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?

THE SPIRIT

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

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

Macon @ Crooked Tree

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).