Double the Change

Since Access began, we've had the privilege of seeing God work in amazing ways in the lives of those we love. That's prompted us to ask the question, "Could we double it?"

Could we double the change we've seen in the lives of men, women, and children who are coming to know God in a new way?

What if you could double your opportunities to introduce family and friends to the God who loves them?

What if you had twice as many chances to leverage your influence in someone's life and lead them into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ?

Beginning in September, Access Church will meet every Sunday to provide exactly that kind of possibility in the lives of those you love.

This is a huge step for us as a church! We were determined not to take this step until we had 100 volunteers working together to create relevant, excellent, and engaging environments. We could still use a few more (contact Zoie today to sign up!), but we feel confident God will bring us the right people in the next few weeks. We are so excited for all that's ahead!

I want to say thanks to all the volunteers who've worked so hard to bring us to this point. The first 18 months have been amazing. I can't wait to see what God's going to do next!!

Who will you invite this fall?

Prayin'

Access Church has simple roots. Before there were Sunday morning services, before there was a staff, before we even had a name or a bank account, there was a small group of people meeting...to pray.

Their prayers were pretty simple.

"God, this isn't our thing, it's your thing."

At the exact same time Stephanie and I were being challenged to plant a church. Something we'd never done. Yet, we felt strongly called to this city and this movement. We began to constantly pray, "God, this is your idea, not ours, so it's up to you to make this work."

I'm so grateful for the foundation of this church. I'm so grateful for all of you who join us in praying that God would use this church in the lives of those we love.

More than 50 of you have committed to regularly pray for Access Church. Here's why that is so exciting!

1. Prayer aligns our hearts with God's. We begin to see people the way he sees them.
2. It's an exercise in submitting our will to his will.
3. It's an opportunity to acknowledge our dependence on his wisdom and provision.

When we pray, we see the mission through his lens, not ours. It means that when I drive past a great piece of land on Gate Parkway I've stopped praying, "Lord, give that to Access," but rather,"Use that for your glory, Lord."

Here are some specific ways you can pray for Access Church:

• Moral integrity for our leadership
• Unity in our community
• Wisdom and clarity in leadership
• Continued focus on reaching people
• Simplicity in our model
• Partnership with area churches
• Influence in our city

What are some other ways you can think of praying for Access?

Go Orange!

This past Sunday at Access, we announced an intense competition!

The family that goes ORANGE in the biggest way between now and August 17 will win an amazing prize. Here is Adam Flynt with a representative from the City of Jacksonville introducing the Go Orange campaign:




So, here's the deal:

1. Come up with a family strategy.
2. Go Orange in a huge way. Kind of like Zach. But not.
3. Send us a video of your family going orange.
3. Win the coolest prize ever.

The family that amazes us with their Orange Spirit will win the Orange Machine. Which is a lot like this Huffy Green Machine, only we've painted it orange. Sweet!

For official contest rules, download this PDF.

Have a super-orange summer!

YouVersion Mobile

One week from today, Apple and AT&T will begin selling the new iPhone at 8:00am. In addition to GPS and 3G technologies, the new iPhone will ship with the 2.0 software that supports third-party applications.

Older iPhones can run the 2.0 software as well, which allows the installation of all kinds of cool apps.

The one I'm most excited about?

YouVersion.

Which third-party app are you most excited about?

GroupLink

If you've been attending Access for a while, but have yet to jump into a Community Group, your time is here!

Community Groups are the heartbeat of Access Church. You see, we believe that no matter how big a church gets, it can still stay "small" in the most important ways if we gather around the kitchen table, look each other in the eye, and do life together.

Sunday mornings are great, but they are such a small slice of what we believe the church should be. Groups are where it all comes to life!

GroupLink is your chance to get into a group this fall. Don't miss it!

August 17, 4:30pm, UNF.

Summer Giving Opportunity

This summer brings a great opportunity for you to really make a difference at Access Church.

We're so excited that 22 of you who have not been giving regularly have decided to jump IN with your finances!

Here's the opportunity:

The Access family gave in very strong ways through the spring. But, May was pretty rough.

Our year-to-date giving total is now about $14,000 below what we have budgeted. As a result, our cash reserve is dangerously low.

Heading into the summer with a low cash reserve is pretty risky. We understand that it's easy to forget about giving during the summer months, but if that were to happen with the Access family, the results could be severe—even meaning that our staff would be left unpaid.

Here's why we're not panicked:

First, this church is God's—it's been his idea from the beginning, and we're confident of our future in Him.

Second, we're excited about all that fall will bring! An every-Sunday schedule will increase our momentum and double the opportunities we have to invite more of our friends, family, and classmates to Access Church.

Third, more and more of you are joining the mission all the time, and those of you who've jumped "IN" represent about a 40% increase in the number of priority-percentage givers at Access Church. That is so encouraging!

Here's what you can do today to help with this situation:

1. Go to this page on our web site to set up a recurring, automatic gift to Access Church. Giving on a weekly or monthly basis really helps add consistency to our budget. Or, if you prefer, you can use your own bank's online bill payment system.

2. Consider a retroactive gift to help cover the shortfall in May. You can send it in this week or drop it in the bucket on Sunday.

