The Discipleship Handoff

Before I get to the Discipleship Handoff, I need to say a few more words about not cancelling church for Sunday services.  You have to ask yourself: what will you cancel, and what will you NOT cancel?

We had serious leaks at church because of ice dams on the roof.  But we worked hard Saturday-- thanks to Steve Vice, Rick Bradley, Johnnie Fryman, Dan Markwell, Jessie Mansfield and Junior Wilson for making sure the doors would be open and the church dry!

Did UK cancel the basketball game?  Nuff said.

Or not.  Sue Wells came into my office on Sunday and said how happy she was that we did not cancel church.  She said in all her time as an elementary student at Breck, as a student at MSU, and as faculty at MSU she only recalled 3 days missed for snow!  She said one Sunday there was a terrible snow and ice.  Randy said, "surely the weather is too bad for church..."  Sue said, "I asked him, 'do you think there will be work tomorrow?'  And he just went to the shower and got ready!"

Mike Adams did not cancel New Hope, our church plant in Menifee County last Sunday, and they had it worse than us.  He had to get a tractor to drag his car down to the road so he could get to church.  There was a small crowd, but a visitor came!  The new guy is in.  He was blown away they were open and that Mike would preach to 6 like he would to 1,000!

Donner had church at Headquarters.  His youth and children's ministry leaders were pumped because all the kids were there and they remembered what they learned the week before when all the other churches were closed.

BOOM!

The Discipleship Handoff.  This is too cool.  Johnny Bajusz was the first guy I baptized here, I think.  Mike Adams was instrumental in winning him to Christ.  Then Mike left to plant New Hope and Johnny had a new youth pastor, Adam Foster.  It would be easy for a kid to feel lost after the youth pastor who took him in goes.  But no, Adam fit right in.  Then Johnny goes to the Methodist Student Center at MSU, and Drew is there to pick up.  And Drew has disciple some dudes, Donner and Jacob Wilson, who helped Johnny navigate that first year.  Now Johnny is working as a youth associate at the church Donner pastors.

Those who know me well know I am no way near organized to set up a system like this.  I sure want to build on it, but the Holy Spirit is doing His work, the way only He can do!  In fact, I am starting to see it at work all over the place.  I am really going to rejoice when a kid Jessie has in children's ministry gets turned over to Adam, then to Drew, then to a call to ministry!  Discipleship is submitting every part of life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Even, especially, our kids!

You know what I really, really want?  I am praying hard for a disciple-making movement that wins (takes back!) Eastern Kentucky for Christ!  And I also want to see this church send out evangelizing and disciple-making teams all over the world.  Just going APE planting churches and winning people to Christ.  We are on the edge... we need a push over it.  We need to not fear.  And we need to make sure we never say we've done enough and it's time to stop and focus on ourselves...