e-news for week of 6/15 - 6/21

I’m excited about this weekend and our worship together. We are going to look at a very, very familiar scripture but I think you are going to see it in the fuller context maybe even for the first time. The central text is, “Judge not or you will be judged…” When applied, this passage has the capacity to help elevate your life, attitude, relationships, and most of all – your primary relationship with God.

One of the constant themes I purposefully keep in front of us is that we continually see God working. N.T. Wright wrote about Jesus, “Wherever he went, people were excited because they believed that God was on the move, that a new rescue operation was in the air, that things were going to be put right.” That’s what is going on here at Forum. God is on the move. God is transforming people. The living kingdom of God is unfolding and we are God’s agents put into place to reveal this kingdom.

Over the past several weeks, we have partnered with God in a lot of ways:

· Vacation Bible school took place ministering to hundreds of children who got to experience the Bible in a hands on, experiential kind of way. One of the nights I sat down at one of the tables and listened to both the teachers and the students interact with one another in a way that demonstrated the depth of learning that was taking place.

· Our teens are working at Cookson Hills children’s ranch in Kansas, Oklahoma. I look forward to hearing about how God used our teens there.

· Those who serve in behind the scenes ways such as taking care of the grounds, communion preparation, serving in the nursery, or the children’s classrooms, etc. continue to do so for the glory of God. They strive for excellence because that reflects the nature of God.

· Prayer and funding continue to be ongoing toward the launch of the second campus on March 1, 2009 with plans and details being put together so as to best help all to understand what the Lord has placed in front of us.

Let me be transparently honest here – when it comes to the multi-site approach to impacting Columbia, I wish I could just get in a time machine and fast forward a year or two or three down the road to see the results. I’m an American which equates, “I want it now.” This has been an emerging vision for nearly two years within my heart. On the front end of the emerging vision, I kept it between myself and the Lord. As events, learning curves, exposure, and opportunities culminated and confirmed – I began to share the vision with the rest of the elders and our staff. Friends, building consensus, momentum, unity, and then the willingness to take leaps of faith – especially in a “volunteer” entity (no one makes us come to Forum – we are all here by choice) that is a 50 plus year old ministry is something only God can do. Which leads me to the big truth for this update: this is God’s work – God is on the move – this is something new He is orchestrating and as impatient as I might personally be to launch, to get things up and running, to see the outcome – we all need to have the maturity, the patience, and the unity to understand that the process that God takes us through is God’s work as well. This process will shape Forum in new levels of purposefulness, aggressiveness for lost people, deepening people, coaching and training people, in leadership development, the leadership thought, and most of all, in our faith. Come fall – you will hear a lot about all of this – it will be our organizing force ramping up to March 09. Right now here is what you can do:

1. Pray

2. Be praying about an amount to give toward this effort that will come at the end of October or early November.

3. Be praying about roles you might be able to serve in either at the current campus or the campus on the north end of town (children’s ministry, worship, preparation team, grounds readiness, etc.)

4. Keep the elders and staff encouraged and lifted up.

Here are some upcoming envents where you can connect with God and people:

We still would like to have volunteers who would like to work at the Show-Me Games. If we can get at least 12 volunteers, they will put our name on the back of the shirts. Call the office, pick up a registration form at the Information Center, or you can register online at smsg.org.

This Saturday, June 21st, is Men of IMPACT here at the church. It all begins at 7:45 a.m. with breakfast and will end around 11:00 a.m. Bill Penkethman with High Quest Ministries will be the speaker for the morning.

If you haven’t registered your kids for camp, there’s still time. See Katelyn for registration forms.

Can't wait to worship with you men this Saturday morning and the whole body on Sunday. See you then, Scott