the Journey

Day to Make a Difference- 2 down; 3 to go.

On April 4, 2009, we launched the A Day to Make a Difference initiative. Basically, we chose one day every two months in which we would engage the local neighborhoods around our building with direct, hands-on community service- doing something that was needed to help out. So far, we've knocked out 04/04- and, now, with yesterday's event, 06/06. We'll be rolling strong again on 08/08, 10/10, and 12/12. Check the site for more details. 

Here are some updates from the 06/06 event. Video will be forthcoming.

* We (finally) hit Marconi Park. On 04/04 we had planned to landscape the park, as well as paint the pavilions and do some repair on the bleachers. That work was held up, because the City of Birmingham wanted to approve paint colors, have everyone sign waivers, etc. With little time to do that before 04/04, we pushed that work to 06/06- and worked, instead, on 04/04 at the YMCA, Jones Valley Urban Farm, Bankhead Towers, Jessie's Place, etc... Now, the park is done.

* The park almost did not get done! The company that was donated the plants bailed at the last minute (Friday night, we found out). This morning, about 9:00 am, I made a call to Libby, the owner of Plant Odyssey on 6th Avenue South- not far from our building. She was very gracious to us, and we ended up pulling together about 35 large plants from her (all better than what we had planned to place in the park!) within 30 minutes of making the call to her.

* Pray for rain.  But not too quickly. Let me explain. We painted the press box and the small pavilion. We need the paint to cure- but, then we need the floods to come to allow the plants to take root.

* We took about 30 of The Village guys and tossed them into the mix. Those guys tore it up. We were able to do several days work in a half-day by getting everyone there at the same time. I was skeptical about starting at the late hour of 10am and ending at 1pm- but, it seemed to work well. It gave people the time to "sleep in" for a lazy Saturday morning- and then go serve the city. 

* We re-built all of the iron and wood bleachers at the park. The old wood seats were cracking, so we pulled them off, painted new ones, and replaced all of the bolts- after re-painting the frames. They look great. Also, we saved the old wood. We'll use it to make planters for a neighborhood garden that we're going to build down the street. Bottom line: nothing was wasted- and much was gained. 

* Again, why are we doing this? Well, we believe that we are in the middle of the city not just to be a convenient hub for those who live near and those who drive in from afar. We believe that we are here so that we can change the city for the better when we come together and gather. This is why we have scheduled several events throughout the year: 1) so that we can specifically plan and work with groups that are already in the heart of the city; 2) so that we are sure to have intentional times of service (if we don't, history shows it never happens- we have to set time aside to do it or it doesn't happen), and 3) so that you can plan and jump on, as your schedule allows. There are five events this year; make what you can, as you can.

* The next A Day to Make a Difference event is on Saturday, August 8th. More details forthcoming. However, make note that we will be prayer walking in Southtown on Saturday, June 20. We are the host church for the next Prayer Force United event there.

* Finally, be sure to pray for Tyler Shadix. He is the staff guy that is taking over all of these events. He began work for The Village in August 2008 as the "transportation guy," handling all of the scheduling and much of the shuttling of men to and from work and other appointments. In April 2009, he communicated to us that God had been stirring him to move to a different role. We saw the giftedness and ability in him. After a few weeks of prayer and study, Tyler began transitioning to this new role of overseeing community development. He'll lead things like community service days (A Day to Make a Difference), prayer walks (such as June 20), and other hands-on touch-points we'll have in the community. If you're unsure of which one he is, he's the one with the dreadlocks : )

Mind-dump- week of Easter, April 12, 2009!

Not even sure why I'm posting this early- especially after the rambunctiously busy day, make that week, that we've had... should be resting right now instead of producing anything. Brain seems a bit fried (think, the old commercial with the egg being tossed in the frying pan: "This is your brain; this is your brain on drugs..." Re-arrange to: "This is your brain; this is your brain after a crazy week of ministry... Any questions?"

* About a week ago (on 04/04/09, we hosted the A Day to Make a Difference event in Park Place. You can follow the weblink here to the home page of that site and see the re-cap of everything we did.

