Parkside Church Lake County
The Shorter History so far….
This is a pretty intense period of prayer, seeking the Lord and networking. I don’t think I have prayed in a 2 month stretch than I ever have in a 2 month stretch in my entire life. Every phone call, email, one on one meeting, church update, elder meeting update etc…. is a matter of prayer and an answer (in many ways) to prayer. The same is true with scripture. It seems like the book of Acts is in HD now that this project is underway. I sense a refreshment spiritually and am loving that.
The first 2 months so far has been pretty intense networking with people both inside and outside the church. Inside the church it has consisted of coffees, breakfast, lunch and dinners with people who live in the area who may be interested in the church plant. At these meetings I am not pressing people for commitment but for prayer. All I am asking is that they would prayerfully consider what is going on and if God is at work in them that he would make it clear to them what they ought to do. I am also going to Life Groups (midweek) to present the vision.
I am actively praying on a weekly basis with a small group who have more or less committed themselves already to the project. This is a group that is fairly young (20’s-early 30’s) and who live in the area. We are purposely praying in a public location so that we don’t lose sight of unbelievers. That is the way this plant is going to move. It will move out toward unbelievers. Even in the beginning we have to be able to see them even while we pray for them. Anyone who wants to join can. It is not a closed thing.
I have been meeting with local pastors (at least a couple per week) to let them know what we are thinking and praying about as well as inquiring about what God is doing in their ministry. What is happening in their ministry matters because their ministry is a part of the spiritual fabric of the county. I have been encouraged about the kingdom mindset many of them have expressed in their meeting with me. There hasn’t been a territorial spirit but rather, “Come on in!” Part of my meeting with them also is to gauge if they know of a ministry place that might be vacant of shutting down. If there is an unused church building or under used I want to know about it.
The really exciting part so far has been meeting with unbelieving people in the community to present vision. One example encapsulates this. I cold called a middle school principal in the region and he agreed to meet with me. I thought the meeting would last 20 minutes or so. But God unfolded our conversation in an amazing way. By the end of the conversation we were brainstorming together about how the church would support the school and the school would support a church. He introduced me to teachers and gave me a tour of the school and before I knew it I was there for an hour and a half. That might not seem like a big deal to some but this was a guy I never met and it exploded my mind with ideas as to how I might be able to reach out to the school. It started a nice friendship and led to other contacts. I walked out of the meeting not simply thinking about how the school could meet my needs but how I could learn to care about what they care about (reading and math scores, getting an “excellent with distinction” rating, saving budget money). When I do that sincerely I show them that I am not in the community to suck away resources but to build them up.
I have been engaged with hospital people, high school and middle school principals, a college president, business people, a local sports team and a host of other random people. I am mainly asking questions about the area. I approach them as a learner/concerned parent/prospective citizen with a survey. That usually opens the door to learn about them and gives an opportunity to build a friendship. The last question in the survey has opened many more opportunities. My last question is, “Who else should I be talking to and can I tell them you gave me their name?” Some conversations have moved toward certain needs we have as a plant like location, website/communication things etc… But I don’t start out that way. I start out as a learner because basically that is what I am.
