The Importance of Prayer

OK, this one is a bit personal, again. (So much for my blog being a more academic exploration of church planting.)

Yesterday our niece, Yana, had her third open heart surgery. She's only 2 1/2. The surgery went well. I opened my email this morning eagerly waiting another good report (the first 24 hours post surgery are very critical).

While we are still waiting the report on Yana, I found out this morning that my Grandmother has been admitted to the hospital. She's in pretty critial condition.

I'm finding it a bit hard to focus on anything but prayer right now. It feels like half my heart is in Edmonton, and the other half in Florida, and I'm stuck here in between.

I have no profound insight right now. I have some hope. I have a lot concern. I don't really know what to ask for beyond the most basic prayer- Father, bring them both through this.

For now that will be enough. And if you believe in prayer, ask God to put His hand on a two beautiful girls; one at the start of life, the other who has lived a wonderful and full life. Both of whom mean a lot to me.

We Got Jobs!

We are getting close to filling all of our current volunteer positions.
So just to be sure that everyone knows that this doesn't mean we're finished, I'm publishing my next list of volunteer jobs we'd love to fill.

By the way, this is one of our PRIMARY strategies for growth (both numerically, and in maturity): to give EVERYONE a volunteer role/position on a ministry team.

So here's the expanded list of volunteer roles:

Sunday Mornings-
Connecting Point Lunch Coordinator: this person would run promotion and sign-ups for our first-of-the month lunch. On the day of the lunch they provide food and drinks (paid for my the church).

Parking Attendants: Yes, parking is pretty easy at the theatre, but how about helping families with young children, and just being there to let people know they're welcome before then even get out of the car!

Connections Kids grades 2-5: Yeap, we want to grow into a children's theatre program.

Prayer Support: We offer prayer support after the service already. Now we want to get the crew started before the service- praying from 9-9:30 am.

More Greeters: Greeting is an awesome job- it's how people get to know everyone the church, and I think we can't have too many greeters.

Living Billboards: you know those folks that stand on street corners and promote "Going out of Business" sales? How about a few people at major interchanges holding Connections signs from 9-10am?

Through the Week-
Media/Video Team: how cool to get a group of folks looking for great clips and videos? I can give them my preaching calendar, and they can help me find supporting materials.

Graphic Arts Team: Just what it says- folks that like graphic arts.

ALPHA Team: we should start planning for a mid-week ALPHA group. This is a program that is an introduction to the Christian faith. This would be used as a step between worship and Connections Groups, place to explore Christianity and our church.

Data Entry: It's about time we get Connections it's own administrative database.

Team Leaders-
Family Ministry Director: I can send you a job description.

First Impressions Team Director: Yea, I have a job description.

That's pretty much off the top of my head.
Here's the point- we can get you plugged in.
We don't have a complicated process right now.
We do need a better system. But for now it's this simple-

Let me know you're ready to get involved, and I'll put you in touch with the right people.

Bible Reading Plan

FYI, we now have a link to our bible reading plan on the website.
Please do us a favor and give us some feedback on the site.
Can you find your way around?
Can you hear the sermons?
Have you subscribed to the itunes podcast?
Have you tried to "Donate Online" link?

Let us know how we're doing and how we might improve.
Thanks,
G

http://www.connectionschurch.ca/bible/

Ask, Seek, Knock...

I've written several times now about the amazing things God has provided at just the right time- people, resources, open doors.
I've truly found that there power in openly asking for our wants and needs. I say wants and needs because frankly, I can't always tell the difference. But more often I think I put actual needs in the "want" category. I lean toward not asking for enough. Really.

I somehow feel it's not humble, but in reality it's very humbling to ask anyone for anything.
I feel we can "get by" with what we have.
I fear rejection, like most.
Daily I must convince myself to be bold for Jesus and for this church. It really does stretch me.

But I digress- let me praise God with a few updates, then share some real needs.

• We have on site storage! Did I mention this yet? The cold was killing our equipment. We needed heated storage. I said the best option would be just leave it at the theatre. They said fine! They even gave us two rooms to hold all our gear. Amazing.
• With better storage we felt free to order more monitors and mics.
• We had our first Communion service as a church, and I don't even care what others thought- I was blessed. Nearly 40 folks came out on a dark and cold night.

Now some genuine needs:

• First Impression Team (FIT): I need to ask someone to head this up. Someone with great organizational skills and a passion for creating hospitality.
• Facility Setup Team (FaST): We need more folks helping to set up. We need 2-3 people who will really take ownership of learning our setup process to guide and improve our process.
• Family Ministry: We just need to expand our list of volunteers and pinpoint someone to help us expand the children's program.
• Multi-Media:

1. We need at least 2 folks to own our lighting system and maximize it.
2. We need 1 more person to share the load of running the video.
3. We need 1 more skilled camera person.

The list could go on, but I know beyond any doubt that we need these people in place ASAP. So say a prayer that I'd either be bold enough to ask the right person, or the right person will be bold enough to ask.

My Christmas Wish List

This is going to be simple and brief.
Simple because I want you to remember them.
Brief because I want you to pray for them and God is not impressed or moved by long-winded prayers.

God does seem moved by heart-felt, Spirit-led, other-centered and persistent prayer (I'm thinking mostly of Luke 11:1-13).

So without further ado, here is my Christmas wish list (a.k.a prayer requests) for Connections Community Church in 2008. Let us commit to pray and work together so that we might see:

• Filling 350 seats (the largest theatre) in worship by summer 2008.
• A sustainable rotation of 100 people in volunteer teams- Connections Groups, FAST, FIT, Family, Worship and Media.
  
• The official launch of our Connections Groups in Fall 2008 with 200 active participants.
• Expanding to 2 worship services by Christmas 2008 and seeing more than 500 attend our worship services.
• 52 new commitments to Jesus Christ as savior and Lord- one for every week of the year.

Five requests, one for each finger (except for my father-in-law who gave two of his fingers to the farm).
Remember them, pray for them, work to make them reality.
I think they are appropriately audacious and attainable.

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever, Amen!" Ephesians 3:20-21