FUSION (Chico, CA)

December 2011 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2011-12-07T18:17:00.005-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas from the Rhodes family! It is hard to believe that we are already at the end of another year! This year went by quickly and brought about a lot of change for our family!

To sum up, we began the year with our newest family member Titus! It is hard to believe that he will be one year old at the end of this month! He has been an amazing blessing in our lives and it is as if he has always been there! In January we were given a facility to meet in for free for Fusion, which was an answer to prayer and has made it so much easier for us as a church. It has been great having a place to call our own. Gabriella also turned 6 this year and is doing an excellent job in first grade. Josiah just turned 5 and is looking forward to going to Kindergarten next year. Our new house has been great so far. We love the neighborhood and are looking forward to getting to know our neighbors better.

As the year comes to a close so does the financial support we have from Converge. In our last few newsletters we have appealed to you all about continuing to support us this coming year as well. We have received many positive responses and are excited to see how God is using you all to fill our needs. We are about half way there and are still in need of your help. If you have not yet let us know if you are able to continue your support, we would love to hear from you. Any amount will help make us closer to our goal.

Jeremy just got some additional hours at the Jesus Center and the additional income is helping us quite a bit, but it is still not enough for us to make all our bills. We are not ready to give up on Chico and the people here. God has uniquely designed us for this task and we are ready and willing to serve here for as long as He allows us.

We decided when we started this church plant that we were going to trust God to build his church. We were going back to the basics of being a community filled with Faith, Hope, and Love. We don’t have a lot of bells and whistles. Our goal is to preach the message of Christ and make disciples. We have grown our church one relationship at a time. Doing church this way has made it much harder and slower than we ever could have imagined and we are unwilling to compromise our beliefs to get more people in the door. This is what God has placed on our hearts and we are going to stay on this path. We need your help to keep the doors open!

If you have any questions or would like to know more about what is going on here we would be more than happy to talk to you. We are more than willing to share with you in an open and honest way.

If you have already committed to continue giving to us please begin sending your support directly to Fusion at 1354 East Ave. Ste R #180 Chico, CA 95926. We will send you a reminder in the mail.

Blessings!

Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

October 2011 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2011-10-03T16:25:00.001-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Fall is here is here and we have some relief from the heat. September was an exceptionally hot month. With the new season upon us we also find ourselves entering a new season in Fusion and in our family life! The last few weeks have been exciting for us and much change is afoot.

Gabriella has been playing soccer and she has a game every Saturday. This has opened up some new family fun for us. Josiah is enjoying the big open field to run around in with other little brothers from Gabriella’s team. Titus enjoys crawling around on the grass and being outside. Elizabeth is enjoying seeing her little one follow in her footsteps by playing soccer.

Jeremy has been able to get part-time job at the Jesus Center as the volunteer coordinator. This was a big answer to prayer, but is also an adjustment. This means that he has limited hours to work on Fusion related things, but it has allowed many members of our congregation to step up and take on leadership responsibilities. This way Jeremy can concentrate on all the specific senior pastor responsibilities.

Another change in our lives us that we were notified at the end of September that we need to find a new place to live by the end of October. Our landlord has decided to sell this house. We enjoyed living here these past few years and will miss it, but God has already supplied a new home and we are waiting for all the repairs to be finished so we can move around mid-October. This new place is around the corner from Gabriella’s school, where Josiah will be going in the fall, and we are all very excited to walk to school and have young families as neighbors. Please pray that we will be a light to the neighborhood and that many new relationships will be formed as a result.

Fusion has been very blessed! We have been running an ad in the Chico News and Review and we are seeing many new people as a result! We have had returning visitors for the past few weeks. We also had seven new adults and three new kids on Sunday. We are bursting out of our small meeting place. If these new people return we are going to need to add an additional service, which is an amazing problem to have!

These ads have been really speaking to the community and it is very exciting to see the response. Our name is having more of a presence through our ads, facebook, and website and people are starting to come and see what all the buzz is about.

Thank you so much for all of your prayer and support. We are getting a good response from many of you about supporting us beyond December. Please prayerfully consider doing the same if you have not made a decision yet. The economic climate in Chico is bad and so I have only been able to find part-time work for low pay. We will need your support going forward. As always we know that God will provide for us as he always has! If you have not yet sent in your support for October please do so at this time.

Blessings!

Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Blog: http://rhodes-project.blogspot.com/

Church Website: www.fusionchico.com

August 2011 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2011-08-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

It’s August and that is back to school time here in Chico. Gabriella starts 1^st grade on the 10^th and the college gets going on the 22^nd.

We are thankful for a restful summer! Gabriella participated in a musical where we were able to get to know even more parents in the area! Josiah also got to have a fun camp experience at a Sports Day Camp. Titus is growing quickly and is already 7 months old. We were able to go camping for the first time as a family and had family visit us. August is when things start getting busy again.

Fusion took a big step this month; they had their first Sunday with the pastor gone. I was gone over a Sunday for the first time since we had Sunday gatherings. The young man who filled in for me was someone who has been apart of our team since day one. He did a great job! He has been my ministry assistant for the past year and this was his first shot at teaching. He would like to pursue ministry professionally and this was the first step in that process.

I have spent this summer connecting with the fire department as well. I have been spending my Monday mornings at a different firehouse each week. I even got to experience a training exercise where they did a controlled burn in Bidwell Park. I am excited to see how God is going to grow the relationships that are starting there.

We are excited for the trajectory for Fusion. The future looks bright and we are thankful for all that God is doing in our Church. We have seen God’s hand in the relationships that we have been able to develop along with the organizational partnerships. We look forward to continue to partner with the Jesus Center and Habitat for Humanity of Butte County.

We praise God for you! If you have not yet sent in your support for August please do so at this time. And if you are able to increase your support in anyway, please feel free to do so. We love you all very much. Please send us your prayer requests so that we can also pray for you.

Blessings!

Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Church Website: www.fusionchico.com

July 2011 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2011-07-11T13:12:00.001-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

July is finally here and with it comes the Chico heat. Although it doesn’t seem to be as hot as the previous years it is definitely warm enough to blow up the kids pool and have lots of fun summer water play!

Summer is very slow in Chico. The heat seems to slow down every ones pace and people tend to do everything they can to escape it. We learned when we first moved here that summer is not the time to make any big plans but to enjoy the slow pace before it kicks back up in the fall when all the university students return.

With that in mind we have some wonderful plans for the fall. We will begin a advertising campaign in the Chico News and Review which is a weekly paper that is very widely read. We are also praying about starting a free tutoring program for students who need a little extra help with their studies. Please pray with us as we continue to brainstorm new ways to reach the community. Jeremy is focusing on getting more active with the fire department as the Chaplin. He is also looking for possible part time employment to help supplement our income.

We want to thank all of you for your prayers for Gabriella and we are pleased to report that she is doing much better! Praise God!! The doctor has given her a clean bill of health with no follow up appointments necessary at this point! We are thrilled with the results and we are seeing a little girl who almost always had dark circles under her eyes feeling full of energy and of life!

We ask that you continue to pray for Jerry who is adjusting to life without his wonderful wife Kay. He is showing an amazing strength and we are so blessed to have him here with us. Also please pray for our financial situation. We continue to fall a little short each month. It is great to see the wonderfully creative ways God is providing for us during this time! Thank you to those of you that have answered Him and sent extra money when you are able. We are deeply thankful for you!

You may not be here in Chico with us, but we still consider you part of our planting team because without you we wouldn’t be here. We praise God for you! If you have not yet sent in your support for July please do so at this time. And if you are able to increase your support in anyway, please feel free to do so. We love you all very much. Please send us your prayer requests so that we can also pray for you.

Blessings!

Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

2011-06-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Will we see an end to this rain anytime soon? We have been blessed with a late summer I am not looking forward to the heat. Despite the weather, all the other signs of summer are present. Most of the CSU students are gone and all of the churches have started gearing done for the summer. Summers in Chico are very slow but I am looking forward to all of the outdoor activities the summer brings.

We are very sad to let you know that one of the people that helped Fusion get up and running has gone home to be with Jesus. Kay Liston was a dear friend and helped us in so many ways, she was a master of behind the scenes ministry and she will be missed. I had met Kay back in 2003 as I started working at my fist full-time ministry position. She was on staff at the church was working at and she was an immense blessing. When her husband retired they moved up here to Chico and I was ecstatic. Her husband Jerry is still with us, he also has enabled the ministry of Fusion to take place.

Even though there is sadness there is also great joy. A young couple in Fusion is getting married in June. They are excited to start their life together.

We have also seen growth in Fusion over the past month. People are finding a home with us. Some for the first time in years are attending church. We are excited to see the people that God is bringing to Fusion.

My hope is to see many of the people that we have been praying for and loving on come to Jesus. We have had many more opportunities to meet non-Christian families as Gabriella has started school and been involved in dance class. We are hoping that God can use our relationships to reach these people.

Please continue to pray for Gabriella as we try to discern how to help her with her GI issue.

Thank you for all of your prayers and financial support. We do pray for all of the prayer requests that we receive so if you have any needs let us know so that we can lift them up in prayer.

The ministry of Fusion would not be able to continue without your support thank you so much.

Blessings!

Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Church Website: www.fusionchico.com

May 2011 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2011-05-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Things are warming up as the seasons roll on. The weather forecast states that it may reach 90 this week! Yikes already!

Thank you for your prayers for Fusion. It means a lot that we have people praying for us.

This is an exciting time as we move forward. We are partnering with a local Church group to do some campus ministry in the next year. We are working together with university students to reach people who do not know Christ. We are attempting to be more intentional in reaching out. We are not going to start a worship service on campus we are going to work toward serving the campus… I am excited about this and will let you know more details as we begin working on this new part of Fusion.

We are also looking to start two more small groups using leaders from Fusion and people who are not connected to Fusion. This is a great outreach opportunity. Please pray that these groups will reach many new people.

Please pray for our family. Gabriella is going through some medical tests to determine what is wrong with her gastronomical system. They are giving her laxatives and we need to get x-rays. This involves us driving to Sacramento to see a specialist. Please pray for her, as we do not know what is going on.

We were able to receive our full salary this past month! Thank you so much for your generosity.

The ministry of Fusion would not be able to continue without your support thank you so much.

Blessings!

Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Church Website: www.fusionchico.com

April 2011 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2011-04-04T10:03:00.001-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

It is sunny, everything is in bloom, and there is still a cold chill in the air… Spring is wonderful in Chico!

We truly have been blessed through the trying times. God has confirmed over and over again that we are doing the right thing. We have been seeing God working in the lives of unchurched people that we are spending time with. I have a friend who is seeking right now, please pray that I have more opportunities to share Christ with him. A young woman who refuses to attend any church returned for the second week in a row. After the gathering she shared with me that she hates church but loved our gatherings, she told me that she even blogged about our gathering the previous week.

I have recently partnered with a friend of mine who is former Muslim from Kuwait. We are working together to reach a growing Muslim population in Chico. He recently shared his testimony with us and that can be found on the website http://www.fusionchico.com/sermons/message3-13-11.mp3 if you click on the link or enter it in your Internet browser the audio will automatically begin playing.

Gabriella is coming to the end of her first year in school. It is amazing to see her learning so many new things and reading on her own. Josiah has had a hard time adjusting to Elizabeth needing to spend so much time with his little brother. Josiah keeps asking when Titus will be old enough to play with him. Gabriella and Josiah both love their little brother and always ask to hold him. Titus is growing fast he is 3 months old and wearing 6 month clothes. He is smiling and laughing, every Sunday when the message starts and he hears his Dad’s voice he gets really still. It makes me think about when we hear the voice of our Heavenly Father how we get really still and feel safe.

