Some quick take-aways from yesterday:
This past Sunday, April 17th, Discovery Church voted in a congregational meeting to merge into the One Life Network. Believing that we really can be better together, Discovery voted nearly unanimously (with 2 abstentions) to partner in the One Life Network.
I have already confessed to you that I am not a scientist. Here is another confession for you: I am not an economist (and I did not stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night either). I did take a basic macro economics course during my freshman year at the University of Evansville. One of the principles I learned in Dr. Blalock's classroom was economy of scale. The basic concept is that at a certain point it is easier and cheaper to produce a great quantity of a product.
Over the last several weeks members of the Discovery Church leadership team (the elders and staff) have been sharing some of what has them excited about partnering with One Life. Our fifth installment has been written by Tammy Sutton. Tammy is one of Discovery's elders, in addition to serving as the chief financial person (CFP?).
Most people that know me know I have a passion for projects that involve serving others. One of the most exciting things for me about One Life is the expanded opportunities that it will give us as a church to be a servant. To steal a quote from the One Life Church website, “Jesus lived compassion. We want to follow His lead and share his compassion both locally and globally.” Compassion is the word One Life uses to address these service projects. It involves opportunities for us to serve others ranging from our local neighborhood to those living on the other side of the world.
I like the approach that One Life takes on serving others. They not only look at the immediate needs for food, clothing and shelter, but at the issues that are causing the underlying poverty. They encourage economic growth of the community through micro financing and industry development. Part of the systemic change involves providing clean water for the area. The local residents are trained in various methods to treat and purify the water, resulting in a reduction of diseases and illnesses. Tools such as job training and furthering education enable those in poverty more opportunities to make a sustainable living. The local culture remains intact when implementing these methods that allow for a higher standard of living, and leadership of the community develops from within the native people.
Over the last several weeks members of the Discovery Church leadership team (the elders and staff) have been sharing some of what has them excited about partnering with One Life. Our fourth installment has been written by Marty Smith. Marty is one of Discovery's elders and helps lead our set-up and First Impressions teams.
The thing that is most exciting to me about our partnership with One Life is seeing God at work through His people. I am talking about the other elders and staff of Discovery. In every meeting we have had, it has been awesome to feel the presence of God. It is amazing to see how God uses the strength of every person to accomplish what I think is the shared goal of One Life and Discovery. I love seeing Tammy light up when an opportunity for missions arises. I'm encouraged by how Jack shows genuine care and concern about the feelings of others and how we can demonstrate God's love to them. I appreciate the insightful input that Janet and Kitten have offered. I'm thankful for Trey's direction to look at the big picture. I am very thankful that God has placed me here, to add what I can and enjoy the ride. I truly believe what my favorite passage from scripture says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart leaning not on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways and he will keep your path straight” (Prov. 3:5-6).
I am so excited because Discovery and One Life share the same vision. Discovery has always focused on those who do not like church and church planting. The main focus of One Life perfectly aligns with Discovery in that regard. It is so exciting to see God coordinating our efforts.
Personally I am excited because this new partnership could expand the influence and ministry we have. One of my big passions is student ministry; my prayer is that we could make a significant impact in the lives of the next generation.
In closing, I would like to encourage each of you to pray about and or ask questions about this partnership. Let’s all enjoy the ride!!
Note: Hey, Chase and Nick, I made it through this entire post without a cheesy joke…. Until now…What do you call a big white animal shaped like a tooth? A molar bear! LOL
Over the next six weeks, members of the Discovery Church leadership team (the elders and the staff) will be sharing some of what has them so excited about partnering with One Life. Our third installment has been written by Janet Oberholtzer. Janet serves as the Small Groups Director and Other Titles as Assigned when she has the microphone.
I think one of the things I’m most excited about is the change I’ve seen in my heart as I’ve entered into this process. When Trey first suggested the idea to me, I was hesitant. I wasn’t sure about what One Life was all about or who their leaders were. I wasn’t excited about leaving the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. God has brought me past my initial hesitancies to willingly and whole heartedly say “Yes!” Here’s a little bit about how that happened,
My first introduction to One Life was at a preview service in October. I saw there that God had done incredible things to bring the church body together and provide the venue. From what I saw and heard that night, I sensed a church with a heart and vision similar to that of Discovery. I then learned that God blessed their first Sunday morning service with nearly a thousand people. I was excited to keep my eye on this congregation and what God was doing in her midst. Later that week, we met with a leadership team that was blown away by what God had done, grappling with what that meant in their personal and professional life and wondering what God would do next outside of the four walls of their facility in Henderson. At that point enthusiasm was high, but how Discovery could be involved was yet to be discerned.
As leaders from both sides continued to pray about this, we continued to ponder “What if?” My hesitancies about leaving the EPC began to fade as I saw the strength, wisdom and humilty of the leadership of One Life. I saw men with a heart to build God’s kingdom, not their own, men who have a track record of being faithful leaders and servants. While being with a denomination ties a church to a rich tradition and offers accountability, serving under a group of leaders who have walked with God for years and hold each other accountable is also a gift.
I’d kind of felt like Discovery was “at capacity” with our current infrastructure and resources, I think we all have great dreams for the future; however the future seems a bit far and distant as we look at our current reality. Linking arms with One Life feels like tapping into synergy (a force created by two entities that is stronger than each one could do individually). Instead of developing our own small group, teaching and mission strategies, we could plug into an existing plan and focus our energies uniquely on the West Side of Evansville.
What draws my heart most about the Westside is USI. I was thrilled when I learned of the heart that One Life leadership has for reaching out to students at USI and excited when I realized that my ten years of working in collegiate ministry could be utilized in helping us reach out to university students if only I had time and resources to focus.
In short, (perhaps too late to say?), as I thought about where we want to go as Discovery and I thought about where God is leading One Life, I saw a common vision and direction. There may be some logistical and technical differences, but the heart is the same. As I think about the thousands of students that will come and go from USI every four years, wondering if they will have the opportunity to hear the gospel, I thought how could we not link arms with One Life and give this a shot? Sure, we may lose some things in the transition, but when I think about what we can do for the kingdom of God together, I can’t imagine not taking the risk. I think our unification honors Christ and his church, his church for which he endured birth, suffering and death. His Church for which He rose again. His church which He will be coming again to claim as His own. May God be glorified and honored above all else as we contemplate this decision.
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19
teenage years are a great time to impact their faith-journey
I believe that there are a large number of youth on the Westside that are not a part of a church. I am excited about the possibilities of reaching my daughter's friends, classmates, and others like them. I'm excited about making an impact on the future of the Westside of Evansville.
