We desire to see God raise up a church for the emerging generation and a church for the fathering generation…to see the two kiss and birth the pregnant purposes of God for the nations. A house where Elizabeth and Mary can live pregnant for a season, with the understanding that when LIFE is present BIRTH is supposed to happen.
Two generations that know how to prophetically speak over the purposes of God being birthed in them and through them, not with jealousy or abortive resentment but with a divine sense of generational blessing. An understanding that a full quiver is a blessing but the arrows are for launching out, not to just fill the quiver.
A church that is being built for the emerging generation too not just the passing generation, Its face is turned towards the future in faith and hope and not the past in regret and longing.
To be a community that has Jesus and His purposes at the center of their life together. To grow a church that has its hands in the dirt of their city but a heart for the world too.
A community that revolves around Christ the Living word and finds its health and fruitfulness in abiding in His written word. A place of freedom, to explore the hard questions with honesty, relevance and fearlessness. To walk together but with purpose, mission and prophetic clarity and power. To restore the pulpit of God that attracts fire again. To see the Word of the Lord preached in simplicity and revelation. To preach the uncompromising WORD OF GOD with the purpose to mobilize and energize not paralyze. To challenge and encourage and to train peoples hands for war.
To be a safe place to be brought back to life. A house of resurrection, where the dead find life, the hopeless hear destiny and the broken are restored back to beauty again.
To advance not just camp. To heal not just pray for healing. To love with an intensity that reflects the heart of our savior. To enjoy our freedom in Christ and abandon the religious yokes that keep people sanitized but leaves a world unevangelized.
To be a community that has found its song. A place of joy, where the spirit of heaviness is cast off and the mantle of praise can be found. Where worship begins in the heart and spills out in our gathering times through song, dance, the arts and creative expression. A worshipping community that understands the power of praise and the intimacy of holy worship in spirit and in truth. That is not afraid of the Holy Spirit but understands godly fear and seeks to establish freedom with order.
A place where wonder can be restored and the mystery is embraced and where the Wind of God can blow unhindered, unfettered and embraced with anticipation. A room where fire can fall and produces believers that spread that life and fire into the community they live within.
A overflowing people who understand that God is the God of outflow…the river of God always flows out into the nations from the temple of God and in fact the closer to the temple…the smaller the river, so the farther out you go...the deeper the flow!
To find Jesus again in the face of the poor, neglected, abused and used, the forgotten, fragile and the lonely. To return to the highways and byways again. To seek out those who sit in darkness and find our place in the wounds of our city. To be close to suffering but able to release life. To be around, within and among our community as a present people.
To truly be a “in but not of” as a flower in the gutter.
5 comments:
Amen and amen.
"Look to the FUTURE. Build a place for the next generations...a place for your children."
was the word in my spirit from the Lord a few days ago. I was comtemplating the complications of birthing our new ministry venture, not wanting people I love to be hurt by it all.
It was as if the Lord put his hand on my shoulder and directed me toward my son, Christian. He was sharing with me how EXCITED he was that his mom and dad were starting their own church and is FULL of anticipation! When I looked into his eyes, I knew at that moment that I would give up everything to have him excited about the reality of Jesus Christ. It's like that credit card commercial. "...The cost of starting a new ministry: thousands of dollars...the cost of walking by faith: more than you own...the twinkle in your son's eyes...PRICELESS."
THAT has to be my focus....the future, not the past.
I am resolved in my calling and commitment and am ready to jump off the cliff into the unknown. HEY, BABE...grab my hand and count to three!! ONE....TWO...THREE.....
LeeElla
I am so excited for this new adventure that I have dreamed about for years! I know that the Lords hand is upon it and I am ready to put my hand to the plow. I know that it is going to be hard work and there will be dry times I am sure but knowing that the Lord is cheering for us I walk in confidence this Church is going to shake this city for Christ! I am so pumped;) Wait for me LeeElla I am jumping too! Love you both and am believing with you! Jackie
I would hope that in this elation, we would all see what has been birthed in the current body
(at NHCC), and remembering its vision and legacy that we have all been a part of, which is actually quite similar to the vision being shared in this blog, and note that we all are and have been striving for the same common pupose.
