Great Launch in Social Circle; Let’s take the PLUNGE!

 Bible, Church at the Grove, Church Planting, Faith, Jesus, Leadership, Missional  No Responses »
Jan 242012
 

I am so thankful for the people that God has put in place to lead CATGrove forward in our mission to lead people to follow Jesus and Make Disciples!

We have launched another campus in Social Circle!
This past Sunday we launched our Social Circle Campus with 95 people in attendance at Social Circle Middle School!  Wow! Praise God for His faithfulness in seeing this dream become a reality.
I am so thankful for all the people that have invested so much energy and time making this campus in Social Circle possible. Nathan’s strong leadership has been a blessing in making this launch possible.  I am thankful for all of the leaders and volunteers that have invested so much time and effort to get us going in Social Circle.
I am so excited about our new teaching series “PLUNGE” that began this past Sunday!  We will address each one of our “ministry filters” or “core values” over these six weeks.
Here are our ministry filters:
Biblical Faith
Persuasive Compassion
Missional Responsibility
Authentic Relationships
Intentional Simplicity
Faithful Stewardship
This past Sunday:  The Word of God is a revelation of Himself and when we see Him as He is, we are transformed.  
Join us as we journey through the Bible at www.youversion.com Essential 100 Bible reading plan!  Go here to see it: http://www.youversion.com/reading-plans/the-essential-100/settings
Martin Luther said, “The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me.”
Let’s commit to reading and applying God’s Word on a daily basis.
I am so excited about what God is doing in and through Church at the Grove!  Please continue to invest your life into the lives of others in our community!  Let’s continue to move forward with the mission God has set forth for us.
I love you and I am praying for you.
 Posted by at 3:47 pm

New Launch in Social Circle! Let’s Go!

 Church at the Grove, Church Planting, Faith, Jesus, Missional  No Responses »
Jan 212012
 

Everybody’s Welcome, Nobody’s Perfect, Anythings Possible

Everybody’s Welcome
Jesus was the perfect example/model of compassion for others. Jesus accepted and demonstrated love toward the unacceptable and unlovable of His day. Everybody was welcome to come to Him. He encountered prostitutes, Samaritans, tax collectors, gentiles, lepers or sinners of all kinds. In Matthew 9 we see that Jesus saw these people as sheep scattered without a shepherd and he had compassion on them.

My prayer is that Church at the Grove will be a community that has the same heart for people that Jesus demonstrated in the scriptures. We welcome people to journey with us even if they don’t agree with all we believe. We have created an environment where people can explore faith and their own pace hopefully experiencing the unconditional love of Jesus as they participate in our community of faith.

Nobody’s Perfect
We are all in need of forgiveness. Paul tells the Romans that “we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. One of the core values we aspire to is “authentic relationships”. Because we are ALL in need of forgiveness there is no sense of spiritual superiority. We dream of a community at Church at the Grove where there is no need for hiding, no need for wearing masks, no need to impress anyone because we are all saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ.

Anything’s Possible
Jesus believed in people like the fisherman Peter. Although he was impulsive, haughty and often would stick his foot right in his mouth, Jesus saw something in this uneducated fisherman that led Him to invest into Peter’s life in such a way that the world would ultimately be impacted by Peter’s leadership. Peter was the most significant leader during the birth of the early church.

God has called us at Church at the Grove to invest into the lives of people with the attitude and belief that “anything is possible”. We are to see people through the eyes of Jesus and roll up our sleeves and do whatever it takes to get the gospel into the lives of those “least likely to go to church”.

That is why we stepped out on faith over 5 years ago to launch a gathering in Walnut Grove AND that is why we take another step of faith today to launch a gathering in Social Circle. This is an outpost on the landscape of our mission field where the Word of God can be taught and the gospel proclaimed. Let’s go! May God bless our obedience to Him and draw people to Himself as we lift up the name of Jesus Christ!

Keep praying, Keep investing, Keep Inviting!

Russ

 Posted by at 6:22 pm

This Week at the Grove

 Church, Church at the Grove, General, Leadership, Missional, Random Thoughts  No Responses »
Nov 172011
 

Mid-Week Video Email 11.17.11 from Church at the Grove on Vimeo.

 Posted by at 5:33 pm

Loving the Community like Jesus

 Church at the Grove, Community, Faith, General, Leadership, Missional, Random Thoughts  1 Response »
Oct 272011
 

Here is the question for the day:

If our church were to disappear, would Church at the Grove’s influence be missed?

Our role as a church is to be a bridge.  As we serve and love those in our community we form a bridge through our actions over which the good news of Jesus can travel!  I heard it said recently, “Influence is when you (church) become part of the fabric of the community.” My desire as a pastor is that Church at the Grove become a part of the fabric of the community. My former pastor Mike Linch spoke about this at a recent meeting of pastors and church leaders and it was a good reminder of the need for us to focus as a church on serving and loving our community.

Our community needs our church.  Our church needs our community.  True, lasting influence is gained over the long haul and leads to credibility with the community.

How do we “win” over the community….?

  • We have to learn to love the things they love and get involved in the things that are important to them.
  • My heart as a pastor is for God to raise up some leaders that will become the “flag waivers” (leaders) for our community ministry needs.
  • We want to serve our community with “no strings attached” just like Jesus love on people He came into contact with.
  • Popular author and blogger Seth Godin states, “If you are not remarkable, you are invisible.”

Church at the Grove, let’s dig in over the long haul, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, let’s serve our community in a remarkable way!

Check out my friend Brian Dodd’s thoughts on serving the community as a church:  http://briandoddonleadership.com/2011/10/25/13-tips-on-how-churches-can-best-serve-their-communities/

 

 Posted by at 12:42 pm
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