If you could pray for one thing for the ministry, pray that the Churches in Chico will wake up. The believers here are asleep. There are so many hurting people in need of Jesus and there are only a handful of believers reaching out. Fusion is a community that gathers to equip believers and scatters them back out to do the ministry. I recently asked the mid-week Bible study what I value most. They answered, discipleship, outreach, and service. I cannot wait until they value those things well.

Please remember us in your prayers because we are still in a very hard place financially. Many of you have been able to give above and beyond your normal giving and I thank you. Please remember to send in your support each month and share your prayer requests with us we do pray for those as we receive them.

Blessings!

Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Church Website: www.fusionchico.com

March 2011 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2011-03-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Great things are happening in Fusion!!!

People that have been unemployed are finding employment. I am seeing others step into leadership for the first time and we are seeing new people connect with our ministry. Right now I am really pushing the idea of being fishers of men as we are going through the book of Mark. In the first chapter of Mark verse 17 Jesus calls Simon and Andrew saying, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” (Paraphrase ESV). In Greek Jesus is saying I will fashion you to exist as fishers of men. Fashion shows intension and art, you do not fashion something to be purely adequate. He also shows us the purpose for our existence, which is to do evangelism. We are given a purpose for our existence it is in following him and bringing him glory. Exciting stuff!!!

Please pray! I have an opportunity after two years of ministry, to have dinner next week with a young man who does not know Christ. He was far from God when we met and he has been inching closer through our relationship. He believes that all roads lead to God. Also before he met me he thought pastors were creepy, angry and mean. Pray that he does not flake on our dinner and he is able to see Christ through me.

We are functioning as a family of 5 and loving it. Josiah and Gabriella love Titus and every morning they run up and give him a kiss and a hug. We are able to spend one-on-one time with each of them so that they understand Dad and Mom still love them very much. The Rhodes family is thriving in this season. Last week we were able to see some snow falling in Chico, which Gabriella thought was something special. The weather was not cold enough for the snow to stick but the mountains 20 min from Chico are covered with snow.

Please remember us in your prayers because we are still in a very hard place financially. We have recently seen God redefine our ministry here in Chico. We are called to more than plant a Church but work with others not involved with Fusion to see God transform Chico. I work with many local Christian leaders to function as the Church in Chico not just local congregations. Also, God has placed me in a unique place to work with disillusioned Christians who will not come to any church. This new ministry is very time consuming and tiring. I know that this work is very close to the heart of God. My concern is that if I am able to get a part time job that it will take time away from these new ministries. If you know of anyone who is interested in supporting some missionaries in Chico let us know. If you are able to give more in this new year that would also be very helpful. Do not worry Fusion is growing and I am not taking time away from Fusion for this new work.

Please remember to send in your support each month and share your prayer requests with us we do pray for those as we receive them.

Blessings!

Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Church Website: www.fusionchico.com

February 2011 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2011-02-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We had the first Sunday meeting in our new place!!!

A big thank you to everyone who was able to give toward supplies. The place was in some disrepair. We had to replace the floor, paint the walls, paint the ceiling, replace some ceiling fixtures, replace the baseboards, hang some curtains and change the heating vents. It was a lot of work but some great bonding took place as we did all the work ourselves.

For the first time we were able to set up and leave the equipment out when we were done. We also had a lot of fun in extended fellowship afterwards. We are very blessed to have a location that we can use on a daily basis.

We also marked our first anniversary meeting on Sunday mornings!

We look forward to another year of God working through the ministry of Fusion.

Elizabeth is recovering quickly and Titus is doing very well. Gabriella and Josiah are enjoying having a baby brother. Gabriella wants him to stay a baby forever and Josiah wants him to grow up and play with him. We are enjoying having a baby in the house again. We are adjusting to being a family of five but loving every minute of it!

Thank you for your support over the past two years. We have seen God work in amazing ways and we have been able to share and celebrate with you. We would not be able to get this work done with out your generous support. If you have not yet sent in your support for February please do so at this time. Thank you again! God bless!

Blessings!

Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Church Website: www.fusionchico.com

January 2011 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2011-01-03T10:48:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Titus Rex Rhodes is here!!! He was born on December 27 1:22am and weighed 9lbs 2.5 oz, 21.5 inches long. He was newsworthy you can fin the story in the Chico newspaper.

http://www.chicoer.com/ci_16955525?source=rss_viewed

Elizabeth and the Titus are doing well. Elizabeth is recovering quickly and Titus is learning how much he is loved. Gabriella is in love with her little brother and is holding him every chance she gets. Sometimes grandparents have a hard time getting Titus away from Gabriella. Josiah has held his little brother a couple of times but he is content to sit back and watch him. They both love their little brother dearly and are a great help for their Mom.

We were very blessed in this advent season as a family and as a Church. We celebrated our first Christmas as Fusion and since we are a mobile Church, setting up and tearing down each week, we could not do a Christmas or Christmas Eve gathering so we got creative and released a YouTube Christmas message. It is just under 9 min. long and there is a link to it on our website www.fusionchico.com

Please pray for us in this New Year as we are taking a drop in support. If you know of anyone who would be interested in supporting us please let us know or if you are able please pray fully consider increasing your giving. We would greatly appreciate it and we know God will bless you. We are confident that God will supply our needs whether it is by new support or by Jeremy securing part-time employment.

Fusion has been blessed with the opportunity to meet in an office space for free. We are very excited about this opportunity but we need your help. The place is in desperate need of Paint and new flooring. Our people are willing to work but we need some funds to cover the purchase of paint, painting supplies, flooring and hardware. We are a small church and due to the economy many of our members are unemployed. If you can help us with a one-time donation towards paint, flooring and supplies we would very grateful as a community.

Thank you for your support over the past two years. We have seen God work in amazing ways and we have been able to share and celebrate with you. We would not be able to get this work done with out your generous support. If you have not yet sent in your support for January please do so at this time. Thank you again! God bless!

Blessings!

Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Blog: http://rhodes-project.blogspot.com/

Church Website: www.fusionchico.com

December 2010 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2010-12-02T11:01:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas!! We are so excited about this Advent season and what God is going to do. It is a busy month for our family. We have Josiah’s 4^th birthday, the impending birth of baby #3 and of course Christmas. It is going to be an exciting month!

Jeremy has started meeting weekly with a group of men that have been really searching for a place of accountability. This group has been an amazing blessing to Jeremy and the others involved as well. God has used them to love each other, lift each other up, pray for one another, and just be each others friends! Elizabeth got a chance to see the bond they had all created one evening when they came to the house to pray for her pregnancy. She was overwhelmed with the love they showed her and one another. This is just one way that God has revealed to us His desire to build relationships and change lives rather than just have a place where people go on Sundays. It goes so far beyond that and it is so exciting to see it played out in our lives.

This month we will be starting three home groups led by different people involved in Fusion. These groups will be discussing the Advent season and meaning of Christmas. We are so excited about what God is going to do through these groups. It is going to be an opportunity to reach out to a different group of people and for more relationships to develop. One of our groups is held in the home of a woman whose roommate is not a believer so we are praying that she will stick around and be a part of the discussion. What an exciting opportunity for her to come to know Christ right in her own home!

This last month we have really felt a battle going on here in Chico. A spiritual battle that is affecting a lot of the people we know. We have several couples we know going through marital problems, job problems, and relationship problems. Elizabeth is also having a hard time with the end of her pregnancy. It seems that the enemy is trying to derail us from what God is doing. We ask that you pray with us against this attack and that healing can occur in the lives of these people so that we can continue down the path that God has called us! I guess we are doing something right if Satan is trying to stop us!

Last month we asked for help with purchasing some Bible Software and that need has been fulfilled!! We are so blessed and excited that God met this need for us! Thank you so much. We still need additional funds so if you are able we would greatly appreciate any additional financial support. If you have not yet sent in your support for December please send that in as soon as you can.

We are so thankful this Christmas season. We are thankful for all of you and your support and of course thankful for our savior coming to the earth to set us free!! We pray you all have a wonderful Christmas and don’t forget what this season is all about.

Blessings!

Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Church Website: www.fusionchico.com

November 2010 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2010-11-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Here in Chico it is either cold or hot. We went from 95-degree days to 60-degree days the following week. On morning I left home and it was 35 degrees outside, I had to chip my car out of a block of ice, which is normal for December unusual in October.

We are continued to be blessed by making inroads in to people’s lives. We are starting to see some amazing connections take place. God has brought many of the Pastors in Chico together for prayer and fellowship. There is a real spirit of unity coming. I also have connected with other men in town that are ministering as missionaries in the community. It is good to connect with them and share stories of the ways we see God at work in our community.

Well last night was Halloween.

Halloween is a huge party in Chico… I was out in my uniform with the Fire Chief late last night. Please pray for the young people in this town and that God will direct me to find ways to share the love of God with people that really need Him. Also pray for the emergency services because in addition to trying to bring order to the chaos they were being followed around by representatives of the ACLU to ensure that the police did not harm criminals. There were also multiple stabbings this weekend in the midst of the parties.

Please pray for us as God continues to shape Fusion into a community of faith, hope and love. We believe that God has big plans for Fusion. We view our gatherings as a place for community growth and development so that we can be scattered out again. Everyone that comes to Fusion is a missionary to his or her families and jobs.

THANK YOU for your support. Without your prayers and financial support we wouldn’t be where we are today. Thank you for allowing God to use you in Fusion. You are as much a part of the church as those that come to our Bible Studies and gatherings. God has met our equipment needs through donations. Thank you for your help.

One thing that would help, as my time is limited is any additional giving you could do toward the purchase of Bible software would greatly help me. For specifics call 530-518-0505 or email me pastor.jdr@gmail.com

If you would like to commit support to us you may do so by contacting the Converge office at (209) 830-6222 or going online at www.sunergeo.org/donate.html. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We couldn’t do this without you! If you are currently supporting us and have not yet sent in your support for October please do so at this time. Thank you!

Blessings!

Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Church Website: www.fusionchico.com

October 2010 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2010-10-04T10:39:00.001-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We want to partner with Jesus to build in faith, hope and love all over the city of Chico. We believe that God has big plans for Fusion. We view our gatherings as a place for community growth and development so that we can be scattered out again. Everyone that comes to Fusion is a missionary to his or her families and jobs.

Fall is here! We have relief from the heat and everything is back in full swing. I am back working as a mentor at a local public High School. I have the same student that I had last year and I am privileged to see him take some concern for his grades and put some effort into school. Please pray for him as he is not a Christian and does not come from a Christian family, we have had a couple of spiritual conversations. I also find myself as a guest reader in Gabriella’s kindergarten class. This has been a great way to develop a relationship with the teacher and other parents. Elizabeth has been able to have lunch with a few Moms in the class, one whom is planning on coming to Fusion in the near future.

There is always joy and sadness in the same month. Elizabeth lost her uncle this past week. He has passed away after a battle with cancer. We rejoice that he is a believer and finds himself free from pain in the arms of Jesus, but please pray for our family as they mourn his passing. Also pray as they travel to the services in North Carolina. This is hard for Elizabeth because the doctor has told her that she cannot travel across the country at this point in her pregnancy.

We eagerly await the new life that God is bringing into our family. Josiah is happy that he is going to be a big brother and he has named his new little brother T. Rex. Gabriella is really interested in the baby thing and very curios of the process of labor and delivery. She is also learning that being the only girl has its perks.

Please pray for us as God continues to shape Fusion into a community of faith, hope and love.

