hey everyone! Just a quick note.. We’re moving our time for Community Group from Sunday evenings to Monday evenings at 6:30. We’re trying to be flexible and accommodate as many people as possible. This goes into effect this upcoming week, Oct 26th.

As we grow, we’ll be offering more groups at different days, times, and places around the region. If you are interested in leading or coming to a group, then let me know!

If we get enough interest and commitment, we’re more than happy to take another look at adding a Sunday night group, but for now, we’re going to Mondays.

So far, we’ve been looking in the Bible book of John. This is a great “Intro to Jesus” book, and the conversation has been going great. If you have any questions, are interested in checking out Renovate, or would just like to chat, then feel free to comment here on the blog, or email me at b3.bowers@gmail.com

Also, our Halloween Block Party is October 31, during Trick or Treat hours. We’re keeping this simple.. A bounce house and a candy table. If we have enough people, we’ll do a Trunk or Treat instead of the table. This event is more of a way for us to simply meet people and connect. If they ask questions, or conversations lead towards God or Renovate Church, then we’ll go there. If you are interested in participating, please let me know. It’ll be at my house on Halloween Night!

Thanks!

Brandon Bowers
b3.bowers@gmail.com

Book Review – Finding Organic Church by Frank Viola

The subtitle of this book is “A Comprehensive Guide to Starting and Sustaining Authentic Christian Communities.” I’ll say that is a correct subtitle, if you agree with Viola’s approach to church and church planting.

I will start this blog the same way Viola starts his book, and that is disagreeable. He lost me when he stated (my paraphrase) that we cannot take culture into account in our church planting. He also states that Paul did not take culture into account when he planted the New Testament churches, so neither should we. I disagree with Viola on this. Culture in the Bible is, like today, mostly implied and assumed, and not explicitly written.

I believe NT churches were planted based upon the culture of that time, and had Paul planted churches today, they would look MUCH differently.

Viola does a great job as differentiating different types of churches. There are many buzzwords in Christendom today, and they all do tend to blend in together at times.

I also like that he states the church is a living organism (thus the term organic) and he also writes about the birth and maturing processes of an organic church.

Since I disagree on Viola’s premise that his model is the only biblical model of church, much of what he wrote doesn’t apply to how I am planting. I read the book in hopes of taking some golden nuggets and applying them, especially since Renovate is beginning in a house/small group model before we begin regular Sunday services.

I did find a few golden nuggets, and the best of them all was his chapter on the Seasons of an Organic Church. He likens them to the weather seasons we go through, each with different stages of growth, death, etc. This chapter could apply to any church, regardless of the nomenclature or label assigned to it.

Throughout the book, Viola does a nice job of pimping his other books. In fact, he basically starts this book by telling the reader to go back and read his other books, since they all build upon each other. Nicely done there Mr. Book Seller.

Overall, I’d say it’s a well-written book, and definitely has some great points, especially to those who are planting Organic churches the way Viola defines them. My biggest criticism is that Viola is surprisingly legalistic with his beliefs on the house church/organic church paradigm being the only biblical model.

I get it… Church SUCKS!

So as we go on this journey of starting a new church in Winchester, the biggest common denominator for why people are not going to church is “Church People”.

I may get slammed on this one, because many of my friends and colleagues are “church people.” By that, I mean people that regularly attend church more than once or twice per month, and actively practice the Christian faith. So while I hope not to offend anyone, I’ll just say that if you’re offended by me saying that church and church people suck, then I also suggest that you look in the mirror and well, STOP SUCKING!

In the last few weeks, I’ve heard a lot about why people don’t attend, don’t attend regularly, or are looking for another church to attend. I’ve heard about church bosses and poor leadership. I’ve heard about inconsistencies between faith and practice. I’ve heard about boredom and church services that last too long. I’ve heard about too much focus on money and not enough focus on people.

Our tagline at Renovate Church is “Transforming Church, Transforming Life”. I hope in our church that we can right some of the wrongs that we’ve all seen. When people tell me the things they’ve been telling me about their church experience, I can empathize. I’ve been there, seen it, and designed the logo for the t-shirt.

