Archive for July, 2008

Origin Helping Plant Churches

Posted: July 31, 2008 in Church Planting
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Vince Antonucci, who is a church planter of ten plus years with Forefront Church in Virginia Beach, VA, has soooo inpsired me to reach lost, unreached, and disconnected people who don’t like church.  He’s a renengade and is amazing at doing this very thing, right out of the culture.  He loves the Bible and loves those that need Christ.  Vince is becoming a new friend to us, and I already have the greatest of respect for him.  After hearing last week about his new calling to take what he’s done in Virginia, and plant a new church on the strip of Las Vegas in January of 2009, I have been inspired!  If anybody can do it, he can!  I felt a confirmation over the weekend that Origin Church should financially partner with Vince from the get-go; that means that we have not even launched ourselves, and we are raising our own much needed capital to launch in February, but we feel that since one of our core values is to provide “Irresistible Bridges to the Community,” then church planting is high on the list of this value, even if we are just getting started ourselves. 

Jesus had something to say about “giving out of our poverty.”  I remember the widow……….wow, how much she gave!  Let me challenge you that may read this, you can ALWAYS give some-thing to a new church plant, however, it never has to be the same-thing as someone else.  Check you heart and re-arrange your schedule to care for somebody else.  Don’t be so busy with your own “deal” that you have no time to invest.  It’ll be worth to you!

Must Read

Posted: July 31, 2008 in Faith
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Read Steven Furtick’s blog post. Unbelievable confirmation for us and you too!

Our Week

Posted: July 31, 2008 in Church Planting
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Pray for us;  Kim and I are in the middle of an intense but great Discovery Assessment Center until Friday, for GHC Planting Network, out of California.  These are fabulous, God-loving, and sincere high-achievers in the family of God.  We continue to add partners to our quest of planting Origin Church;  Thanks to God!

Vince in Vegas

Posted: July 28, 2008 in Church Planting
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Check out this great blog piece from Vince Antonucci who is leaving the church plant he founded 11 years ago to plant in Las Vegas.  Great blog on how it all begins;  good insight for us here at Origin.

Visiting

Posted: July 28, 2008 in Church Environments
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Our family had a great worship experience Sunday, once again, at Rockbridge Church in Dalton, GA.  Matt Evans is the real deal!  He preached a great message; Worship was authentic.  What a beautiful group of people!  Matt is becoming a real friend and I look forward to connecting even more in the days to come as we do ministry together.

Already Serving the Community

Posted: July 26, 2008 in Missions
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Yesterday, we committed to partner with The Gathering in Ringgold which is an event coming up of college students and high school students from all kinds of churches in the community, to gather for a night of worship.  We committed to “give back” paints and paint brushes for the event.  Hey, we haven’t even launched yet!  We really do want to give!

Great Two Days

Posted: July 25, 2008 in Launch
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The process has begun to gather our launch team!  It’s exciting to see God at work.

  • Had a great meeting with a good friend about his involvement on Wednesday.  He’s very gifted and talented.  He and his wife are joining the launch team.
  • Had another great meeting on Thursday with a potential staff member in Chattanooga.  It’s amazing to see what God has been preparing him for.  It’s almost scary to hear his plea to God, and to watch our obedience answer. 
  • Got another family dear to ours in Louisiana who feel a calling to join our launch team at some point in the near future. 
  • Talked to my good friend John Buckner, who will head up the music production for us.  His band of musicians, the Buckner Brothers are excited about partnering with Origin.  These guys are professionals….they can get ‘r dun.  A “get well” to John; he broke his leg Sunday.
  • Took another look at our potential launch site.  It’s beautiful and has character.  I think it will work.
  • Looked for office space this week.
  • So much to do, and so much to enjoy.

Pretty amazing stuff!  God has some kind of agenda for us in this new launch and I can’t wait to find out what.  Although, you know how God is, He will only show you so much at a time.  However, we couldn’t digest it all if we knew it. 

