.Real.Greg.Lee.

My biggest dilemma these days is keeping all the incredible stuff happening out there in front of people.  Every time I emphasize one thing, I want to say “but don’t forget about this and this…and this too!”

The two campus launches from Sunday were incredible experiences.  They deserve every ounce of attention they got and more.  Still, I want to make sure connecting in community groups gets every ounce of attention it deserves, a huge new announcement on the horizon for the Hobart campus gets the attention it deserves (you’ll hear it Sunday at Hobart!), our new children’s ministry check-in processes get the attention they deserve.  You get the idea…

I’ve tried to keep the “Global” part of The Jesus Mission in front of you even while we launched the “Local” and “Regional” aspects of it.  With David Vineyard’s leadership…our effort to plant churches and bring sustainability to Liberia is moving faster than I imagined.

Think about this…Since May our Six Person Team has met close to a dozen times, built relationships and had multiple on-site visits with partners from Indy and St. Louis.  They organized and executed a trip for three of us to do partner-building in Liberia.  And, though i don’t think we can officially call it a “church plant” yet, there is a core group (the pictures are from this) that has formed with one of the partners and they are already meeting weekly and pulling together their plan.  Wow.

You might get tired of me saying this, but I can’t afford for anyone to miss it.  You have made the difference, Suncrest.  Your generosity made the difference for people that showed up to Highland and Walkerton needing a second chance.  Your unselfish sacrifice is beginning to provide hope to a new part of Liberia, and will eventually provide jobs and economic development too.

They can do it with a little help from us!  It reminds of something Gordon wrote while he was reflecting on our trip there last month: All of this was inspiring, but the most inspiring thing was to talk to them.  To hear their hearts for God, to feel their dependence on God.  They asked us to remember them and pray for them after we were gone, and they meant it.  It was not a casual, Christian thing to do, request.  It was real, they know how to depend on God, and they believe in the power of prayer.  Greg ended our visit with them with a heartfelt prayer for them and their vision.  When I looked around at this group of tough, hard-working men after his prayer most had tears in their eyes.   I need more of that kind of dependence in my life.

Posted in Suncrest

Packers 20 – Bears 17

I know this won’t be a popular pick, but I’m trying to call them like I see ’em.  Unfortunately i don’t think the Bears will win tonight.  Actually about 1/3 of me thinks they will win, 1/3 of me thinks they will lose close (like my pick), and another 1/3 of me thinks they are going to get blown out tonight.

Anyway it goes, this pick is more about the packers than the Bears.  I think they are good.  Really good.  Super-Bowl Good.

It pains me to say that.  Here’s hoping I’m wrong!

Posted in Suncrest

Joshua leading Worship

First…Praise God.  When we follow His plan, he blows me away time after time.  And, Suncrest he used your blood, sweat, tears, leadership, and generosity to do something truly special today.  What church in its right mind tries to double form 2 to 4 campuses all in one day?  You did!

Kids Check In

Instead of me trying to describe everything to you, I’ve just going to do some cutting and pasting of observations I’ve come across today.

Beka Jackson — Got to be at Highland launch this morning. I cried all the way there I was so excited and I couldn’t even read the sign to the kids – Mia had to! Then when the parking lot was FULL of cars, I cried even more! What a dork. Just can’t believe I get to be a part of such an amazing church. Can’t wait to see what God will do in Highland and Walkerton!

The nursery...

Cheri Newell (commenting on Beka’s) – God is awesome!!! Walkerton was full, too! What an amazing day!

Rachel Kaser (from Walkerton) – We had a tremendous first Sunday thanks to all of you praying like crazy for us!  Everything went off without a glitch, which is A LOT when you consider all of the people, technology, etc. that has to be “on” for any given Sunday!  We had a lot of new faces and really good response…more on that below!  Thanks again for all of your prayers on our behalf!  (You can check out pics by clicking here.).

Jared Mehrle (I need to tell him to stop and appreciate the moment for a while!) — Awesome morning at Suncrest Highland…Cannot wait until next week!

Andy teaching...Graph look familiar? LOVE working on messages together!

Andy Kaser – God blew us away with his kindness.  Proud of our team.  Love being part of Suncrest.  God’s spirit moving!

