Unchurch friend 3 ( Eye opener)

AS I finish up my last and final un-churched friend blog I realized that everyone that I talked to so far about their lives and what they would like in a church to do three things came up. One they wanted a church that accepted them for who they were and felt like they didn’t have to change even before they went into church. Two, they wanted a place that was willing to see them through it all and be a helper in their community. Third, they wanted a place that was real not just the church in general but as the people in it. They wanted to see the people in the church as the same outside the church. The last person that I talked to was a friend that I meet some weeks ago at work. He never went to church as a kid because his parent didn’t want to wake up in the morning. Church was something that seemed like an obligation to him among his friend that was Christian only on Sundays. I asked him what he would want in a church if he would ever consider go to church on Sunday. He told me a place that doesn’t meet on Sunday morning but a better day and night time. He also says everything else that the other two said about the church. He wanted to know someone from the church. He said that he would go if someone like one of his friend invited him to go. But no one has invited him to go. So I did. He came to church with me. And he might come back. But he helped me to see that a lot of our friends are looking for a place to go, but no one has invited them to go. Maybe as Christian we need to see that people feel welcomer when they are invited to a place like a church from someone that they knew. But I feel that most Christians are afraid to being them to church because of their image. We need to step outside that box and become friends with people but invite them and not hope that they will come one day.

David Kennard

David Kennard From Riverside community church is a man that truly understands the principal of small group church. As I came into the classroom that night, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this pastor because he just seemed like a normal guy. But as I started to listen what he does with the church I was shocked how much this guy knows his stuff and has almost a pastoral board from different church all supporting each other with this amazing system of small groups. I love this contempt-raising Priest in the church. You need to be a priest in the group meaning that the small group is helping you grow closer to God and this is forming your knowledge around God, which is showing you the steps of the priesthood of believers. A little back down of this process is the SEASON of life Wheel I call it. And any people in their church that would like to be a member for this church they have to go through the first step of the SEASON WHEEL which is Christianity 101 the winter season this is setting the foundation the dream in their lives. David Kennard teaches this step in his church and he said that it is a great time to get people plugged into the small group that they need to be in but they are also finding God for their selves. The next step is 201, which is the spring or the spiritual development. They are help the 101 class to grow into the 201 classes by developing their knowledge of Christ in their life. 301 is the summer and they part is shaping them and discovering the newest of themselves in life this is the time that people commit in discipline other in the church by doing some type of work. Most people at this time leave the classes because they don’t want to commit yet. 401 is the fall which is the harvest time which is going to take everything that you learned and apply it to their lives through evangelism which means that they need to dedicate their time for reaching the lost. The last part is 501 the final and that is their complete devoted to God in every part of their lives. I really like this concept of small group that there are focus group that are working together to help each other out in all ascepts of their life. There is a small group for everyone.

Nick Poole 30 in one

Nick Poole, a grad from CBC came to Allison Park Church to help them with the background stuff that makes all their church run with a passion for the love of God. When asked what his weekly route is he replied it is a little different every week, month, and year. He does weekly staff meeting with mostly all the churches that came out of Allison Park, he does attended church in one of the church on Saturday night, but on Sunday he is either at one of the church plants or preaching at one. Every week he also goes graphed design for any of the church that need it. So he will work on their website or even big posters. He is almost like a walking Think Tank because he comes up with solution for things that might be a little too hard to think about if you are the pastor of the church. He felt the call to do this type of ministry when God told him “ I will take care of your church, you take care of mine. Right now he is doing that and the churches are growing. Seven Church with 14 other in the area that he is working with and he also is the back up preacher for all the church that might be looking for a pastor after the pastor left. Nick Poole is one amazing guy, and after saying everything that he is doing guess what his title is, you would think it was the 30 in one because he can do 30 different things and he is still one guy. But the title that he gave us in class was Multi -Church movement or for a sounder title the MCM director, Pastor Church Planter, and all round Go 2 Guy. Sitting in the Classroom I was looking at how crazy his life is in so many sense but I realized that if he didn’t do it than who else would do it. He has a talent that God gave him and I am amazed how much he is holding everything together. He does everything. Allison Park Church is a growing church with so many church plants coming from the church, so much that the small community of Allison Park Churches are united together to help each other out. He told us a lot of the story and you can find most of the up on his bloog, which is NickPoolenow.com. Check it out. 

New Believer and a friend

One day while talking to my roommate, my roommate best friend came in the room. We both knew each other but not to the point where I was able to say that we were friend. They were talking about their past and such and started to ask me my opinion. In the midest of all the conversation that were going on, me and my new friend found out that we both have simular backgrounds and life stories. After finding that i had to ask question to a new believer i thought of my friend. She told me at the age of 14 she came to know the Lord at church one day and then less then a year later she went back into the pattern of the world again. Then one day God got a hold of her heart and she came back to the Lord and since then she had her ups and downs .I said her what the best part of being a Christians is?  The best part of being a Christian is being apart of the church. The hardest part was living everyday surrounding by things that she use to do. The Best part of being in Church is being with all this amazing people in church that encourager me to each going. Most changeling was understand what God really has for me. I pray a lot but sometime i feel that he didnt answer. Some advice that i have for new believers is to find someone that you can be accountable to that knew everything about you and everything that happens in your life and encourages you to grow in God. She told me all this and it made me think that if i was not open to hear her story then i would have never meet a great friend but also accountable partner. we are working together to find what God has for us. He has done great things for both of us.. Thank you GOD so much for her... 

