01 Jul Seattle Update!!
Greetings from Seattle!
Week one has been great ? full of fellowship and lots of excitement!? We were welcomed by Pastor Warren Mainard and Brock Bass of Essential Church in Bellevue.? God has used them to lay a foundation and prepare the way for God?s kingdom to multiply.? Of course, experiencing the new sights and sounds has been great!? The city is beautiful and is surrounded by landscape, which is an awesome display of God?s craftsmanship!? However, the beauty of the city juxtaposed with such a dark spiritual climate (96% unchurched) can be quite startling.? We have been encouraged, however, to hear from Pastor Warren and Brock that there has been a progression of Summer LINK groups building to a large scale movement of God in this area.
One of the greatest parts of the trip for everyone on our team has been the awesome community we have all experienced in such a short time.? Our group has quickly become comfortable with each other!? We are able to be open and honest with one another: carrying each other?s burdens and providing encouragement when it is needed most.? None of this would be possible if we felt guarded and insecure, but our bond through the Holy Spirit has given us the freedom to live in true fellowship and without pretense!? We have had the opportunity to read the Word together regularly, have honest hang-out time, and learn together as we navigate this new area and season of life!? Our team has been challenged through scripture memorization and leading the team in devotions.? We all agree that this strong foundation of Biblical community will make the rest of our summer much more meaningful for us as a team and also for those that we will be serving!
- Brett Windsor, Matthew Roberts, Brock Bass, Andrew Blasko, Caleb Nielsen, Warren Mainard, Margaret Bley, Danielle Craan, Jenny Taphouse, Katelin Domanski, Lauren Brock
We are excited to have three NACPF churches represented among our team: Crosspoint Church (Clemson, SC), Renewal Church of Anderson (Anderson, SC), and Redemption Hill Church (Boston, MA).? Our team has members from South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Chicago!? We have been having a great time getting to know each other and learn more about ourselves along the way.? Our leaders, Brett and Katelin, are proud to see our team develop, tackle obstacles, and grow both individually and as a group.? We are pros at using the selfie stick, laugh way too much, and are so very excited about what is coming up in the next few weeks!
The time from getting accepted to participate in this endeavor to now has flown by; now that we are here, it is such a relief!? Rather than feeling overwhelmed or nervous, we feel a blessed sense of fulfilling one?s duty to the Lord.? Like we mentioned, most of our time thus far has been focused on team building, but we have had opportunities to serve the local community and the church while also planning for our upcoming big events.
- Before and after shots at the Parkers’
On Saturday, our team joined some members of Essential Church on a project to help a family in the Lake Hills community with some yard work.? Mr. and Mrs. Parker have been experiencing medical issues and their yard had become quite overgrown.? At the same time, this couple has been taking care of their two great-granddaughters (ages 6 and 8), who kept us entertained as we cleared blackberry bushes and thorns!
Our team has been given various assignments for Sunday mornings at Essential Church.? Our team is working in the kids ministry, hospitality, media, and worship team every Sunday.? Because our team is here to serve, the many faithful volunteers of Essential will have the chance to rest and re-energize for the fall.
We have learned that having childlike faith of relying heavily on God?s power and the prayer of others is paramount to our success!? We would love for you to pray for us in these areas:
-We are currently preparing for Love Bellevue.? These two weeks will include Camp RAWK (a vacation Bible school), Sports Camp, two Block Parties, and many ministry teams joining us from around the country to serve.? Pray that we will prepare for the events, lead the teams joining us, and serve the community well.
-Each of us on the team have many responsibilities we are juggling as we get ready for Love Bellevue and living in this community.? Pray that we will manage our time efficiently and continue to work together!
-Pray that through all of this, we will magnify Christ and multiply His Kingdom!
Check out these websites to get more information about Essential Church, Love Bellevue, and Generation LINK:
http://www.essentialchurch.cc/
www.lovebellevue.com
www.generationlink.org
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