Parenting & Church Planting: Stop

May 19, 2011 — 1 Comment

 

courtesy of Alain Limoges/Flickr

They warned us it would happen. It was almost guaranteed.

In our birthing classes, those of us who were active as ‘support people’ were given instruction on how to help an in-labor mom move beyond that point in the labor/delivery of a baby when she wants to quit. The gist was that it gets too hard, too exhausting, too much for mom to keep going and she will become convinced that the birth can progress no further.

I know my wife wanted to quit at points, but the funny thing about delivering a baby is it’s kind of hard to stop part way… I can’t blame her for wanting to stop; while I don’t have first-hand experience, giving birth sure looked like a lot of work (something about why it’s called ‘labor’). After about three and a half  hours of pushing (and many more hours of hard labor) in the process with our daughter, my wife felt like she couldn’t do it any more. But she had to. At that time she needed someone, a ‘support person,’ to help assure her she could do it.

That was my whole job in the process of labor and delivery: being a ‘support’ person. I existed to support and encourage–fail in those things and I had no reason to be there. Sarah was doing the hard work of labor. The nurse was doing all the medical stuff. The doctor showed up every now and again to sound all doctor-y. And I supported.

There are times during the church planting process (and ministry and life in general) when you will want to quit…

when everything tells you it’s too hard, too exhausting, too much to keep going. In those moments you need someone in your corner with a different perspective; someone not overwhelmed with pain and exhaustion, someone who isn’t there in a technical capacity, someone who isn’t a pro, but someone who can remind you that you were made for this and that the place you’re in where you feel the need to quit is a natural place to be–they’ll tell you to keep pressing on and the One who called you to this has prepared you for this and will be faithful.

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New Series: Parenting & Church Planting

May 18, 2011 — Leave a comment

As a super-experienced (we’ve been doing this for a year and a half, after all) church planter now in the process of transition, and as an uber-successful parent (Jubilee has survived the past six and a half months with us) I felt it was high time we share some of the interesting lessons and correlations that church planting and parenting seem to have in common.

The posts that will follow in this “Parenting & Church Planting” series will capitalize on the wealth of successful experience we have gained and draw exciting conclusions based on the correlations between being stewards of new kid and stewards of a new church.

The series, beginning tomorrow, is a bit tongue-in-cheek… but you just might find the teensiest bit of usable insight, so stay tuned!

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JourneyNote: Transition

May 10, 2011 — 6 Comments

 

Courtesy of abbey*christine/flickr

This past Sunday, The Bridge‘s lead pastor, Rick Cox, shared about a coming transition within our new church;  last week, Sarah and I shared the following note with a few of you about this same transition and now we’re sharing it with anyone interested:

At the end of this month, Sarah and I will complete our time of service with The Bridge. We are celebrating the great things God has done which he has graciously allowed us to be part of, including our continued partnership with the Coxes. As of right now, though, we have no clear direction of ‘next’ for us and are diligently seeking God. We know we love the people here and God has given us a deep, passionate love for the city but we are also aware that though we try to set our path, God determines our steps. That said, we would be honored if you would make our next step and our need for provision a serious matter of prayer.

Though this kind of transition has been planned from the inception of The Bridge and our leaders have been aware of this timeline for awhile now, we had to keep things close-to-the-vest in order to guard agenda harmony and momentum. So, while this may seem to be coming out of nowhere, rest assured this is something good, right, and well thought out. With that in mind, we want to make sure you’re aware of a few things we’re really thankful for in coming to this point:

The Bridge is a ‘Sending’ Church: One of the things we have seen the Holy Spirit instill within the spiritual DNA of The Bridge is the nature of a ‘sending’ church. We have already been part of sending a short-term missionary on a trip, have active parishioners at community events, and have seen The Bridge grow in excitement about partnering with future church plants and international ministries. Our transition is an act of faith on their part just as it is on ours as they ‘send’ us out to whatever God has in store.

The Bridge is a Generous Church: Even though they were under no obligation to do so, and despite shortfalls in our personal fundraising needs/goals, The Bridge has generously provided a housing allowance for us during the past few months to help make sure our needs were cared for as we lived and ministered here.

The Timing is Right: The needs of a church before it has officially launched are different than the needs of a post-launch church focused on remaining missional while caring for the regular cycle of weekly worship gatherings. That said, The Bridge doesn’t need two ‘lead’ pastors/planters at this stage of her development and all along the plan has been for the Gomezes to be sent out while Rick Cox remained the senior pastor at The Bridge. It’s time for this transition to take place and is a good & healthy thing for everybody.