Courtney Bancroft

Courtney Bancroft seemed like a typical student of a college campus, I so what I thought when she came into class till she I found out that she is apart of Chi Alpha. I heard of the ministry before so it was not a new thing for me. She started Chi Alpha journeys in her college days at UNC where she was a campus missionary with her roommate. They Lead bible studies at the school. Funny thing was that she was Communication and History Study Major what is that going to do if she was going to continue working with this group. In the next years, she went to DC after hearing her friend, roommate. Her roommate was there for her internship and told her that this is were the party it at. First she didn’t want to go because she had baguettes to rise but she knew that it was worth a shot. And to be true DC was the place to be, there is five different campuses in DC. They did things like the Gospel according to the Simpson. Brought it to Georgetown but got kick off. She said being on a campus at Georgetown you have to have a lot of rule because of the school being a private and will only alone one religions group on campus. So what they did was got to know friend through CA and then went to their rooms for dorm visit and meet the friend like that. Her director did things like the Screw Tape Later where he acted like the Devil and handed out sign book of the Screw Tape. So she was in the program for one year stayed two year. There everyone thought it was time for her to start her own ministry. Our professor Rees went down and asked her to go to PA.  She really wanted to go to Philly. She felt the call before she even went there. She tried for Villanova and since it is a Catharine school, they told her NO. Before they said no she was raising money and the people did understand why she would go to VILL so they gave her a hard time. Once they said No she was not sure where to go. Temple University. She went to start connecting to AG. She found out what Kids went to Temple from the Churches… Need to ten student to start a ministry. Some jumped out right in the beginning. One girl slapped her. And it was her PRESIDENT. Some Medical condition… series ones came up. She was income for a week because of the doctor were a treated her wrong.  Spiritual things was happening and she was healed he believes. Then the ministry started. The ministry went. The meetings were Mostly non-Christian that come then Christians. Co-ed and hang out Girls talk about guys. Being a woman in ministry… it is harder to relate with guys in the BOYS World… Some people are hard to work with people. But in the end she is growing in this world and the campus will be reach one student at a time. 

Unchurch Friend Number 2# Getting the Reality of Non-Churched View

In Philly one day I was walking on our homeless ministry rot. We were handing out sandwiches and clothes when an old friend that uses to live on the streets and saw us every Tuesday night found us again and started to talk to us about everything that was happening in his life. I was like a big family reunion in LOVE Park that night because he was close to allot of people on the team, so it was cool to see him. I asked him if he has been going to church, he said not really because the churches in the area were not really open to him coming in and sleeping in the shelter that they had when he was on the streets, so now that he is off them, Church is not a good places for them. He didn’t see the love of Christ in their heart, so he didn’t want to go there. He tells me that he is a Christian but not a church goer at all. He wishes that more Christians were understanding of situation that people are in and help them but they don’t see the need for helping the needy. He doesn’t think that allot of people go to church to find Christ or love they go to church to feel forgive even if they are high when they walk into the door. He wishes that people would not say they are Christian that doesn’t live out the Christian faith. He was like I HATE FAKE People. Listening to him that night made me think why are Christian so fake in life, and he put it go because they love the world more then they love God but know that God is a so great they don’t want to get on his backslide. 

Youth with Courtney

Courtney a gradate from VFCC in 2006 seems like a fun loving girl that you can see right when you first meet her. She is from Gladetitings church was she works now as one of the youth pastor of the Youth Leadership team, but she didn’t start off as a youth pastor. Going into her internship in 2005 even though she work at GT for the three summer before that she wanted to work Glade tites as a youth pastor because well she was a youth major. But at the start of her internship she becomes the church administrant assistant mean sectary. She went from being a part time person to a full time person but she still want to be a youth pastor then. After many months as the assistant she could not take working in that position anymore, she said to her self do the Best and God will Take Care of the rest. Share the Dream with God but let it go… and he will take it from there. Got creditable with the AG and after talking to the pastor one more time he got the position as one of the youth pastors. As a youth pastor she is putting in a lot of hours a week but it is all worth it in the end because the youth group is amazing, and it is growing in so many was that it seems to be almost impossible to keep up with all the changes that are happening. They are a small group base groups that will have about 10-15 kids in each group and if the group grows which is great, but they would have to split it down to make more small group. The church feels that it can ministry to so many people through the small group that they are willing to try about anything to make this small groups work. Each group have the shy ones and loud ones but they will mix and match these kids up that will help them get to know each other on a small group level but each person is encouraged to talk during the small group. They go on a lot of mission trips because they believe that it brings the groups of small groups together to make a lifetime of memories. It was interesting listen to her and her passions for youth. It was great ideas and great knowledge that I would need to know soon.