Koiné Dallas

We raised $450!!

2009-12-11T13:14:00.001-08:00

We raised $450 from our game night which we will send to the Mercy House. Praise God!

Final Round!!

Kenneth was 1st place and the reigning champion. Laura came close to winning 1st. She said that she barely plays. Garrett just wanted to take the picture with them.

Luke and Sommer put on a pancake breakfast at their apartment...

2009-11-17T10:16:00.000-08:00

Where in Dallas can someone serve others and offer friendship? How about next door? Luke and Sommer understand the power of being a blessing within one's own sphere of influence. In partnership with Koine and Apartment Life, they have committed themselves to putting on events where they can serve their neighbors, so they can begin to build relationships and community. What I love about their efforts is that they have also taken ownership of the kingdom work. Instead of waiting for the "professionals" to step up and reach their community, Luke and Sommer decided to do it themselves. That is the Koine Way.

This picture was taken about 20 minutes into the event. A bunch of people showed up after. I couldn't make enough pancakes. Nearly 40 showed up during the two hours. I met several residents. It was a diverse crowd. Several in their 20's. Some teenagers. Some older folk. I met a guy from Italy. A couple from Mexico, and a girl from Colombia. A couple in their 70's was also there. The husband's name was Ide, (he serves on the board of Probe ministries). I forgot the wife's name. A lot of good people who expressed a desire to connect with more people (probably why they showed up!).

Special Koine Vision Newsletter "We Envision"

2009-11-16T20:15:00.000-08:00

Welcome Koine @ Maple Terrace

2009-09-18T07:34:00.000-07:00

We are excited to present to everyone Koine @ Maple Terrace. Situated at the border of downtown and uptown, Koine @ Maple Terrace officially launched September of this year. Led by Patrick Howard, this faith community represents the business professional and artist enthusiast of the downtown area. Pray for this group as they begin their own ministry and efforts in reaching their corner of the harvest.

What does a Koine Pastor look like?

2009-08-11T15:16:00.001-07:00

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

My facebook account...

2009-06-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

If you want to keep up with me personally:

http://www.facebook.com/kevmcgill

- Kevin

Deb and Ramon Commissioned to minority language people group

2009-04-17T13:57:00.001-07:00

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...

2009-04-17T12:55:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-04-14T15:16:00.001-07:00

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?

2009-04-10T14:43:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-04-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-06T08:37:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-03-05T15:42:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-03-05T06:43:00.000-08:00

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)...

2009-03-01T05:34:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-02-26T12:06:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-02-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-02-25T06:04:00.000-08:00

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!!

2009-02-01T06:10:00.000-08:00

Great game. Sad score.

Project 26 and Local Media Coverage...

2009-01-28T10:36:00.000-08:00

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"

2009-01-19T12:14:00.000-08:00

Project 26: Clean Water for Africans

2009-01-09T10:14:00.000-08:00

(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/c auses/fundraising_pledges/32239?m=783e3fc7

To visit their site:
www.project26dallas.com

New Year's Eve In The Country...

2009-01-08T19:39:00.001-08:00

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

2008-12-15T16:53:00.001-08:00

Monthly Worship in the Park

2008-11-04T17:54:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-11-03T16:43:00.001-08:00

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?

THE SPIRIT

2008-11-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

If any of you have lead in ministry, you know that at times, you are so focused on ministry, that you forget the most important influence, the Spirit of God. The Church exists only on the mighty power of God's Spirit sweeping through, and raising up His people. 8 weeks in, I have realized that we must open the doors wide for the Spirit of God, or we are nothing more than a social club.

God has pressed on my heart for me and the church. We need to seek the Spirit, without apprehension. Either we are a Church, built on the power of the Spirit, or we are not.
Keep us in your prayers.

YET A TIME IS COMING AND HAS NOW COME WHEN THE TRUE WORSHIPERS WILL WORSHIP THE FATHER IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH, FOR THEY ARE THE KIND OF WORSHIPERS THE FATHER SEEKS. GOD IS SPIRIT, AND HIS WORSHIPERS MUST WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH.