* Next date for A Day... is going to be on Saturday, 06/06. We'll be focusing on the Marconi Park itself- landscaping, painting, repairing old bleachers, refurbishing/re-habing the two pavilions that are there... As such, we will focus all of the work from 8am until 2pm and make a huge 6 hour effort in which it will all be done.

* This week was a hectically busy week- we ran from the day on Saturday, April 4th (which was incredible, by the way- lots of people working and loving and serving the city) straight through until Easter, 4/12. We'll post the video of today's events later on. All week people visited and prayed with and met people in Park Place, inviting them back to the Sunday event- and they came!

* We decided, prayerfully, to do something that was part of a vision we received about a year ago. We never moved on it, because we started the small freight train known as The Village, which occupied much time and attention until more staff could be brought onboard. Now, with a solid staff in place, we're able to look at other things, like Park Place. Anyway, about 18 months ago, I wondered what it would be like to actually NOT worship in our building one Sunday, on Easter... and move everything outside... to throw a party for people who would not come to church... to go and be the church to them... and to see what might happen. Today, we did that.

* This meant that many of our families worshiped at home, as a family. I've heard stories of dad's teaching their kids the Resurrection story using play-doh... and of others who led their family in singing... of others who prayed...

* And we converged at the Park around noon (set-up team- props to them- jammed from 9am on)... we prayed together, again, and welcomed the neighborhood.

* When all the eggs fell from the sky, it was like a giant pinata had burst. And it kept bursting... and eggs kept coming. Catch the video later.

* I've heard stories of how several of our church people led others to faith in Jesus... on the bleachers of the park!

* Sure, there were some snags throughout the day... and they were frustrating. Sound equipment arrived (very) late, we ran out of snow cones and such (even though we planned for a great many of them), some things worked well... and some things didn't.

* Spur of the moment, Keith Best was recruited (by myself and Pastor Rodney) to share the Gospel with the crowd. He did an incredible job; it was great to see him back up on the stage. FYI, be praying for him this week as he prepares to make a move back into full time ministry. Great story behind it, that I'm sure he'll tell to all of you soon.

* I do want to review this event later... and see what we did well (Christy Parvin did a fabulous job organizing this thing); and see what we can improve on (everything that fell apart was actually out of her jurisdiction, I assure you). We'll keep praying and looking and planning and see what we can do better. And, we'll continue to love and serve these people.

* Because of the crash-course of the last 8 days, we now have great relationships with the YMCA, Jones Valley Urban Farms, the local neighborhood association in Park Place, and even the school (Principal Sullivan from Philips Academy was there to get dunked in the tank today! FYI, we're going to help him raise uniforms for many of his students this August!).

* Pray this week for the next steps in Park Place... we don't want this to be a string of events... we want to love and serve this area of the city.

* Oh... and it does appear that GED classes are ready to open up (again!) in Southtown. Be praying for continued open doors in that area.

* Watched the Passion of the Christ last night with my kids and my wife. The oldest three- Emma (8), Ivey (6), & Noah (4.5) all watched and asked incredible questions. Was a great experience...

* This was my first Easter with Twitter. Was a great thing to see all of these tweets going back and forth from one person to the crowd, and back around with messages like, "He is risen, indeed!" And, "All my sins are gone, my shame removed... Christ died for me!" May we never forget; may we always remember!

Why a Big Easter Party? Why in Park Place?

by pastor rodney

i don't know when, but at some point in the past, my mind changed (likely more than once).

i remember the expectation of Easter as a child- it had a lot to do with a basket full of tasty morsels and a shiny new toy or two. it was utterly perfect, save the pastel short suit every male has to endure at some point (for which, there is no excuse, by the way).

as such, there is no excusing the return of the short suit for actual full-grown men, either.

while taking in the substance of the photograph to the left here of the actual full-sized person in short suit, please remember that it is an adult with fully functioning cognitive skill no longer under the sentimental (and evidently poor-sighted) judgment of his mother.

it makes no sense and i ask you to join me in an effort against such atrocity.

i digress...

i recall the celebratory nature of Easter in church growing up, but i think i was laser-focused on the mound of marshmallow-ey goodness peering at me from behind the protective cellophane and the ever inviting Peeps label.

