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Spring Break: Wisconsin
Those going to Wisconsin for mission trip will likely get to play in the snow. What a contrast to those going to Arizona during the same week. The Turners, Knepps, and Reid families will work with Campus Community Church in the shadow of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. They will lead the spiritual gift discovery material Network to a multicultural church on Sunday and Monday. Trey Turner will get to preach that Sunday morning and then Mark Hong, the pastor, hopes to get the team into some dorms on campus for some bridge building and witnessing opportunities. The group will get to take a day for ski lessons and a day to host women at wonderful facilities where they are staying. Thursday and Friday of that week will be spent in Green Lake, Wisconsin. This is a Christian resort where the Minnesota Wisconsin Baptist Convention will host an evangelism conference. The team will provide activities for kindergartners and sixth graders while their minister, leader, and church planter families are in sessions designed to inspire and give them tools for more effective ministry in their contexts. God has provided some great opportunities for this team and we anticipate being able to return and to tell how God is at work.
Mission Trip to Temple, Texas
Also known as Mission Trip without the Flying… or Language Barriers
As you may know, Jason has PhD level background and training in Missiology. I am glad he taught the foundations for missions. If you took that class on Sunday nights, then this is the next logical step for that work. Note that you do not have to have been in his class to do this mission trip to Temple. Beginning in March, I will lead a team of people to develop a mission project that will grow out of our own findings and prayer. We will do this by:
Look at scriptures that talk about what God is doing (John 5:19; 14:12). Look at the nature of the church (ecclesia) (Mt. 16:18; Eph 4:12-13). Look at the types of soils and understand receptive hearts (Luke 8:5-8)
- * Pray to see God at work
- * Become a team by team building events to show how each person has strengths for service
- * Build deliberate bridges to church from hosting events, building relationships, providing activities, offering services (as the group determines)
- * Foster and deepen relationships
- * Evaluate efforts
This will be the process we follow from March 1-May 24 (team will not meet on 15th (spring break), April 12 (Easter), May 10 (Mother’s Day))
Comfortably Numb
I would be surprised if very many who read this title, Comfortably Numb, will immediately think of the classic Rock group cover song by Pink Floyd. Let me tell you the story. The rocker in the song feels the pressures to perform the next show and collapses in his dressing room. A doctor is called in to give him an injection for the energy he needs to perform.
I would remake the video to show three disciples leaning against a tree when Jesus comes over to ask them, “Could you not pray with me for one hour!” Matthew 26:37-46 show disciples who do not have the same motivation or concern for seeing the kingdom of God be made reality… Jesus bears his burden alone. In high anxiety you would like God to be more chatty– more assuring. You ask your friends to be there and pray– support you in your struggle. They are comfortably numb.
Many churches have a point where there is no burden because they feel full enough… or a point where they give a feeling of discomfort for not being full enough. This mirage is dangerous because it has no point of origin in the heart of God.
80% of American churches are in decline or have plateaued. US churches lose more than 2.8 million people each year. Between 3,500 and 4,000 churches close their doors each year while at best 1,500 churches are started. No County in the whole US can say it has seen a 1% increase in church attendance in 20 years. In most churches it take 89 people to reach one person for Christ 1988 approximately 44% of Americans did not have a church. 1998 that number grew to 55% it is believed that today 75% of people are not identified with any Christian church. America is the third largest mission field in the world.
Barna research in part from 1996 The disciples were comfortable enough with the world around them, they slept. Still, Jesus carries a burden waiting for his people to pray. I believe we will begin to carry this burden for the lost when we pray… or we can stay comfortably numb.