THANK YOU for your support. Without your prayers and financial support we wouldn’t be where we are today. Thank you for allowing God to use you in Fusion. You are as much a part of the church as those that come to our Bible Studies and gatherings. We do have some additional equipment needs. If God leads you to give toward that need please email me for specifics.

If you would like to commit support to us you may do so by contacting the Converge office at (209) 830-6222 or going online at www.sunergeo.org/donate.html. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We couldn’t do this without you! If you are currently supporting us and have not yet sent in your support for October please do so at this time. Thank you!

Blessings!
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

September 2010 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2010-09-03T10:06:00.001-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Fall is almost upon us! We have seen Gabriella start kindergarten and excel in here new environment. We have seen Josiah adapt well to being without his sister in the morning. We have seen students come back from summer break. It has been a busy month here in Chico!

This August we had our 5th Sunday workday again. This time we had about double the man/woman power so we finished all the work with time to spare so we had some great fellowship. We were able to love the Boys and Girls Club through much needed cleaning, even the kids cleaned up their area. One of the blessings of our location is the foot traffic. We see people from all walks of life wander by on Sunday mornings; they occasionally stop in and worship with us. This last 5th Sunday we saw an older woman stop by. She was hungry and we had plenty food so we gave her something to eat and even more to take with her. She was overwhelmed by the love that was shown her and could not find words enough to say thank you. These moments are the times that I feel God’s presence among us as a community.

Please pray for us as God continues to shape Fusion. We view our gatherings as a place for community growth and development so that we can be scattered out again. Everyone that comes to Fusion is a missionary to his or her families and jobs. We want to partner with Jesus to build in faith, hope and love all over the city of Chico. We believe that God has big plans for Fusion.

Again we always want to reiterate how thankful we are for each of you. Without your prayers and financial support we wouldn’t be where we are today. Thank you for allowing God to use you in Fusion. You are as much a part of the church as those that come to our Bible Studies and gatherings. We ask that you pray with us that God will continue to nurture the relationships we are building and help us to build new ones as well. Fusion is about relationships and we are so excited to see whom God has brought in our path.

If you would like to commit support to us you may do so by contacting the Converge office at (209) 830-6222 or going online at www.sunergeo.org/donate.html. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We couldn’t do this without you! If you are currently supporting us and have not yet sent in your support for September please do so at this time. Thank you!

Blessings!
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Blog: http://rhodes-project.blogspot.com/

Church Website: www.fusionchico.com

August 2010 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2010-08-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Well the heat is cooling to a comfortable mid- 90’s and school will be starting this month. We will see our oldest Gabriella off to kindergarten and we pray that she will be a light in her school even at her tender age. Also pray for Josiah, as he will miss his sister as she starts school.

Last month we had a Church Picnic at Fusion. We had a blessed time of fellowship as well as worshipping in a local park. We had great food, great music and a great message. We also closed our day with homemade ice cream. We continue to look for ways to live our faith out in public.

We are focusing on infusing the vision that God has given us into our people. We view our gatherings as a place for community growth and development so that we can be scattered out again. Everyone that comes to Fusion is a missionary to his or her families and jobs. We want to partner with Jesus to build in faith, hope and love all over the city of Chico. We believe that God has big plans for Fusion.

Please send me your prayer requests I do pray for those as I receive them. As the economy continues to struggle we know that are supporters are struggling so we ask that you prayerfully consider increasing your support or supporting us for the first time. We are willing to do what it takes to make the ministry in Chico happen and we can’t do that without your faithful support!

If you would like to commit support to us you may do so by contacting the Converge office at (209) 830-6222 or going online at www.sunergeo.org/donate.html. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We couldn’t do this without you! If you are currently supporting us and have not yet sent in your support for August please do so at this time. Thank you!

Blessings!
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Church Website: www.fusionchico.com

July 2010 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2010-07-05T15:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We have great news!!! Elizabeth is pregnant with our third child due in December! All of us are very excited!

The summer is finally here in Chico. The last of the rain fell the first week of June and now the heat is on! This is our second summer here and we love it. There is plenty of sun and plenty of ways to say cool. The kids love swimming at the gym and wading in the creek.

This summer we have been blessed to see people get more involved at Fusion. More people have gotten involved with the Children’s ministry and we have more people getting involved with outreach ideas. The folks that are brainstorming ideas for outreach understand our vision and are really excited about seeing us grow in numbers and together. The congregation has gotten really good at inviting new people as well. Also we are seeing more people get involved with serving at the Jesus Center. We are encouraged for the future of Fusion and Chico. Continue to pray that we follow God’s vision for his church.

Jeremy enjoys being Chaplin of the Chico Fire Department. He has a uniform and travels around to different stations visiting the men and women that serve the community. He has slid down a fire pole and already been to scene. He has been able to build a good relationship with all the firefighters. Please pray for this ministry.

Please send me your prayer requests I do pray for those as I receive them. As the economy continues to struggle we know that are supporters are struggling as well and as a result we have a lost a couple so we ask that you prayerfully consider increasing your support or supporting us for the first time. We are willing to do what it takes to make the ministry in Chico happen and we can’t do that without your faithful support!
Please note: If you are not receiving this newsletter in email form and would prefer to do so please give me your email address so that we can save money on postage.

If you would like to commit support to us you may do so by contacting the Converge office at (209) 830-6222 or going online at www.sunergeo.org/donate.html. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We couldn’t do this without you! If you are currently supporting us and have not yet sent in your support for July please do so at this time. Thank you!

Blessings!
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Church Website: www.fusionchico.com

June 2010 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2010-06-01T12:42:00.001-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We had another baptism in May. A young lady came to faith in Jesus Christ and was baptized. While serving at the Jesus Center Jeremy was able to have a spiritual conversation with her and at the end she wanted to accept Christ. She was then baptized on May 16^th. We have been so blessed to see God at work in the ministry here in Chico.

On May 30^th we had a service project at the Boys and Girls Club. We did not have a message or music but rather worshiped through our hard work. The Boys and Girls Club were blown away by the good work that we did. It was great to work along side the people who have invested in Fusion and made it their Church home. Serving the community is a big part of our vision and the way that we can make it a priority is by doing it on Sunday morning. I was touched by the wiliness of our people to serve in the name of Jesus Christ.

Jeremy has also been made the Chaplin of the Chico Fire Department. He has been taken around to all the Fire Stations to meet the men and women whom he will be ministering. Jeremy is available for their professional and personal needs as well as on call for times that he is needed on scene. This is a great opportunity to meet a number of people who need Jesus in their lives. Please pray for this ministry.

Please send me your prayer requests I do pray for those as I receive them.

Please also continue to pray for our financial support. We are making ends meet, but the money we have in our reserve is slowly going down as we wait for the additional commitments of support that we need. If you would like to commit support to us you may do so by contacting the Converge office at (209) 830-6222 or going online at www.sunergeo.org/donate.html. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We couldn’t do this without you! If you are currently supporting us and have not yet sent in your support for May please do so at this time. Thank you!

Blessings!

Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Church Website: www.fusionchico.com

5th Sunday Serve-a-clean-tastic

2010-05-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

My wife told me that I need to think of a name for this part of our ministry. This is my working title...

Here I sit on a Sunday morning usually I would be finishing up work on the message, but this morning there is none. I think that this is harder for me than anyone else. I love to bring God's word every Sunday, it is my passion so a Sunday like this is hard for me in preparation. Why is there no message or music today? TODAY WE SERVE!

We as fusion take the 5th Sunday of the month and devote it to serving at the Boys and Girls Club (our regular meeting place). Why? Vision. This is one of the distinctives of our vision and a passion of my heart. Matthew 20:26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Most of all we serve in response to Jesus. We serve because he served. We desire to live like Jesus and live the call that God gave us in the moment he saved us. So this Sunday is the beginning of a significant piece of our Church. Why are we doing it on Sunday? Because is insures that this is a priority. This is our way of loving the place we meet at in a tangible way.

So here I sit thinking of what could be... will what we are doing change the world? I do not know. Will the Boys and Girls Club be clean? A part of it. Will Jesus be lifted up through our service? YES!

We gather to serve today. Should it be such a strange idea?

a kind word...

2010-05-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

I have found out lately what a kind word can mean to a hurting person. The value of speaking and being a person of peace is amazing and so simple. It all starts with how you view people around you.
I recently was told by a young lady that one day while she was working she was having a rough day, everything was coming apart around her and she was in a fog. She said that the sound of my voice, the kindness in my demeanor and the gentle words of encouragement I gave her helped her out immensely. Nothing profound, nothing from my training just kindness. Although she saw me, I cannot help but think that the voice that she heard that brought peace was that of Jesus Christ. Sometimes Jesus works in and through us as we do the routine of our day. Sometimes the most gentle of words can change a person's day and that is of eternal value because every person has eternal value.

There is question here: How do you treat the people you encounter? How do you speak and act toward people who work at coffee houses and restaurants? Do you treat them with value? Do you treat them as if the bear the image of God? Or do you treat them as means to your end, a good customer experience?
The people of the Kingdom of God are not consumers but agents of healing and change. We MUST at all times live that way and then the littlest of things will be done in the name of Jesus Christ.

May 2010 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2010-05-03T12:37:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We baptized two people on Easter! We were blessed to celebrate our first Easter at Fusion by baptizing two members of our congregation. We know that God is working in the community of Chico and we will see many more people following Jesus and being baptized.

One of the things that has marked the ministry here in Chico is one of the first things that we did when we moved here. And that is serving the community. We have worked at the Jesus Center, Love Chico, Special Olympics and many others. This continues to be the case. We continue to serve at the Jesus Center on a regular basis. Many of the people who would not come to Church continue to join us. This has been a way to have amazing spiritual conversations while loving the homeless and hurting. Please pray that these conversations can turn into people following Jesus.

Pray with us as we take May 30^th and do a service project together. We will still be meeting at Boys and Girls Club but we will gather to worship through working together rather than through music and the word. I know God will do amazing things as we love on the Boys and Girls Club in the name of Jesus.

Jeremy has also been made the Chaplin of the Chico Fire Department, which is another amazing service opportunity for Fusion. This month he will be taken around to all the stations and meet the firemen. We are very excited about the relationships that will be forged through this.

Blessings!

Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Church Website: www.fusionchico.com

I wrote and prayed early Easter morning

2010-04-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

I am feeling strange today- too many distractions on Easter.
God please calm my distractions... help me focus, focus on you not anything else. You are my first love and the knowledge and relationship with you should permeate all that is done today and everyday...
numbers, finances, children's programming, set up... focus
focus on God

like the sun, may I see everything by You
may you be my worldview, my filter
the Way, Truth, Life

calm my heart
You today, tomorrow, all days.

This prayer I prayed Sunday morning during my prep time. A half hour later we arrived at our facility to find that we were locked out. The person assigned to let us in forgot to come and we scrambled to find a place for the gathering, they have since apologized for their mistake.
God still showed up as we crammed people into the place where we were scheduled to have a potluck and baptism after our gathering. I thank God for the immediate application to the prayer and the people that were baptized. Praise God that he does not dwell in buildings but in the hearts of his people.

April 2010 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2010-03-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

April is here, springtime and Easter season are upon us. We will celebrate our first Easter as Fusion Church on April 4th. It is an exciting time in the life of Fusion. On Palm Sunday we had a guest worship leader and 68 people joined us for worship. We are praying that the ones who came without a church home will connect with us and join us again! It was a great experience to see so many new faces and get a chance to share the vision with them.

