May 2011 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update

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

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

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

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

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

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

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