On Sunday we got an update from Touger Tao, one of two church planters we are supporting in the Twin Cities. Paul Robinson sent me this update about his church that will be launching in early January:
Worship is going really well; the praise team is rocking and the experience itself is uplifting and engaging based on what members and visitors are saying. We are getting a steady flow of visitors each week and a few of them are repeat visitors.
I am following up with visitors during the week following worship with a note, phone call or in some cases a one on one. We're adding people to the Core group (6 in the last 45 days). Last month we added a bi-monthly "Core Development Team" meeting. This has been helpful in planning our evangelism, gathering and special events. We are working toward a January 5th launch service.
Last Saturday at our harvest gathering we served chili, hot dogs and hot chocolate to our neighbors, hosted games and crafts and visited with those who stopped by. We had about 50 people participate. One man and his two sons said he noticed our sign advertising the event but still had some difficulty finding us. He said he persisted because his "family was low on food." It was great to see them get their fill and enjoy making arts and crafts together.
Another Spanish-speaking family stopped by (a mom and two teens). They too seemed to really enjoy themselves. The mom couldn't speak English, but one of our members speaks Spanish and made her feel comfortable. This family showed up at worship on Sunday and our member translated the service for the mom. I learned very late on Sunday through my wife that this family was brand new to town from California. We also learned that they had no furniture. Our crew got busy and found them some free furniture on Craigslist and delivered it! As I write this some members are working on beds for the family as they are sleeping on inflatable camping mattresses. I am encouraged that the outreach in Grace Outreach is happening.
Things to pray about right now in addition the usual church planter list is getting our children's ministry off the ground. We have a space challenge, but need to get something going even though the space is not optimal. One idea that we're toying with is to use technology to engage the young people. If we had 5 to 10 Generation I iPads or similar devices we could load them with bible-based applications were youth could learn God's word in an age appropriate way.
We want to stay in this location until we pack it out, but we can't wait any longer to bring the children's ministry online. That's about it for now. I will send you our Fall-Winter calendar and a copy of the logo. Let me know if you need any pictures as we have them.
Thanks for all you. Visit our blog (under construction) to learn more.
Pastor Paul Robinson
Grace Outreach Church
New Brighton, MN
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