Thanks, God!

This morning, in my time with God, I praised God for:

• My beautiful and expanding family.
• A warm and good meeting with New Albany's Mayor yesterday. She wants to meet again and talk more...
• An open door to dream about how to serve people through some of the programs of New Albany's parks and recreation department. I enjoyed a good lunch meeting with Noah, a director there yesterday. Pray for good opportunities to love the thousands of kids and families in NA parks and rec. department programs in practical ways.
• A GREAT conversation with my neighbor, Gary. A few times a day, Gary stands outside his house enjoying a smoke. In God's timing, it seems like several times a day, Gary steps out of his door at the same time I do. We've had a lot of interaction recently. A few weeks ago I told Gary we were starting Sunday gatherings in our house. Last evening, we started talking again and he asked how our church is going. The conversation that followed was rich-- I was able to learn about some of his background, how he had been hurt and turned off to church through some legalistic, finger pointing, huffy religious people in his past. This was a wide open door to share with him about ClearView's name, why we exist, and that our principle goal is to love people to see Jesus for what He really is (presenting a clear view). I carefully shared that the Bible does have standards for our lives...but they are given out of love and in the motivation of what is God's best for our lives. I invited him and his wife to join us some Sunday and told him I'd love to talk with him sometime about beliefs he sometimes contemplates. He said he'd consider my offer. Would you pray for Gary and Kristen and the hundreds of thousands of people in northeast Columbus? Pray for ClearView and other Bible-teaching churches to love these people to Jesus.
  

God Is Working

There's something going in our work. It's hard to measure...and more of a sense that I have. Could be wrong... (wouldn't be the first time church planting has exposed my ignorance!) but I really sense God is moving. This is such a challenging journey, because much of it has to be by faith (trusting/knowing that God is working, even if I can't see it). Yet, there area also times when God gives us the privilege of visibly sensing His hand at work. Some of these areas in the last week (please Praise God with us!) are:

• We had 16 people at our meeting yesterday (17 if you count Sara! :)...up from 11 on March 16.
• Stephanie came yesterday. Her family received one of our "Beat the Blahs" packets and she came to check out our gathering. Pray that she'll feel led to return with her family.
• Last week I talked with Scott several times. His family also received one of our door hangers and he stated they would come sometime. Pray they do!
• I have had several very good conversations with someone who could be our first worship leader. I'm very excited about continuing a dialogue with this family and exploring what God has in store. Pray for wisdom and God's provision in the area of a worship leader for ClearView.
• An old friend e-mailed from Pennsylvania. Unbeknownst to us, she has been following our blog and church planting work. She e-mailed to inquire about the possibility of supporting ClearView financially AND driving at least 4 hours one weekend per month to help us with Sunday a.m. children's ministry. Wow!!!
• We've gotten a few other e-mails via our website looking for more information about ClearView.

There are other baby-steps of God's movement I could mention here...but you get the idea. Thank you God for allowing us to SEE your hand at work...we praise you for these steps. Thank you for praying with us. God is working through you.

Scheduled Arrival!

Well, unless nature's timing preempts our doctors', little Sara Wirt will be born, Lord willing, next Monday (3/31). We learned today that Trish will be induced next Monday morning. We're excited, as "ready" as we can be, and a little fearful of entering the world of sleepless nights again. But, God knows and we're trusting in His strength. Please pray for Trish's strength and health and for Sara's health and safety during the next week and delivery process, etc. Blog readers-- (besides family!) you'll be the first to know and see pictures! Thanks for praying with us!

We Hit The Spot!

Yesterday we served about 14 gallons of hot chocolate at New Albany's "Spring Egg Hunt". I was excited and thankful that my friend Jeff came all the way down from the Cleveland area to help us pull this off. Later, one of the families from our team came. We all had a great time greeting people and serving something people REALLY wanted-- hot chocolate. Our challenge for the day was braving the blustery cold and snow at this early "spring" event. Yet, at least a thousand people were present and many grabbed our warm nectar as a bit of cheer in the cold. Sharing about our work was a bit of a challenge as people were more business like due to the cold, but we still had many opportunities to put a smile on people's faces and create a positive impression for Jesus in our community. God also gave great opportunities to network with community leaders, and I think our positive involvement at this event will open further doors for service at future community activities. Praise God for a great day! Please pray with us for spiritual fruit- in the short OR long term.

A Baby Step In the Right Direction

I'm thinking baby these days (could be any day now!)... so that title will have to do. Anyway, Sunday (3/9) was a great day for us. We held our first ever worship gathering in our house and had 11 people in attendance. All in all, the spirit was good, people were excited about being together, and there was great hope and expectation of what God will do through our baby team. We're moving in the right direction.