– JOHN 4:23-24

Masquerade Party - Project 26

2008-10-30T07:46:00.000-07:00

I was able to snag a couple of pics from our Benefit Party.

Macon @ Crooked Tree

2008-10-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

Steve and Mike Wade

Of course, Emma takes center stage.

Kevin enjoying a personal ballad Macon wrote just for him: "Poision Honey" (not really for me, but I still enjoyed it).

Curry Chicken and Psychology...

2008-10-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

Last night was our monthly dinner. Melody cooked a great curry chicken dish! The best part about these dinners are all the new friends I get to meet. As seems to be the case, we like to invite our friends to our monthly dinner.

Then, we played the mind-boggling game, "Psychology". And when I say mind boggling, what I mean is that I was confused and it took at least two rounds to even understand the rules. (Sorry it was a little blurry. Even my camera was confused)

Of course, we ended the night with a fashion show. Having slipped on her mom's shoes, Emma decided that she is a runway model, and our dilapidated, stained rug, the catwalk.

Thanks for hanging with us everyone! Great to meet new friends and see some old ones.

Kingdom Come...

2008-10-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

If our group is to learn what it means for us to be the church, then our first priority is to understand the person of Jesus, and the implication that has for us. Therefore, we are doing a series this month called simply, "The Messiah". What have you discovered about the identity of Christ?

Bridgman Rockin...

2008-09-27T09:44:00.001-07:00

Matthew Bridgman rockin @ Crooked Tree in his own stoic romantic sort of way.

It was awesome!!

You can't tell, but Crooked Tree was packed.

32 people + Downtown Dallas

2008-09-25T09:59:00.001-07:00

It was fun to see who God continues to bring to our community. Last night, we had several visitors from the area. One woman has lived in the downtown area for years, believes it is her calling to financially support those who are spreading the gospel. Another couple wants to join a group that is missional, and passionate about advancing the kingdom.

PJ, a great friend and faithful follower of Jesus, shared a powerful story of reconciliation. He had been estranged from his father for 14 years. And because his father had played such a negative role, PJ also distanced himself from his whole family. In the meantime, his family had prayed for PJ's salvation. God not only reconciled PJ to the cross 7 years ago, He reconciled PJ to his father and family last Wednesday in a beautiful way.

Mainly, we talked about the gifts that God has given us. When people began to share their gifts, I saw a beautiful mosaic of the Body of Christ, being priests to all nations through their particular gifts.

Over and over again, God reminds us that he uses small things to transform in mighty ways. I am fully convinced that God has the power to raise up 32 people on Swiss Ave, and turn them into radiant lights of Christ to a people lost in the darkness. What great things will God do through Koine Church in the next 12 months?

Small Gathering Latent with Great Kingdom Potential...

2008-09-23T06:07:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow night, we will talk about the gifts of the Spirit, and how he wants us to use it for the common good of all. But even now, I see God's gifts emerge from our little spiritual community. First, several have been added over the summer, and now we are scratching our head and wondering where we can get more chairs. But for every person that comes, another gift is added to the body of Christ.

One of our members has a passion for men's ministry.

Three other members are very philosophical and good at asking the tough theological questions.

one takes the temperature of the "visitors" and has a good feel for what is hospitable and inhospitable (for example: it is bad to ask a visitor to tell their life story in front of all 25 of us).

We have people who just like to help. They can adapt to several different things, but they love to fill the gap when there is a need in the community.

We have one person who enjoys benevolence and reaching the poor.

We have another guy who is a leader and loves to gather people, and look after them.

Another guy is a get-er-done kind of guy. He organizes, plans, and executes (projects, not people).

Two ladies in our group are concerned about children across the world, and are putting on a fundraiser to reach them.

And the list goes on. But it is an incredible list, a list latent with great kingdom potential. I can't wait to see what incredible things God will do.

