Some Exciting Developments

This week, we're thankful to God for the following:

• Franklin Church, a United Brethren in Christ church in New Albany, invited us to share a 10-minute mission's moment in their worship service this past Sunday. What a joy and privilege to share about what God has called us to and is doing with this fine group of believers from our own community. Several signed up to pray with us and the pastor and I are building a good rapport. I'm thankful for Pastor Mike and his overtures of friendship and willingness to allow us to share in a service...an opportunity that, I know from experience, doesn't come often from nearby churches.
• Super Tuesday in OH (March 4) will be a super Tuesday for ClearView. God has once again opened the door for us to serve FREE Caribou Coffee to primary voters at Gahanna's YMCA. My friend Malik, the Membership Services Director at our Y, says he wants to make the free coffee "a tradition." So... we'll be there... hoping to touch hundreds of lives with a free cup of good coffee in Jesus' name.
• Yesterday, God opened the door for a meeting with a gentleman from New Albany that I have been trying to schedule for weeks. Ron is the lead guy on New Albany's Events Board which is a team of people that plan a handful of community events throughout the year that draw thousands of people to each gathering. Our meeting went very well, and I left with an invitation to join the events board and information on how ClearView could volunteer and or sponsor a vendor booth at these events. This is an amazing open door to get on the "inside" of the community, have influence with influential people, find opportunities for service in Jesus' name, and touch thousands of lives by "being the church where people are already gathered" in these community events. I praise God for Ron's graciousness to me and for this HUGE open door.
  
• I've been praying about and looking for an opportunity to make an impact around the Easter season. One of the items in my conversation with Ron was the answer. The short version of the story is that ClearView has the opportunity to serve coffee and/or hot chocolate at New Albany's Easter Egg Hunt on March 22. Ron expects around 4,000 people at this event! So, as long as we can figure out how to provide the drinks for that many people... we're in. Praise God!

Please pray with me that God uses these open doors to help us find teammates and more importantly, love people to a clear view of Jesus and His mission.