We raised $450!!

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...

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"

Welcome Koine @ Maple Terrace

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?

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...

If you want to keep up with me personally:

http://www.facebook.com/kevmcgill

- Kevin

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?