Please join us in prayer as we continue to build our core group. We are so amazed at how God has brought different people to Fusion. When we thought things would go one way, He would give us a big surprise and a bigger blessing instead. One of the most exciting things about the people we have right now is their heart to serve. As soon as the service is over everyone takes time to help tear down and clean up. It is just one of the ways we have seen the vision of Fusion tangibly lived out in the lives of our church family.

We ask that you pray with us for our gatherings each Sunday. This Easter two people will be baptized and we will be following that by sharing a meal. This will be our second Sunday spent sharing a meal and we feel this is an important part of community, breaking bread together. Please also continue to pray for our financial support. We are making ends meet, but the money we have in our reserve is slowly going down as we wait for the additional commitments of support that we need.

If you would like to commit support to us you may do so by contacting the Converge office at (209) 830-6222 or going online at www.sunergeo.org/donate.html. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We couldn’t do this without you! If you are currently supporting us and have not yet sent in your support for April please do so at this time. Thank you!

Blessings!
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Church Website: www.fusionchico.com

struggle, struggle but never break free!

2010-03-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

I learned this morning that the reward is in the struggle with scripture. Many times I set out to conquer scripture to explain it plainly, how many times have I missed God in the process...
This morning as I was finishing up my message a man who was a missionary kid on his way out of a coffee house said to me "May the peace of the LORD be upon you." As his words washed over me I saw all of the ministry that I had done over time in perspective.

The struggle with scripture... the struggle with God through Christ, that is the process by which we are refined and our hearts connect with God.

May your truly struggle with God in the quiet times of your life...

March 2010 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2010-03-01T10:57:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

February was a very exciting month for us! Fusion began meeting weekly at the Boys and Girls club on Sunday Mornings. We meet in their gym and the children meet in a youth room adjacent to the gym. We have a great band that consists of college guys and Elizabeth leads vocally.

We have had the privilege of several of our supporters spending Sunday morning with us. Thank you so much to those of you that came. It means a lot to us knowing there are people that believe in what we are doing here.

We are spending these first morning gatherings building a solid core group and then we will do some marketing and have an official launch for the Church. We are very excited about who God is bringing into our midst! We have some people that are still a little on the fence and we ask that you pray with us that they will jump over onto our side! We also have several very committed college students and we are extremely thankful for them.

Our Thursday night Bible Study is also growing. The time and energy we have spent building relationships here is coming to fruit and it is exciting to see these people start participating in the Fusion movement.

We ask that you pray with us for the families that we have become friends with here to come to our church. There are several couples that we know that do not currently have a church home and we are praying they will join for a Sunday and see what we are all about. We also need prayer for additional financial support. We are still short on what we needed to raise for this New Year. The Lord is still providing for us as He always has. We pray that new supporters would come forward to fill the gap that we have.

If you would like to commit support to us you may do so by contacting the Converge office at (209) 830-6222 or going online at www.sunergeo.org/donate.html. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We couldn’t do this without you! If you are currently supporting us and have not yet sent in your support for March please do so at this time. Thank you!

Blessings!
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Hallelujah

2010-02-28T07:57:00.000-08:00

which means praise Yahweh...

I heard many people say that they love the old song that has become popular again Hallelujah. As a pastor I am curious about this, is it the tune or the words? Lets look at the words and start this discussion...

"Hallelujah"

Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Baby I have been here before
I know this room, I've walked this floor
I used to live alone before I knew you.
I've seen your flag on the marble arch
Love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

There was a time you let me know
What's really going on below
But now you never show it to me, do you?
And remember when I moved in you
The holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light
In every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah

February 2010 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2010-02-01T12:36:00.001-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Here we are at the beginning of a new year and God has blessed us in so many ways. We have been blessed with a great place to meet on Sunday mornings as well as a sound system that meets our needs. We are also very excited about our first Sunday morning gathering coming up on February 7th at the Boys and Girls Club. This is a great spot just one block from city hall in downtown Chico. This is also a place that we will begin serving at as a way to continue to reach out to our community.

As we enter into our second year of church planting, we are very excited about what God is going to do. This last year has been an amazing adventure. Fusion has begun to make a name for itself in the community. We have met many people that we are praying will be involved in Fusion in a more active way. Our vision of being a community filled with Faith, Hope, and Love is something tangible to be seen in the way we do ministry. We still have a ways to go.

We are asking that you pray for leaders to emerge in areas such as children’s ministry and worship. We also need prayer for our Sunday Morning gatherings that are beginning this month. And we are still asking for prayer in the area of financial support. We still need more commitments so that we can reach the goal set before us.

On this subject we ask if you would prayerfully consider increasing your current support or making a first time commitment if you have not already done so. If you would like to increase your support you may do so by contacting the Converge office at (209) 830-6222 or going online at www.sunergeo.org/donate.html Just indicate the additional amount you are able to give and you are all set! You may also do this if you would like to commit for the first time. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We are constantly thankful for all of you. You are as much a part of this team as anyone here in Chico.

If you are currently supporting us and have not yet sent in your support for February please do so at this time. Thank you!

Blessings!
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

be careful what you pray for...

2010-01-18T11:55:00.000-08:00

This morning getting ready I prayed that God would lead me to the person he wants me to speak to today. He did. That was an investment that I was not prepared for, much patience was needed, God granted me to the needed tools and I learned something new.
I spent a long time speaking with a man who really needed someone to talk to, he was a little different but still needing love like all of us. That is the challenge of ministry.
Matthew 25:22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
How could I expect to lead a ministry if I cannot love one awkward person? How could I be a servant of Jesus if I cannot love the least of these? The everyday of following Jesus is being faithful with little things.

reflections of time well spent...

2009-12-30T10:24:00.000-08:00

We are coming up on completing our fist year as Church Planters. We moved to Chico on January 17th 2009 with a plan and a vision. Now a year later the vision remains but the plan has been reworked many, many times. the words of James ring clearly in my ears. James 4:13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For t you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
We have remained flexible and now preface all of our plans with if God is willing. As we come into the new year we see things falling into place and we are really excited. So we will be taking the month of January to hold prayer meetings dedicating our work and the work of Fusion Church to God. We are inviting Pastor's and intercessors from other Churches in town to join us for prayer. I want to make sure that we are truly following after God every step of the way as well as working together with other congregations and believers in town.
I would like to invite all of you to prayer with us in the next month as we follow after God in the new year.

in need of prayer

2009-12-09T20:07:00.000-08:00

We have made it through all four of our preview gatherings. The next step is some prayer meetings and a launch. Please pray for us as we look at what it will mean for us to meet every Sunday morning.

November 2009 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2009-11-18T15:42:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Here we are again. The end of the year is fast approaching and we can’t believe how quickly it has flown by!! As we come close to Thanksgiving we are realizing how much we have to be thankful for. We are also reminded that we should be thankful to our Savior everyday, not just once a year!

First off we are very thankful for all of you. We are thankful for those that have committed to us financially and have faithfully given every month. We are thankful to those that have committed to pray for us and are doing so regularly. We feel those prayers covering us and are very comforted by them.

We are also thankful for the work God has done in Chico. Our last preview service had a great turn out. We had a wonderful intimate time of worship and heard a powerful testimony and message. The relationships we have built here are growing stronger daily. Jeremy continues to serve regularly at the Jesus Center and making a positive impact in the community. Fusion Church is getting known and building a solid reputation in the community.

Jeremy is in talks with the Chico Fire Department about becoming their Chaplin. This is an amazing opportunity for him to give back to a group of men who are constantly giving to the community and keeping us safe. A lot of these men do not know the Lord and it is a great opportunity to minister to them. We should know more about this in the coming weeks and will keep you posted

As you well know we are in the thick of fundraising an additional $1,000 a month. Well God has proven faithful once again and we are already half way there!! We ask that you pray with us as we continue to work towards our goal. If you are already giving to us and find yourself in a place where you can increase your giving you may do so by contacting the Converge office at (209) 830-6222 or going online at www.sunergeo.org. Just indicate the additional amount you are able to give and you are all set! You may also do this if you would like to commit for the first time.

As always we thank you and praise God for you!! We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Blessings!
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Church Website: www.fusionchico.com

October 2009 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2009-10-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

This month we held our second preview gathering! This time around the gathering reflected our vision and what we want to do here in Chico. We are very excited for the way that God touched the people who came. We once again saw people find us through different avenues and it was great meeting them for the first time. We are praying that these people with connect with us and come back again.

After the gathering on Sunday night we invited people to come to a Thursday Night Bible Study. We have been encouraged by the people who have came to our Bible Study and more people who seem to be interested. We are going to be going through the book of Romans. Please pray for us as we struggle through the hard concepts in this book.

It has been an adventure coming to the community with a few contacts and seeing God make great connections. We are humbled by the way that God has brought healing to some and friendship to others. We stand amazed by his grace to us through the fulfilling work that he has allowed us to do. We are truly blessed by the support that we have received through prayer and financial gifts.

God is doing great things in Chico and he is using all of you as his vessels to make that happen. Thank you for your continued support financially and prayerfully. We have 3 months to raise $1,000 more a month so if you find yourself in place where you can increase your support we would be very appreciative. We ask that you pray with us that we will reach this goal and also that God would continue to grow his church in Chico.

Also if you are not currently supporting us, but now find yourself in a position to do so, now is the time. You may increase your giving or make a first time commitment at http://www.sunergeo.org/donate.html. If you have not yet sent in your support for October please do so at this time. Thank you again for your support. We are also always praying for each of you and thanking God for you!

Blessings!
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Church Website: www.fusionchico.com

virtue of maintenance

2009-09-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

So many time the small things of life are overlooked. Installing a toilet is viewed as lower than gaining education. Changing spark plugs is lower than teaching a class. Why have we come to believe these things? Why do we prize paying someone to talk at us more than physical work? Why is it that I prefer a plumber to a student or a mechanic to a professor?
The world has become and interesting dualism. Where the world of the mind is viewed higher than the world of the hands. This is never more apparent than the Church in the world today. When has knowing the greek mattered to a woman who has lost a child? When has eschatology mattered to a family struggling to make ends meet?
My mind has wandered to this point because I sit here typing while my hands hurt from working on my car. Why do they hurt? Because I use my mind to avoid the labor of my hands. My hands can serve a meal, my hands car rake a yard but my mind can only think grand thoughts. Which matters more to you?
I propose that the seminarian spend time as a janitor.
To learn the virtue of maintenance.
I propose that I spend less time thinking and more time doing.

feedback please...
this is an incomplete thought...

September 2009 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2009-09-08T16:33:00.001-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

This month marked our first preview service for Fusion! It was very exciting planning and anticipating the evening. We were very pleased with the way that it went and are very excited about what God is going to do. We had 20 adults and 5 kids at the first service. We had great worship and message. And we learned of things that we will do different next time to be more inline with our vision. We also invited all in attendance to have fellowship in our home as well as serve with us in the community. We are continuing to serve at the Jesus Center and will also be participating in a Walk for Gold, which is a fundraiser for the Special Olympics.

As well as the service went we still have a ways to go. We ask that you pray for us as we continue to nail down the way we decide to have the services. We want Fusion to reach a group of people that are currently not being met in a church and in order to do that we need to do church differently. We are still trying to define what exactly that will look like. We also ask that you pray for the people who were there that they would come back and that we would have people get excited about the vision and grow to have a close personal relationship with Christ, because after all that is the whole purpose of what we are doing here!

God is doing amazing things and we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for all of you and your support. We are overwhelmed with the knowledge that so many people are praying for us! Thank you so much for all of your encouragement, prayers, and financial support. We have 4 months to raise $1,000 more a month so if you find yourself in place where you can increase your support we would be very appreciative. Also if you are not currently supporting us, but now find yourself in a position to do so, now is the time. You may increase your giving or make a first time commitment at www.sunergeo.org/donate. If you have not yet sent in your support for September please do so at this time. Thank you again for your support. We are also always praying for each of you and thanking God for you!