I couldn’t be happier.  The Walkerton campus launched with one service and had 130 people there and the Highland campus launched with 2 services and had 244 people there.  Some were well-wishers and some were launch team, but far and away…most were people who have never experiences Suncrest before.

Great Volunteers!

On days of celebration like this I always like to remember the journey.  The days that had doubt and uncertainty and anticipation and small confirmations. The unexpected challenges and unexpected blessings.  The genesis of the vision (it actually came in a conversation in my office with our mission leaders about Africa after I had just read Acts 1:8).  From there on, we couldn’t get “Local, Regional, Global” out of our heads!  And today, God proves faithful again.

Love ya Suncrest!  All of you!

Every person at all campuses got this card today...How fun is it to be multi-site?

Posted in Suncrest

The handshake in Liberia is unique…and apparently has a good lesson for us.  Here are Gordon Barker’s reflections on that and their nervous laughter at some of our questions…

The hand shake – Ask one of us who has been to Liberia and we will teach you the Liberian handshake.  It is a five step process that ends in a mutual finger snap.  At least it is supposed to end in a mutual finger snap, but we Americans struggled with this providing great amusement and laughter for the Liberians.  Sampson, one of the leaders at the church in Monrovia, enjoyed adding extra steps in the hand shake just to give me a hard time.  Finally I said “Let me show you an American handshake”.  Afterword he looked at me, laughed and said, “You Americans are always in such a hurry, you don’t even have time for a proper handshake.”  Funny, but true.

(Note:  To see a blog out there with a full picture demonstration, click here.)

Nervous laughter at questions – Several Liberians we met reacted to our questions with nervous laughter.  We were even told that Danny had warned his leaders that Americans ask a lot of questions, that we are very curious people.  We thought that they would ask us a lot more questions about America, but there were very few.  This is definitely a cultural difference between Americans and Liberians.

Posted in Suncrest

I’m fasting today for campus launches and it has made me slow down enough to see some connection between things. As we celebrate new launches, don’t miss the difference-makers for these 2 campuses to get off the ground Sunday (and for our church planting in Liberia that is taking off very quickly).

1.  GOD Himself. The Word of God (Acts 1:8) birthed this vision in us.  Teams that have been fasting and praying have asked Him to move…and he has.  And remember, “only God” changes the human heart.  He has shown us he does.  We believe that he will.

2.  Leaders. We have a value in our DNA around Suncrest that says: Leadership Matters.  God uses individuals to influence other individuals.  But he uniquely uses leaders to build teams and create movements of people.  Jared Mehrle and Andy Kaser have given point leadership to these new campuses.  David Vineyard has given point leadership to the Liberian effort.  They have wisely surrounded themselves with more leaders (some staff, but mostly volunteers) who are building their parts of the movement.  God uses LEADERS and we wouldn’t be launching campuses without them.

3.  Your Generosity. Whatever happens this weekend and beyond in Highland and Walkerton would not be happening without the sacrificial generosity of Suncrest.  It’s still amazing to me that you all are giving $370,000 over and above your regular giving to something that you will never personally benefit from.  Whether your gift is totaling $10 or $10,000, every one of them combined is making this effort possible!  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.

Final side note…It is hitting me after I type this that these are the same three things that were difference makers in the New Testament as the “Original Jesus Mission” was implemented!

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Diane Kolarczyk (gotta love “The Region” names!) was baptized Sunday by her friend Susan.  I love hearing people’s stories and she took the time to write hers out so she could share the change in her life with all of her friends.  I asked her if I could share it with my friends too. Here it is…in her own words.

From as far as I can remember, God has been a part of my life. As I grew up in our home and in my school and in my church, God was there. I had no doubts. I simply believed.

As I got older I had more questions. I found that I didn’t agree with the rules of the church and I knew that if you didn’t follow the rules you weren’t a good Catholic and good Catholics went to heaven.

Over time I moved further and further away from Church but when the chips were down, times were bad, I was scared, I always turned to God. He was my rock.

In 2003, my best friend died after a 7 year battle with breast cancer. The morning of her death I was sitting on the front porch with her 7-year-old son. We were both crying. He said, “ Di, I never thought it would happen.” I said, “Connor, I know exactly what you mean.” And I did. That was the day I walked away from God. I was done with Him.