It may also be useful to note that as we talk of the ministry and vision as it relates to our families, that the current ministry that most of us (that have posted in crowbar)have been impacted by and involved in is the very definition of generational. The ministry was begun, and has been shared by all of the children of the senior pastor, as well as many of the grandchildren who have ministered on stage to the people.
I am sure that there has probably been no greater satisfaction from the senior pastors than to see their family all supporting the new work, getting behind them, and ministering together. The vision of a family working side by side together for his purpose still resonates with us, as we started a new work and a new church, and are still fighting the good fight. Let us not marginalize the fruits, benefits, and relationships of the current body that have ministered to so many.
With that in mind, I know that God will bless whatever steps any of us are taking in His name. I certainly wish you the best in whatever your next steps may be.
With Love -
Valdyn
You say you are desiring God to raise up a church that ministers to the various facets of our society and in which the fathering generation and the emerging generation can kiss and birth the pregnant purposes of God for the nations. I believe that we already have this church in New Hope Christian Center. In reading your blog you are failing to give thanks for the many blessings that you have experienced personally due to the ministry at New Hope. It is great that you are moving on to an new ministry. But it sad that you cannot see how God has used New Hope to minister to so many. Your blog sounds like there is no church in this area that fulfills the things you are wanting/planning to have in your church. I think many churches have the attributes you seem to want. In fact, churches by nature are designed to minister to more than one generation at a time and to reach out to as many types of persons as they can at one time.
As I stated previously, New Hope has been a great blessing to your family. Specifically, because you are “family”, you have left and come back to Spokane on three different occasions and each time you have been invited to be a part of the ministry. Most persons who quit a job over and over again do not get such loving treatment. Each time you moved to Spokane and then left you told the congregation from the pulpit that God had called you to another ministry. I specifically remember the first time this happened, you got up in front of the church and announced that God had called you to be the youth minister at New Hope, that great things were going to happen and that you were very excited about the future of the youth group and what God was going to do. I believe that it was almost exactly one month later that you again stood behind the pulpit and announced that God was calling you to Oregon and you would be leaving. I remember how shocked my late husband Michael and I both were. Since this first time you have come back to the church, left to Oregon again, come back to the church, and now you are leaving again.
I will not question God’s leading in your life, as that is not my place. I also will never say that God was not in each of your moves. Especially as I believe that your heart is in the right place and that you have a great love for God and people. However, so many moves does make me wonder if boredom has not played a role in your moves as much as directing from God. I also understand that you have had three places/things that you have felt that God was leading to this time around(Amsterdam, Vancouver, Spokane-downtown). I know in my own life when God has given direction it has always been much more specific. This has caused me to believe that before a move is made I need to know that I know what it is that God has in mind.
That being said, I do believe that this move will be a good thing for you as well as for New Hope. It is possible that you need this move to be able to bring new life into your ministry, and feel that you are truly making a difference in this world. New Hope will continue to minister to the many differing people that it always has, as well as grow even more with the influx of new persons on staff. We shall miss you, and we wish you the very best and many blessings from God. We will pray for you, as we hope you in turn will continue to pray for us.
Your sister-in-law
Sandi Hunt
Well...hummmmm...how to respond, or should I even attempt. I guess all I would say is that you got some of your facts wrong and my attempts to articulate and dream out loud about our new venture isn't a statement about New Hope or other churches...it's about where we want to go and what we want to do.
It's called casting vision, dreaming out loud, sharing the heart of what you want to see take place. Those very same realities are taking place in many congregations, that isn't what I am talking about. I am simply laying out the cry of my heart for the church we will be involved in raising up.
It's not about what we are turning from but what we are turning towards.
We are in our 9th year of full time ministry in Spokane and have been blessed beyond words for the things God has done for us and in us and through us at New Hope and for our part we will hold these days as treasured memories and a great training ground and harvest too.
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