September 1st...Welcome Church on Swiss

2008-09-22T12:28:00.001-07:00

September 1st was our birth-day! We met on Wednesday of that week to launch our study series: Ekklesia: The Church, and to celebrate in our own small way, the birth of this new spiritual community.

Father, we pray and hope that we are salt and light to Lakewood, Lower Greenville, Uptown, and beyond.

February 08 - Downtown Dallas Church in the Making

2008-07-12T07:30:00.000-07:00

While I could start this blog much earlier than February, more than a year earlier when our small group began, for this group really became our spiritual home from the beginning. But its February when we began to explore what it would mean for us to become a Church. The catalyst for this new venture actually came from a small, but significant challenge in my life. When I shared with everyone what that challenge was, they surrounded me like no other group had done before. A friend of mine cried. She probably won't ever realize how much those tears meant to me. Another friend fought hard to hold back his tears. He'll never realize how much that fight meant to me.

After this, I shared with them my desire to plant a church in Dallas. But the discussion was brief, and I didn't pass around a sign-up list. I knew there was still a lot to be accomplished over the next couple of months, and our challenges were many. For example, I knew that we had to begin working on our own spiritual health. We had just finished a curriculum called TrueFaced. The curriculum was OK, but the subject matter blew the lid off our group. Now, we needed to work on our spiritual condition. We began a new curriculum series simply titled: Spiritual Disciplines. This helped us work through the spiritual disciplines.

But the more pressing challenge for us was location. Due to size (we were running around 20 a week then), we had to meet at the church. Most of us lived in apartments, and if we had a house, it was so far away that it would be impractical. In order to move toward being a church, our group needed a home!

And that was what the month of March was all about.

March 08 - Church Needs a House

2008-07-11T06:49:00.000-07:00

For nearly 6 months, I drove past this house. It is right off of Swiss Ave, near Fitzugh Ave in Lakewood. There were several, pavlovian reactions when I saw this house. First, I drooled. Then, I prayed. Then, I begged God. Then, I drooled some more.

We needed a larger house to facilitate what we wanted to do. First, we needed a house where we could begin ministering to the neighborhood as a church. We needed a place to hold meetings, house parties, dinners, etc.

Also, over the year, our group developed a unique model for small groups (at least to us). We learned that there were many good reasons to have a large small group. From sharing resources, to having a good group of friends, to service projects, and on and on, we knew we enjoyed a larger group. But, it was very difficult to share openly on a Wednesday night because of the size. Therefore, we started the night with a short time of teaching, and then broke up into core groups of 5 to 7. And it worked! We were able to enjoy a short time of teaching where the members could get direction and clarification on the Word, then break up into core groups, and share in a more intimate setting, how the Word applied in our own individual story. But, in order to have core groups, we needed break out rooms. A house with several big rooms was more suitable to our needs.

Now, why this house in particular? Well, i had a buddy by the name of Kevin Spurgin who was also planting a church in the area. He used the exact same house as an exchange for service. He got the house at a discounted rate for $750 a month, but it stayed on the market to sell. Kevin lived in the house for a year, and it had never sold. Recently, he moved out, and I knew it was available again. So, at the end of February, I asked if I could get the owner's contact information. Long story short, the owners were very interested.

Now, all I had to do was raise support!

We were living on Jenny's paycheck so that I could church plant. And I'm sure you can imagine how much a private Christian University is able to pay. So, I began the hard but good work of asking people to partner with me in funding for the house. Some people in the group stepped up, and a very generous businessman offered to match what I raised from within the group. Within a couple of weeks, I was able to raise enough money to cover the house and utilities.

Big praise to God!!

We moved in to our new home at 4805 Swiss Ave on March 22nd, 2008.

Now, it wasn't that easy. All of a sudden, I had a 2300 square foot house that I needed to fill with furniture. Even before we moved into the house, I started collecting free furniture off of Craig's list. If you have never heard of Craig's List, or their free furniture site, then you have to check it out! I was able to fill up 2/3 of the house with free furniture by the time we moved in http://www.dallas.craigslist.org/zip/.