Easter was a big deal with my extended family, as well, and we would always gather to indulge in and obliterate amounts of food normally appointed to crowds requiring their own zip code. (of course, my family would gather for any and every holiday, and even made up a few, i think, just so we could gather, and, most importantly, eat. a lot). we had a massive egg hunt and hung out. it was good.

i think there may be something better, though, for this day.

Easter should be the day that people who follow Jesus make the most noise. It is the day that redemption should make the most sense and connect with the most people; because, on that day, redemption lived!

Jesus is alive! it should echo off the mountain tops and the apartment buildings and sky scrapers and living room walls and...

the earth should shake (as it tends to do when God touches down, anyway- Ex 19.16-18; 2 Sam 22.8; 2 Chron 7.1-3; Ps 68.8; 77.15-20; Matt 27.45-54- and people should turn and fear God, just as Matt 27.54 says:

so when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!

we should throw the biggest party we throw all year and blow it out.

churches have thrown big parties in the past. the problem i see with the ones i have been a part of (i can only speak to those i have seen or heard of) is that we have them at our place with all the same people, inviting in those who already know the story.

we should be inviting those who we have historically avoided as the Church. the broken. the unloved. the dirty. the loud. the obnoxious. the overbearing. the sexual sinner. the drunk. the high. the lonely. the smelly. the one so overwhelmed by circumstance that they don't know where to turn.

but the Church has avoided them for so long. we made rules that exclude them. we judged them before God ever had the opportunity and counted them out.

thank God for grace- on both our accounts- the Church and the lost!

Paul say it this way in 1 Cor 6:

⁹ I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. ¹⁰ Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. ¹¹ But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.
¹² For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? ¹³ But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

Paul encourages us to love on those who are outside the promise of God.

Jesus tells a story in Matthew 22 where a king throws a wedding party and invites all the right folks- all the expected people. strangely, they all deny the king, laughing at him.

so- he kills them (not my suggestion for us, by the way).

then he sends out other servants into the "highways and byways" to invite in any that would come, and come they did- the "good and the bad". and they partied and feasted and sang and danced and had the time of their lives.

so should we.

so let's do.

we have arranged a little party on Easter where some churches are coming together outside of their buildings in a city park in the middle of some government housing and throwing the biggest party we can come up with. we have been in the neighborhood for several days now inviting people and will continue through Easter Sunday inviting them to come (no, i am not saying that everyone in Park Place is outside the promise of God. i am not saying they are all sexually immoral or idolatrous, etc...i am saying that they are outside the building, where we need to be. they are our neighbors, so we are going to throw them a great big party).

we will be loud that day! and Jesus will receive honor from His people! we will baptize people and we believe that others will be saved (and will have the opportunity to dive in the baptismal pool, as well)! we will sing LOUD and dance all around, and He will be praised!

please come, and bring your megaphone, your party favors, your families, an all of the excitement you can muster for telling the story of redemption.

the story of our God.

oh, and pray against the rain, too...

Make a Difference: one day/ 9 projects

Last night was our final planning meeting about an event that will occur this weekend. This Saturday, 4/4, is the first of many service projects over the year. We'll meet at Marconi Park- the corner of 24th Street North (same street as our warehouse- just over the RR tracks) and 5th Street North... go there and follow the signs. We're serving the local community by partnering to help the people who are already there do what they are currently doing.

Often, Christians feel that we must go in and create our own "Christian" version of everything- we have Christian t-shirts, Christian bumper-stickers, Christian bookstores, etc...  Really, the only thing that can be "Christian" is people- not places, things, and items.

So, we have looked downtown. And, we see there are many people working who are already connected to the local community. Some of them are Christian; most of them aren't. But, they all want our help-- and they all know that we come serving in and proclaiming the name of Jesus. 

We hope to see you Saturday, April 4th, 8 am... (more info on the D2MDif website).