I believe that we’ve been sent  back to Winchester to “re-present Jesus Christ” in a new way. That doesn’t mean we’ll get it right all the time. I’m pretty sure I have lots of flaws, and we’ll screw something up. This also doesn’t mean that we’re better than any other church in town. That would be a pretty arrogant thing to believe, and totally against our core values. But we’re going to take our calling, our experiences, and our values and do our best to transform this region for Jesus Christ. Why? Because that’s what it’s all about.. Creating community, transforming our larger community, and transforming lives.

So yeah, I get it.. Church sucks. Church people suck too. I say that as a 25 year veteran church person. And I also know that at some point, people will say that Renovate sucks (how dare they!!) and that our people suck, and that the Lead Pastor sucks too. If you’re looking for something sucky in church, you’ll find it. But if you’re interested in being part of something that wants to transform church and people from suckiness to non-suckiness, then give us a try. Check out our meeting schedule on the calendar section of www.renovate540.com or contact me at b3.bowers@gmail.com if you’d like to grab some coffee, (or dare I suggest a beer) to talk.

Kick Off Party Was Great!

We had our first ever event tonight. It was a great success. I am very pleased with the turnout. We had a lot of fun reconnecting, playing some volleyball, and of course — eating!

Thanks to all who came out, and for those praying for us and supporting us. I truly believe we are called to “transform church, transform life” here in the Winchester VA region.

We had several people reply online or via phone that they were unable to come tonight. We already planned a follow up night next Sunday, September 20, at 5:00pm. If you’re interested in checking it out, or know of someone who may be interested, please have them check out the calendar section of our website for details. www.renovate540.com

Community groups start up on October 4. Info for that is also on the website.

If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, let me know!

Brandon Bowers

Fall Kickoff Party

It’s that time folks! We’ve been planning, asking questions, strategizing, reconnecting, and all that good stuff!

On Sunday, September 13th, at 5:00pm, we’ll be having our very first Renovate Kick-off Party! This is for anyone and everyone.. So if we’ve talked with you about Renovate, you’re interested in finding out more about us, or if you just want to get out of the house and hang out with some cool people, then come on out! We won’t keep you too late either. We know everyone has work and school the next day!

Here’s the plan… We’re gonna get together, have some food, music, and anything fun we can get into.. We’ll throw a sporting event or something fun on the TV for those interested.. If you’d rather throw a ball around though, then bring it with you. We’ll be indoors and outdoors, so bring a lawn chair or blanket too. If it rains, we’ll just be inside.

It’s gonna be family-friendly as well, so bring the kids along. If you’re coming and can bring something like food or drinks, then contact me and let me know. The idea is that we simply want to get everyone together, have fun, and just let people connect with each other.. If we’re gonna be a church family, we kinda need to see if we like each other first.

So it’ll be fun, low-key, and no pressure to make any decisions about Renovate. We’ll take a few minutes at some point in the evening and share the vision and ideas for the church, and the rest of the time, we’ll be having fun, hanging out, and playing some games. If you decide you want to hear more, then we’ll have a follow up time the next Sunday evening on September 20th for more details.

Interested? Email me at b3.bowers@gmail.com or inbox me on Facebook and let me know if you’re coming, how many are coming with you, and if you can bring anything.

Oh… The address… 106 Ian Court Stephens City VA 22655

My phone.. 813-777-0118 (we’ll change to local soon)

See you there!

Survey Results

Ok, so I did a couple of surveys in order to get some info from some Winchester locals before we dig in deep on this church planting thing.. The first survey was basic.. I wanted to get some general religous background info and guage interest in all this. I hope it’s easy to read. I wasn’t able to copy the bar graphs from www.surveymonkey.com but I think this will be readable.

You’ll get to see the same trends I did, as well as some of the silliness that creeped in as well!

1. Do you currently attend church more than once per month?

answered question 36
skipped question 1

Response    Percent    Response Count

Yes         58.3%       21
No           41.7%         15

2. My Religious background is (check all that apply)

answered question 37
skipped question 0

Christian – Catholic      13.5%      5
Christian – Baptist        29.7%    11
Christian – Lutheran      2.7%      1
Christian – Episcopal     2.7%      1
Christian – Pentecostal    40.5%    15
Christian – Nondenominational    21.6%    8
Christian – Methodist        16.2%     6
Christian – other Protestant       8.1%    3
Jewish    0.0%    0
Muslim   0.0%    0
Buddist   0.0%    0
Atheist     5.4%   2
Agnostic   13.5%   5
Other (please specify)   8.1%    3

1. lol I went to Lee…
2. Dabbled in knowing more about tradtional European paganism
3. Pray to God my parents don’t beat me.

