Pumped Up

I want to share some stuff that's been going on that has been really encouraging.

First, our Children's Ministry.  My wife Jessie is the Children' s Pastor in our church, and she is knocking it out.  As in they have outgrown their second space, and need to look for a new place. The kids have a great two hour bloc on Sundays of Sunday school and children's worship.  They do catechism and they know more about worship than the adults!

Second, our Youth Ministry.  Adam Foster and a crew of volunteers worked really hard to put on a great Youth Kickoff with a lot of energy and games and fun and an awesome fireside devotion.  It's great to be in Morehead where you can have a big gym to romp in and then go outside under the trees and hear crickets chirping. 40 kids, most of whom we just met last night, came.

On the church planting front, Mike Adams, our church planter in Menifee County, KY, is also working as a boys basketball coach for the high school.  It has given him and his new church a lot of visibility in the community, as well as providing them with a mission.  His main focus is on discipleship.  He, Wes, Holland and I have formed a non=profit called New Hope Discipleship Movement with the purpose of raising up and training evangelists and disciple-makers who start new works of God in the rural areas of Eastern Kentucky.

When I was in Lexington, I met a couple, Chad and Meredith Brooks.  They have the dubious honor of inventing the Methodist Mimosa-- orange juice and Ale-8.  Anyway they came to our church in the fall of 2006, and informed me not long after they started coming that they were leaving because of something I said.  It's not what you're thinking.  I was challenging people to live incarnationally where they worship. So Chad and Meredith said it was crazy for them to drive from Nicholasville when there was a church right next door that needed their help.  But, he said, he would be back to do his supervised ministry with me.  Sure enough, 2010 he came back.  We had some epic times talking Q, doing evangelism visits on the crazy streets of Northside, and fellowshipping.  My boys adored Chad and Meredith.

Fast forward. Chad went home to Louisiana.  He is planting a church called Foundry in Stirlington, outside of Monroe.  I stay in touch with him because we're buds and also because one of my spiritual gifts is talking church planters out of quitting when they get hit with the ridiculous obstacles and barriers that get thrown at them.  They had their launch service last weekend.  I have been preaching for years you need to launch Fast and Loud.  As many people as you can get.  Because after 6 weeks you will only have 1/2 of the number who come to launch.  Chad launched with 354.  Basically, he is day one sustainable.

Chad was worried he might break the rule about 1/2 the people after 6 weeks, as in he was worried they have been a misfit church, not fitting any paradigms, so maybe they will have less.  I doubt it.  I think he will grow even bigger.  Chad works hard and smart.  Pray him up and check him out at revchadbrooks.com