One of the things I like about the launch team strategy we are assembling is, you don’t have to leave your church to be a part.  We plan on launching on Sunday nights at 6, and in the beginning, we will meet two Sundays a month.  First of all, this allows us to borrow members from other churches for a 6-18 month period, to come as volunteers, who would like to get on mission while they stay committed to their home church.  Secondly, it allows our volunteer base to grow, thereby not burning anyone out.  Thirdly, it also allows us to harness momentum.  We can re-gather momentum everytime we add a service, change to a morning worship, and launch all over again full-time at some juncture in the future.  Finally, it allows our launch team families and children the opportunity to be a part of a local church and having a stable connection while we add new environments, ministries, and get to critical mass. 

Join our launch team today!  You may in the area, or you may be reading this and feel you need to relocate to be a part.  You come on too!  Click here.

Parents, Grandparents, Godparents

Posted: July 24, 2008 in Giving
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In the life of church planting, having all 3 are a bonus!  A “Parent” partner is a financial partner that gives a substantial amount of funding and literally gives as if the planter & staff were a paid staff member of their organizaiton.  This could be a church, a person, or a business owner.  This provides a window of about 3 years for the staff to get the church to a decent stability.  Additionally, it allows the staff to concentrate on the mission without worry regarding the well-being of their family and the future of the ministry.  A “Grandparent” partner also partners financially but has a lesser financial investment.  Finally, a “Godparent” role is that of a minimal amount of provided funding, if any, but an organization or person who wants to help either through prayer or labor.  ALL three are equally important and a real description of the variety of Biblical gifting: “To whom much is given, much is required.”  An additional few items that I see any church can provide are:

  1. Individual people as members on loan to help launch for a few months
  2. A group of people sent in to the town for a one, two, or three-day mission opportunity
  3. An embracing of the new staff and church as teammates and family
  4. A special time set aside as a church body to commission through a simple prayer time
  5. Provide temporary offices for the new team if in close proximity
  6. Levearge their membership to help new plant acquire necessary equipment.  Some members are in specific and distinct businesses that know people who would like to partner by providing equipment
  7. Names of prayer partners from their church body

A new team of planters needs to feel connected in more than one place, they need to feel loved by a group of believers who are rallying behind them, and must have the necessary financial support to make it all happen.  Needed at Origin Church:  Parents, Grandparents, Godparents!  Partner with us!

Anniversary

Posted: July 23, 2008 in Family
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As of yesterday, Kim and I have been married for 19 years!  Our family has been entirely consumed with transition over the last 12 days, and all of a sudden we looked up and realized that it was July 22……………we laughed that we had let the day sneak up on us.  We took the girls to Panera Bread for lunch and grilled hamburgers last night and called it our anniversary celebration.  Why not, huh?  Marriage is, indeed, a partnership.  It has it’s good, it’s bad, and it’s ugly, but in the end there is a common denominator centered around love, family, and God.  I heard an older gentlemen one time say to his family sitting around the large table at Thanksgiving, “Look to your left and to your right because these are the people that will be with you all the way to the end of this life.”  I remember meeting Kim at the University of Georgia BSU on a Tuesday night, and somehow just “knew.”  I chased her, she avoided me for awhile, but then, finally.  We’ve had an amazing 19 year journey!

VW Coming To Chattanooga

Posted: July 23, 2008 in Culture
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Volkswagen announced last week that Chattanooga, TN would be their new manufacturing hub.  It’s a huge “ring the bell” for Tennessee and especially Chattanooga and Northwest Georgia.  This will create over 2,000 jobs plus all the additional supply companies that will provide opportunities by moving to town.  It just hit me that this announcement is ironic, because it becomes public at the very week we are on the mission field in the middle of a ton of chaos and challenge.  Could that be another confirming indicator?  Is that another good sign of the need for a new church plant in this region?  Isn’t it a good idea to realize that with God’s will goes blessing and burden?  The answer to all three questions is:  YES!

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