Archives For Pittsburgh

Prayer/JourneyNote

June 24, 2010 — Leave a comment

The cat is out of the bag.

While I’m not sure just where that expression came from (or why we take it to mean a secret is not-so-secret anymore), we have some news to share.

At our District Conference last monday, our District Superintendent shared The Bridge’s plan to daughter a new church in June of next year.  Sarah and I will be the lead planters in what we’re affectionately, for now, calling ‘Bridge 2.0’ and are excited about that next move.  This is definitely a big step, but it’s part of an even bigger dream of developing an urban church planting and training center from which church planting teams are prepared and sent throughout the region, nation, and globe.  It’s an impossible vision that will take the activity of God’s own Spirit to accomplish–and that excites us to no end!

For now, we ask you to pray for us as we identify the people and place where the next church will be.  We have some ideas, but we need to be doubly sure we are focused on where God is already moving rather than just choosing something based on selfish desire.

In the meantime, we’re fully engaged with The Bridge and are ramping up to a busy summer ministry season.  Please keep the following dates in mind as you pray for us and the ministry of The Bridge:

  • Sunday, June 27: Sharing at First Wesleyan in Shippensburg, PA
  • July 7-July 11: Youth volleyball clinic with the women’s volleyball team from Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Our largest event of the summer will be a free Family Fun Day at a local park on Saturday, August 28th; already churches and groups are signing up to take part in helping us offer a meaningful, engaging and totally free event that allows us to serve our community and get to know our neighbors as well as (hopefully) building momentum for our first preview service in September.

Thank you for taking this journey with us and praying for us.

We’re honored to have you in our corner.
Jeremiah, Sarah, and Jubilee

In JourneyNotes , , , , ,
 permalink

Myths

April 2, 2010 — Leave a comment

You did it today.  So did I.  At least once.  Probably without realizing it, we made an assumption about someone’s job–how easy or hard or menial or vital that job was; how untrained or overworked or under-appreciated or uncaring the person at the tollbooth, behind the counter, at the other end of the phone conversation, or in the corner office–having never really experienced it for ourselves.

I know there are ‘myths’ about every career, position, ministry, and activity; there are stereotypes and misinformed assumptions about what life there is like.  In the past few months, I’ve discovered some of my own misled assumptions and myths about church planting/church planters, and a few that other people have about those of us on this side of the church planting adventure.  So, the next few posts will have the common thread of debunking “church planting myths.”

In church planting , , ,
 permalink

What’s In a Name?

February 20, 2010 — 2 Comments
bridge (nikkispick on flickr)

image: <nikkispic> on flickr

It’s been far too long since Joy in the Journey has had an update.  A good friend of mine, Stevan Sheets, expressed frustration about ministries that don’t let some light in on the process they’re using/journey they’re on.  So, for Stevan, I’m going to do a better job at updating our process/journey as church planters in Pittsburgh.


It seems fitting to begin by sharing that what we have been calling “The Pittsburgh Church Plant” now has a name.  We are: The Bridge.

Now, I know this may not seem the most unique name for a missional community of believers you’ve ever heard of (we were thinking of something heretofore unheard of like “Faith Community Church” or “First Baptist” or “Second Wesleyan” or “St. Luke’s”, but, alas, we found out those names had already been taken, too…) but “The Bridge” really does fit our passion and mission in Pittsburgh.  We are driven to see people cross from death to life in Christ Jesus.  We are focused on the birth of a multiethnic, multicultural church where race, culture, and ethnicity aren’t seen so much as obstacles to overcome but aspects of life to embrace and celebrate in worship to the creative God who gave us something greater than a monolithic human race.  We are engaged as missionaries connecting a relatively rural district to an urban center.  We are praying God uses us to help equip others to overcome obstacles to they can further engage Pittsburgh and many other urban centers.

So, there it is: we’re The Bridge.

Soon, information on where we can be found on the web and through social networking will become available.  In the meantime, we humbly ask that you pray for The Bridge and the people who will be part of this new church.

