We're Almost Two Years In...

A veteran pastor in our district asked me for a summary/update of our church starting journey to this point. So, I wrote him a quick report of highlights that came immediately to mind of our first (almost) two years in starting ClearView. Sometimes it's better to just write what comes out without a lot of filter or over-contemplation. Thought you might enjoy the summary. If you follow this blog or get our monthly (sometimes :) updates, you know this info. But, maybe you just want to skim and give a quick "Praise God" and prayer for God's continued movements to finalize our team and help us prepare for launch. Below is report:

December 2008
ClearView Church Update

My family and I (Tricia, Seth-5, Silas-2, Sara-8months) moved to northeastern Franklin County, OH (northeast Columbus) in February of 2007 to begin a new Grace Brethren Church from scratch. We felt led to this area for multiple factors:

• There are thousands of people that don’t know or follow Jesus in every direction, all around us.
  
• There was once a GBC in New Albany (one of our principle target communities) that closed. Hundreds of thousands of dollars and much prayer was invested in Rocky Ridge GBC by Northwest Chapel and the NCO district… so we felt it would be an opportunity for God to answer prayers prayed many years ago by beginning a new, thriving, GBC in New Albany today.
  
• Our sponsor church, Northwest Chapel, desired to see a GBC on the northeast side of town. God called us to church planting and meshed our path with NWC.
  
• We love the people of northeastern Franklin County.
  

Since moving to the area just under two years ago, we have sought to ingrain ourselves in the community. ClearView Church’s mission is to love people to a clear view of Jesus and His mission. A central value of this mission is to go where people are already gathered and be the light and hope of Jesus in those places. Significant highlights of this mission to this point are:

• 150 people in our backyard for an Operation Barnabas program this summer.
  
• Over 70 people at the block party we hosted this past September.
  
• Participation in numerous key festivals in our community where we have assisted community leaders with set-up/tear-down and served/loved people through offering free face-painting, hot chocolate, balloons, crafts/games for kids, water, etc. God has given us the opportunity to touch thousands of lives in New Albany and Gahanna through acts of kindness.
  
• An invitation for me to be part of the New Albany Events board and help plan community activities.
  

As we have seeded our family into the activities of the community, God has opened doors and is teaching us how to be more effective missionaries. We look for opportunities to tell others about Jesus and our work with ClearView through being active in the community. God has opened the following doors to make contacts:

• Serving as a block-watch captain in our neighborhood.
  
• Serving as a room parent in Seth’s kindergarten class.
  
• Coaching soccer in the community.
  
• Hosting Backyard Bible Clubs and other events in our home.
  
• Actively participating in Gahanna and New Albany Chamber of Commerce events/meetings.
  
• “Renting office space” at gathering places like Caribou Coffee or Panera Bread.
  

Over the last 2 years, we’ve met and interacted with thousands of people. We’ve hung over 10,000 door hangers, participated in community events, worked our own contact making streams and worked hard to show Jesus’ love…making the most of every opportunity. Through these contacts, God has been building ClearView’s Launch Team. We currently meet for weekly worship gatherings at the Gahanna YMCA on Sunday mornings. On average, just over 30 people participate with us and we count 11 family units currently on our team. Together, we are preparing for ClearView’s “Grand Opening” gathering on April 12, 2009 (Easter Sunday).

We’re excited to see our team develop with quality, friendly people that jump in and serve freely, invite, give, pray for, and own the vision of ClearView Church with our family. As God brings team members, we’re seeking to build the infrastructure of a healthy Sunday morning ministry (in preparation for our launch service). God is providing leaders in the areas of worship, children’s ministry, guest welcome services, administration/finance, and set-up/tear-down. Praise God for the people He has brought to team ClearView!

As we move towards April 12, our family and our baby church could use your prayers in several targeted areas. Key requests for the next few months would be:

• Spiritual intimacy for our family and launch team members.
  
• That our family and our team would make a tangible difference in the spiritual climate of our target communities (we want to see people come to Jesus and lives transformed).
  
• For adequate funding for 2009 salary and ministry and for adequate health insurance for our family.
  
• That (a minimum) of 10 more families would join our team by the end of March, 2009.
  

If you would like to learn more about ClearView Church, check www.clearviewgrace.com. To learn more about our family and regular ministry updates/prayer requests, please visit: www.wirt-prayer-team.blogspot.com. To receive a monthly prayer update via e-mail, e-mail me at andy@clearviewgrace.com and put “add me to the prayer team” in the subject line.

Thanks for praying with us!