Today was a long day but I am so glad I could be part of the Church IT Round Table gathering at Seacoast Church in Charleston, SC.
I wanted to take a few minutes to share a little about my day, some of the amazing people I shared it with, and the awesome facility of Seacoast.
I had the pleasure of riding in the car with three great guys; Dean Lisenby, John Gilman, and Kenny Watts. I enjoyed our talks and discussions. Also enjoyed hanging out with great friend Page Brooks.
I met quite a few guys at the round table (I don’t think I saw one female in the bunch) so sorry if I leave someone out. Shawn Wood, Jason Powell, Mark Burleson (great blog design btw), Jeremie Kilgore, and Clif Guy… It was great to finally put a face with the name. BTW… Twitter was a HOT topic! In case you still don’t know what it is… check it out here.
I also wanted to share a few pictures from today at Seacoast in case you did not see them from my twittering…
Seacoast Baptism Pool
Signs… Signs… everywhere signs…
Shawn Wood and I
Yes… it’s an inside play area in the kids area
Youth area complete with balcony (where the IT groups gathered)
I have several more shots… if anyone is interested in seeing more, just let me know. I have pictures of the middle school age room, children’s rooms, nursery area, Greg Surratt doing a test run of his sermon for Sunday, and one of his “green room” too.
Wow what a night. It was yucky outside… rain rain rain…
Even with the weather, we had a great crowd.
- Food tonight: blessing. Susanne made the decision to have Chicken bog. She called several places in town… For anyone who does not live in Florence, SC… Bar-B-Q places are not open on Wednesday. Hum… When she called Cain’s, she actually spoke with one of the owners. The lady told Susanne that she would be more than happy to cook us a big pot for church tonight. WOW! God provided!
- We are having some major league discussion in Acts 2:41-47. We have been on these verses for two weeks now. We should finish up next week, but who knows. We are not moving on as long as discussion is active.
- Three of us guys decided tonight during our fellowship time that we would go back to the Care House Friday to finish a job we were unable to finish last Saturday. WOW! I am so excited people are willing and anxious to serve in our community.
- Our weekly Bible Study is live, even if you are not actively attending Revolution Church, I encourage you to join in… It does not take long at all.
- Had the comment below on my blog today from the director of The Care House… Now that is encouragement!
Dear Church Members:
On behalf of the staff and the kids who are referred to the CARE House for service we thank each and everyone of you. The yard and the inside of the center looks so much better because of your efforts.
We are blessed because of ya’ll. Not only did you brighten up the center but you also provided the staff with another ray of hope… which we will pass on, much like a “contagious” laugh or grin.
Thanks for doing God’s work and helping us to take care of a very vulnerable population… our maltreated children.
Bless you.
Enough for tonight, gotta get up early in the morning to drive to Charleston, SC to attend the Church Information Technology Round Table.
What an awesome day! The Revolution arrived at The CARE House this morning at 9:00 AM to give back to our community. We had so much fun making children packets, trimming hedges, painting, cleaning carpet, cleaning out flower beds, making a flower garden, hauling off trash, putting out fire ant "stuff", and getting to know one another better (serving together brings a team together).
Thank you ladies for making this event happen. You gals rock! It made this leader very proud to see our team work so good together!
I know several of you who read this blog would and will question that I actually "worked" so here is proof. Kathy snapped a shot of me and my power tool!
Clay showed us all how to paint trim work. Side note: Yes… Clay is wearing a ClemPson hat. I am thinking about making a membership requirement for Revolution Church to deter this type of behavior. (just kidding… Even though the Alabama Crimson Tide is the official church football team.)
The Revolution Kids worked very hard making packets and creating this flower garden (with Tara’s help) around the sign. Special thank you to Jordan and Brandon for helping me trim the hedges! If it weren’t for you guys, I might STILL be there picking up limbs!
And most of all… Thank You Florence and The CARE House for allowing us to serve you!
- It is one of the most rewarding things in my life to see the Revolution Kids having fun at church. Read more about it here and here.
- Revolution Church Bible reading now up for this week. If you would like to keep up with where we are in our Bible study, head on over to the church site and subscribe by RSS or email to keep updated.
- So ready to teach next Wednesday from Acts chapter 2. This is one of my favorite sets of scripture.
- This past week, the Reeder family celebrated two birthdays. Susanne celebrated her "29th" birthday on Monday and Jacob had his 7th on Thursday.
- Sure am glad Heroes is back on. By far the greatest show on TV!