We had our first meeting on the 26th. (All of the furniture in the pic is Craig's List!)

The deal was simple. We got a beautiful, Swiss Ave house on the cheap, and they could keep it on the market. We could only hope that it wouldn't sell. Unfortunately, in April, that's exactly what happened.

April 08 - More than a House

2008-07-10T07:31:00.000-07:00

I remember the phone call like it was yesterday. I was still reeling from all the great stuff that had happened in only a month. Within a month, we were able to move into the home we needed for the church plant. Our group meetings had become more exciting as the air was charged with excitment about what God would do with our little small group, and we had some new visitors who i really liked. Then, I got the call.

"Sorry Kevin. But the contract was signed last night. We sold the house."

We had two weeks to move out.

Ugh! I think that's what went through my mind. Ugh! Now, there was a redeeming moment. The owner told me that she had a friend that owned a larger home only 5 houses down. She also hadn't been able to sell her home in the last couple of years. Laurie would give us the same deal. While, I was appreciative that we had another place to live, I wasn't too excited about moving into the same situation. This was tough, because I believe in that saying: "Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me."

I saw the house, and honestly I wasn't impressed. It was great for smaller meetings, but the livingroom was small. It didn't win me over. It took a week of praying to decide to move forward. Within two days, we had completely emptied out 4805 Swiss Ave, and filled 4835 Swiss Ave. It was hilarious to see us pick up furniture, and carry it 5 houses down! But that was just a few small things. We loaded and unloaded a truck and van.

We are still in the yellow house today. And it has grown on me. But God reminded me of a little lesson there. Church is not about the building. It never was, and it never will be. I was defining success as a leader by the quality of the building. And I should have known better, because I personally believe that we as the church need to put our love, energy and money towards God and people, not buildings and programs.

Thank you Father for your wisdom :).

What is the Church? The Church is the people you see below. Buildings are temporary. We are eternal.

We as a group began to find ways to hang out more and become better friends. We did outdoor lazer tag (yeah, I never heard of it either), and yours truly captured the flag (but couldn't shoot himself out of a tin cup).

Still, we found even more ways to hang out. We had natural opportunities to get together, like Deb and Ramon Padilla's wedding shower. Also, Some of the members were a part of New Food
Tuesday, which the rest of us attended here and there. But, the dudes needed their time. So, we began poker night every Sunday night. While, it wasn't strictly, male-only, it became that way.

Personally, I began to meet with several of our guys in the group for accountability and prayer outside of the study time. I love our Wednesday night meeting, but my most profound self-discovery has been at coffee with Ramon Padilla, Steven Rodriguez, Matthew Hill, and PJ Dunn, Tim Pike and Steve Wade. Godly dudes!

As our small group became more intentional about being the church, not all of them stayed. Some that you saw in February and March are on a different path. As it is in all groups, God calls some people on one path, and other on another path. But they are all still our family.

May 08 - Vision For The New Church

2008-07-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

We had to draw a line in the sand.

While that sounds more dramatic than it really was, we as a group knew that at some point, we needed to stop being a small group, and start being the church. Therefore, May was really about drawing a line in the sand, and deciding who would continue on in the church plant, and who would not. In order to have an informed opinion of the church plant, I held an information dinner for the small group. At the information dinner, I delineated my vision for the church plant. It was at this dinner that I shared the name of the church, and my vision for a church made up of neighborhood churches just like ours, planted in the downtown area. These neighborhood churches would adopt and transform neighborhoods all over downtown as we live out Christ's command to tell the good news, and make disciples of all nations. While the goal wasn't new, the method was, and to be honest with you, I was completely scared. I was sure that I would have to do a song-and-dance to keep the group's attention. And I was ready for a series of counter-arguments to defend my position. Of course, that was not necessary (nor should it be). Instead, the group jumped in and began to help me brainstorm.

Wow!

That's all I could think. They want to help me make this happen! Now, not all were on board, but most were. And so the dinner really ended with us planning out the next year.