Blessings!
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

concerning the Caesar and the Pax Romana

2009-08-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

I found myself watching a program on PBS, suffering through the pledge breaks, called Handel's Messiah Rocks. I know that is the worst title but it was a great rendition of the classic piece. Actually listening to the words I sat on the couch with my wife and was struck by some lyrics encasing a concept I had never considered. They were asking which President or King has God ever chosen to save the world... the point being the supremacy of Jesus.
Caesars had a bad habit of claiming divinity and ruling through that right. Claiming themselves to be the Son of God, through which they oppressed people and committed atrocities. They also enforced the Pax Romana which was peace throughout the empire. Those who resisted their idea of peace was executed through military action. Actually throughout history most rulers claimed divinity Caesar was not the first or the last.
As I contemplated the thoughts in my head I was driven to this idea. Jesus was the only one God called the Son of God and He was the only one to bring peace.
We live in a time when people are looking for a leader to guide them to peace and security. Not an outright rejection of God but a "God and" situation. Like Israel clambering for a king so many centuries ago. The problem remains that entrance into the Kingdom of God requires a rejection of everything else. It offers faith, hope and love at the sacrifice of wealth, security and comfort. Jesus offers peace in his Kingdom but a peace that is foreign to us. A peace that requires a surrender of pride and an offer of humility.
Caesar was not divine... the Pax Romana never brought peace.
No ruler is divine and no package can bring peace.

Jesus was the only true Son of God who was crucified and rose from the dead three days later. Which is the number one qualification to bring peace.

August 2009 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2009-08-12T14:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

As the year flies by things seem to be moving forward at a steady pace. On September 6th we will have our first preview gathering. We have found a location called the Chico Grange Hall that has everything we need. Jeremy worked very hard to find this place and we praise God that we are finally able to plan and get the word out for the meetings. We will have one meeting a month through the end of the year and then look at launching a service to meet every Sunday.

We have been blessed with a Video Projection Unit to use during our meetings, given to us by New Harbor Community Church. There are also some other things that we need as well and we are asking for some help from all of you. If you are able to provide any of the following or donate to allow us to purchase the following we would greatly appreciate it. We need a light bulb for the VPU (mentioned above), a lapel microphone, and some café tables. Please pray that we will get these things in time for our first meeting. Our biggest need at this point is the light bulb. We also ask that you would pray for the meetings to be successful and that we can begin the building of our core group through this.

We are very excited about what God is doing here. We know he has big plans and we can’t wait to see what is going to happen. We have met some great people and Jeremy continues to find more ways to serve in our community. He will be a mentor for students at high schools here in town and also be working with the staff at the local Christian high school as well.

Again we thank you all for your very faithful support! It is very encouraging and humbling knowing there are people praying for us. If you have not yet sent in your support for August please do so at this time. Don’t forget that you can also sign up for automatic debits at www.sunergeo.org/donate. As you know December is getting closer as is our deadline for our next fundraising goal. Please pray that we will reach this goal. If you have not yet committed support to us and would still like to you may do so at anytime on the above listed website.

Blessings!
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

coming and getting here fast!

2009-08-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

light and dark

2009-07-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

Two things can be attributed to the composition of this blog, one I am reading the unabridged edition of Les Miserables all 1500 pages and two Romans 13:11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

There is great deal of darkness and light comparisons that take place in LM. The strange thing is that Victor Hugo wrote this book when he was in exile and anti-church. I found however a deep understanding of Jesus in his portrayal of the Bishop of Dinge. He writes that this man of God has a radiance because of his imitation of Christ. He has put on the armor of light to borrow, from Romans.

So why do we wander spiritually naked?
So may times we live life praising Jesus for what he saved us from but not what he has saved us for...
So many complain that Christianity is a list of do not's and therefore if they ever experience the grace of God they do not know that there is a mission at hand. Much writing has taken place of late reviewing what Jesus has called us to and I am not going to rehash the entirety of this but I want to look at the idea of light and dark.

We live in a world that awaits the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ and the redemption of our bodies. But as those who have the first fruits of his Spirit we have a responsibility to bring light where we go. Jesus coming is the dawn of the new day and we now live in that light and we should reflect that light to diminish the the darkness around us. Bits of light bringing hope living for a future hope. I feel however that this is not the case. I feel the light has become dim as we have chased after things that have nothing to do with the Kingdom of God and our glorious king Jesus. We have sought power through governments and riches and so dimmed the light that it is hard to recognize. We have accepted suffering in the lives of others as we pursue comfort. We have lost the mission in midst of our desire for gain. I suffer from this as well. As we try to stem the tide of the "evil" of society, evil has taken root in us.
May I suggest a course forward... Put on the Armor of light because salvation is ever more near. Let's live as people who are obsessed with becoming more like Jesus Christ. May we pray, may we live and embody faith, hope and love. May the Jesus that we love become the Jesus who we obey.

July 2009 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2009-07-07T18:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Starting out from scratch has been a very exciting experience for us. We have learned so much these past few months and have grown in the process. We feel confidant in the vision of Fusion Church and pray daily that God will bring the right people to be a part of it.

This month has been a busy one. We are looking for a place to hold our monthly vision meetings that will start in September. It has been a little difficult to find a place that can accommodate our needs and our budget. Please pray that we find a place soon so that we can move forward planning these meetings.

We have also been meeting some new families that we are hopeful will get onboard with our vision and be involved in our church. It has been very encouraging to meet people who get excited about what we want to do here. Please pray that we will continue to meet these people and that God will build His church here in Chico.

We are also still consistently serving at the Jesus Center and it is going great! It is a wonderful experience to help those who really need it. We are looking into other ways that we can serve together with our families as well. We also ask for prayer that we will find areas to serve that can help teach our children the value of this very important act.

Again we thank you all for your very faithful support! It is very encouraging and humbling knowing there are people praying for us. If you have not yet sent in your support for July please do so at this time. Don’t forget that you can also sign up for automatic debits at www.sunergeo.org/donate. As you know December is getting closer as is our deadline for our next fundraising goal. Please pray that we will reach this goal. If you have not yet committed support to us and would still like to you may do so at anytime on the above listed website.

Blessings!
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

June 2009 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2009-06-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

It has been six months since we moved to Chico and it has flown by very quickly! These last few weeks have been very encouraging ones and we are so excited about where our ministry here is going.

Jeremy has been making some God ordained contacts here these last few weeks. He is building relationships with many people that we believe will be an integral part in our church planting process as well as continuing to foster the relationships he has built with several unchurched people. He has also been taking groups of people over to the Jesus Center to serve meals to the homeless. As well as being a volunteer coach for a summer flag football team. We have begun planning our nights of vision, which will take place once a month starting in September. These evenings will include some worship, a testimony given by one of the individuals we have been connecting with and a time to talk about our vision for Chico. We are very excited about these meetings, which will eventually turn into our launch team for the church! Please be praying for these evenings as we prepare for them and find a place to meet in.

Elizabeth has been very busy as well. She got cast in the musical “The Spitfire Grill,” which she auditioned for last month. She has rehearsals three nights a week and the show will open on July 17th. We would love to have anyone who is interested to come and see this great show. The kids are doing great! They go to the gym with Elizabeth every morning and participate in the kids’ center there, which is very much like preschool. They look forward to it every day and are making a lot of good friends.

Please pray for us as we find a place to meet. Also pray that God will bring the people into our lives that will be involved in His church with us. If you have not yet sent in your monthly support for June please do so at this time. Don’t forget that you can also sign up for automatic debits at www.sunergeo.org/donate. We are getting closer and closer to December, which is when we need to be at our next fundraising goal. Please pray that we will reach this goal. If you have not yet committed support to us and would still like to you may do so at anytime on the above listed website.

Blessings!
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

lesson from the past

2009-05-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Last night putting my children to sleep I learned a valuable lesson or more was reminded of a valuable truth. Occasionally I will read a passage from the Bible to my kids and last night I chose to read from a Bible that I got in 1986 from my parents when I became a Christian. I picked the passage to read based on what was book marked, underlined and highlighted (I no longer underline and highlight). The passage that I shared with them was Matthew 6:25-34 and more specifically the verse that hit me was:
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
As I read this out loud a smile crept onto my face.
The truth of the verse hit me square in the heart. Planting a Church can be stressful at times and you feel a lot of pressure to do everything yourself. This verse helped me understand once again my role. My job is to be obedient, seek God and let him draw people to himself. God is the only one who can build the Church anything done under our power is a social club.

two tragedies

2009-05-19T11:57:00.000-07:00

All or nothing. That is the way you are forced to church plant. You have to go all in or walk away from the table. That often means living in a new place with little or no support. So you find yourself in much prayer and study to stay sane through the pain of life and ministry. The reality is that when you do all the right things pain still comes and for me yesterday it came in twos.
First... doing the right thing. There was a nice lady in my brother's church who asked me to visit her mom in a care center up here in Chico CA. I shared the good news with her about Jesus and how much God loves us. When I asked if she would like to pray, she said no, just no, no followed by silence.
Second... pain still comes. In the afternoon my mom called me to let me know that my younger cousin had taken her own life. She was 26 and obviously hurting. She also did not know about Jesus and the love of God.
Twice in one day I experienced lives opposed to Jesus and everything that is important to me.
This is not about me but rather about lives lost never knowing LOVE.
This is about the senselessness of not sharing our faith.
This is about wanting to see a new world but feeling it slip away.
This is about FAITH, HOPE and LOVE!

May 2009 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2009-05-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We are sorry that we did not get an April Newsletter out to everyone. The month just flew by!

We would like to do something a little different in this newsletter. We would like to give you a glimpse into the life of a church planter. This was Monday May 4th!

Jeremy’s day started at 7:30am meeting with the Chaplain of Champion Christian School. We shared our stories and talked about ways to partner to reach Chico with the gospel. While I was waiting for my meeting to start I ran into a local girl that I have been building a relationship with and she shared some current struggles. Afterward I headed to my local coffee shop/ office where I scheduled a time to serve at a local shelter that feeds the homeless in the community. Then I invited one of my unchurched friends to serve with us and he agreed. Then it was off to check my mail, while on the way I ran into another guy who I had not seen in a while and we caught up on what he is doing, he shared his current struggles. Then lunch. In the afternoon I was able to go to the gym and meet new exciting people. When I was finished there I went to get my haircut and continued the relationship that I have started with the nice young lady who cuts my hair. I invited her to serve with us and she agreed. Then I went home and chased my kids around growling like a lion.

Elizabeth’s Day started at 7:30am with the kids asking for breakfast. After a morning of food and straightening up the house we headed to the gym. The kids had fun at the child care while I worked out at a gym for the first time in a whole lot of years! After the gym we came home for lunch and nap time/quiet time. Then we played for awhile. After dinner I went to audition for the Chico Community Theatre’s production of “Spitfire Grill.” A musical I have never heard of, but I watched the move and it was good. This was the first musical I had auditioned for in almost 8 years so it was kind of scary. I did my best and it went well. I also met a lot of interesting people that I hope to get to know better. So we will see if I get a part. It was all in all a good day!

Thank you so much for all your prayers and financial support. We are constantly being blessed by your faithfulness and your partnership with us. As we have said so many times we could not be here doing this if it weren’t for your faithfulness in God and in us. If you have not yet sent in your monthly support for May please do so at this time. Don’t forget that you can also sign up for automatic debits at www.sunergeo.org/donate. We have reached our first fundraising goal, but we still have another goal to meet by the end of December so if you haven’t committed support to us yet and would like to you may also go to the above website to do that as well.