Personally, we’re very thankful, greatly excited, and more than a little anxious about what’s next as we hand off ministry, get our affairs in order and deal with the reality of all three of our jobs coming to a rapid close. Please pray for wisdom, discernment, and work in the right place at the right time (finding employment is a very real, very urgent need). […]

Things are swiftly moving and not long after we originally sent the note above, a clearer picture of ‘next’ has begun to take shape–we look forward to sharing what that is as soon as we’re able. In the meantime, we’re celebrating what God has done through The Bridge and what it means to be part of a District so focused on using every available means to reach those who don’t know Jesus. We are, indeed, honored that you are part of our continuing journey and ask you to keep praying!

Thanks for journeying with us,
Jeremiah, Sarah, and Jubilee

(Have you seen the pictures of our latest outing with Jubilee? Be sure to take a look at them here.)

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Favor: Post 5 (of 5)

January 28, 2011 — Leave a comment

image: Bob Croft

In March of 2010, we hosted a Prayer Walk(athon) in Pittsburgh (the above image is of most of the participants).  Rick (Lead Planter) designed a couple of these as significant fundraisers allowing The Bridge to have the ministry dollars needed to carry us through the year.  He would later share that he sincerely, genuinely sensed $30,000 would be raised for ministry purposes.  It was also a tremendous way to build interest and momentum for church planting in Pittsburgh.

The people who participated in the Pittsburgh Prayer Walk(athon) contributed in a big way.  But by the time all of the fundraising was calculated, less than $7,000 had come in.  This was enough to cover ministry during the summer and provide a number of opportunities to connect with the community.  But it wasn’t $30,000.  And we still had the biggest event of the summer to be cared for as well as making sure a facility could be rented for preview, launch, and post-launch gatherings.

But we were amazed as series of incredible points of supply came our way, some more breathtaking than others, while we ‘prayed in’ daily provision:

  • Other churches provided recreation/games at no cost to The Bridge for our Family Fun Day
  • Other churches supplied nearly all of the food (for over 400 people!) for Family Fun Day
  • Area businesses freely gave merchandise & giftcards to give away to Family Fun Day participants
  • Other churches have creatively raised funds to help cover portions of meeting-place rent
  • The Bridge received free use of new sound equipment from a recently-closed church
  • Another church supplied for many of The Bridge’s printing needs
  • Area businesses helped provide for an Autumn Trunk-or-Treat event
  • 3 Lakes Golf Course invited The Bridge to meet weekly in their facility at a very affordable rate

And do you know what all of this provision amounted to?

At latest tally, just about $30,000.

We know that the work we’re doing is much more about heart and life transformation than money; we know that financial provision is not a ‘goal’ but is a necessity.  For us, it’s just one more way we have seen God’s favor and answer to prayer; it’s one more evidence of being where God is working.  It makes me excited: if the Holy Spirit has been so faithful in bringing us to launch, what will he do as The Bridge continues to develop?!

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This post is the last in a series of five celebrating God’s favor as we have moved toward the launch of The Bridge this Sunday.  Here are links to the earlier posts: One, Two, Three, Four.
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Favor: Post 4 (of 5)

January 27, 2011 — Leave a comment

THE CALL.

image courtesy of 3 Lakes Golf Course

For our pre-launch gatherings,we found the perfect place to meet.  It was the ‘dream location’ for any church plant: a community hotspot, modern facilities, plenty of room to grow, plenty of parking, an area for connection, rooms for children’s and nursery ministries. Perfect. We might never leave.

But as we looked at what the cost would be to stay in that facility following our Grand Opening when we moved from monthly to weekly gatherings, things looked impossible. We asked God to please provide what was an overwhelming amount for our perfect place to meet.

One day, the phone rang. On the other end was a representative from 3 Lakes Golf Course with an offer:
Rather than paying hundreds of dollars for a few hours on Sunday, what if we payed a quarter of the cost for an entire day at their club house? With a fully stocked nursery? And a dedicated children’s ministry area? And all the space we could need for a long while? With permission to use the marquis signs and put up semi-permanent banners?

Yes, that’s right. A ‘more-perfect’ place than ‘the perfect location’ didn’t need to be sought out; they called us. Once again, God moved in an unexpected way and we were reminded of his faithfulness and the great love he not only has for us, but for the people he has commissioned us to reach.

What impossibility are you facing? The answer of Heaven may be unexpected, but rest assured as you pursue the heart of God that he remains faithful.

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This is part four of a series of post recounting God’s faithfulness as we prepare for the Grand Opening of The Bridge.  You can find part one here, part two here, and part three here.

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