But, I still encouraged everyone to take the summer and pray through this decision. It was a big decision, and would take people that were committed to the gospel.

By the way. The name of the church is Koine Church of Dallas. Koine is the greek word for "shared", or "common". It speaks of a shared message, kingdom, life. We are in this together.

It is pronounced: coin-aye. Imagine a Canadian is offering you a coin. "Coin, eh?"

Heh. :)

June...

2008-07-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

coming soon!

July...

2008-07-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

coming soon!

August...

2008-07-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

coming soon!

A Church Plant in Downtown Dallas

2008-07-04T10:08:00.000-07:00

It is a common belief among many writers that most stories are about “a girl”. The drive of the main character, the purpose of the adventure, and even the tragic circumstances happen because of “a girl”. Well, as we begin this venture of starting a Church in the heart of Dallas, it could be said that the story unfolding is about “a city”. It’s about the life of a city, its occupants, and the force of “tov”, of good that God intends to pour throughout this city. He has, and continues to raise up spiritual communities that’s objective is to bless the city by loving the unloved, caring for the planet, proclaiming the virtues of living the way of Jesus, and showing others how to live in Peace on Earth, or in our case, in Dallas.

IN I My passion is to bring together a community for anyone who drifts unconnected to koinonia, to community. The essential community for human kind is the people of Christ. While organizations and religions have tried to brand their own carbon-copy of a Jesus-centered community, men like Paul the Apostle, Augustine, Martin Luther, Chuck Smith and many others continue to fight and live for the remnant. We remnant, we Christians come together by the power of the Spirit, grounded in the rich message of the Bible, protected by the rock walls of community, that we may carry the grand message of salvation by Word and Deed. We come together 7 days a week, in homes, and cafés, and parks and concerts, and hospital rooms. And in this normal life, we will find the supernatural power of the Spirit as it knits us together in love and grace.

OUT I I pray for the city of Dallas. I pray that this metropolis of singles and families, grandmothers, and college students, are loved by God and by us. And as our nation begins to return to these concentrations of culture, these city states, I pray that this Dallas culture is healed. Not overtaken by the Church; not turned into a Christian nation, but that the pilgrims of Christ within the city continues to seek out this cities pain, and redeem it by the blood of Jesus. God has burdened my heart with people who are displaced in the city of Dallas. The clubbers and shoppers and singers and single mothers and artisans and cubicle-dwellers who wonder how they are ever able to think outside of the box if they always live in one. We believe that the Earth is ours to care for, and all occupants within it. We limit our consumption to be good stewards of the Earth. We give our money and time to the broken and disenfranchised, and wayward. We unleash God's grace by looking after the widows and orphans and drug-addicts and refugees and the over-consumeristic family who wish they could live the pure, simple life again.

We will learn to love God, and love our neighbor.

WILL I This Church will hold up Love and Truth as its standard of community. This Church will develop communities, hot-beds of faith, hope and love throughout the Dallas downtown area. It will send these communities out as spiritual outposts to a lost and dying world. It will charge and empower these communities to serve, evangelize, and care for the city block and zip code in which they reside. It will draw these communities together to celebrate our good God. It will present spiritual services that give testimony of God’s Word, and his work in our lives. These services will showcase the creative power of God and his people.

WILL NOT I This spiritual community will not begin or end its strategic plan based upon the 2-hour Sunday morning event, which represents only a fraction of the life of a disciple. We will not use success as our driving motivation, rather faithfulness, so that we disciples are taught the reality of a faith knee-deep in the problems and pains of this world. This Church will not settle for anything less than disciples of Jesus who are vibrantly active throughout the city of Dallas.

We are followers of The Way. We are Christians.

This blog is a presentation, and broadcast to all of those who want to be a part of such a community in this city of Dallas. Browse around. Learn more about what God has laid on my heart, and the spiritual community that will begin in 2008-2009. I hope this blog challenges your ideas about the Christian life, and encourages you to push yourself inward as we learn to love God, and outward as we learn to love our city, Dallas.

