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!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Good Friday, Fun Saturday, Rocking Sunday
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!
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!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
interview with a local
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...
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...
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Acts 4:42-47
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...
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...
Monday, March 30, 2009
a big study and yummy brownies
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.
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.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
March 2009 Rhodes Family Church Planting Update
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
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
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