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/
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Nehemiah
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!
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!
Monday, November 10, 2008
what is next?
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!
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!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
program problems
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
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
Friday, October 17, 2008
October 2008 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update
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
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
Friday, September 26, 2008
support
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...
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Redding and beyond
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.
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.
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