3. I believe in Jesus, as written in the Holy Bible, and I am sure of the eternal state of my soul.
answered question 37
skipped question 0

Yes              91.9%    34
No                  5.4%      2
Unsure         2.7%      1

4. The church, as I have experienced it, plays a continual, relevant, and central role in my life

answered question 37
skipped question 0

Yes      54.1%    20
No       27.0%    10
Maybe   8.1%      3
Unsure 10.8%    4

5. With 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest, please rate the following: I find Sunday morning church services to be engaging, interesting, and they impact my life.

answered question 37
skipped question 0

1        18.9%     7
2          5.4%     2
3       29.7%    11
4        18.9%     7
5       27.0%    10

6. I have made significant friendships in the church(es) I attend.

answered question 37
skipped question 0

Yes      40.5%     15
No        29.7%     11
Maybe 24.3%      9
Unsure   5.4%      2

7. The church I most recently attended on a regular basis, I went there because (choose all that apply)

answered question 37
skipped question 0

My parents made me go                                   13.5%        5
I went on my own, without an invite          21.6%        8
A friend or family member invited me      43.2%      16
I received a mailing advertisement              0.0%        0
I saw an internet advertisement                    0.0%        0
N/A                                                                             8.1%        3
Other (please specify)                                       21.6%        8
1. Personal choice
2. Lord directed me there
3. I went due to a Holliday with my Parents, BUT on my own volition because i wanted to.
4. I work for the church I go to.
5. Its the church I grew up in.
6. It is my husband’s church and he and my children are being raised Catholic
7. This hot bitch in a short skirt made me horny.
8. It is the church I grew up going to all my life

8. The music I listen to is (check all that apply)

answered question 37
skipped question 0

Rock                              73.0%         27
Country                      73.0%        27
Pop                                  67.6%       25
Rap                                   24.3%        9
Hip Hop                          51.4%       19
Christian                        56.8%       21
Other (please specify) 35.1%    13
1. Classical
2. americana
3. METAL!!!
4. easy listening
5. Oldies…20s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, Swing, Jazz, Big Band – I love it all
6. Tooth & Nail Record stuff.
7. culture music from various parts of the world, classical, jazz, blues, bluegrass, electronic, actual R&B, so on and so forth
8. Metal
9. Alternative, Classical
10. Alternative, Classical
11. Alternative, Classical
12. White guys rappin’ the beat box.
13. whatever is on radio sometimes

9. The type of music I would like to hear in Church is (check all that apply)

answered question 34
skipped question 3

Traditional Church Hymns                     52.9%     18
Rock (Christian or Mainstream)           38.2%     13
Country (Christian or Mainstream)     17.6%      6
Pop (Christian or Mainstream)              32.4%     11
Rap (Christian or Mainstream)                2.9%       1
Hip Hop (Christian or Mainstream        11.8%     4
Contemporary Christian                           55.9%    19
Contemporary Praise and Worship      67.6%    23
Other (please specify)                                                   2
1. Folk
2. David Allen Coe–Unedited

10. Please rate the following from 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest: I would be willing to attend a home based group (in the effort to start a new church) to learn about God, spend time with other people, and do a monthly service project.

answered question 37
skipped question 0

1               18.9%      7
2               24.3%     9
3               24.3%     9
4               10.8%     4
5                21.6%    8

I’ll try not to bore you with too much analysis.. I’m sure you can make some overall conclusions on your own.. But a few things stand out.. Most people who took this survey were church-goers, who are Pentecostal, and they like their church. Overall, people are not finding good friendships in church though. This is very sad.. And the response is mixed on whether or not people are interested in helping me start a church. This isn’t bad, considering most people who took this survey already go to church, and I’m not really trying to take them away from their current church. Lastly, whether they attend church or not, most people claim to believe in Jesus. For 91.9% of people to be believers, but only 58.3% actually attend church regularly, it tells me that existing churches are doing something wrong… Feel free to comment below and let me know what you think that is…

Now, onto the second survey….
——————————————————

This survey was a little more simple, and geared more specifically to how a home based small group should be structured. I’m very pleasantly surprised with the results.

