The Right Stuff!
This weekend, the church plant leadership team went on a retreat. We got on a ferry and crossed the Sound- spent the weekend away from the busy streets of Seattle. I believe the Lord used this weekend to encourage and challenge us all in different ways, and I can sense His work in our team.
Corporate worship was encouraging today. We pray each Sunday as a group, whoever wants to come and pray- and lift up personal needs, ministry needs, spiritual needs, our hopes as a Body, and our neighborhoods and communities. I think we are catching on to the beauty and reality of prayer. It was a time of just honestly coming before the Lord in humility and seeking His face together, about 20 of us gathered in a circle.
I gotta give some love to David. Dave, if you read this- I want you to know that the music that your band is playing up there sounds stronger and more powerful than I ever would have conceived back in Winona. I mean, seriously. There is some passion and hope in those words and in those instruments like I haven’t heard since…well…ever. I just pray that the Lord would continue to pour out His wisdom and leadership on the music ministry and all that it entails- on David as he leads; Chuck, Maurice, Matthew, Aaron, Josh, and anyone else who was and is and will be involved in it. I am so thankful for the way music is used to touch and to heal hearts and broken spirits.
A South Korean couple came in through the back doors to corporate worship, they were visiting Seattle for a short time, and through the little I could make out from the communication gap, I discovered that he was is a pastor there. I was so encouraged by his enthusiasm for our mission. He was smiling from ear to ear the whole time, clapping and taking pictures, and his wife was there next to him, with her Korean/English translation Bible, looking up everything, listening intently, engaging. I was just so encouraged. How does a random couple on a vacation to the US from South Korea even hear about little ELC? I guess I will never know unless God allows us to meet again.
The House Church ministry is moving towards a shift- a purposeful shift. Right now, we have four house churches meeting throughout North Seattle. One is all guys, one all girls, one with families, and another just begun. We are going to take a step back and move to three. We are going to take all of the people involved and do a big blender experiment. The goal of a house church is really to be a mini-model of the Body of Christ- that means men and women, old and young, families and singles working together in an intimate group. I am excited and expectant. Not sure what it all will look like, but we are praying for eight house churches throughout Seattle by August 8th!
The House Churches, as well as youth and children’s ministries, area all operating on a ‘life cycle’:
Serve, Study, Play, Study. This has been effective because it has provided an opportunity to fellowship and grow together without feeling the pressure of having to answer all of the right questions- not just a Bible Study, but a life-together journey through our neighborhoods and with our immediate communities. Please pray for these groups.
Lots of exciting things to share, but I must go to sleep.
Pray for our brothers Josh, Brent, and Charlie…they have been an encouraging, strong, and faithful support in the work of Epic Life. They’re all three in the NAVY and are being deployed shortly. We’ll miss them!