The week between

This short video will help explain what we'll be doing the week between A Day to Make a Difference and Easter Sunday. The Easter event runs from 1 pm to 5 pm on Easter Sunday (04/12/2009); the worship service will be under the pavilion at Park Place park// Marconi Park at 4 pm. (Morning services will be held, as well as The Downtown Church warehouse, 10:30 am).

A Day To Make a Difference- it keeps getting bigger & better

A friendly shout out to you about A Day to Make a Difference. We've been working steadily towards this event for the past few weeks- thanks in large part to the leadership team that was tossed together for this event from our church body- Pops, Janice, Sasha, Christy P, Calvin, Matt R, Matt & Emily, Mike, Mickey, etc... (and, I'm really afraid that I'm leaving someone off!!!!).

A quick heads up on a few things:

1. There is another meeting this evening in which we'll nail down some of the final details, including budget and actual projects (including everything from relational events to building three 50ft long raised beds out of concrete for Jones Valley Urban Farms!). If you want to come, you're more than welcome- 7:00 pm in the office at The Downtown Church.

2. We need you guys to sign up- so that we can better plan and coordinate this effort. Sign up on the website- or in person at the warehouse on Sunday.

3. Pray. This is a crazy endeavor! And, it keeps getting zanier than ever. More churches and more groups and more people are jumping on to help- and more projects are being added. In fact, just in case you didn't know, we're doing more of these days throughout the year: Mark your calendar now for the following Saturdays- 6/6, 8/8, 10/10, and 12/12. We'll post more on the A Day... website as more information is available!

mind-dump- week of March 22, 2009

So, I didn't get this out there last week- probably due to the crazy week that was that week. And, isn't every week turning into that, now? It seems so...

Anyway, here's a few things on the radar for now:

* I'm posting a shot of this car I took while in Southtown to remind you to keep praying about Southtown- it is still our intent to move the worship services out of our building and place one of them towards that area (if not right, smack-dab in the middle of it, again!). Keep praying.

* Be praying about the possible thrift store. This is the week in which we should hear something back on that. If/when this is a go, we will have a venue to raise money for ministry, as well as hire more people and funnel donations through The Village. We don't have to sell everything- we can give away as much as we want. That will be a major part of what we do there. Especially right now while so many people are in need.

* I hope to be able to post pics of the above soon. For now, they're sitting eagerly on the iPhone, waiting to be tweeted, facebooked, and blogged out.

* This weekend was nuts. Everything was sailing very smoothly until about 5:00 pm on Friday- at which point we to deal with a rogue Villager, had to actually send another guy to prison... Saturday was nuts, too... completely un-work-related... but, just nuts. I knew it was a frustrating case of spiritual warfare due to what I would be teaching this Sunday. And, of course, Sunday morning was nuts... all leading up to the sermon time, at which point... gee... talk about distractions! New batteries going dead, kids lighting it up...

* God was still good. And, despite all of that... His word went out and I believe that many people were healed. I lost it and began crying on the front row, as I was sitting quietly. Rodney was playing his music, many of the church members were praying for healing for others in the room that stood wanting prayer... and two of the guys from The Village came up to me and said they had just led another guy to saving faith. It was an incredible moment- as I listened to them, while sitting and listening to another guy singing his own praise songs in prayer to Jesus with everything else that was going on. God is good! And He is gracious!

* I have posted the notes from the sermon online. It's not really a script, it's just a free-thought version of my mental process as I pray through the Scripture. I hope it helps. The audio will be up later on.

* Pray for Rob this week. He's been knocking it out at The Village, working long hours. So, we're kicking him out this week. He's taking a much-needed mandatory vacation to a little monastery somewhere in Cullman to hang with the monks for a few days and recharge. He'll be even more of a powerhouse when he comes back later this week. 

* Rob and I were able to lead another guy to faith tonight at 10:00 pm. Awesome!

* Get the A Day to Make a Difference updates. We have a few meetings this week, as well as a new website up for that event(s). Looking forward to it.