1. What day/time would be most convenient for you to attend a home-based small group for Bible/book study, and connecting with other people like you? (Please choose up to 3 options)

answered question 19
skipped question 0

Sunday morning          21.1%     4
Sunday afternoon       21.1%     4
Sunday evening    57.9%    11
Monday evening         26.3%     5
Tuesday evening         42.1%     8
Wednesday evening   31.6%    6
Thursday evening       15.8%    3
Friday evening            26.3%    5
Saturday morning         5.3%    1
Saturday afternoon      5.3%    1
Saturday evening         5.3%     1

2. How frequent should a home-based small group be?
answered question 18
skipped question 1

Once a week                     38.9%     7
Twice a week                           5.6%     1
Once every other week    33.3%     6
Once a month                       22.2%    4
Other (please specify)                       1
1. depends on if it’s supplemental to another gathering or the only gathering attended

3. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest, what is the liklihood that you would attend a home-based small group if it were during a convenient time?

answered question 18
skipped question 1

1            11.1%     2
2            11.1%    2
3           16.7%    3
4          33.3%   6
5           27.8%    5

4. Which of the following types of small group studies would most interest you?

answered question 17
skipped question 2

A simple study of the Bible, starting with the New Testament          23.5%    4
A study of various Christian books                                                               11.8%    2
A video series                                                                                                          5.9%     1
A pre-developed curriculum                                                                            0.0%    0
All of the above (rotating types)                                                       58.8%    10

5. What type of monthly community service projects would interest you? (Please choose all that apply)

answered question 18
skipped question 1

Yard work for shut-ins                     55.6%       10
Adopt a block                                       44.4%         8
Holiday outreaches                           66.7%       12
Elderly outreach                           72.2%      13
Visiting a children’s home               66.7%       12
General handi-man repairs             33.3%         6
Handing out free bottles of water 50.0%        9
Other (please specify)                                             7
1. Volunteer at places like salvation army, they always need office help too! Running things helps as much as everything else!
2. Feeding those in need
3. feeding homeless
4. Especially the children’s home and/or other children based projects.
5. Volunteering at a community service center–pregnancy cntr, foodbank, etc.
6. Working to provide for area homeless
7. Habitat for Humanity, helping the poor at a food kitchen

6. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest, if incorporated into a small group, what is the liklihood that you would help with a monthly service project?

answered question 19
skipped question 0

1               0.0%    0
2              15.8%   3
3              15.8%   3
4             36.8%   7
5              31.6%    6

7. What type of fun events with other people do you enjoy? (Please choose all that apply)

answered question 19
skipped question 0

Small group church activities          57.9%    11
Large group church activities          36.8%     7
Picnics                                                        84.2%   16
Back yard parties                                   94.7%   18
Eating out                                         100.0%    19
Going to a bar                                          42.1%     8
Clubbing                                                    10.5%     2
Playing Sports                                        63.2%    12
Sporting Events                                    73.7%    14
Shopping                                                  57.9%    11
Movies                                                      78.9%    15
Other (please specify)                                           3
1. Bunco, Book Club, Travelling, Game Nights, Recipe Swaps (Both Fun and Budget)
2. Fishing, Golf
3. Book Clubs, Coffee Bars

8. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest, what is the liklihood you would attend a monthly fun event, if incorporated into a home based small group?

answered question 19
skipped question 0

1             5.3%    1
2             5.3%    1
3           26.3%    5
4            21.1%    4
5           42.1%    8

WOW!!! That was crazy to format all that into a readable blog… WHEW!!! Ok…. So from this, it seems like I should do a weekly small group on Sunday nights, then expand (once leaders are trained and ready) to add bi-weekly groups on Tuesday nights as well.. Variety in materials and learning styles will be paramount. Also, those who took this survey are very social, and very willing to assist with community service and outreach projects..

