Fill Up

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Harvest Update – Prov 24:3-4 Cody/Jesse; Prov 24:3-4; If you’re new to our church, this is a bit of a different service – something we call a Harvest Update; You might think of it as a family chat of sorts A time where we gather in the living room and talk about some of the things going on And I want to frame this particular update, with Prov 24:3-4; Which says . . . [3] By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; [4] by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. (Intro) Solomon uses a builders metaphor to highlight the importance of 3 attributes – wisdom, understanding, and knowledge  By wisdom, as in the application of knowledge and discernment – a house, a home, a family, a church – is built And by understanding, as in the ability to perceive and grasp the meaning of something, it is established; It’s started; Initiated; Founded By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established (3) And by knowledge, referring to the possession of truth and information – the parts of the house, the parts of the church, are filled with all precious and pleasant riches 3 attributes, 3 gifts, that are vital to our lives and endeavors; B/c without them, we’d have very little to show for our effort Especially very little of eternal value; It’s true of our lives, and it’s true of our church We’ve always sought the Lord as a church, we’ve always asked for wisdom, and we always will Wanting nothing more than to fill our rooms with all precious and pleasant riches (4) Things like the fruit of the Spirit; And Spirit-filled worship; And fruitful discipleship And he’s done it; Blessing us beyond belief sometimes  But it hasn’t always happened in our timing, and it hasn’t always happened in the way we imagined Sometimes God says yes, sometimes no, sometimes wait, and sometimes “surprise” So with that in mind, I want to update you on a few things: 1. South End Renovation Last April, I laid out 4 initiatives; And one of those was the renovation of the south end of our church; Expanding/improving our children’s ministry, and starting a pre-school To be completed by December of next year – 2017 So we moved our preparation into high gear, and nailed down the details; Including architectural drawings, bids, capital requirements, and so on  The long and short of which is – we’ve decided to press pause; Not stop, just pause Not b/c the need isn’t there; It is We need to raise up more and more godly young people who will live and stand for the Lord Jesus Christ; Especially so as the days get darker and the culture more difficult And we have an opportunity to impact more and more families – by virtue of our size, our location, and our resources And we have a responsibility to make the most of our watch; The most of our time None of that has changed

 But now is not the time; And there are several reasons for that: 1. The cost is higher than we expected, and more than we think we can raise right now – about $4.5M; It feels like a stretch 2. The on ramp is too short – the time frame to cast the vision, embrace the vision, and prepare your finances; It’s just too short 3. We want to add some more men to our leadership, and give our new staff time to settle in; Both of which are in process, and both of which will add wisdom 4. We have some significant maintenance issues we need to pay for; Including HVAC units on our roof, and the roof itself Things that will draw on our reserves, that we had hoped to apply toward the build-out 5. There are some other initiatives that we haven’t yet rolled out, but have unexpectedly moved to the forefront; And they too, will require significant resources I’ll come back to that For now, suffice it to say that we’ve decided to push pause on the South End It’s not never, just not now  But it’s not too soon to begin praying for it; Would you do that? Would you pray for a passion to see this happen? The need is there, the opportunity is there, and the responsibility is there But if we don’t pray, the passion won’t be And 2nd, would you prepare? This build-out, whenever it happens, is going to require monthly gifts, and one-time gifts; From all of us; And significant gifts from some And unless you’re independently wealthy, that’s going to require some preparation; Some re-ordering of your budget, and reallocating of your savings, and maybe even some re-prioritizing of your lifestyle It’s something Becky and I just did, and we look forward to giving b/c of it  Pray and prepare; Would you do that? B/c by understanding [a house] is established; And by knowledge the rooms are filled That’s the first item I want to update you on The 2nd is one of those initiatives that has moved to the forefront; Namely, a . . . 2. Rock Island Church Plant We’ve been thinking and praying about this for a long time, and even established it as another initiative last Spring But we didn’t roll it out b/c we thought it wouldn’t materialize for another few years But it has just recently become front burner, and we are actively discussing what it should look like, who should lead it, and when should it happen It could be next year, or the following year; We don’t know  What we do know, is that we want it to be in the west end of Rock Island, down the hill; Where fatherlessness is rampant, violence is prevalent . . . Unemployment is high, and the need for gospel transformation is the great Not only that, but we want it to be a church that reflects the community – multi-ethnic and

