New Year - New Challenge

(entry written by Josh)

Last Wednesday, December 31 was officially our last day at New Hope Ministries. It was a day we never saw coming, but God knowing the beginning and the end and His desire for our lives had organized and orchestrated it all along. As we stated to the congregation and many others individually, we have left our father, mother, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins. This was not an easy choice at all, but we must follow God's direction and desire for our lives.

This past Sunday we began moving into this new year, this new phase, and this new challenge. We are taking January and possibly a few Sundays in February to visit churches that are doing some of the same things we desire to do in our church. We want to see it in action, generate other ideas, and talk with the pastor and staff. This past Sunday we visited Next Level Church in Ft. Myers. You can check out their website at www.nextlevelchurch.com. This church started in the same way our church will. They started as a small group of 12 that began meeting in a coffeehouse. Then, they launched their service at Bell Tower 20 Theater and 35 were in attendance. Presently, they meet at South Ft. Myers High School which is where we went this past Sunday.

Again, our church will start much the same as they did. We will start meeting in either Starbucks or Panera Bread, but our sights are set on the Hollywood 20 Theater. We will be calling the Pastor at Next Level Church to meet up for lunch to talk over where they are and where they have come from. We want to know from them the challenges, pros, and cons to meeting in a movie theater. They are willing to give us any resources and ideas we may need which is awesome. It was cool even though they are no longer meeting in the movie theater, they are still a portable church since they meet at a high school. It was cool to see it and get a bunch of ideas of what we want to do.

This Sunday we plan to visit Summit Church in Estero. Then, Sunday night we will see all of you at New Hope for our final goodbye. We are looking forward to it!

Thank you for your prayers! Please pray regarding Hollywood 20. We will have a site visit scheduled soon, so they can let us know what we can and cannot do in the auditoriums. How soon we get in the movie theater depends on how soon God wants us there. We are also working with an organization called ARC who helps plant churches in the United States. We should be receiving a call from them in the next couple days for a phone interview to get that ball rolling. You can pray for us regarding these things and that we do not get ahead of the Lord, but walk in step with Him.

Happy New Year and much love to all of you!