I can't possibly tell you in words how encouraging your generosity is to this ministry! There is no way we could do this without you! Thank you.

The Ride of Your Life

We asked the question, "Are you IN?"

And 17 of you, who have not previously served, said, "YES!"

That's ridiculously encouraging!

You've increased our volunteer force by 20%!

You are equipping us to begin the fall healthy and strong!

You have become a part of something bigger than yourself—something that God wants to do in this city. You will create environments that are irresistible. You will make it possible for your friends, family members, and co-workers to experience God in a new way. And when God starts using you like that, well...it's a rush!

This summer we're going to buckle our seatbelts. We're going to position you, train you, and prepare you. You might be a little nervous. But we're going to make sure you're ready.

This summer, you're going to begin the ride of your life! Hang on tight!

Baptism, What's the Big Deal?

Last time Access met, Andy Stanley gave one of the best explanations of baptism I've ever heard. Some of you missed it and have asked to see it, so here you go!

If, after watching the video, you would like to be baptized, give us a shout. We're planning a baptism service at the beach on August 24. We'd love to help you celebrate God's work in your life in front of family and friends.

Laughter

I thought you might enjoy this post from Stephanie, who spends most Sundays answering questions at the information table:

During the service this past Sunday I was sitting at the information table watching Andy on the hall monitor, and I confess, I got distracted.

In my view, past the monitor and outside, there was a game going on. Kickball. Hot, sweaty grown-ups and teenagers playing guys-against-the-girls. The ball was flying and there was a lot of running. I mean all-out, no-one-makes-it-to-another-base kind of running going on—by the teenagers, too. There was arm-waving, jostling at the bases, and laughing. Lots of laughing across the grass.

I could barely hear it, though, for all the noise from upstairs. More kids—elementary-aged—on a scavenger hunt. There was excited, raucous, we-love-this-stuff kind of laughing echoing down the hallway. There was running, jostling,boisterousness—by the grown-ups, too.

Then there was host team, opening up the doors, getting ready for the flow of people to come. talking, laughing. There was a muted conversation down the hallway, punctuated with laughter.

News came that Waumba was brimming with a record number of babies. There was no-one-cries-on-my-watch kind of rocking going on. There was gurgling and bouncing and laughing—by babies, too.

I thought of what Peyton (10) had asked the night before. “What are we going to do at Access on Sunday?”

“Have a party for God!” Cutler (4) answered.

I sat there and listened to the joy of the party—all of it—rising, mingling and ringing all around me

I mean, we-are-here-to-give-our-hearts kind of joy.

Irresistible.

How-could -I-help-but-want-to-be-here kind of inviting.

I know He enjoyed every minute of it.

IN

Recently we spent some time on a Sunday morning asking the question, "Are you IN?"

The premise is simple. Access church began with a group of people praying that God would do something amazing in Jacksonville. Then, that group of people began to give from their income—to a church that didn't even have a name or a staff, yet! Then, they volunteered to create environments that would introduce people to God. Finally, they invited friends and loved ones to experience Access Church.

Those four elements aren't just our history—they are our future as well! They are the foundation of our church, and if we took any one of them away, we would cease to be the same.

So, we're inviting those of you who've joined the mission of Access Church in the last year or so to jump IN, as well. Here is the commitment we're asking for:

• Pray regularly (you decide how often) for the leadership, ministries, and impact of Access Church.
• Give a priority percentage (you decide what that is) of your 2008 income to Access Church.
• Jump in at the point of greatest need on a strategic service team at Access Church.
• Invite people in your life who might benefit from developing intimacy with God and community with others to Access Church sometime this summer.

Are you in? If so, you can download a pledge card here and turn in on a Sunday or drop it in the mail. We'd love to know we can count on you!

Consumerism in the Church

Lately I've been in some discussions about our particular model of church with a few really bright critics. It's good to allow others to ask challenging questions, and to ask them of ourselves.

Some people just don't like big churches. Others really resist the idea of one church having multiple campuses. And the idea of having a communicator appear via video is pretty "outside the box" for many.

The cool thing is that there is room in the body of Christ for all of these thoughts. I'm not going to knock your model of reaching people. There are very few things worth arguing about, and if you are encouraging people to love God and love people in stronger and more authentic ways, them I'm going to cheer you on!

But there is something I need to rant about today, for just a little bit.

"Consumerism" in the church.

Some are clearly against it. Me? I'm all for it! But the key question is, which consumers?

The consumers inside the church? The ones that walk past a pastor and say, "Great message?" Or, the one who says, "I just can't imagine church without small groups." The sentiments might be the same as yours, but they are still consumer-mindset sentiments.

So, the real question becomes, "Which consumers are you going to listen to?" Will you listen to the consumers inside the church, or the consumers outside the church?

When you listen to consumers inside the church, you end up with multiple services, each with a different style of music. Or you have 87 ministries to meet every potential need. Except that next month you'll have to add more to meet new needs.

When you listen to consumers outside the church, you start to look like Jesus. I'm definitely for that.

Spanish Andy

Thought you might be encouraged to see how North Point is continuing to look for innovative ways to reach the community of Atlanta.

A bunch of people are loving the fact that they can invite unbelieving friends to an environment like North Point. But, what happens when those people have friends who don't speak English?