So what’s next….. I’m working on a Bible study for the gospel of John. I’ll be starting a 7 week study on Sunday nights, in September.. Haven’t decided which exact date yet.. I’ll let you know.. After that, we’ll be going through a book called “No Perfect People Allowed” If you’d like to check out my review of that book, click here. We’ll be digging in deep with this one, as I hope it’ll set the stage for the kind of culture I feel we need to have at Renovate.

I welcome your feedback on the surveys and their results.. I also want to thank all of you who participated, and those who’ve given me feedback already..

I hope those of you that may be sceptical about church, God, spiritual matters in general, or starting a new church will let down your guard a bit and give God (and Renovate) a chance.. This is going to be an exciting journey, and we’re gonna do great things for God that will transform this community!!

Perseverance

Ahh.. Perseverance.. It’s a word we hear a lot about, but don’t always give much thought to. I was speaking with our church planting coach today, and this subject came up. He mentioned a passage in James that is talking about faith and perseverance. I’ll come back to this…

Back in February, Shelley and I decided to take a step of faith and go ahead and begin plans to move to Winchester. She gave notice to her job, and has been here since early April. She’s been job hunting, to no avail. Shelley is incredibly smart and talented, but in this economy, it’s just really tough to find any job. I have a friend who works for a staffing agency and he spends most of his days having fun at the office. Anyways, she’s had a couple of let downs on the job hunt, and one was pretty major. We thought she was a shoe-in for one position, and all signs pointed positive, but it didn’t happen…

So I’ve been here since mid-June. Although Shelley went ahead and moved, I stayed in Florida to work until one of us had a job in Winchester. I finally got a job here, and I enjoy it. The process to get the job was pretty long, but I’m thankful for the job… So we tried to balance faith and wisdom, leaned more to faith, and God has taken care of us.. Now onto the next part… Perseverance.

I’m gonna try not to make this sound like a pity party, but I have to let you in on some downers before I can really talk about perseverance..

So…. Obviously, Shelley hasn’t found a job yet, and it’s almost August now. It’s getting tough on her because she is not the stay at home mom type. For those of you that are, you are amazing… But it’s not us. It actually adds stress when we can’t get out of the house.. Finances are tight because of only having one income. Finances has been a huge leap of faith, but God is providing, even though we had a big money crisis after only being here for 2 weeks.

And now, for the icing on the cake.. Earlier this week, I nearly cut off my big toe in a lawn mower accident. If you’re my friend on Facebook, then you can see the pics there.. It’s rough. I can’t walk without crutches, and I’ve been away from work for a week. I’m praying all is well when I go back. I don’t want to lose this job. I work with great people and I like what I do for a living. We’re just to the point where we’re wondering when this is going to stop..

Ok, ok.. How does this relate to Perseverance??? Well, it would be pretty easy to give up. It’s easy to think that we’re being punished, or the devil is fighting us because we’re doing what God wants us to do. Maybe it’s all a test.. Maybe it’s all of the above. Who knows?? But what I do know is that giving up isn’t an option. I can’t move back to Tampa. I can’t live in a pity party for myself either.

So I persevere. I keep moving. Why?? For several reasons.. According to James 1:4, it says “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” When I think about that, there’s a lot of merit in that for me personally.. When I was younger, I was a quitter. I quit jobs, activities, etc.. I was once the 3rd wise man in the Christmas play and I quit that. Because I quit, there were only 2 wise men.. Sad huh??

But church planting and pastoring isn’t something I can just quit. There are eternal implications if I do. Who would I NOT reach? Who wouldn’t hear the gospel? Whose lives would not be transformed?  Personally, what kind of man would I be if I just quit to do something easier? I could easily do something else somewhere else and make a ton more money, but I would be disobedient to God’s calling on my life as a missionary. What kind of man would I be? I need to be an example to my family, and to my friends. So Pereverance will cause me to mature and be complete, not lacking in anything. I guess God is saying we need that…

Go ahead and read the James passage I linked to above. It puts it better than I could. It gives the answers to “What if I persevere?” and “What if I quit?”

So what are you considering quitting today? Will you quit? Will you persevere? That’s between you and God. But for me, I’m going to stick with this. I hope that soon, I’ll be able to post a victory blog that shows us on the other side!

Thanks for allowing me to ramble a bit. I don’t blog that often anymore because it can become all-consuming. I hope you’ve gained something from this..

Peace.