multi-national in their respective ratios A church comprised of those who live in the community 3rd, we know that Doug Rowland, our Pastor of Outreach Ministries, will play a significant role And 4th, we’re thinking we will need to support the church, significantly; Especially in the early years; Stretching our finances for sure  What we’re not thinking, is putting together a launch team who will parachute in A group of people who go there, but don’t live there; We’re not going to do that And we’re going to discourage the same, well after the church has started We want the church to be in the community, of the community, and for the community So we’re going to start with those who live there; And several of our families already do; Some having just moved there, and others having lived there their whole lives All that to say, we couldn’t be more excited; We want to fill that house, that church, that community – with the same precious and pleasant riches God has used to fill ours  So once again, would you pray? Pray for the right pastor, the right place, and the resources to make it happen 3. West Campus Building Our West Campus has been meeting at Williams Intermediate School for 3 ½ years now; Setting up and tearing down every single weekend And while we’ve always looked for a building – driving around and wondering about this place or that, or talking to some churches now and then, nothing has materialized Until somebody literally knocked on my door a week ago Friday night It was one of my neighbors, and they told me that their church was closing its doors, and wondered if we might be interested in buying it; It was even listed yet And after hearing the price, and Googling the location, the answer was a cautious yes Which led to a few phone calls; And then a late night walk through; And then more walk throughs in the following days with elders, deacons, and staff . . . And then an offer that we made on Wednesday, and they accepted on Thursday We bought a building for our West Campus!  The location is perfect; The property is phenomenal; And the building is turnkey – fully furnished and ready for worship as soon as we close Not to mention the fact that we can finally have a 24/7 presence in the community Affording us ministry opportunities we can’t even think about in the school  So let me show you a few maps (map) Here it is in relation to our main campus Here it is (map) a little closer – just around the corner from Williams Intermediate School; And right in the middle of an area we’d love to bless Here’s a closer view of the property – it’s 2.8 acres, with a decent size parking lot and a lawn that says Party in the Park Not only that, but it sits in a community of single family homes and apartment buildings, and has exposure to traffic from outside the community as well

And then closer yet, is a picture of the building – it’s about 9k sq-ft, on 2 levels; With the worship center upstairs, and the children’s space downstairs A bit unorthodox in the layout, but it works; In fact, here’s a few pictures of the lobby And then (photo) one of the kids’ areas, and a conference room/classroom Bottom line? It’s an incredible opportunity that we didn’t even know existed, and God dropped in our lap; Praise the Lord  Now, here’s the catch – while our offer has been accepted, there are plenty of contingencies that need to be met***** So once again, now would be a good time to pray – asking God to bring this to fruition and protect the process; We need to pray this thing to the close And now would also be a good time to being tithing; Adjusting your life and budget, in order to give 10% of your income to the Lord; Just like it says in Malachi 3 Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house [as in precious and pleasant riches]. (10a) It’s not only a command, it’s a need; If we don’t tithe, we don’t thrive So if you’ve been sitting on the sidelines in that respect, or you’re new and just haven’t started tithing, now would be a great time to start; B/c this too will stretch our finances But it will also fill our rooms with precious lives – lives that have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb And pleasant fellowship that’s infused with the love of God And passionate worship that lifts high the name of Jesus  So in just a minute I’m going to ask you to get in groups of 2-4, to pray To lift these things up to the Lord, and surrender yourself to his will (Summary) Whether it’s his will in giving, or serving, or preparing, or whatever; We need to pray If we’re going to be the people of God he wants us to be, and the church of God we ought to be – we need to pray So as you gather in groups, call out to the Lord (prayer requests) for the South End, the Church Plant, and the West Campus Building; Specifically . . . That God would stir our hearts to meet the need and prepare us for the sacrifice That God would open doors and prepare the way That God would bring it to fruition and provide the finances (Time of Prayer) Pray – Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! (Psalm 115:1) Great things you have taught us, and great things you have done Be glorified in our presence; Be glorified in our church; And be glorified in our lives Including our tithes and offerings, that we give now for your work; We give Close – Welcome Packet; Elder prayer