Blessings!
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

oops!

2009-05-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged for a while and I missed sending out a newsletter for April. That is simply because April was busy. That is a good thing, right?
Here is an April run down... well since my last post so the second half of April...
We had a quick run down to Hollister CA for the Annual Business Meeting where we affirmed a new District Executive Minister and heard from many different planters and pastors about what God is doing. I was able to share about the generosity that we have experienced from churches and individuals. We were there for the weekend and Tuesday for a lead team meeting. We barely had time to get ready for the Bible Study Thursday. So I feel as if we finally have our bearings and we are back at loving the people that God brings to us with a renewed zest. God is fantastic!

stuck in the middle

2009-04-21T14:28:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I was having a conversation about the vision God has given us for a Church. At the end of the conversation the individual said " I really want to come to your church, when you get started?
Ahhh!
That is where we are in the middle. The Bible study does not appeal to the unchurched yet based on relationship they would be willing to come to a worship gathering. But I will hold that moment in my heart for a while, God confirms the vision along the way.
Pray for us!

Good Friday, Fun Saturday, Rocking Sunday

2009-04-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

We had a busy weekend! Well not in the terms of most pastors this time of year.

We had Elizabeth's parents come up for the weekend. So my non-traditional Easter weekend was as follows.

On Good Friday we went up to a place called R Wild Horses Ranch. Gabriella and Josiah enjoyed their first horse rides. We lead the horses around while they chilled on their back. They had a great time... well Gabriella had a great time... Josiah's horse ride lasted a good five minutes by himself and another ten sitting on his Mom's lap on the horse. Afterwards they had lunch with Nana while Elizabeth, Rick and I went for a trail ride. I rode a horse called Thor. The biggest horse they had, it wanted to kill me. After the riding we headed home and had a quiet evening at home.

On Fun Saturday we explored all of Chico with the grandparents and colored Easter Eggs.

On Rocking Sunday (Easter) Elizabeth, a young man from our Bible study and I served at the Jesus Center. The Jesus Center provides meals to the homeless in Chico. We spent our morning serving food to the homeless. Afterwards we came home and I hid the Easter Eggs for the kids and they had a great time. After a nice lunch our visitors left.

Now we are back to normal, back to loving people in the Starbucks that is closing in the near future. Hoping for big things and thankful for a outstanding weekend!

Fusion Church

2009-04-08T10:57:00.001-07:00

has received its non-profit status!

interview with a local

2009-04-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

I recently had a conversation with a local fellow...
We talked about his perception of Church. I assured him that he could be honest... so he was.
He believes that Church folks are judgmental and unloving!
We do not have the best PR department... or maybe we just are not loving

please tell me what you think...

Acts 4:42-47

2009-04-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

Is our text tonight!
I am excited about getting into it!
Hey read the following and give me your thoughts...

Jeremiah 31:31-34
Luke 22:20
2 Corinthians 3:6
Acts 4:42-47

More from the discussion to come...

a big study and yummy brownies

2009-03-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth made these awesome peppermint brownies! I can't stop thinking about them.

We had our Bible study explode this last Thursday. We had eight including Elizabeth and four new folks. It was a huge blessings to have those great people in our home. The strange thing was that it is all college students from CSU Chico. I haven't done any outreach on campus but they are showing up on Thursday nights. The students we knew when we moved here have come to bible study and brought friends.
This obviously left me depressed. We are not trying to reach college students, but they keep coming. You know it is interesting... the picture in your head never matches what God actually does in your life. I thought that we would have people our age and older showing up and it is the youngsters that God is calling to his church. God and I had a conversation about this and we have decided to let him build his church and well I just need to be faithful. Praise God for the opportunity to serve him.

March 2009 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2009-03-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Another month has come and gone here in Chico. We have been settling well and really like it here. It is a beautiful place full of many great people. We started a Bible Study this month that we are excited about. We have a couple of college students that consistently come and are a joy to have. We are excited to see the study grow as we learn together what it means to be God’s church in Chico.

We are going to be getting involved in some service projects in the area. We will be serving the Easter Meal at the local homeless ministry, called the Jesus Center. We are also looking into to some partnership with the United Way and possibly Habitat for Humanity.

Our prayer requests for this month are that we would meet people who are excited about our vision and eager to get involved. We pray that God would walk before us as we move forward with reaching out to the needs of the community and reaching out to those to who do not know Him. We are also asking for prayer that we would be able to start another Bible Study on a different evening out of another family’s home. We think we may have a family for this and they are prayerfully considering it.

We also have many praises. We praise God that through this time of economic crisis He is still providing for us. Whenever we think we aren’t going to make it, we do and that is only because of him. We praise God for all of you who have continued to faithfully give in spite of this current economy. We also praise God that we are meeting people and developing relationships, with both Christians and Non Christians alike.

Thank you so much for all your prayers and financial support. We are constantly being blessed by your faithfulness and your partnership with us. As we have said so many times we could not be here doing this if it weren’t for your faithfulness in God and in us. If you have not yet sent in your monthly support for March please do so at this time. Don’t forget that you can also sign up for automatic debits at www.sunergeo.org/donate. We have reached our first fundraising goal, but we still have another goal to meet by the end of December so if you haven’t committed support to us yet and would like to you may also go to the above website to do that as well.

Blessings!
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

backwards

2009-03-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

I set out to do things differently! Strange how it is so easy to fall into an easy pattern.
My intent in setting out to church plant was to serve first then do the Bible Study. I did not exactly do what I wanted to do in favor of my comfort zone.
You see most pastors, myself included are insecure. We will rely on our strengths because we are afraid that people will find out that we do not have all the answers. If our secret gets out we will not be able to control our circumstances and that is frightening thought.
Psychoanalyzing aside I now find myself going back to do this the right way.
I am inviting people to join us in serving while still having our Bible Study because it is a very groovy thing. Hopefully the two groups will meet down the road in the form of a church. Until then, this is a grand adventure.

Thursday is the best night of the week... sorry Friday deal with it!

2009-03-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday we had our fists Bible Study. It was awesome! There was Bible and Study flying everywhere!
We gathered for the first time with the beginnings of our launch team on Thursday night. We are going to take some time going through the book of Acts and talking about our vision. We are looking forward to what God is going to be doing in our midst. I valued our time together as a community we had some good discussion about what Jesus is calling us to do as the church and specifically in Chico and then in our lives. I am excited to get started and look forward to the future. Also how do my readers feel about Fusion Church...

counting down

2009-03-03T14:23:00.001-08:00

Thursday is fast approaching and with it our first Bible Study in Chico. If all goes to plan we will have a pretty good sized group. I must admit I am pretty excited! If it all goes to plan... huh... but... who wants it all to go to plan?!
I mean really what is so exciting about a plan. a+b=c HOW BORING!
Lets be honest here... Forget the plan! I want to see God show up in a big way. I want to see God sized things happen in the lives of the people coming and in the community life of our group. I want God to take a hammer to the plan and plant the church he desires. He will anyway I just want to go on record as being on board with that from the beginning.
My favorite Biblical character is Jonathan. You know besides my Savior Jesus Christ. Jonathan was such a great guy, he surrendered his place as king because it was God's will and he was risky. My favorite passage about Jonathan comes from 1 Samuel 14. This is the passage where Jonathan picks a fight with the Philistines and says it may be that the LORD will work for us. No certainty just risk. I wish more Christians would live this way. Lets try it maybe it will work. If the church would risk big everyday, lives would be changed and the gates of hell would be stormed and the captives set free. We have God on our side, it may be that the LORD will work for us. Oh by the way the LORD handed the battle to Jonathan.
So here I sit in Bidwell Perk with a smile on my face. What if God's spirit fell on this place right now...

for local info

2009-03-02T10:10:00.000-08:00

If you would like to check our google web page that has information about the Church Plant for people living in Chico CA go to:

http://sites.google.com/site/plantchico/

careful they will break you heart

2009-02-20T10:20:00.000-08:00

I have been up here in Chico for about a month and I have experienced my first heartache. Now do not worry it does not involve my family, in fact they are incredibly awesome and understanding. No this is something that I have asked God for and did not realize how much it would hurt. I have prayed that God would give me his heart for the unchurched and now that all of this has happened pain has become apart of it. I want to clarify I am not feeling rejection but rather concern for the people that I am coming into contact with.
We are starting our Bible Study next month and so I have invited many people that I have met in the community. Two of them I had very high hopes because their openness to conversation. As you have guessed both of them have passed on coming. No big deal right, only it is really bothering me. Not out of concern for the launch team that we are building but our of concern for them. In the process of building relationships compassion has come walking in. I really worry about them and genuinely feel happy when I see them.
So in pastoral tone I lean back take a drink of my coffee and ponder what is God showing me? Well I would have to say... They matter! They matter to God so they matter to me, us, the church. What if we could care for everyone like this, not trying to get them into church but trying to get them to God.Try to get others to the person of Jesus because of what he has meant to us. This is not the cry of the evangelist it is the cry of the broken hearted. Jesus save us all.

Rhodes Family February 2009 Update

2009-02-18T14:12:00.001-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We have been in Chico for a month now and we love it. It is so beautiful here! We have been getting out and about and making a lot of great contacts.

Jeremy spends most of his time out in coffee shops striking up conversations and getting to know people in the community. He has made a lot of very interesting contacts and beginning to develop some good relationships. He has also gotten involved in the Pastors network here in Chico and met some great men who are very supportive of what we want to do here.

As a family we have been getting together with a few other families that we have come in to contact with during this process. We have been invited into their homes and they have been very welcoming to us. We have had a chance to meet all of our neighbors. It is so nice to know whom you are living next to.

Elizabeth and the kids have been going to storytime at the library and are looking to join a Moms group here pretty soon. Elizabeth has already met some other moms at the library and hoping to meet more people with kids the same ages as ours there. As soon as the weather clears we also plan to get out and explore the parks here.

We are planning on starting our in home Bible Study the first Thursday in March. Please pray that God will bring the right people to the study and that it will be fruitful. We also ask that you pray that God builds His church here. We are merely the vessels and we know that He will work in amazing ways.

Again we thank you all for being a part of this journey with us. There are still some of you who haven’t sent in your commitments yet and we please ask that you begin doing so now. We cannot do this without your faithful support. And as always, if you have not yet committed to support us and would like to you may do so at www.sunergeo.org/donate. If you have already pledged support to us and would like to sign up for automated debits you may also do so at www.sunergeo.org/donate. We encourage you to do this so that you don’t have to have the pressure of remembering to send a check every month.

We will keep you posted on what is going on up here. We always welcome visitors so let us know if you would like to come up for a visit. For more frequent updates and Jeremy’s thoughts you can check out our blog, listed below. God bless you!