All-Natural Evangelism

2008-04-21T07:51:00.001-07:00

I envision the message of faith not as a 15 minute sales pitch to the listener who has endured 50 years of pain, but a 15 year message that is spoken through fishing trips, and rides to work, and shopping dates, and parties and failures that drag one’s heart to the kitchen floor. I envision a message of faith that is crafted through the phileo of friendship, through the brotherly love of friendship, that when the gospel is explained, it is understood not as transcendent ideas swirling between clouds and jet planes, but remembered in the years of earnest friendship.

A friendship in which we no longer condemn, nor condone, but commit one’s life as the gospel message to another person. I envision a message that is spoken daily, like a conversation on dating, sports, and what Simon said on American Idol. For Christ is not a secret, nor a salespitch, but as real and as much a point of pain and pleasure as the family and friends in your wallet. And if your friendship is authentic, then Christ is the most authentic part.
I envision a message that takes a life time to tell.

.

2008-03-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Koine Dallas' church plant blog!

2008-03-08T04:23:00.000-08:00

We, the Church, are one. In a great, global communion, we share one faith, one hope, one baptism, one God and Father of all (Ephes. 4:4-6). We come together in Koiné (coin-a). Koiné is the Greek word for “common” and is also the root word for community. It is same the word used in Acts 2:44, where it is said they “had all things in common”. That passage speaks of a shared life, with a shared purpose – the kingdom of God. Moreover, 1 Corinthians 12:7 explains that even our spiritual gifts are to be used for the “Koiné good” or “common good”. It is when we come together in common for the gospel that I believe “Church” takes place.
Now, imagine rich, concentrations of communities filled with passionate followers of Christ, whose mission is to reach their local neighborhood – the Lakewood neighborhood, SMU, downtown, M streets, or Uptown, and calling it theirs for the kingdom of God. This group would number between 30 and 50 individuals within each Area Church, living out the gospel of Christ in their own neighborhood through natural, relational methods. Everything they would need (men’s ministry, women’s ministry, youth ministry, discipleship, Biblical education, evangelism) would happen within the Area Church in natural, integrative ways lead by their pastor and other leaders. They would gather for a time of community and teaching on a weeknight. After a pastor led discussion on a given topic, smaller, core groups would be formed to allow more intimate dialogue and sharing. Everyone would stay in their given core group from week to week.
All of these Area Churches would come together in Koiné (common) to worship God for what He has done through the work of the Area Church and, and to be encouraged by the shared stories from the various Area Churches. The Koiné organization will support the Area Churches through the tithes and other forms of support. The Koiné organization will also provides a time of worship and inspiration during the Sunday morning gatherings.

A Letter to the Church on Swiss

2008-01-20T07:22:00.000-08:00

A Letter to the Church on Swiss

Kevin McGill, a bond servant of Jesus Christ, to all the pilgrims of Jesus Christ who are on Swiss Ave, including the core group leaders. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Dear brothers and sisters. You are my blessing in human form. My cousins and aunts and crazy uncles. You are my children, mother and father, my niece and nephew. You are my family tree.

Before I continue with our study through Ecclesiastes, I want you to hear a song that I have fallen in love with. It is from the album, Amelie. This particular song speaks of a person struggling with the great world around us and its many pressures. The singer knoss that life is about holding fast to one’s convictions while enjoying the daily life, but part of him longs to break free of personal conscience and join the kings and queens of this world, living with them in the Alps of Affluence.

But on another level, the music plays as if in a circus. We are the evenings entertainment, convincing ourselves and others that we are great characters in the three-ring circus of life. And for only ten cents, you too can take delight in the greatness that is “Kevin McGill.” And by talent alone, he will take you to other worlds, stars, heaven itself! But at night, we sink into despondency because we all feel like nothing more than circus freaks, stuck in our own sideshows.

Les Jours Tristes by Yann Tiersen:

I am writing to you from Crooked Tree off of Routh St and Mckinney Ave. Last we spoke, I told you that I would share what the Spirit revealed to me in Ecclesiastes. This is that letter.