Next post: a little bit on our process for landing a name.


In church planting , , ,
 permalink

What's In a Name?

February 20, 2010 — 2 Comments
bridge (nikkispick on flickr)

image: <nikkispic> on flickr

It’s been far too long since Joy in the Journey has had an update.  A good friend of mine, Stevan Sheets, expressed frustration about ministries that don’t let some light in on the process they’re using/journey they’re on.  So, for Stevan, I’m going to do a better job at updating our process/journey as church planters in Pittsburgh.


It seems fitting to begin by sharing that what we have been calling “The Pittsburgh Church Plant” now has a name.  We are: The Bridge.

Now, I know this may not seem the most unique name for a missional community of believers you’ve ever heard of (we were thinking of something heretofore unheard of like “Faith Community Church” or “First Baptist” or “Second Wesleyan” or “St. Luke’s”, but, alas, we found out those names had already been taken, too…) but “The Bridge” really does fit our passion and mission in Pittsburgh.  We are driven to see people cross from death to life in Christ Jesus.  We are focused on the birth of a multiethnic, multicultural church where race, culture, and ethnicity aren’t seen so much as obstacles to overcome but aspects of life to embrace and celebrate in worship to the creative God who gave us something greater than a monolithic human race.  We are engaged as missionaries connecting a relatively rural district to an urban center.  We are praying God uses us to help equip others to overcome obstacles to they can further engage Pittsburgh and many other urban centers.

So, there it is: we’re The Bridge.

Soon, information on where we can be found on the web and through social networking will become available.  In the meantime, we humbly ask that you pray for The Bridge and the people who will be part of this new church.

Next post: a little bit on our process for landing a name.


In church planting , , ,
 permalink

JourneyNote #3

December 13, 2009 — Leave a comment

55.5 Square Miles

Within an area of 55.5 square miles, not very far from where I write these words, is a community which is home to fortune 500 companies, seats of commerce, houses of industry and institutions of innovation and education.  Within those 55.5 square miles, hundreds of thousands work, live, and build relationships.  Millions more live just outside the area.

The community found within that tract of land is known for an uncanny ability to reinvent itself; so resilient are these people that the recent G-20 Summit was hosted there to showcase one city’s ability to not only weather but grow stronger through economic crises and global storms.

Within those 55.5 square miles, you will find incredible fusions of old and new, stayed and untried.  You will also find 455 bridges, 712 public stairways, 8 tunnels, 90 distinctive neighborhoods, and 140 separately identifiable ethnic groups.

But you won’t find a single Wesleyan Church.

In fact, you won’t find a Wesleyan church within what is considered ‘reasonable driving distance’ of those 55.5 square miles.

I’m sharing about the city of Pittsburgh, where “95 percent of the local population has no recognizable, identifiable relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Sarah and I, partnering with the Cox family (Rick, Eunice, and Trevor), and, hopefully, partnering with you, are working to change at lease one of those statistics.  The Coxes and Gomezes have joyfully accepted the call to church planting in the Pittsburgh region and are growing in passion for what we sense as God’s desire in the area.

Our heart’s passion is to see a multiethnic, multicultural church right in the ‘Burgh.  We sense God’s leadership in developing a relevant, engaging hub of ministry to people from a variety of cultural, economic, and spiritual backgrounds–where once steel was forged, now lives are fused with the Spirit of God, strengthened and engaged as members of His Body.   What we can see is a multiplication center working within the heart of the city where countless individuals are sent out as missionaries to the communities of Pittsburgh, the surrounding areas, throughout the region and around the world.  In fact, God is already drawing people to be part of this great work and we believe His dreams are far bigger than ours.

Does any of this stir your heart with excitement and passion?  If so, remain on the lookout because in a few days, we’ll be sending you more information on how you can be involved in this Great Pittsburgh Adventure.

In JourneyNotes , , , , ,
 permalink