no way...

What does a Koine Pastor look like?

This is an excerpt from Christianity Today:

Remember that political ad in which the White House phone rings at 3 a.m. and someone has to answer? I know the experience. Sort of.
My phone call came late one afternoon. The caller, a church attendee I knew only casually, said he was at the hospital where his wife, Josie, was dying of cancer and might not last the night. Could I come right away?
Even though this call came many years ago, I'm still embarrassed when I remember that my first thought was something like: Where is our pastoral care staff person? I don't do hospitals. I'm the one who preaches, who leads, who casts vision. Oh, and I'm the one always telling people (from the pulpit) that I love them and care for them.
The caller said his dying wife was terrified. Despite the sedatives she'd been given, she was almost violent and could hardly be restrained. "Perhaps you can say something to her that will help her to relax and go to sleep," he said.
The hospital was a 20-minute drive. As I arrived, a family friend met me and escorted me to the room. On the way she described how Josie was thrashing about in fear. Occasionally she would scream. No one, the friend said, knew what to do. Even the doctors and nurses seemed stymied.
I took a deep breath and entered the room. There were maybe eight people around the bed: a doctor or two, nurses, Josie's husband and a daughter. Then I saw Josie in the bed.
"Josie!" I said as I approached. I said her name firmly, as if to establish my presence with some authority.
"Pastor Mac!" she responded. The circle broke as everyone stepped back to make room for me.
Frankly, I wasn't sure what was appropriate for the moment. It's awkward when even the physicians relinquish their space at the bedside to me. All I can remember is that something inside of me said, "Take charge; be a pastor!"
"Josie," I said, "this is a terrible moment for you, isn't it? You must be very frightened."
"Yes, Pastor Mac," Josie replied her eyes darting toward her husband and her daughter. "I don't know what to do. I can't leave them. I have to get better." Then she repeated, "I don't know what to do."
What she really wanted to do was sit up and get out of that bed. I sensed she was about to become agitated again, so I put my hands on her emaciated shoulders and, as gently as I could, pressed her back into the pillow. I remember the powerful silence in the room as everyone else looked on. No one objected to what I'd done so far. Perhaps they thought I knew exactly what I was doing.
I no longer believe the biblical title of pastor applies if it takes someone three weeks to get an appointment.
An idea came to me. I leaned closer so my face dominated Josie's line of sight, and said: "Josie, listen to me. Look into my eyes. I have a thought for you."
"Yes, Pastor Mac?"
"I want you to listen to some words from God. Just listen! Okay?"
"Okay."...Read the rest here:


http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/thepastor/pastorsrole/the3amphonecall.html?start=1

What's going on at Koine?

I apologize for the lack of updates. We have been doing so much behind the scenes stuff, that it's really hard to report. But an update is coming soon!

My facebook account...

If you want to keep up with me personally:

http://www.facebook.com/kevmcgill

- Kevin

Deb and Ramon Commissioned to minority language people group

The Church is to take the message of the gospel to all corners of the world. Deb and Ramon have taken this call very seriously. In the Fall of 2009, they are leaving to commit the next 15 years of their life to a minority language people group. We had a commissioning service for them on Wednesday. Here is an excerpt from the invitation:

"Church @ Exall has come to love Deb and Ramon like family. Personally, this is a time of mixed emotions. On one hand, I am thrilled to see my brother and sister in Christ live out their dreams by translating the Bible into the original language of a minority people group. But on the other hand, I will lose the presence of family members dear to me. That is why I look forward to all of us sharing our gratitude and love for them next week.
If you have been a part of Deb and Ramon's story in Dallas, please join us in celebrating this incredible occasion."

The Commissioning Service:

We laid hands on and prayed for them...

Macon led us in worship:

I then said to everyone, "I believe that we all should be up here to be commissioned as servants of the gospel at one point or another - seriously." We all have a latent, missionary potential. No matter if God has called one to raise babies, teach at an elementary school, or translate the Bible into their language, the Spirit has commissioned and anointed all of us to do His work. In the Old Testament, it was only a select few (Num 27:19) including kings and prophets who were anointed. But then Acts 2:17 and 1 Jn 2:20-27 reminds us that the anointing has been poured out on us all. We are all given the gift of commission. What would it look like if millions of Christians accepted this gift?