Having studied, prayed and read the book of Ecclesiastes, my first revelation to you is this:

I’m an idiot.

What have I gotten myself into? You have to understand. When I sat down to study the book of Ecclesiastes, I had intended to mine the riches of God, and present them to you from my lofty, Spirit-ordained stool. I didn't sign up for this! As most people who dare to teach God’s precepts learn, God will put us through that which we dare to teach. I dared to teach Ecclesiastes, a book that questions the meaning of life on Earth. Two-and-half weeks ago, I cracked open my gold lined NASB, and God responded by cracking open my pride, leading me through my own personal crisis. Questions began spilling out. Questions about my life as a pastor, ministry, the church and the nationwide appeal of crocs (seriously, I asked a shoe salesman why crocs were such a big deal. They’re jelly shoes for adults! He nodded, and then said, “You see, they’re a status symbol. If you want to be someone Kevin, you need to buy a pair. I promptly bought two). Since the book of Ecclesiastes is about the questions of life, Those questions are the rest of my letter.

Ecclesiastes 1 – Meaningless? Meaningless? Everything is meaningless? The earth. World history. My job. Me. Everything! I’m uncomfortable with this phrase, especially in light of the gospel and how it is supposed to give life meaning, so I look up other interpretations of this word. Thank goodness that “havel”, the Hebrew word for meaningless can be interpreted other ways. Here are other delightful options: worthlessness, emptiness, fleeting, fraud, futile, and vapor. Nice. Vapor, now that’s an interesting one. I do a quick word study and find that Solomon uses other word pictures dealing with “breath” and “wind” in Ecclesiastes (review 2:11). I then check with some other scholars I respect and find that vapor is a better translation. But I begin to realize that this doesn’t help. Now I’m vapor, steam, a breath. I’m a spritz, a cough. But wait, what about imago dei? The theological belief built on Gen 1-3 that I am made in the image of God? Solomon even says, “God has set eternity in our hearts” (Eccl 3:11). I’m a sneeze made in the image of God? Still not helpful. But as I think more about it, it’s obvious that my pride is attached to the fact that I want to be set apart - not regarding God, but regarding his creation. It should be enough that I am made in his image, vapor or dirt clod. But it isn’t. I want to be significant regarding my time on planet Earth. I want my career, my marriage, my friendship, my life to be worth something! I want the waitress to remember my order when I say, water no ice! I want to be feared and respected. But Solomon comments on this too. He says that this is chasing the wind in Eccl 2:11. Interesting. I am wind, chasing wind. If this is Solomon’s answer to the self-help book, we are all in trouble. So, the question is – can I make this meaningless life meaningful?

I push through - actually, I slosh through the passage. Immediately, I recognize different people trying to say the same thing. Sometimes Solomon is an ambitious king trying to grasp life by the tailpipe. Sometimes he is a critical sage meting out wisdom without consequence. And sometimes he is the everyday man, seeing the sadness of his fellow workers being subjugated under the taskmaster. And with each personality, we are swung back and forth on a three point pendulum. Seething, he tells us life is meaningless in chapter 1. He then tells us that God has burdened us, because he will not allow us to have satisfaction in our ambitions in 1:13 and 6:2. But then he reminds us that the gift he has given us is food, drink and the capacity to enjoy our work that is before us, if we so desire (3:13). He has given us the gift of life, of “today”.

As I continue to read, I ask myself, where is it’s shape? As it must have become obvious to you, Ecclesiastes is a mess. It’s not really poetry, nor is it narrative, it’s not even necessarily wisdom literature. The scholar from Union Theological Seminary, William Brown says, “Not surprisingly, a coherent and tidy literary structure is distinctly lacking in Ecclesiastes. Attempts by scholars at delineating a clear structure through numerical analysis, polar structures, redactional levels, or concentric rings have proved largely unsuccessful.”

