The Remodel Has Started!

Just about one year ago we got word that MSC's current location was being sold. We weren't sure where we were going to go. Doors seemed to open and then quickly close. But God was faithful to provide us with a new home. In November, we signed a new 5 year lease with the Newark Unified School District for our new facility at 37490 Birch Street. For the last 6 weeks we have raised funds to remodel the new facility and today the work got started! I am so thankful for the team of people who have stepped up to help with the remodel. Big, big thank you to Greg and Miles Zimmerman. At their  own expense, they brought a team of guys from their business (Miles and Sons) to start demolition. 

Front View of Building

Preliminary plan

3D Image

Merry Christmas!

Great Day At The Junior High Club!

As many of you know, our church has partnered with Young Life to host an after school club at the Newark Junior High. Today, we took all the kids over to Love At First Slice loveatfirstslicepizza.com (they give us an awesome deal and have really good pizzas as well). Usually we have lots of fun activities and then have someone give a short testimony but today the focus was on the talk. It was really cool to get to share with about 30 Junior Highers that they are important and valuable. Not because of who they are or what they can do but simply because they were created by God and made in His image. Big thanks to Drew for leading this club. He is doing a great job. And big thanks to Carol and Joshua for faithfully volunteering. Also, don't want to forget our really awesome high schoolers that volunteer as well!

The Pain of Pastoring

One of my best friends recently posted this on his blog. It really captures how I find myself feeling so many times. So I thought I would just repost his thoughts and write "ditto."

The Pain of Pastoring

by Greg Peters

For some time I have had some thoughts rolling around on my heart that I am going to articulate for my own processing and also as a way for me to share my heart with you. I am thinking that I will take a couple posts and share a few different parts of pastoring that cause me pain. I also believe that you may be able to easily associate with similar pain in your own lives.

One of the biggest pains of pastoring is when people leave the church! Just earlier today I left a voicemail for a friend who used to attend Parkview. Not only was I close with this guy but so were our families close. I watched the family experience Life Change, in fact, I recall baptizing every member of the family at different times. I also remember when the husband lost his job…I remember walking that road…helping him be ok with being lied about and fired without cause…he moved to another state.  About a week ago I called a friend who used to attend Parkview. He is one of the most godly men I know. I saw incredible leadership potential within this man and prayed we would minister together for years…he moved to another state. On a regular basis I see posts and comments from former Parkview congregants on Facebook. Just today I saw a funny post from a former church leader, they said something about their son, who was friends with my son…they moved…my son cried that day.

Just in case you wonder if the only pain that is felt is when someone moves – that is not the case. On other occasions people have left without moving and that hurts too – sometimes more. Here are a few things that come to mind:

• they leave and can’t really explain why
• they leave because God is leading
• they leave because somebody has hurt them
• they leave because their spouse is pushing the issue
• they leave because they quit on God
• they leave without saying anything
• they leave and don’t want to meet and discuss
• they leave because they have other needs
• I am not sure I care to continue to think of more reasons or situations

I am friends with a number of pastors and some at a very deep level. They all feel the same way and have experienced all of the above…I am not alone. Without crying and whinning I would state that I have something unique that I deal with that many, not all, of my pastor friends do not – I pastor in a city that has an extreme amount of turnover. Palm Coast is transient unlike many other cities – if you live here you know what I mean, if you don’t I will spare you the details.

To be clear, I am not blaming those who leave, nor do I fault them. I am just talking about my feelings – it hurts; if it didn’t then I guess I should get another job. I believe the Lord gives the shepherd a shepherd’s heart. I also greatly appreciate all those who have grieved with me in their departure.

Better to have loved and “lost” than to have never loved at all.

A Little Bit Of Everything

Summer has come and gone (always a little too fast IMO). The kids are back in the school routine. And I'm finally getting back on routine (like posting on my blog). It's been a while so I thought catching up on everything would be a good idea.

Mega Sports Camp - We had our largest group of kids 70+. I think the best part for me was seeing how many great volunteers gave their time to make this event happen. I'm guessing that it took about 500 volunteer hours to make this happen. But every hour was worth it. We have seen a few of these families come back to church a few times and been able to connect many of the kids with our children's ministry.