Blessings!
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

two for the price of one

2009-02-17T11:17:00.000-08:00

I am back in Chico reflecting on Sunday and my time with Bridge Community Church. I had a great time with those great people!
As I mentioned in the previous blog I had not preached in many months so in my insecurity I prepared enough information for two sermons. That is right Bridge got a twofer.
Now I want to assure you that I did not preach for an hour but I passed my personal time limit that I have been so disciplined in keeping. I had a clear point but in the words of my beautiful wife she said it was good but too long I think it should have been two sermons. So there you go! The results! Other than my monologue the day was wonderful. My kids really enjoyed the children's program and we were blessed by connecting with one of the churches that support us.

it has been a while

2009-02-11T10:41:00.000-08:00

Once again I find myself in a coffee shop with little sleep and a hope in my heart. Elizabeth and I have resembled zombies for the past week because our kids are sick and so they wake up every few hours crying throughout the night. They slept through the night when they were babies so this is a new experience for us to enjoy.
However I did not start this blog for pity's sake no it has a purpose... and it will be revealed... right now!
I will be preaching at Bridge Community Church this Sunday in Redding. I am very excited to be there. I have not been there since they have committed support to us. Their Pastor, Joel asked me to fill in for him because he is going out of town and I was very happy to do so because I love getting a chance to guest speak at different places. Then something occurred to me... it has been five months since I have even lead a bible study. This should not be a problem writing sermons is like riding a bicycle, it is fun, you need to wear a helmet and you never forget how.
So back to why I am in a coffee shop with hope in my heart. I still have noy written the sermon for Sunday and I am hopful that God will let me know what I am preaching because I do not have a clue. Now Joel if you are reading this do not worry because it will spoil your trip.
I know what some of you are thinking, it is valentines day talk about love. Well valentines day was invented by people who sell cards, candy and flowers besides it has been Gabriella's Birthday for the past four years. So you see I now sit... wait... an idea... no... no... it is gone!

family affair

2009-02-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

Today was another great day in beautiful Chico CA.
I was at my usual hangout Starbucks. I know, I know, I am not supposed to like it there but I do! I have met some great people there and had some good conversations.
I had a chance to follow up with a guy that I met a few days ago. He is not churched but he seems interested in checking us out. However this blog is not about me, not hardly this is about the family. I get a lot of people checking in with me and asking how it is going, the answer to that question changes every few moments. The person that is my hero today is Elizabeth.
Today, Elizabeth and the kids went to the library for story time. This happens twice a week and many moms in the community bring their kids. During story time today Elizabeth had a chance to meet another mom with children the same ages as our kids. Through the conversation she found out what we do and she said that she and her husband might be interested in helping. You can trust me it is hard to have any exchange of words with the kids around but just like that she made a connection, she is better at this that I am. You see my hero.
Please pray for us as the good work continues...

rocking the shema

2009-02-03T15:02:00.000-08:00

For those who are not hip to the Jewish tradition the Shema is their call to worship from Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. It is said in the Shabbat which is their service and that is where I was on Friday night.
On Friday morning I was out in Starbucks (I know I should be in local coffee shops but that is where I am now) and I met a Jewish gentleman. I was asking him about church names and he informed me that he was Jewish and invited me to synagogue. I am currently field testing names Encounter Church, InterActive Church, Tapestry Church (please leave your name preference in the comments on this post, please do not be sad if you preference is not chosen). At the Shabbat service I had a great time we sang some Old Testament passages in Hebrew. I must admit my voice does not sound on key in Hebrew either.
I had the privileged of having some dialogue with the Rabbi and she invited me to the inter-faith meetings and I will definitely blog about those. Before I spoke with her I had a very interesting conversation with a man who was once on a launch team for a church plant that did not get off the ground in Chico and now he converted to Judaism. I stood perplexed as he relayed the story and I was wondering were Jesus went in this guy's life. To know Jesus and then decided he is no long the Messiah and continue to wait for one was new to me. I have met people who walked away from the church but they left religion all together. Never have I found anyone to go from Christianity to Judaism. Our hope is that he may come back.
Hope is a funny thing. It is term thrown around recently, but what is hope? Hope speaks to a world and says that while it may look dark now, God is in control. Though the storms may wage, God is in control. While people are killing one another, God is in control. And while we want to be, God is in control. It is hope that sent us to Chico and it is hope that God gives to all of us. Hope that eternal life waits for all of us.
Please pray for us as we meet these great people. We already love them before we know their name.

internet ready!

2009-01-29T17:42:00.000-08:00

Well it has finally happened we have internet. It turns our that At&t internet was down for the entire area but now I feel like I can breath again. Hello internet friends!
Now that we are officially on the field I will more more forthcoming with information because it does not pertain to further fund raising.
Well last night we finally met all of our neighbors and we are the only ones on our street with small children but of all ten of them we have only met one Christian family. So please pray that we can continue to grow the relationships that we have started and see them all come to know Jesus or at least begin that journey.
Today was a great day. I got up and an extremely early hour to go and pray at the offices of a church here in town. The church is six years old and was planted by the current pastor who also showed up in town with a couple names and a young family. At the prayer meeting was a group of people that are involved in homeless ministry. I sat and listened, praying with them and was struck by their heart for the broken. Afterward I had coffee with the pastor and he shared their journey and the process he used for gathering people. He was very kind and encouraging and if interested in allowing us to team up with them in some of the homeless outreach that they do. I am so thankful that God has placed so many interesting people in our path.
Pray that we are able to reach people for Christ and start building our launch team!

January 2009 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2009-01-27T11:08:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

GOD DID IT! We have reached our first fundraising goal and moved to Chico. We are so excited that we are finally here. When we found out we made our first goal we immediately set out to find a place to live in Chico.

We came up for a day with a list of properties to view and a battle plan. After viewing all the properties and not feeling they would work for us, we stopped and prayed. We not only prayed for a house, but also for the people in Chico and the work God was going to do there. We grabbed some lunch then went to Peet’s Coffee to re-assess what to do next. There in Peet’s was a newspaper with a bunch of rental listings. We decided to drive by some of them and see how they looked. The first one we chose was on Holly Ave. We wanted to look at it cause it said it had a large yard and well lets face it the name sounded cute. Well to make a long story short, this 8 year old 3 bedroom 2 bath house is what we now call home. We love it!! God answered our prayer and the landlord chose us over another family looking at it as well. It is a perfect fit for us and has all the appliances we needed and is in our budget!

We have been here for a week now and are settled and starting to make connections in the community. We have met a few of our neighbors and are planning to introduce ourselves to everyone on our street. The people two doors down are a wonderful Christian couple who invited us in and have already offered to help us in any way they can. They even have a pool that they have offered to the kids during summer!! They have a church home and we don’t want to take them from that, but it is so nice to have people so close who love God!

Now that we are on the field we really need your prayers! We have a tremendous task ahead of us that we can only do with God’s guidance. We also need you to continue to be faithful in sending in your support. Our financial stability is dependent upon those that have supported us to be faithful in sending in that check every month. If you have not yet started sending us the support you have pledged please start now!

Even though we have reached our first goal the fundraising is not over. After the first year the support we get from Sunergeo decreases by half so we will continue to need the support of those around us. If you have not yet committed to support us and would like to you may do so at www.sunergeo.org/donate. If you have already pledged support to us and would like to sign up for automated debits you may also do so at www.sunergeo.org/donate. We encourage you to do this so that you don’t have to have the pressure of remembering to send a check every month.

We love you all and are so thankful for your faithful prayer and support. We would never have made it to Chico without you. Thank you for allowing God to use you in our lives. Until next time!

Blessings!

Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com

Blog: http://rhodes-project.blogspot.com/

in Chico

2009-01-26T10:56:00.000-08:00

We are in Chico officially church planting. There are more specifics to come.
I write this from a Starbucks hoping that my Internet at home will work soon so that we can get the newsletter out. Sorry for the lack of updates.
We moved here on January 17th and spent all last week unpacking.
We are now ready to rock and roll.

Rhodes Family December 2008 Update

2008-12-15T00:18:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

What a year it has been!! As we come to the close of 2008 we look back and see how much our lives have changed. We began the year in Lodi, CA where Jeremy was on staff full time at Calvary Bible Church. We are now ending the year in Fremont, CA awaiting our next adventure of Church Planting in Chico, CA. It has been a very challenging year for us, but we are glad to say we have come out of it stronger and better than when we went in.

For those of you who don't know, after leaving Calvary Bible Church we decided to begin the adventure of church planting. After going to an assessment center in Wisconsin in July we were approved to plant a church with Converge PacWest. We are very excited to partner with this organization. They are extremely supportive and we are blessed to have found them. For the last several months we have been raising our support so that we can get to Chico and start! We are only $132 short of our monthly goal and biting at the bit to get going! We are hoping to be in Chico by the middle of January.

Elizabeth has been working the past several months at her parents medical practice, while Jeremy has been staying at home with the kids and planning for our future church. We have both learned so much through this experience. Jeremy has been able to walk in Elizabeth's shoes for the last few months and Elizabeth has been able to see how much she loves staying with the kids. We are both anticipating going back to their previous roles, but wouldn't take this time back for anything. God has taught us both so much and we have a better appreciation for each other!

Gabriella turned three at the beginning of this year. She has been a joy (and a frustration at times). She is very smart and compassionate. She loves to sing and dance and play with her baby brother. She is a very good big sister and loves to play mommy with Josiah. Although they do fight her compassionate nature always wins out.

Josiah just turned two at the beginning of this month. He is definitely a boys boy. He loves to growl and pretend to be all sorts of animals. His favorite is an elephant, and he does a great impression of one. He is very independent and can entertain himself very well. He loves to get into things that he shouldn't, but what two year old boy doesn't. He is also very sweet natured and loveable.

We hope this Christmas is filled with much joy and celebration for you all. Hopefully you will be spending wonderful time with family and remembering the birth of our Savior. We are so blessed to have you all in our lives and couldn't do any of this without your prayer and support. If you have pledged support to us, please send in your December support. If you have not and would like to help push us past that goal you may do so at www.sunergeo.com/donate.

Blessings!

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com
Amount Left to Raise: $132/ month

November 2008 Update

2008-11-20T21:20:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

We are so close we can almost taste it!! As we enter into this season of Thanksgiving, we have so much to be thankful for. First and foremost we are so thankful for you! Without you we would not be where we are today. We have raised 75% of what we need because of your faithfulness and trust in God. Our partnership has only just begun and we are so excited to see where it is going to go.

We are also so thankful for our family. We have been able to leave Lodi and save money by living with Elizabeth’s parents and we are so blessed. We are thankful that God has sustained us during one of the most challenging times in our life! Our children are thriving and healthy! We haven’t seen a cold yet this year and are so thankful for that. Obviously as we come into this Thanksgiving we won’t have a hard time being thankful. Do you sense a theme?

With that we as always have prayer requests. We are praying that we will be able to move to Chico sometime in January. We need prayer that we will be able to find a house we can rent that we can afford that has the amenities that we need so that we won’t have to make any extra purchases. We are looking for a house instead of an apartment because we will begin meeting in our home with our launch team. We also pray that we will be prepared for what is ahead. We know that we have many challenges ahead of us. This church plant isn’t going to be easy and we need perseverance and courage to allow God to use us.

Thank you all. We appreciate you so much. If you have committed support to us please send in your monthly support for November. Remember you can set up automatic bill pay online at www.sunergeo.com/donate . If you have not yet committed to support us financially and have felt God telling you to do so now is as good a time as any. We know that many people think if they can’t give a large amount it won’t make a difference, but it will make a huge difference to us. We as always appreciate all of your faithful prayers. We hope you have a wonderful time to reflect on all that you are thankful to God for.