In short, scholars would rather take a ball-pen hammer to the head than try to outline Ecclesiastes.

It lacks the smooth, buttery logic of Paul, or the three course meal with morality for dessert of the narrative gospels. But most surprisingly, it is not a cup of coffee, bold and obvious like the Proverbs . Yes, it is the sphinx of the Hebrew bible, the unsolved riddles of history and life. But it does have shape, just different than what we are used to. Ecclesiastes writes like the ocean tide. It swells with despair, crashes into sobriety, then recedes in a quiet rush of hope. And eventually, the tide pulls the ocean from the shore, revealing its wisdom by that brilliant statement, “fear God”.

Continuing, Ecclesiastes is truth, mixed and mashed together with life from the lips of a leader. Why does this make me so uncomfortable?I don’t want my leaders to be honest, I want them to be right. I don’t want them to tell me how they feel, I want them to tell me what to do. Even growing up, I didn’t want to know that my father might be weak because that would mean I was born of weakness. But maybe that is exactly what we need right now. The economy has failed us once again and so has our leadership. More so, life has only gotten more difficult for a number of us in our church. If you don’t know by now, there are two prerequisites to joining Church on Swiss. Lose your job, or become deathly ill and have to be admitted to a nearby hospital. It’s then I realize, If mankind could write a journal, it would be Ecclesiastes. Truly, I believe that God loves us so much that he makes sure that at least one book of the Bible recognizes how messy and frustrating life can become. This would make sense, since we know that “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:4)

According to Rabbinic tradition, Solomon wrote Song of Solomon in his youth, Proverbs in his prime, and Ecclesiastes in his old age. This would also make sense. Passion for youth, exactitude for middle age and a sober honesty for the elder years. Yet, the elder Solomon doesn’t keep his wisdom for his lounging geriatric buddies. He turns his words to the youth, to us. We have so much going for us: ambition, dreams, drive. We chase after love in potential marriage partners, influence in our careers, and affirmation in friendship. But the one thing we do not understand is how to live with the inner-man or woman. We do not know how to live with the honest, raw words of our soul which is meant to keep us true and good. So we lock that person away. Now, it’s not that the inner-man or woman doesn’t ever get out. Like my ancestors a 100 years ago – the slaves of the south, the inner-man does escape and runs away. When he gets out, we chase him down, fight with and then lock him away in heavier chains. But maybe he wouldn’t cause so much trouble if we simply set him free and allowed him to work along side of us as he should.

This letter was not about answers, not really. As Solomon makes us wait patiently, dig deeply for the answers, so will we. But this letter is about stopping and looking into the mirror of the inner-man or woman. Tonight is about being honest with self and asking, "What am I chasing?" Ambition? Relationships? Pain unresolved? And then letting my community peer inside and tell me what they see.

OK. Maybe I do have one answer. Consider this. Ecclesiastes 2:11 tells us that our ambitions of life are “chasing the wind”. Chasing the wind in Hebrew would be varut ruach. That word, Ruach is not just a word for wind, it is also the word for the Spirit. Check Genesis 1. Maybe it’s not so much that we are chasing the wind, maybe it’s we are chasing the wrong wind? Maybe we should be chasing the Spirit-wind? Even better, maybe we should let the Spirit chase us like a sail boat, letting Him blow us in the direction He wants us to go?

Live the life God gives. Love one another. Prays for all the saints of the church. Remember me and the other servants of Church on Swiss as we continue to pour ourselves out for you and others. Tell Steve I want my book back. That guy never returns my stuff. Tell Matthew I want my pride back. He beat me at NBA all-star jam for Xbox three times in a row.

The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

What are you chasing?

Online Giving through Easy Tithe

2008-01-01T21:27:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much for your desire to financially partner with us!
A few other things you should know about Easy Tithe:

Easy Tithe is an online, 128 bit encryption site. That means its VERY secure, according to my webmaster.
You need a credit card (will be able to pay by check online shortly).
You can set up reoccuring monthly payments
Easy Tithe does not take American Express.