Monday, April 30, 2007

Dream Big

Inquisitive minds always want to know, "What's next?" And guys like me are terrified to answer, because our dreams seem so big. But, with pure faith that God is going to continue to bless Access Church with incredible volunteers and necessary financial support, here is some of what we are praying and working toward:
  • Volunteer Training—August 12 & 26
  • One-time service in Lazzarra—August 19
  • Switch to two Sunday AM services—September 2
  • Community Group Leader Orientation—September 16
  • Baptism Service—September 23
  • Starting Point launch—October 7
  • GroupLink—November 4
  • Open for Membership—December 2007
  • Launch middle- and high-school environments—February 2008
Hopefully this whets your appetite for the exciting things God has ahead for us! I can't wait to see how God uses each new environment to show his love to more kids and adults—our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family members. Thanks to each of you whose commitment has encouraged us to look ahead with anticipation and expectation!

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Technical Director

Kevin Bunnell recently joined our staff in the part-time role of Technical Director. Kevin is an old friend, originally from Ohio, and has just moved to Jacksonville to help launch Access Church. Kevin says, "God has been working on me to learn to work and live open-handed with Him. I am so excited to be able to use my technical skills to help others learn about Jesus on a deeper level."

Pray for Kevin as he adjusts to being far from friends and family and enjoys new relationships here in Florida. We're so glad to have Kevin for both his technical skills and his pursuit of God and people. He is skilled with lights, sound, and video, but even better, he's a great guy to work with. Kevin holds degrees from Cedarville University and Trinity International Univesity, with a strong background in media. You're gonna love him!

Labels:

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Are You Involved?

Here's how you can know if you are "part" of our church:
  • You pray. For wisdom as we lead, discernment as we hire, faith as we trust, humility when we fail, and influence as we connect.
  • You serve. So many have jumped in at the point of greatest need. Awesome! Now, begin to apprentice someone.
  • You give. It's our desire to be 100% locally-funded, but we're not even close, yet. We need more to commit an extra percentage to this effort as so many are still browsing.
  • You invite. Our environments for kids and adult are top-notch. Now, let's fill 'em up! Invite a friend to sit with you on May 6.
Consider connecting to the body!

Labels:

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Weekend in Atlanta

Kevin, Ben, and I are in Atlanta for a few days, reconnecting with the North Point team. It's already been so encouraging to hook up with friendly faces and be reminded of why we love to be a part of this organization.

We took a little stroll from our hotel last night and checked out the new Buckhead Church facility, which opens two weeks from today. It looks awesome!

This morning we rose at 5:30am to be here in time for production meetings and to get Kevin settled in with a headset so he can hear all the production cues. In a couple of hours, we'll duck out and run over to Athens Church for their 11:00am service, then back to Alpharetta to help set up for Married Life LIVE tonight. It's gonna be a great day!

Monday we'll meet the whole NPM staff (all three campuses) at Buckhead for a staff meeting and then spend the day helping the Buckhead staff move into their offices and environments. A few meetings on Tuesday and then back to Jacksonville on Tuesday evening. See ya' then!

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Starting Point Orientation

I have heard a number of people ask the question, "What's next?" or say, "So, I come to Access every other Sunday and listen to a great message and experience great worship, but how is this going to get deeper?"

Well, success at Access Church is defined by how effectively our ministries move people from our large environments into small groups. We believe that the small group is the best place for sustained life change to occur—it's our "kitchen" environment. To work toward that goal, over the next few months we'll launch a number of new environments to begin assimilating people into Community Groups.

Starting Point is one of those environments. It's a 10-week small group environment for those seeking or starting a relationship with God. It includes a small-group discussion where you can ask any question or voice any opinion about God, the Bible, or faith, without being forced to change or to believe anything. It's for people who are investigating Jesus and the Bible, for those who are new to a relationship with Jesus Christ, or for those who have some church experience, but have been away for a while.

On May 20th, immediately following our 6:00pm service, we'll hold our first Starting Point orientation. At the orientation, you will hear all about Starting Point. You'll have the opportunity to ask questions and to sign up for a group, and you'll find out where to purchase your materials. There is no commitment when you come to the orientation and we will only meet for about 15 minutes.

If you want more information, visit www.startingpoint.com, stop by our information table, or email starting.point@accesschurch.org.

We look forward to seeing you on May 20th.

Labels: