Moments of Faith

Back to the basics, moments of faith. There is a lot new coming at the ministry in the New Year. Our Crew has grown to much to be a small group, so we are dividing and conquering: Jesse will head up the Teen Crew and I will lead the college and young adults of the Elder Crew. It is like a breath of fresh air to have some dichotomy there; teaching more than twenty who span the entire spectrum of spiritual growth is some kind of challenge.

I had a moment with God this week in the sanctuary of West Bethel before the madness swept in. I am back in that place where relationship with Him is the thing I want more than anything else. So here we are, back to the basics. He was getting me ready to trust Him, the calm before the storm. Just around that time, Pastor Ken was getting a call from Pastor Weems who is in charge of the building wherein we do a lot of our west side ministries. Evidently he and the two people in his congregation are upset with the reputation and behavior of the teens we are bringing into the building. And yes, our fellas are a rough bunch, but isn't that the whole point?

Mark 2:17

“When Jesus heard this, He told them, ‘Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do need one. I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.’”

I would love to vent here, but God is doing real work in my heart. Being in much prayer with the core believers in this ministry, the bottom line is that nothing has come as a surprise to the big Man upstairs. And He may have something better for us. Perhaps it is through this that He is calling us back to the posture of faith and prayer so that He can better use us for His glory. These are the moments of faith, so rather than to clench our fists, we need to all be praying for this pastor's heart and in God's will regarding the whole matter.

In preparation for our upcoming meeting with Pastor Weems, I put together some talking points. It's a new year, and I want to share this with you now just to inform and reflect on the state of the what God is doing on the west side.

• More than 80 different people have attended the Saturday service since it began on October 1st.
• The average attendance is between 40 and 60.
• 9 teens have made serious decisions to follow Jesus: Ja’juan, Mike, Brandon, Ashley, Alyssa, Gabby, Sam, Antoine, and Tyler.
• The ministries we do at West Bethel have created place for Matt, Cardin, Abbey, Josh, Julia, Caleb, Jesse, Sarah, Mark, Sam, Hannah, Macey, McKenzie, and others to serve, grow, disciple, and lead as college-aged followers of Jesus.
• Several young believers including Mike, Ja’juan, and Ronald are pursuing personal discipleship on a weekly basis as a result of these ministries.
• Man Time and Girls' Night each have an average attendance of 8 to 12 and offer a place where kids without families can find community in the church and direction in the Word.
• Dozens of unbelievers are hearing the gospel, a great portion of which are teens who would otherwise be unreached in a meaningful and personal way.
• CityView has already approved a line in the budget to reimburse West Bethel on a monthly basis for the expenses which have incurred. Our presence in the building helps the other the ministry of Pastor Weems keep its doors open. Furthermore, our presence has gradually improved the state of the building in repairing and refining it for ministry rather than vacancy.