- Bonus… If you think you are having a bad day at work… You could always have this job! One has to wonder what kind of benefit package the guy has… I have no idea what his job title could be… Please leave me a comment if you have a guess… This should be fun!
I read the following comment from a guest of Revolution Church on Priscilla’s blog this morning concerning our Revolution Kids…
"I had to work (and it was horrible!) that’s why I wasn’t there. And let me tell you, Alanna cried and whined for 2 days before and the day after because she didn’t go to "kid’s bible study". So, we will be there Wednesday!"
- One of my newer friends from the web… Patrick Gillen had a great post titled For What it’s worth. He touches on a few things that he has learned concerning church planting (go read now… worth the read). Here are a few highlight that spoke to me.
#3: Learn from your mistakes, and move on
I can’t beat myself up over them.#4: Be quick to forgive
Even those that don’t think they need to be forgiven.#7: Don’t try to do everything
We are not called to do what other churches do… just because. God has given us a specific task… "Be obedient to whatever God is calling you to do"
#10: Be Kingdom-minded
"You aren’t in competition with the church next door… you’re actually on the same team" It is such a great time to be able to celebrate with other churches in Florence. It brought such JOY to my heart to hear our sponsor church had 11 players from the South Florence Bruin football team accept Jesus Christ as their savior Sunday! WOW!!! - Another friend of mine from the web… Jason Salamun had a very "honest" post that has inspired me to examine myself further. The best way for self improvement is to realize where you need improvement.
I love this (from his post):
"… my prayer is for a life of authenticity. That a light will shine on all corners of my life. That I not become what I hate- a poser or a fake. That I become what God wants me to be- genuine and real. That Jesus always be central in my life. And while I’m imperfect, I want to grow up and be like him. - I am so honored to serve with such an awesome team at Revolution Church. We are all volunteers, pulling together as a team the best way we know how, to show unconditional love to all.
I am so proud of our team that has worked so hard to make the past two weeks possible.
Keep pressing on…
- Special thank you to all those that have been praying for Revolution Church, our team, me personally, and my family!!! The past two weeks have been wild. You all have been an important part of making our Wednesday gatherings a success. Please keep praying.
Our work is not done… it is only just started!!!
Authenticity is the beginning of growth."
WOW!!! Week two is now complete. Our gathering went much better tonight.
I felt much more relaxed… and I think those in attendance did too…
We had some great discussions tonight and just about everyone chimed and added to the discussions.
It is awesome…
when shy people are able to open up…
when people shed tears telling a life story…
when the kids out number or at least equal the adults!
Take-aways from tonight:
- I serve with a great team!
- The book of Acts is going to be a great book to study through with our Life groups
- We are to be the body of Christ… be His hands… and His feet
- We cannot do God’s work all by ourselves
- We also cannot sit around and expect God to go "poof" and make things happen
- We have to wait on the direction of the Holy Spirit, and then follow His guidance
- Loved to hear stories of proof that Jesus is alive… from the miracle of birth to the stars in the sky
- The Holy Spirit as our Mentor, but we have the choice to listen to that mentor or not
- Shared this story about a Ferrari
There was a guy (guy1) that had a neighbor (guy2). Every time guy1 would see guy2, he would speak but guy2 would snub guy1 and never even acknowledge him. For years this went on… Guy2 would never respond to guy1’s reaching out to friend guy2. Through these years.. Guy1 saved up enough money to get a brand new Ferrari! One afternoon shortly after guy1’s purchase, guy2 knocks on the door of guy1. Guy1 greats him with "Good to see you guy2, are you finally taking me up on the dinner invitation?" Guy2 replies… "No… I just want to borrow your car!"
Now… if you were Guy1, would you let Guy2 borrow your car after years of not even acknowledging you existed?
I would have told him to take a hike as I laughed in his face!
So many of us do this to God every day. Jesus is calling us daily… trying to invite us into His home… to fellowship with us and we ignore Him… Until we need or want something.
If this describes you… Jesus still loves you. And he still desires to have a relationship with you.
We discussed that it is our decision… Jesus will never force Himself on us…
I can hardly wait for next Wednesday!
I saw this on over at John Hobbs’ site.
Being a Star Wars, Yoda, and Small Groups fan…
This was right up my alley!
Watch Yoda Groups and may the force be with you!
I am blown away by the awesomeness of God!
As many of you know, tonight was our first gathering of Revolution Church. Many of you have been in prayer for us, sent encouraging words, and provided many needs to help make this night happen. THANK YOU ALL!
I want to take a few moments to share a few things about tonight. (to copy my wife’s idea) This will be a number edition of Wednesday Night Rewind.