Blessings,

Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com
Total amount to Raise: $2300 /month
Amount Left to Raise: $565/

Nehemiah

2008-11-18T18:02:00.000-08:00

Like most Biblical words this one sounds like a virus or disorder. "Oh he has Nehemiah, oh man his family must be devastated."
But this post has nothing to do with entomology, but rather a revelation that came to me in reading Nehemiah chapter 9.
Chapter 9 deals with Israel confessing their sin and reviewing all that God has done for them, a quick history if you will. While I was reading this it hit me like a ton of bricks,a revelation of sorts that has put my life in perspective.
You see we can read the Bible and say "what is with the Israelites? God has given them so much why can't they see it?" We can be stunned by the way that their current situation has made them forget how God has acted in the past. In my moment of revelation I saw myself in their shoes. You see I have been so consumed by the remaining amount of support that we needed I could not see the support that God had already provided. I have found myself so obsessed with the remaining amount of support that I could not be truly thankful to God for what he has already done.
So How does this change your life? Easy, one word, joy. I am so happy and encouraged because I can look back over the past few months and see God's fingerprints everywhere. It also helps that we got a big chunk of support today. Thank you to everyone who has given support. It has meant so much. I remember you in my prayers as I look forward to the our next phase of ministry together. We are getting closer!

what is next?

2008-11-10T19:37:00.000-08:00

So we find ourselves coming upon the holiday season still waiting on the funds to come in so we can move. We are getting closer with each new supporter but the anticipation is getting to me and it reminds me of Christmas.
Remember back when you were a kid... I will wait go ahead... I will not type when you are not looking go ahead. Are you there? OK, remember Christmas time. Counting down the days until Christmas break, the anticipation is a mix of materialism and freedom. You know in days you can stop being good because Santa does not watching you on December 26th he is recuperating. But more than that, you know that on December 25th all of your greatest wishes will be met in a frenzy of wrapping paper and toys. And oh the gift of the days off afterward to spend time with those new gifts. Ah Christmas so much better than summer or any other time of the year! It is the greatest time of the year.(pause for the song to start ringing in your ears)
Doesn't that paint a great picture? This unifying experience brings me to my point. Remember all those feelings? Are they flooding back to you?
That is how I look forward to church planting, I am filled with excitement like a kid looking forward to Christmas. It is not always obvious. I am a bit like a duck on a pond, the surface is calm but underneath those feet are churning a mile a minute or in this case my mind is moving with frenzy. To be honest I am a bit consumed, not with the process but with watching God work in people lives. I look forward to living the call that God has placed on my life... I look forward to God acting in the city of Chico CA... I look forward to what is next!

program problems

2008-10-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

If you cannot view the graphic at the top of our blog it is because it will not show up on Internet Explorer. I know that this alienates a majority of PC Users but I am posting from an apple computer, sorry.
So here is what is contained within the graphic box...

encoun†er church

A community filled with faith, hope and love through encountering Jesus Christ. We see families coming to faith, being baptized and becoming disciples. We also envision God’s people reaching out in love and serving the city—living out their faith everyday, not just on Sunday morning.

Scripture _ 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Scripture is our starting point of discipleship
Equip believers

Worship _ Romans 12:1-2
Worship is a lifestyle of discipleship
Life transformation

Community _ John 17:20-23
Community unites us in discipleship
Complete Unity

Mission _ Matthew 28:18-20
Mission is the process of discipleship
Serving the City
Relevant and Creative

October 2008 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

2008-10-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Here we are in month 4 of fundraising and it has been the most challenging and faith building 4 months of our lives. We have grown so much in our faith these last few months and can say with confidence that we are very full of joy! We have seen people come out of the woodwork to support us and we are overwhelmed to say the least. We are steadily moving closer to our goal and closer to the day we can plant our roots in Chico.

We have finally adjusted to life with the mom and work at the Dad at home. The first few weeks were hard, but now Gabriella happily says goodbye to mommy in the morning knowing that she will have her all afternoon to play. Jeremy is bonding very closely with both Gabriella and Josiah and learning so much from the experience. It is amazing that in this “holding” pattern we are in, God is still teaching us things daily and preparing us for the work he has ahead.

We recently attended a Pastors Conference at Hume Lake Christian Camps. It was very uplifting and rejuvenating. We were able to meet a lot of other Pastors in Converge PacWest, which will be our district when we plant. Jeremy shared with them a little about what we are doing and asked them to walk in faith with us and support us.

Many prayers have been answered for us this month. First of all we have pushed past our half waypoint and have under $1,000 left to raise!! In one week we raised $400 more a month!! Another praise is that Gabriella is starting to come out of that “terrible 2 (and 3)” stage. She is learning to listen and obey. She has always been a sweet girl, but she is really starting to take a great turn. All of this just in time for Josiah to enter into it! We also praise God for his financial provision during this time of transition. Our savings has lasted us far longer than we ever thought it would, but that is just how God works!

Our prayer requests are that we raise the additional funds needed. We pray that the churches we met at the conference will commit support to us and that more individuals will as well. We also pray for the people of Chico. We ask that you pray over underground occult activities going on there. We ask that God would continue to prepare us for the journey ahead. And lastly we ask that we use all of this time in Fremont to it’s fullest. We don’t want to waist any of it.

Thank you all. We appreciate you so much. If you have committed support to us please send in your monthly support for October. Remember you can set up automatic bill pay online at www.sunergeo.com/donate and you can also make first time
commitments there. If you have felt God tug at your heart to support us we pray you would take the leap us faith with us and join our team.

Blessings,
Jeremy and Elizabeth Rhodes

Email: pastor.jdr@gmail.com
Total amount to Raise: $2300 /month
Amount Left to Raise: $975/ month

support

2008-09-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

We are still in the process of raising support. We are just about half way to the amount at which we can move on the field. I ask that you pray for us as we continue...

Redding and beyond

2008-09-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

It has been quite some time since my last post and I do plan on leaving more information concerning vision and values soon.

We spent last Sunday September 7th in Redding @ Bridge Community Church. We were given a few moments to share our vision and then there was a cookout afterward to celebrate their second anniversary as a church. We are thankful to Joel and Leslie Smith for having us up to talk about our vision and passion to plant a church in Chico CA.

Windborn

2008-08-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

I will be speaking at Windborn Church on Sunday in Rio Vista CA in both services. After The second service I will be doing a vision presentation for our church plant. I hope to see you there, continue to pray for us as we raise support.

Blessings

InRoads

2008-08-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I was at InRoads Christian Church in Fremont CA. My family and I went to do some fund raising where it all began.
InRoads was the first full-time job I had after college I was the Assistant Pastor for about a year and a half. It was during my time at InRoads that God put a passion for church planting in my heart. It seemed natural that the first Church I would speak at would be in essence my home church. InRoads is so near and dear to my heart because I was an attender before I came on staff. I accualy was a volunteer in a couple of ministries. So I still really think of them with fond memories.
We had some time set aside to talk about the adventure that we have been on and to invite people to come to a reception to hear our vision. Also commitment cards and a flyer were availible at the church as well. Just a handful of people came to the reception but a large number of people just took cards with them. After the service a few people wanted to donate without hearing the vision at all. Paul, my sending agent at Sunergeo, told us that there are a few different types of supporters. People who will support the vision , people who will jump in after the church is up and running to partner once thay see some results and people who will just support you because they believe in you. We met all of those people this weekened and we are blessed by their generosity. Some give prayer, some give equipment and some give monetarily but they all give in service of God and that is the most important thing.

So thank you again to everyone who has committed support but more is needed so continue to lift us up in prayer.

Blessings!

blessed

2008-08-09T20:47:00.001-07:00

I am blessed. I know how annoying. Another person blaming dumb luck on God's blessing, no really I am.
You see this time it doesn't make any sense outside of my mental break from reality.
On Sunday August 3rd I preached at a Church in Richmond CA. It was an urban rebirth project within the organization I am apart of Sunergeo. I came in to this church with my family, Josiah was in rare form trying to tear the place down and Gabriella floated in like the princess she is and will always be. I did not think that this morning would change me but it did.
I spoke on love but the message did not move me, the people did. There was not a lot of people, I have spoken to bigger crowds, it was just different.
There are things that cannot be explained. This was one of those times. I left feeling like God had blessed me. It was a feeling, not a moment or an experience, just a feeling that has been with me ever since. I am blessed, enjoying life, smiling as I write this entry. I do not worry about what comes next because God will supply my needs I just walk the road. If I mess up and fail, I start again. No shame, no anger because I am no longer my own. I have finally lost my mind. I am not cool, I am not collected but I have never had greater focus... focus is a powerful thing.

Some people at the church asked me what I am currently doing. Shared that I was a church planter. Most people when they find out they just say wow that is interesting (which means "you are crazy") or how does that work (which means "you are crazy"). The people here said that is quite an adventure (which means "you are crazy") but it is a better way of saying it.

loose ends

2008-08-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

Well among our many prayer requests in the current journey one was the need to rent our property in Lodi CA. This was one of the areas that we have said alright God you called us, we need renters.
Once again as always God has provided, we have renters as of September 1st. So on that date we become homeless. Depending on where we are at in our fund raising we will either be moving for a short time to Fremont CA with my wives parents or to Chico CA.

Continue to pray for our fund raising.
Philippians 4:9 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Blessings

just added

2008-07-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

We were just added the current planting projects page on the Sunergeo website.

Check it out http://www.sunergeo.org/projects.html

You can also make donations online by clicking the Donate button in the left hand toolbar.

August 10th

2008-07-30T15:58:00.001-07:00

We are continuing on in the fund raising process we still need a lot of support.

On August 10th we will be at InRoads Church in Fremont CA
http://www.inroadschurch.com/

I will be speaking briefly in both of the morning services 9:00am and 10:30am followed by a luncheon were we will be sharing our vision.
During the luncheon people will be able to commit support.
Please come if you are able to attend.
Continue to lift us up in prayer as we are following God's call on our lives.

moving along

2008-07-23T16:06:00.000-07:00

Well we have had some success in our fund raising but we have more work ahead of us.
We still need a great deal more support to be able to move to Chico CA.
Please pray for us.

First Presentation

2008-07-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had a family reunion in Fremont for Elizabeth's family. On Sunday Night after the party I had a chance to sit the immediate family down and do a vision presentation, allow people to support us and receive some critique.
This was a big step for me because I have always been one who struggles with criticism. I tend to disconnect to the job at had if I feel that improvement is needed. God has really changed my heart on this issue because I finished my presentation and opened for questions and feedback. It was one of the most positive experiences that I have ever had. In the past I had a supervisor that handed down negative criticism that was derogatory toward me personally. He equated my performance with me as a person and it was a hurtful experience. In the moments after the presentation I received harsh criticism but in the context of love and it was awesome. The feedback was accurate and helpful and since I have reworked the presentation based on the suggestions and now I think that it is a great deal better. I was very happy that I allowed myself to be vulnerable and share my passion. The critique do not come in the form of how I should change my values but in how I can communicate them better. Oh and yes people were able to commit some support.
The biggest thing that I learned that night was the simple fact that if I am not passionate about my vision they will not support it. I learned that as much as I am communicating a vision I need to connect with the listeners.
After the night had closed and everyone had gone to their beds my mother-in-law came to me and said that one of the people in the room was very impressed with our willingness to take the huge risk and move some where and start from scratch. I had never really thought of the risk involved. Now more than ever I am convinced that this is God's calling on my life.

Church Planting begins

2008-07-16T14:07:00.001-07:00

Well it is true! I was approved by the BGC to plant a church as of June 12th. It was a great moment of accomplishment followed by a severe thunderstorm and tornado warning.
The next day we began a training seminar for church planting called First Steps. That lasted for an evening, a day and the following morning. It was a ton of information in a short amount of time. After this long week we returned to CA from WI with a sigh of relief having survived the Midwest.
But first thing Monday morning was a meeting for final approval with our local team. That happened quickly and since then I have been filling out forms and doing a vision presentation. Upon receiving my fund raising cards, I can finally start sending out letters and setting up appointments. This has been a long process that has only begun. Please faithful virtual friends pray for us as we fundraise so that we can get on the field.