* Another local church, Mosaic, has joined the foray into this, too. Kris Broadhead, the pastor there, has gotten to be a friend- and I look forward to working with him, and them, for the long haul.

* Check this: another church will start meeting in our facility this week. I'll give you some more details about that in the blog post on Wednesday of this week. It's a liturgical, traditional thing that's led by some great people that I've known for a while. Looking forward to working with them for the long haul, as well.

* OK... the week between 4/4 (A Day...) and Easter (which falls on 4/12) will be a week of prayer and ministry at Park Place. I will shoot a video this week (hopefully today?) that we can play soon, post sooner, and help explain what's going on during that time. We're going to flat-out need your help!!!

* Final thought: really excited that this year for Easter we're throwing a party and inviting the neighborhood to come. Shouldn't Easter be the biggest celebration of the year? Really excited that we'll be baptizing at that event, too!

Mind-dump- week of March 8, 2009

Here it is... a day late and, well... a dollar or so short... the mind-dump for the week of March 9, 2009... A few things to roll of this week:

Oh, by the way, I posted the shot here in honor of the first "bullet" below- this shot was taken one of our first Sundays up at Southtown.

* Just a reminder that it's our intent to get the services and ministry rolling in Southtown as soon as possible. We started strong- then PNG decided that they couldn't let us in on a day that they did not have staff present... so, we're seeking to re-load and determine a way to do this. Prayerfully, house churches will start soon- and we'll have GED, job development, etc., back up and running. For now, those things are a "go" at the warehouse on Sundays, 9:00 am...and worship services are at the warehouse, Sundays, 10:30 am. Remember, though, it is our intent to move this service back to Southtown as soon as we possibly can.

* Breakfast will be available on Sundays, beginning March 15 (this coming week!) at 9:00 am. Eat and plan, pray, teach, etc... whatever you need to do. We'll also have some people meeting to pray during that time. 

* This Sunday, 3/15, also marks a healing service. Basically, that means we will teach you about healing from the Bible (the next passage in the Book of Mark, where we have been studying for months... Mark 7:24f is the next passage). Then, we'll give you the opportunity to be prayed for to receive healing. We have placed a video on the home page of the church website for you to watch, detailing the stories of three women in our church who received prayer for healing- and were healed! Go there and watch!

* Had a meeting today about a possible thrift store nearby. This would provide a venue for us to 1) put people to work; 2) give others in need "tickets" to go pick up clothing and/or other household goods, etc... and 3) it would give us another venue of ministry in the downtown area. Be praying.

* I mentioned Sunday that two weeks ago (week before snow) I asked you all to pray for God's financial provision for the church and, in reality, for the ministry He had called us to do... You did- and a nice check arrived in the mail that week from an anonymous donor! Thanks for praying!

* The next run in the Book of Mark is on "grace," a theme that we understand intellectually- but not experientially. At least, I don't. I'm excited about this next run into to the Gospel, where we really evaluate the crux of our faith. It is blowing my mind each time I sit down and study! By the way, we do have the archived sermons up online.

* Sunday, we may show you the A Day To Make a Difference video, depending on the time as the plan for the service unfolds. We tried this week, but after technical difficulties did not get it on the big screen. You can watch that video online here. Go ahead and mark Saturday, 4/4 on your calendar... that will be a great day of service! 

* Be praying for my friend WIlliam Wilson. He is a spiritual father- and has, in many ways, been a mentor to me. He is looking to start ministering in the downtown area, as well... and I'm excited about the possible partnership that we may be able to develop together.

* All for now. Check back, as we'll try and post regularly here this week!

God of this city, too

Here's the inside scoop on the song playing in the background of the A Day To Make a Difference video... you can watch that vide on this page- or on the home site for the event. Make note that the event has turned into eventS- plural- and will be driving much of the "hands on" mission work that we'll be doing in town throughout 2009.

We're hoping to leave house churches behind in each area that we serve (Bankhead Towers, Jessie's Place, Park Place, The Senior Center, etc.).

Enjoy the video. Through it, God is saying, "This is not the end. There's another story to be written..."