In those next years, I didn’t feel like I was the same person anymore. I felt like a part of me was gone. Rachelle took it with her when she died. More years went by and not only did I not feel like myself, but I began to feel more and more lost. My friend Sue would share her faith with me from time to time. She encouraged me to join her at church. I did occasionally but nothing ever made an impact. That is until the Sunday we went to a movie theatre and someone handed me a betting chip on my way in. I listened that day to Pastor Greg’s message in a way I hadn’t in a long time.

Sue and I continued to go to Suncrest at the St John campus. I listened more. I sat in a Sunday service and was so overwhelmed by emotion that I thought I was going to have to get up and leave! I realized after hearing the song “Unstoppable” by Rascal Flatts that I was lost because I was no longer whole. And it wasn’t Rachelle that was missing, it was God. He wanted me to come home to Him. I felt as though He was standing in front of me waving his arms and doing everything to get me to come to Him except actually take me by the hand. I had to be the one to choose. So on April 15, 2009, I took my leap of faith and gave myself back to God. The moment I did I felt whole again. I was me again.

At Suncrest I have found a relationship with God. I chose to be baptized to declare my commitment to Him and to my faith. I believe that it is my next step on my journey to a deeper relationship with Him. Each night I pray that I can go “all in” with my relationship with Him. That I will live my life based on the example that Jesus gave us. And that I will open my heart to his Holy Spirit so that it may be filled with love for Him until that love becomes my very foundation.

Posted in Suncrest

Thanks to Suncrest’s extraordinary generosity, some great leadership from campus pastors and staff, and a whole lot of faith…Suncrest will launch 2 new campuses this Sunday.  Some great stuff…

Both campuses had great services Sunday as part of their final prep.

-Highland had a couple new families come because they saw the signs on Ridge Road (we practiced everything!)

-I was reading Walkerton’s prayer update and saw them raving about a family that is committing to help them launch from the Hobart Campus.  Way to go Jesse, Linda, Maria, and Angela.

-I got an email this morning from a St. John campus attender who saw a facebook conversation where one of the new Highland families was raving about their experience.  Fun Stuff.

-I had a conversation at the end of the morning yesterday with a lady who was baptized one year ago at Suncrest and she just to told me that she was “someone’s ‘one'” then.  She was so thankful.

-It will be a full week praying for all the names you wrote down on Sunday.

-Small things can be huge.  Andy told me about his encounter with a janitor at the Walkerton Elementary School on Sunday that ended up with some much-needed storage space.  “We finished loading the last few things – since they weren’t going to fit on the trailer, she said let’s just put some of it in this closet! We ended up putting all the sound equipment in there! HUGE HUGE HUGE!”

I keep hearing about St. John Campus people with friends in the Highland Area.  More than one is going to take their friend to their launch.

Pray.  Pray. Pray.  Never forget…It is “only God who makes things grow”.

Posted in Suncrest

Bears 20 – Cowboys 17

I was as surprised as anyone that last week’s pick/score was as close as it was.  Picking the upset, I think most everyone will be surprised if I get it this week.  What is this pick based on?  I like the Bear’s defense.  And the offense was productive overall.  Just killed with turnovers and in the red zone.  obviously if they repeat that, they will lose against Dallas.

Fortunately, Dallas may have looked even worse last week against the redskins…blowing many opportunities.

Posted in Suncrest

Monrovia's downtown market

David Vineyard and Gordon Barker have kept reflecting on the Liberian experience and I’ll use their thoughts from time to time to keep this beautiful and perplexing country in front of us.  What they have written will give you a window to see their people, their dilemmas, and hope for their future.

From David…

Boy Selling Dried Fish at a Soccer Game

Business start-ups…It seems as if everyone is trying to sell something!   With such a high unemployment rate one really does wonder where those who are buying find their money with which they are able to make their purchases.  There are seeming contradictions in the economy.  The daily wage rate is very low there; yet some things are comparable in cost to similar items in the US.  We were not able to comprehend how some people were able make it financially.

People were everywhere!  Several days we left on road trips before the sun was up.  People were beginning to stir and heading to the marketplace.  By 8 am the market areas were fairly active, and by later in the morning they were downright crowded!   At times it seemed as if every sidewalk was turned into a marketplace. When it rained (we were there during their rainy season) most people seemed to disappear.   Shortly after the daily downpour was done they reappeared.