1 - Master Cook, Charles Russell, flipping burgers on the grill.
2 - Bibles that were taken after our gathering because they did not have one at home.
3 - Babies in the nursery area.
4 - Adults to watch & teach the nursery and Revolution Kids.
7 - Days until our next gathering… Same place… Same time…
20 - Kids from the age of 4 years old to 7th grade!
23 - Total Kids!
43 - People in attendance for our Life Group Launch!
I say all that to give praise God!
Special thanks to all the Revolution partners for working so hard preparing food, cleaning the house, working in the kids area, putting up chairs & tables, and keeping me straight! You guys ROCK and I am so glad to be serving right beside you during the journey we call Revolution Church!
Tomorrow evening, Wednesday Sept 10, 2008, will be our first weekly Revolution Church gathering. We are so excited for the day to be here. I did want to write a quick post to share a few details about tomorrow night.
We will be providing a meal for all in attendance starting at 6:00 PM. We will have hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and a lot of deserts!
From 6:00 to 7:00 there will be time to fellowship, eat, and let the kids play and enjoy themselves.
At 7:00, all the kids from age birth to 3 will go to our nursery area in the home. Kids from 4 years old to 6th grade will go to our Revolution Kids area for a full service experience, complete with singing, prayer, and Bible time! It is going to be rocking! Priscilla Russell will be leading them. It will be a fun and meaningful time for them all!
The adults will gather in the living room for a time of prayer, Bible study, and sharing life together. I will be leading the open study time. By this I mean participation and discussion are encouraged rather than a lecture format. No one will laugh at you for asking questions or providing input. We are all on a journey toward becoming more like Christ.
I know you are asking… “Will I be “put on the spot” when I attend a Life Group?”
NO! Groups are designed for you to participate at a level in which you feel comfortable. I will never ask anyone to say, pray, play or read anything they are not comfortable with.
We will try to be sensitive to time. We plan to be done by 8:00 PM. We all have lives, kids in school, or other responsibilities to manage too.
The address of our first gathering is
315 Alligator Rd
Effingham, SC 29541
For directions to The Russell House
There will be a sign at the driveway on Alligator road directing you to parking. Parking will be beside the house.
Three key ingredients to Life Groups
Fellowship
We believe it is Biblically important to have Christian Fellowship. During this part of our time together we will have food and spend time hanging out.
Bible Study
We will study a Bible passage or specific topic. This is an open study time. By this I mean participation and discussion are encouraged rather than a lecture format. No one will laugh at you for asking questions or providing input. We are all on a journey toward becoming more like Christ.
Prayer and Sharing of Life
During this time is when we share, support, and encourage one another. Part of “doing life together” is bearing one another burdens and celebrating each others victories. This ingredient allows for a “soft place to fall”, and assists others to embrace their gifts of encouragement and edification.
Who leads the Life Group?
Our groups are facilitated by trained leaders who have served as an apprentice leader in a group.
Where do Life Groups meet?
Our groups will mostly be hosted in homes. However, we do not enforce this. If a group feels led to gather at a ball field, restaurant, workplace, etc… we are not going to quench that organic growth.
How are new groups formed?
Through encouraged and expected planting of new groups from existing group’s growth. When a group grows and gets too big to be considered “small”, on of the apprentices will birth a new group and the mother group will celebrate this growth.
Do I bring my kids to the Life group gathering?
See Part 4 of this series.
Will I be “put on the spot” when I attend a Life Group?
NO! Groups are designed for you to participate at a level in which you feel comfortable. Leaders are trained to never ask anyone to say, pray, play or read anything they are not comfortable with.
Greg Simmons made the following comment:
I can’t wait to see how this series develops. I like the concept of not having age, life stage, etc restrictions on the group.
So, how did you come up with the 12-14 member size? Just curious.
Greg, the 12-14 size is not a written in stone number. The 12-14 number is a target. At times, groups may not quite be ready to birth a new group and may grow to 20 or more. Once a group gets too large, it looses some of it’s intimacy. There may be some groups that are 3 to 5… We are going to let our groups happen organically.
Jason Salamun made the following comment:
Nice collection of verses. Interested to read the rest of this series as it plays out. Wondering what your take is on corporate gatherings…
Jason, I will address Revolution’s take on corporate gatherings next week. Stay tuned… 
Sorry to keep ya hanging.
Let me encourage you to subscribe by email or RSS if you are not already. If you have any questions through this series (or anytime for that matter), please leave a comment. If you wish to comment privately, please note that in the comment.