• Please praise God with us for a good first Sunday!
• Please pray with us that God would grow this gathering. I've had conversations with two interested families this week. Pray they come!
• Pray for a GREAT Easter!
• Pray for wisdom on how to best structure this time for maximum impact.

Movement...Yeah, God!!!

Here are four things I'm excited about over the last week or so...

• Thursday a local GBC pastor called in response to a mailing we sent to each of our district churches via their Senior Pastors. The mailing contained a request for each church to consider partnering with us by placing a bulletin insert in their weekly bulletin. The insert offers people the opportunity to partner with us by referring contacts, joining our prayer team, or bringing a ministry team to help. This brother called to say they would run the insert and pray with us! Praise God!
• Saturday I got an e-mail in response to our "Beat the Winter Blahs..." door-hanger campaign (see Trish and Seth making these packets). Last week, I spent a bulk of my week hanging about 600 of these on doors in local neighborhoods. This family said they would like to join us Sunday. That's huge for me... because I had been praying all week as I walked that God would just give us ONE response. As it turned out, they called on Sunday a.m. and said they couldn't make it. We were disappointed... but glad they at least took the time to call. Pray Doug and Stephanie will join us for Easter (this weekend!).
• Yesterday (Monday) another local pastor called in response to an e-mail I had sent to local church pastors (GBC and non-GBC). This e-mail (see 3/5 "Help Wanted" post) asked churches to consider if they have anyone in their ministry that might be able to help us in the areas of worship leading and children. Pastor Phil called to refer a name of someone he knows who might be able to work with us in worship leading. Praise God for this contact and please pray with me for wisdom in follow-up. I also have some leads from non-GBC pastor friends in the community to follow-up in this area.
• Yesterday I got another call related to our door hangers last week. Scott and his wife are looking for a church...and, from the conversation, I can tell they are the type of people we're looking for. They've been involved with churches at initial stages before and enjoy the excitement and challenge of this stage of church development. Praise God for this response. Please pray with us for a next step from this family. My prayer is that God will move Scott to join me for lunch, their family to join us for dinner (we invited them), or their family to check out our worship gathering this Sunday.
  

Amen, bro!

I have a church-planter friend named Jeremy McClung, who is working hard to begin a church in Huntsville, Ontario, Canada. I admire Jeremy and have been amazed as I've read his blog posts and prayer updates how their faith/church-planting journey mirrors ours. In a recent update, Jeremy wrote the following about how his heart is alive with mission. Since the piece is so well-written and it echoes what God is doing/has done in our lives over the last year...I asked Jeremy if I could share it here. He graciously agreed- so be encouraged!

I've been thinking more and more lately about the fact that I want to make the kind of life I'm living right now a permanent experience. I grew up in a Christian home, heavily involved in church, with mostly Christian friends. I went to a Christian college, was a part of Christian clubs and organizations and hung out with other Christians there. Then I went to be a pastor and my life continued to revolve around church and church people. Now, don't get me wrong--I understood the real world, and would even visit there sometimes. But I lived in the Christian bubble. 90% of my relationships were with people who shared my faith commitment and worldview.

Now I find myself in a place where 90% of my relationships are with those who don't share my commitment. April and I are involved in a number of community clubs and organizations, and the only "church" event we go to on a weekly basis is our small group. And let me tell you, it's fun. More than ever in my life I feel the potential for God to use me and speak through me. I'm learning these relationships (like any real friendship) take time to build trust and rapport. And none of them carry guarantees that we will have any "spiritual influence"--and we try not to worry too much about that. No strings attached, no pressure to convert or conform. But I know this--there's a lot more potential for us to make a difference now that we're "out there" rather than "in the bubble."

My only regret is that I didn't do this sooner. Because you don't have to be a church planter to escape the bubble. Imagine...what if more Christians intentionally cut back on church relationships and activity, got heavily involved in their communities, built friendships with people who didn't go to church, and really loved them with no strings attached? If what we believe is really true, then that ought to naturally make a big difference in the world. So I encourage and challenge you to take stock of your own life. If you're stuck in the bubble, make a run for it. You'll be glad you did.

Why Did I Sell My Snowblower!?

I had a beautiful Ariens snowblower that I sold before we moved to Columbus. Trish told me not to. I should have listened! They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. So... I'll let the following fill you in on our weekend here in Columbus! Needless to say, God has other plans for the date of our first Sunday gathering... as I'm thinking our plans for tomorrow were not God's! :) Please keep praying for the formation of our team. We'll try for our first Sunday NEXT week when it will probably be 70!