From Gordon….

Yes...selling dead animals on the street

The market areas of Monrovia can best be described as controlled chaos.  There are no traffic lights and very few traffic signs.  People walk anywhere and everywhere they want, including all over the street.  Street vendors, wheelbarrow haulers and taxis are everywhere, motorcycle taxis weaving in and out of traffic. Live and dead animals are sold on the street.  It is the same after dark.  Pictures cannot do justice to the scene.  To the outsider it is complete chaos, to the locals it appears to be controlled chaos.

Posted in Suncrest

I had a great conversation today with a friend who was asking me questions about how our campus launches will work.  I was quickly reminded that while some of us live in the world of these details every day, a lot of people don’t.  Maybe you too are full of these curiosities.  If so, enjoy!

Will there be video teaching at the new campuses?

Yes.  The Highland campus will function just like Hobart where we use video-teaching about 37 weeks/year and the campus pastor preaches the other 15 weeks.  In Walkerton, the split will be closer to half and half for reasons I’ll describe below.

Why Walkerton instead of in South Bend?

There are a few different factors to this.  The most important one is a sense of calling and following God’s leading.  But even part of discovering that came through a series of closed doors while we were looking for meeting space in South Bend itself while opportunities opened landed in our lap in Walkerton, which is a smaller community outside of South Bend.  In the end, it has been a great fit for our unique and experimental approach to this campus, while holding to the vision of being regional instead of local.

Do you need help?

I would NEVER answer that question “no”.  We need your prayers.  Many are in a season of fasting again for the launches.  We need your generosity to continue to the Jesus Mission.  Suncrest has been very faithful to that!  Our team in Highland is well-staffed with a launch team coming from both the St. John and Hobart campuses.  With Walkerton building from scratch, we could use some man-power to help them have a great launch.  Like I mentioned Sunday at St. John, let us know if you would go over to serve in Children’s Ministry sometime during the 1st two months of launch.

What Facilities will they meet in?

Both new campuses will be in Elementary Schools.  Highland Christian School and Walkerton Elementary School.

How are Walkerton and Highland launches different from each other?

There are probably two major ways.  The first is financial.  Highland is funded much like most multi-site launches around the country.  Walkerton’s budget is less than half of Highland’s.  And I always want to clarify…this is by design.  One thing our leadership is interested in is innovation.  We are curious…and willing to experiment if a campus can be launched in a different way than what is happening everywhere else.  Lower “overhead” cost, lower facility cost, lower (almost none) cost for initial marketing. More relational.  Andy Kaser has embraced this vision and innovation and is leading in some awesome ways through it.  Because of this, we know we will launch smaller, but also hope to take root and build quickly.

Obviously, the other difference is distance.

Highland’s proximity makes it easier to share resources and send people. That provides manpower and also creates the Suncrest Culture pretty naturally.  Walkerton is almost 90 minutes from St. John and outside “Da Region”.  In a lot of ways, that makes us start much more from scratch like a brand new church plant, but they still benefit from systems, resources, and momentum that Suncrest has.  This distance is also the reason for having the campus pastor teach a little more frequently.

Are all the campuses the same?

Yes and no.  We are ONE church so unity is essential in (1) our Mission, (2) our approach to Discipleship – the 4C’s, (3) our Culture and Values, and (4) our Theology.  And we do have one elder team, function with one budget, and collaborate as one staff.  But the campuses are in different communities and have different strengths in their leadership teams so they are not cookie-cutter.

Are the campuses designed to become a church of their own eventually?

No, not really.  We are truly one church just gathering in different geographic locations.  If we all discover after a few years that the distance and logistics are complicated enough that it would be best for a campus like Walkerton to just become it’s own church, we are always open to where God leads that, but it is not in the plan.  And there are other successful models out there that we are constantly learning from.

Where will the next campuses be?

I actually had someone ask me this and here was my response:  I LOVE the way you think…but I’m not ready to think about it quite yet! Actually, we know we have some internal structures and systems that will need a little time to develop with the shift from 2 campuses to 4.  So unless God does something unexpected, we’ll give our next season to making sure we are functioning within our value of excellence with the 4 campuses He has given us.

Posted in Suncrest