Went out for a little Pokeyo's celebration afterward.

Blessed are the poor...

We all know that the kingdom of God is built on the compassion of fellow men. Therefore, Church @ Exall has taken a percentage of its tithes, and put together care packages for those we meet on street corners and sidewalks as we drive through the city. We believe that in a small way, we are building God's kingdom.

Our very own Calvin Pitts helped us coordinate and buy all the material.

The kids in our children's ministry put the packages together and passed them out to the congregation members.

Worship in the NEW House!

Our April Worship in the House was pretty exciting. We were in a new place. There were kids running between our feet. Friend's parents visited to support their new church, and we saw some old friends visited that we hadn't seen in awhile.

And then, food!!

Why 3605 Bryan St?

The town home is situated at the edge of a pretty well-known park and community. We believe that Exall Park is the most strategic location for our mission. There are 15,000 residents in a 1 mile radius, and 80,000 residents in a 2 mile radius. The average age is 29, and there is a booming population in the surrounding neighborhood. Most people see this part of downtown as one of the best places to meet other people their age and build a career. They also appreciate the demographically eclectic, and artistic edge. Exall Park is bulls-eye for the people we want to reach.

The townhome itself is perfect for meeting space. It has a wide-open living room, balcony, and rooftop patio. Below is a picture of the church grubbing out on the rooftop patio, and a view to the park below.

Moving day...

Now that we have a core group, it is time to look outward and plan our next phase in reaching the city of Dallas. Therefore, on April 4th, we moved to 3605 Bryan St. Like gypsies, we rounded up 4 trucks and a trailer, and moved all of the guy's furniture and belonging to the new digs:

Home, sweet home...

Church on the Roof!

A little rooftop fellowship. After worship in the house, we all went to the rooftop patio and enjoyed a nice taco bar meal... (more pics to come)



.

Church Under the Bridge...

We want to plant faith communities all over downtown. What if one of them was under a bridge reaching the homeless? I would love to see that.

Men's core group...

Men's core group led by Steve Wade. Always a good time with these guys.

This picture is a great sample of how we conduct our gatherings at Church on Swiss. We start with a 30 minute message from the pastor. And then we go into our core groups for an hour. The core groups are the same every week, so in that sense they function as a small group. We also have a women's core group and a mixed core group. It is no surprise that our church family enjoys the core groups the most. It's in the core groups where we can share our stories, struggles and triumphs. This is where we truly feel like family.

It's also here where we collaborate together to decide how we can be salt and light to our neighborhood. For example, we decided last night to all go to the North Texas Food Bank and help pack food for needy children and deliver it to them through one of the local elementary schools in our neighborhood. More so, one of the members stepped up and offered a $1000 to cover the cost of the food.

When I see the Holy Spirit ignite our members to step up and do things like this, the ancient Christian greeting is affirmed in my heart:

He is risen. He is risen indeed.

And they had all things in common (Acts 2:44-45)...

Among many other purposes, the express purpose of the church in the New Testament was to encourage Christians who were financially blessed to share with those who were not. Every month, we automatically take 10% from our tithes and give it to those in need. From the last 4 months, 10% of our tithe has averaged $50 a month, giving us a total of $200. The unique element to this "common fund" is that it is up to all the members to decide how to spend it. With the $200, we decided to split it, using $100 for our outside general community by creating care packages for the homeless, and $100 for those in need within the church. For the person in need, we decided to challenge one another again. Using the $100 as "seed money", we challenged one another to give above and beyond. The result was incredible. We were able to give nearly $500 to a person within the church who has felt the brunt of our economic downtown more than others.

It was a blessing to be a part of it all. If you ever get a chance to band together with other believers to help someone in need, do so. There is nothing greater than being a conduit of God's blessing.

Church on Swiss Revisited

We began Church on Swiss, the first of many Koine churches, on Sept 4th. Every once in a while, its good to remind ourselves of who we are and what we believe. Therefore, we are launching a 3-part series titled "Church on Swiss Revisited". We believe the...

Church on Swiss is built...

BY THE SPIRIT ON THE GOSPEL FOR GOD'S FAME

We are a people that...

