Live Brave

Our Second Preview Service Last Sunday

I have to say that I am amazed at what God is doing at Arise Community Church already. It blows my mind. I really stand in awe of how He is moving and what He is doing. The team He has set up around us, the volunteers He has put in place, the people we are reaching out to, the venue... all of it overwhelms my soul.

Last Sunday we had 51 people show up to the Port Jeff Polish Hall. To put some context on this, we planned to have no more than 40-45 on Easter - so we thought this week wouldn't top that either. Going from 77 to 51 is a drop, but not in church plant world! This was a huge success in attendance!

I do have to say though that numbers don't mean everything. Sure we should celebrate that we are above what we expected, but really I want to celebrate the things that matter most. People who were thinking of never coming back to church again are now SERVING (not just attending) in God's church! People who don't know Jesus are showing up to church because they feel like they could belong! People's lives are being changed by God's Good News and His love for us! People are meeting Jesus! AWESOME!!!

I know I say it a lot, but I need to address my gratitude for the help we have received. To all volunteers: THANK YOU. From the bottom of my heart the whole staff/core team thanks you! Keep showing up for God! 90% of ministry is showing up! YOU are playing a part in changing people's lives through Jesus' message - JUST WHAT HE TAUGHT US TO DO!

Our next Preview Service is June 19th, same time of day, same place as the last 2. In the meantime we will be holding information meetings at the Train Car seen from 347 & 112 in Port Jeff, located at the north end of Canal Rd at 10:15am starting THIS SUNDAY (Mother's Day). If that is not your cup of tea, we understand and will see you on June 19th! SO EXCITED! 

Real quick too: we will not only be taking part in the events and service projects for/by the community, but we will also be teaming up with other ministries to serve and hopefully use our resources (such as the Train Car) to do that! More updates to follow!

Live Brave.

Easter - Our First Preview Service

Recounting the past 24 hours is going to be hard because much of it was a blur, and most of it felt like a dream. It is absolutely amazing what Jesus is doing through Arise Community Church (He IS alive, you know)!

I am so grateful for the team I have and for the newcomers who jumped right in to help! It was most certainly a team effort to pull off a great first Preview Service, and without that teamwork there would have been no service.

From the parking lot, to the entrance, to the children's space, to the cafe area, to the seats and stage, all the way to the backyard for the Easter Egg Hunt, and back to the parking lot, it looked AMAZING! God showed up. He moved people's hearts and forever we are changed.

I am still in awe - trying still to grasp on to this day. I am still trying to breathe it in, let it marinate, and kinda bask in what I know is about to be a wild ride! 

I know 2 things:

1) Satan does not want this church to do what it is about to do.

2) God is with us - so we win!

I preached a sermon called "Come Home" on the Lost Son (aka the Prodigal Son). It was awesome because God took over. The Good News was preached to the poor, blind, sick, and lost - and to the found, saved, and alive (it's always good to be brought back to why we believe what we believe). Next week we talk about the second son - so don't miss it! Here is a graphic of the sermon (thanks to Joe):

I have been asked multiple times about this and here is the answer: Yes there is audio and video of the message and some of the service. The quality is not very good because we were having difficulties with other things at the time. And it is going to need to be edited. So be patient with us and we will deliver! I'll let you know when it is on the website!

Finally, we come to "stats". As a church, there are only a few ways to measure growth and effectiveness. One of these ways is attendance. I was hoping for at least 30-40 people to show up. We had 77 (67 adults, 10 kids). THAT IS INSANE! If you were to tell me we would have 77 at our LAUNCH, I would have been STOKED! But at our first Preview? God is amazing! Jesus is alive!

Seriously, in church plant world, this is NUTS! And we have to celebrate the HECK out of this!

We also had 10 people respond to the invitation to "Come Home" to Jesus and receive His grace! That is 10 people who were off the path but are now on the path to Jesus! 10 people who were lost, but now found! 10 people who were dead, but now alive! 10 people who came home today!

And I know with a good amount of certainty that at least 3 of these people prayed to meet Jesus for the first time in their lives! I will be confirming that when I talk to the rest, but let's celebrate this: AT LEAST 3 SOULS WERE SAVED (what we call salvation) TODAY THROUGH ARISE COMMUNITY CHURCH! AND 10 CAME HOME TO JESUS! HALLELUJAH! PRAISE GOD! AMEN!

I am so overwhelmed right now. It is late and I cannot sleep. I am still PUMPED! Next week is our second Preview Service before we take a 7-week break to regroup and plan. Keep us and the lost in the community in your prayers. And as always, Live Brave.

Waiting Tables - Special Guest Blogger: Eric Tilstra

A couple of weeks ago, I was telling a friend of mine that I used to work as a waiter in college. As I was sharing with this person some stories; the Lord started to give me an image of “the church”. 
    

 You see my job was to "serve" and "wait" on others. To serve and wait on people who were not from the restaurant.  I didn't have anything in common with these people necessarily. No deep bonds or relationships.  But my job was that of service.  
    

I did however have things in common with and a deeper relationships with the people I worked with everyday. The number one thing we all had in common was, we were all there to do the same thing. "Serve" and "wait" on others.  Not everyone did this in the same way though. There were many different jobs that met that same goal. From the hostess who greeted everyone and found them a place to sit; to the dishwashers and bus boys who cleaned up when our guests/customers were finished.  The cooks made sure everyone got fed. The head manager oversaw the entire place and was the decision maker. No job was more important than the other. We needed all of them to function properly. Also everyone knew the menu and could share it with anyone at anytime.  Everyone pitched in and helped everyone else, and always for the purpose of serving others. 
    

People came to the restaurant because they loved what we had to offer.  Or maybe they were coming there for the first time because, “they were told by a friend” that it was a place they just had to check out.  Our manager would tell us that the food could be out of this world; but if we weren’t working together with our “vision” and goals in mind, then people wouldn't come back. You could tell when the place wasn't firing on all cylinders. But when it was; there was no denying the results. 
    

This is what the “Church” looks like to me. Not everyone does the same job; but every one has the same goal. To serve and wait on those who need Christ in their lives. Whether for the first time, or because they are coming back to Him after a long time away.  It is our task to meet them right where they are and first ask, “how can we help your today”  Or better put, “what is there greatest point of need?”  To "BE THE CHURCH".  If there is going to be ownership of any kind at Arise Community Church, let it be in this.

Eric Tilstra is a renegade pastor living in East Long Island, NY. His ronin status occurred when he was called to shut down the church he was serving in for 10 years. He glorifies God with his life and just had his third child with his beautiful wife, Tara.