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)



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