Help Wanted!

If you're reading this and in the Columbus area... we're excited to be in the position of needing help on Sunday mornings. Following is the text I'm sending to every leader I can think of in our area. Maybe one of our blog readers could be the answer to our prayers! If you aren't in Columbus...please pray God would supply these needs.

ClearView Church is a brand new church forming in the New Albany area. We're excited to begin formative Sunday morning gatherings in March. We could use your help as we try and move forward through these beginning stages. Specifically, we need assistance in the areas of children's ministry and worship leading. Perhaps you have an available leader in your midst that would be willing to help us on a one-time or month-by-month basis. Perhaps you have a budding leader looking for experience. This is a great opportunity for an intern, student, or anyone willing to learn and grow, be part of something exciting, and experience the joys and challenges of building something from scratch. Or, maybe you have a group or team that would be willing to come give us a hand.

Could you forward this note on to your ministry leaders for contemplation? For more information or referrals, please contact Andy Wirt at "andy@clearviewgrace.com" or 614.578.0676. Thanks!

Big Day at the Y!

Today I'm working at the YMCA in Gahanna, serving free coffee (donated by Caribou Coffee) to poll workers, YMCA staff, and voter's. I'm thankful to God for many very positive interactions. God has opened doors to meet community leaders, deepen relationships with Y staff, and share with many about our work. To describe just a few encounters:

• Elaine's initial comment to me was, "Oh great... another church... I bet your people are all voting Republican. Oh (God's name in vain)... I hope not." Needless to say, the conversation that followed was interesting. I tried to navigate through all of her issues (some of them very relevant and stimulating) and just express that Jesus loves her. Pray that Jesus would rescue her heart.
• Lynn attends a Catholic church and is in a Bible study with several ladies from another Grace Brethren Church in the Columbus area. I was fascinated as Lynn described how God is working in her life through the friendship of these ladies and their study of God's Word together. She is searching spiritually. She's looking for something more biblically centered...but can't see herself leaving her church. It was good to be able to encourage her in her journey and offer to be a help as God leads.

Praise God for a great day thus far! Would you join me in praying that one contact from our time at the Y might check out one of our Sunday gatherings soon? Thanks!

Pray for Sunday!

A key item for prayer is our first Sunday a.m. gathering, taking place this Sunday, March 9. We're working hard to invite many people and asking God to bring us new families that do or will have an interest in sharing in our work of beginning a new church.

Please pray with us:

• that God would bring many people out
• that God would bring out people we've invited to gatherings in the past but who couldn't make it on a weeknight
• that God would give wisdom as we plan the worship experience, message, and atmosphere of the gathering
• that God would care for needs in children's ministry and worship leading
• that God would help us meet Him, communicate the vision of ClearView, and help people understand that we are a work in progress...
• that God would help us get to the next level of development (6 family units)
  

Thanks!

Happy Birthday, Silas!

Could it be that our little guy is two!? Silas turned two yesterday (3/3). We celebrated with a party with friends in our basement. Everyone seemed to have a great time. We're thankful for Silas and his delightful little personality. Thanks to so many of you that have prayed with us as we've endured his many sicknesses over the last year. God is good...and it is such a joy to see your kids grow and change!

Make the Most of It!

I wanted to give an update to a previous post on our efforts in the community last weekend. Saturday was a day of great opportunity. We went a little crazy preparing "Beat the Winter Blahs" packets (complete with ClearView info., some hot chocolate and fire balls) this weekend. Thursday evening, two of our teammates helped us prepare about 350 packets and then Trish went crazy on Friday preparing almost 500 hundred on her own. We ended up with about 1,050 by Friday evening (picture left is all the packets lined up in our room).

We faced a bit of a set back when the turn out from our youth group friends was not what we thought it might be. However, we forged ahead, confident that God had something planned for the day. All in all, the youth group and our family had wonderful interaction in the community. Even though we didn't make as many contacts as we hoped to, the exciting part was that many people were home and we even had conversations with numerous people who said they were looking for a church or would check the website. Most important of all, we put smiles on a lot of people's faces in Jesus' name. I'm so thankful for the vision of this youth pastor, his perseverance, and his desire to help us move forward in ministry. Thanks, Mark!

Now...the challenge is that we've still got almost 900 packets to get out before warm weather hits... and we need to make those 900 contacts for the progress of our ministry. Want to help? :)