Vacation - I always plan our end of summer vacation right after Mega Sports Camp because Cecil and I are always desperately in need of a break when the week is over. For the 6th time we headed out to Angels Camp, CA. People always ask us, "What's out in Angel's Camp?" The answer is "Nothing." That's why we go :) Our week if filled with swimming, eating, watching tv/movies, walking around downtown, and not much more. This is one vacation that always refreshes and renews us. I look forward to the slow mornings drinking coffee on patio overlooking the golf course and getting to catch up with Cecil.

End of Summer BBQ & Baptism - As aways, baptisms are really the highlight of our ministry. It is always a great joy to watch as others proclaim the Lordship of Jesus and publicly identify themselves as  His followers. This one was especially meaningful as I was able to baptize a good friend of mine who has attended our church from its very beginning. When he first started attending he was far from Jesus but over the years God has worked in his heart through relationships, sermons, small groups, and lots of conversations. I think that baptizing him was one of the most powerful moments I've ever enjoyed!

Church Building - as many of you have heard our current location is being sold. We have been praying for the past 6 months that God would open the door for another facility. This Sunday I shared a few of the details about a possible site. I believe that God has answered our prayers and opened up a fabulous opportunity. This new site will require a lot of work upfront but the end result should be awesome.

Back 2 School BBQ

Today was our 5th Annual Back 2 School BBQ at Newark Community Park. Over these years, we have slowly built relationships with people that would not normally come to our church. It's nice to hear people call me Pastor Josh even though I only get to see them once a year at this BBQ. I believe the Spirit of God uses events like this to whisper, "You are loved...You are important to me" to those that attend.

To everyone who volunteered…

I just wanted to express my thanks. Today was a perfect example of what we can accomplish when we work as a team. It takes a lot of volunteers to put together such a large event and you made that possible. I know that you had other things that you could have done today (some of them were probably important), but you took the time to volunteer. Because of your involvement we touched over 300 people with God's love, handed out over 100+ backpacks, and signed up 28 kids for Mega Sports Camp! We couldn't have done it without you.Thanks for being on the team!

Everyone loves the idea of being part of a church that really serves the community, but so often we fail to prioritize our own time to make that a priority. I'm really glad for the people of MSC that not only talk about Jesus but put action behind their beliefs.

See you tomorrow at church!

It takes time...

Today our family had some church planting friends over for a BBQ. Like most people, I want my house to look good when I have guests and since we were planning to BBQ, I knew the back patio needed some TLC. It just so happened that my wife mentioned the day before that my eight year old daughter, Alanna, was looking to make some extra money. So I decided to hire some help. Over the years I have always tried to involve the kids in outdoor chores like weeding, pruning, and sweeping with varying degrees of success. Most of the time it really wasn't worth the hassle. But today...was different. I pruned, she picked up. I used the blower, she swept. She watered the tree, the brown spots in the lawn, and put everything away herself! It really saved me time to have her involved.
In many ways, that's how many things in life work. Last night, we had the quarterly discipleship mentor's meeting at our home. I remember when we started the discipleship program (we really didn't even know we were starting something), sometimes it seemed like such a huge investment of time meeting with people 1 on 1. They would take one step forward and then two steps back. Sometimes people dropped out, moved away, or went through life changes that kept them from finishing. But slowly we gave birth to a new generation of leaders at MSC. Leaders that had my passion for discipleship, leaders that understood our values, leaders that "got it"! As we went around the room last night and shared our struggles, our worries, our heartaches, and our joys...it was worth it! The American Church has by and large become a spectator sport. We go, fill our seat on Sunday, give some money, and maybe even volunteer once or twice a month but by and large true life change doesn't happen on Sunday morning, it doesn't happen in a small group program, it doesn't happen quickly, and definitely doesn't happen alone. My experience has taught me that true life change happens as we get serious about sharing life with each other around the values of Jesus. We are willingly transparent and accountable, we willingly encourage and correct, and we willingly make time to be together. I'm so grateful for the community that God is creating at MSC. Thanks for being a part of the team!