The Power of Partnerships

The more I do what I do, the more I realize the power of partnerships. It's actually ALL about partnerships. Think about all the things you couldn't do if there were no partnerships... in society, in business, in recreation, in faith, in friendship, in family. Everything we do in life comes back to partnerships.

An important question then is how good are you at creating lasting and meaningful partnerships? It's a question worth thinking about. Here are a few thoughts on good and bad partnerships:

- not all partnerships are good

- good partnerships should be mutually beneficial

- bad partnerships leave people used and abused

- in all partnerships sometimes you give, sometimes you get

- always make sure they receive more from the partnership than you do (do this, and you'll never run out of strong partnerships)

We are very thankful for the doors of partnership that are being opened up to us. The most recent partner happens to be a community organization that hosts several key community events each year. We have the privilege of joining with them on an upcoming Easter event. Without a doubt it is a great win for us, now our goal is to make it as big a win for them as possible.

God is defintely giving us favor and uniquely positioning us for great things!

pictures of hijacked

Just wanted to give you a quick update on our hijacking experience last Sunday (read "hijacked" to catch up).

It was everything we hoped it would be and more. Honestly, it was a blast. The whole morning went great. Tim and the band were great, the cafe' area was great, the whole team did a great job. And we had tons of positive feedback. We can't wait to bring this to Macomb Township this summer for our preview services!

Pastor Thompson and Warren Community Church, thank you so much for the opportunity you gave us last Sunday. It was an amazing experience for us and we hope it was for you as well. Thank you for being such a great partner in this new church.

Stay tuned. There is a lot developing these days that I'll be able to share with you more in the next couple of weeks!

Hijacked

Look out Warren Community Church, we're hijacking your service!

The leadership at this church is amazing for letting our team come in and have church in a similar way to what we plan to once our new church goes public.

Let me try to describe what it's going to be like for you...

- coffee & bagels

- short (1hr!)

- media driven

- Jesus-centered

- high energy

- did I mention short?

Basically... casual, relevant, simple!

It's going to be a lot of fun! Thanks Warren CC for this opportunity. If any of you are in the area this Sunday you'd better come see us!

James 1:5 & 2 Corinthians 1:11

If you're curious what the verses in the post title say you can click here and here. They highlight one key thing we're working on right now - securing a meeting space for our future worship services.

I am excited as I talk with various school officials and principals in the area about possibly having our church meet in their schools. For the most part they have all been very gracious to us and open to the idea. There are some really great people in the school district. We really want them to know that we are here to be a blessing to them and to the communities that surround their schools. We would love to partner with them in making their communities a better place, we think it can be a great win/win for everyone.

Please pray for James 1:5 wisdom that we would know the best location and exactly where God wants us (this will give you an idea). And as God leads us, please pray for favor that the doors may be opened to us. We believe this is God's church and He will provide a place for us to meet. We are excited about some of the possibilities we see and pray that things would work out according to God's plan and timing.

Dedicate '08

I've never felt as hungry to attack a new year as I do right now. When the ball dropped and 2007 ended I had a holy moment (ironically, this was just after kissing Raelyn). In a quick moment a lot of things flashed through my mind, but it wasn't what happened in 2007 that flashed through my mind. It was what will happen in 2008. In 2008 we'll see the building of our team, our summer events and preview services, and our public launch in September. By this time next year, we'll be several months old as a church and right in the thick of it!

We have definitely turned a corner. There is a holy excitement and feeling of anticipation amongst the team of people that are gathering to be a part of this new church. And I have to say that I am so proud of the team that God is building to launch this new church. It was amazing to sit at our last pre-launch gathering and hear the stories of how God has uniquely called them and led them to be a part of this. And I know each one of them is going to be significant part of it, and God is going to do amazing things through them.

In my previous post I asked you to pray... God is answering, God is on the move. I still shake my head in amazement when I think what 2008 will bring. We've been in a gathering season, a waiting period. Now, it's time to get busy. Jesus, may you dominate the landscape of Macomb Township in 2008!