SHARE INFLUENCE EXPRESS SACRIFICE BELIEVE

Therefore, we started a 3-part series on Feb 23rd called...

-----------------------------------------

CHURCH ON SWISS REVISITED

PART 1: WED, FEB 23RD

PART 2: WED, MARCH 4TH

PART 3: SUN, MARCH 8TH

Keep us in your prayers as we continue to explore what it means to be God's people in a world that desperately needs him. How can we be a light to our neighborhood, at work, and in our own family?

Support Raising Update...

Wanted to keep everyone posted on where we are financially. We currently have raised $27,530! God has been good, but we still have a ways to go. For our first year's operational budget, we still need to raise $68,000. Continue to pray for God's provision.

Peace

Kevin

This affects everyone...

While this post is off topic, it greatly affects the people in our church, our neighborhood and our mission field. It's a reality we are all facing.

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

California and Ministry Partner Building...

Friends,

We are passionate about seeing God's church grow. Part of that commitment comes from partners sharing their prayers and resources for our effort. I spent a week in January sharing my vision for Koine Church and our financial needs to friends and family in California. Continue to pray as we seek God's financial support.

Grandma Betty, my wife Jenny, and Uncle Mike's cameo appearance in the background.

Uncle Loren and Aunt Lynn! Great people and prayer partners

Superbowl!!

Great game. Sad score.

Project 26 and Local Media Coverage...

Friends,

Wanted to let you know that Project 26 has been getting a lot of coverage on the local news. Here are one of the videos from CW33 last night.

Enjoy!


http://www.the33tv.com/pages/content_landing_page/?Project-26-Concert-Rock-The-Wells=1&blockID=197206&feedID=460

Promo Video for "Rock The Wells"

Project 26: Clean Water for Africans

(photo courtesy - Esther Havens and Wishing Wells Africa)

Nearly 26,000 children under the age of 5 die everyday, one of the leading factors is lack of access to clean water. Because of this stark truth, some of my friends from Koine and elsewhere began the local initiative: Project 26. Project 26's goal is to raise money provide clean drinking water for the people of Somaliland. If you are in Dallas/Fort Worth, then they would love for you to come out and support this effort on January 29th @ 8pm at The House of Blues to attend Rock the Wells. I have checked in on the progress of the team, and I am forever amazed by their diligence and ingenuity. The concert will be a blast with local musicians like SLEEPERSTAR and Wax Poetics. If you can't be there but would love to donate to this incredible effort, a link has been provided below. To RSVP and find out more about the project, the Facebook invite page link is provided also below.

RSVP for Benefit Concert:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=49156525694&ref=ts

Link to give online:
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/fundraising_pledges/32239?m=783e3fc7

To visit their site:
www.project26dallas.com

New Year's Eve In The Country...

 

New Year's Eve was low key for the Church on Swiss. But some of our guys got together, and went to Matt Bridgman's house for New Year's in the country. Jenny and I were visiting relatives - pretty bummed we missed the party.

A Church on Swiss Thanksgiving

Monthly Worship in the Park

WORSHIP IN THE PARK

There is something great about worshiping God out in the open. This is our second worship in the park, and I wonder how we can worship anywhere else (as long as it stays a nice 67). Nothing like singing "Mighty to Save", under the whispering breeze. Here is a little window into our worship.

A little Ultimate Frisbee before worship...

...Must eat before worship

...Macon gears up for worship.

IT WAS A POWERFUL NIGHT.

I wonder...

I wonder if Exall Park is our place of worship for the near future? At least for the next couple of months. We have enjoyed meeting out there the last couple of months. Today, I met with Parks and Rec services. He was open to the idea of using their facilities. We can use the park for worship, and facilities for childcare for the short term (he explained that "public worship" would become awkward once we got too big, which is fair).

Hmm...

The idea is exciting, to say the least. Worship outdoors. Place for childcare. Place to hang out afterward. And, its in the community. I love that part. We are not squirreled away, hidden. (not that we are to ride on the back of a truck with a big megaphone either. Rather, we are simply with our broader community). Challenges to say the least. Is the challenge for us to face? Where is the Spirit leading?