Sorry I've been slacking on updating our blog, here is the latest News from Mark. Hope you all are having a great week.
We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank of angels -- everything got started in him and finds its purpose in Him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. Christ is supreme in the beginning and He is supreme in the end. - Colossians 1 (MSG) Christos will be a remarkable venture for our faith-family. Challenge and encourage your people to be in the Word. Pray for your group, that the Word will deeply penetrate our fellowship this year and that we will never be the same. I am praying that this will be a year that Christ will reign in an even more supreme way in the hearts of our people and throughout the life of our fellowship. Pray. Expect. Live.
Be Stoked....
- A new young couples class launched on Sunday. The Glover/ Nixon crew jumped out of their previous class and handed off the leadership to some amazing young leaders and they have launched a young couples class for those who are engaged/ newly married. The class meets @ 10:30 in E205
- If you are interested in partnering with our Royal Family Ministry, here is a great road-map for information:
*Training for Volunteers for Royal Family Kids’ Club
New training opportunity for anyone interested in volunteering in Royal Family Kids’ Club (on Saturdays once a month, a mentor program for children in foster care)
Training dates are Sept 21 & 28 and Oct 5 & 12
5:30-7:00 pm in Room E134
(this training can also go toward qualifying you to serve at Royal Family Kids’ Camp next summer)
- Discovering Valley View, which is the exploration and/or membership class for our faith family, will be offered THIS SUNDAY @ 9 AM in Room E134. If you have folks who have been considering membership, please have them sign up for our Discovering Vv course!
Transform. A life.. A Church... A City
Our fellowship is on the verge of adopting a growth plan that will involve our ministry, our facility, and our heart for this city. The theme of this process is Transform! We believe that God is inviting us, in unprecedented ways, to step into the hearts and lives of the people of Taylorville/ Tuscaloosa and to offer the depths of hope that we have discovered in Christ. I want to share with you the practical and spiritual steps that we will be taking in the next weeks. I am SO grateful that you are ABS leaders and that all of you share in the joy and privilege of being the leaven for our fellowship. In a nutshell, here are the steps for 'how' and 'why' of Phase 1.
Over the past few years, we have....
- Grown by approximately 450 people in attendance at our worship & ABS.
- Baptized over 225 people in the last 2.5 years (Your heart should erupt with joy over that sentence!)
- Seen multitudes of students venture our way in pursuit of hope in Christ. Our student ministry has grown by 700% in the past couple of years
- Unified in our ABS structure and study
- Experienced dramatic "Awakening" services that have been powerful for our fellowship AND have shown us what can happen on a week to week basis. We do not have to imagine what 2000 people look like in worship at Valley View. We have SEEN IT!
One year ago..
- A team was put together and explored and studied, at length, our growth, our current property, and our spatial needs.
- That team identified 4 Critical Needs:
- Space for our Students
- Space for parking
- Adult Bible Study Space
- A Clear Way to Navigate our Property
These 4 Needs were identified as critical. Critical = Immediate.
We also recognize that we will rapidly need to address our Worship Space and our Children's Space (That is Phase 2 and needs to happen in the very near future!)
Recently...
- This team tasked a building team to work on addressing these four key needs. This team moved into partnership with a Church Building organization named MG & A.
- Last Spring, this team presented a plan that would address the four critical needs. Valley View, by a 98.8% vote, compelled us to move forward with that plan.
- Through the Summer, plans have been finalized and bids accepted and we are fully prepared to address the four key needs of:
- Student Space
- ABS Space
- Parking Space
- The FIRST step in creating a navigational process for our campus. (Phase 2 will finalize this process)
We are EXCITED!
- I cannot print our Guaranteed Maximum Price at this moment because it continues to be worked and tweaked. We will be able to share that price within a week. However, it appears that we will be able to build all space BELOW the price that was presented in the Spring of 2011. What a great and joy-filled praise. It is VERY close, so hold out for a week or so until our business meeting to hear the final $ figure. We are SO EXCITED.
(As an ABS LEADER, you have a sneak preview of the brochure that will go out on Sunday AM. Open the attachment to this e mail and enjoy what God is doing among us!)
Today....
- We will be informing the church family of our impending plans via the brochure on THIS Sunday AM, PM and Wednesday, the 21st.
- Sunday, the 25th our church family will have a vision (business) meeting and, hopefully, affirm to move forward with this first Phase. This will happen in the PM service
- Once the business is clear and complete, we will launch a campaign on October 2 and we will, as a church, pay for this phase. (God-willing, we will pay for this project over 3 years, which I am pretty confident that He is willing. The thrill and challenge will be our willingness to give with abounding joy and with believing sacrifice as we join with God in His will.)
Isn't that awesome! Now, hear me on this... Our building team and our pastor and I am excited about this project, NOT because it is brick and mortar but because we are making more space and improving current space to most powerfully be used by God as He transform lives.
We long to see our God transform a life and a city and our church!!
As an ABS leader, I am inviting you to be prayerful and excited and to be the key leader that God has ordained you to be in order that we generate tremendous unified vision for what He has in store. I love the idea of creating this space. I love the idea of lives changed (transformation). I think that God is honored by the idea of us paying off this space over the next 3 years. This will require sacrifice. I cannot think of anything more worthy of our sacrifice that the joy of moving the Kingdom forward through our local church.
Feel free to ask questions. Feel free to pray. Feel free to expect Ephesians 3.20 type activity as we ask God for more of His glory in His church.
The Next Few Weeks...
- On the 25th we will choose to adopt this project as a church in an official business meeting (If the Valley View faith family does not choose to adopt this project, the following is not relevant. Given the 98.8% affirmation in the Spring, we feel very confident that we are acting within the will of the Valley View body)
- From October 2 - November 6 you will hear MUCH vision for what we are doing and our common heart and hope for transformation
- On November 13 we will give an offering and pledge an amount of money toward this project for the next three years.
- Over the next 6 - 7 months, much work will be done on our campus and a good bit of hassle will happen for all of us.
- On or around Easter, we will open the door for a new and next step of ministry
- In 3 years or earlier, it is possible that we will have paid for this first Phase! That would be amazing!!
I hope that all of this information keeps you posted on where we have been and where we are going. You guys are our leaders and I want you to be as well informed as possible. Greater things are still to come....
What a joy to be your partner in this gospel. What a joy to pursue Christos together!! Have a wonderful and blessed day. I thank my God for you.
By Grace.... For Glory,
Mark
