Bill Ellis

I'm encouraged by the heart and realism presented by Bill in the class. My heart resonates with the philiosphy of ministry that he presents... we, as the church, are to be Christ incarnate to this world. We need to have a mindset that the words given to us to preach, teach or convey are for the purpose of life change, not just for sharing thoughts. God needs to do a work inside of me before He can use me to accomplish His work in this world. "Change me, oh God."

When the church plant began, there were only a couple dozen people involved. It's difficult to reach a community before a "critical mass" is formed within the church. Not impossible, but difficult. It is amazing at what a group, growing in numbers and momentum, can do for the kingdom of God. One of the ways they set out to grow was to be welcoming to those people that were on the perimeter of their faith.

Not all people who follow Christ are Christians. They are interested in what Christ was offering, but may not have made a commitment to place Him as Lord over their lives. Many people are in this position along their journey. Which is probably why, when Jesus told his followers that they must eat of his flesh and drink of his blood, there were many that were quick to walk away. Or when the crowds had gathered to celebrate their new king (palm Sunday) the scriptures say that there were many that had gathered because of the miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead. Followers are not necessarily partakers. It is not our responsibility to save people, it is our responsibility to go and make followers, students of Christ who would desire to journey with Him.

Everything was going well with the discussion in the class, and then, all of a sudden, the questions changed to be politically focused. Totally lost my connection to the discussion.

Until the end, when things got brought back around. (thank you)

Being the church is NOT about drawing a crowd... We are the incarnation of Jesus to this world. There are less than 20 percent attend church regularly, it's in steady decline. Ultimately, we need to stay FOCUSED ON THE MISSION. Which is more important- Getting people to come to church OR engage in community?

Part of a shift in the culture where people are looking for genuine people that Get it.

Let's Get it!

Dan Miller

Back after the wonderful Windows XP computer crash... didn't even get the benefit of the proverbial "blue screen of death". Anyway, this post is not about the perils of Microsoft usage but my experience with the guest speaker, Dan Miller.

Pastor Miller is full of the transforming life of Christ. His commitment to evangelism has allowed him to transform the mission of the church to actually reach the community. His interest in making a difference in his town has put his church in the center of activity in the Back Mountian area of Pennsylvania.

"If your church was to close, would anyone, other than those that attend, even notice?" A tough question that we as the body of Christ needs to ask. Pastor Miller has stepped up to do more than just answer the question... he has placed their church in a position to make a difference. They built a multi-purpose community center that is staffed by Christians that are interested in living Jesus to those around. Actions speak louder! Get out there and live the life... BE Christians, so when the opportunity arises to share of His love, you are there.

The only thing that concerned me through the time together was the prayer line in the class. I understand the concept behind why, I just struggle with a person bringing a gift to impart anything on anyone. I can't discount this "gifting" because I personally have not experienced it, however, it's my understanding that the gifts and blessings from God are imparted on us through the Holy Spirit... perhaps he was simply being some form of conduit... regardless, it is something that I have not completely come to peace with... I am encouraged by his boldness to impress upon the next generation the very spirit of God.

Gerry Stoltzfoos

From the very start of the interview I was captivated by his real passion for helping people experience Jesus. Essentially being let go from his Amish family because of his honest persuit of the work of God in his life shapes the personality of Gerry Stoltzfoos in the ministry. It's about God and the people He loves. Throughout the interview I continued to go back to the thoughts surrounding his conversion from the Amish society he grew up in. Being "different" for God kept them from reaching out to others with the love of God. People couldn't get past the peculiarity of the Amish to ever hear the message that was burning in his heart.

WHY?

Fast forward to today... Pastor Gerry and the leadership at Freedom Valley Worship Center in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is reaching beyond the traditions to connect with those that might not be able to get past the peculiarity often found in churches. Personally, I had held to a poor opinion of some of the people that I had noticed were drawn to a couple of the ministries they have at Freedom Valley... until I heard him speak... When I heard about his life experiences in being alienated I began to recognize the people that he was specifically designed to minister to.

Funny, sad actually, how we can form opinions far before we know anything about what God is doing. We are blessed in the Penn-Del District to have such a spirit-led and motivated man of God in leadership.

New Believer Two

Ever just have a good friend looking out for you? That's the experience that Mark had. It all started after being invited and attending church with his friend Dan, the third time. There had to be more than just words in that book that made the difference, and it wasn't exactly what was said in church that day, but how it was said that made sense- "it just clicked".

He said he remembers the thing that helped him make that first step "over the line" to start his journey was how happy everyone was for him to be a part of the family. Knowing that there is so much more to life than just the here and now has been the best part of the decision to follow Christ. We are a part of something much bigger than what we know. By the way, it's encouraging to hear him talk like this about the church.

The most difficult part of the journey is continuing to focus on the big picture when things get down and out. Holding on to faith and remembering what love feels like when things are tough is really hard for Mark. He said that is the case for his friends and family too. But helping others make it through situations that have broken them down or hurt them and then seeing them become stronger with the wisdom God is showing them is something that has enabled him to grow the most in his faith. Some of his core life values are service and mercy. It's been great to see these gifts God has given him become further used in helping him along the way.

His advice for pastors? Don't be pushy, let them know you are there for them and let them come to you. They'll be more likely to listen to what needs to be heard and see that God has always been with them that way.

All in all, it's good to be a godly friend... after all, that's the way it started for him.

Jimmy Rivera

Meet the pastor of Allentown... Pastor Jim Rivera!

For 16 years at City Limits Church in Allentown, Pennsylvania Pastor Jim has energetically pursued the work of God. A former addict, 26 years clean!!!, he is now reclaiming territory stolen by the enemy and bringing victory to the people of this city through the power of the Holy Spirit. His plan has been pretty simple: Get out there! "Always present, always visible, always out there". He said "I'm not leaving there (Allentown)... It'll be in a box or in the rapture!" Obviously Pastor Jim is passionate about the task God has given him.

All of this passion has lead him to develop an outreach called the U-Turn Project. It's four part mission is to help people in the city to Dream about their future, Challenge them to grow beyond their circumstances, impress God given Vision for their life, and instill Hope when things seem hopeless. A major focus is enabling people to become free from the pain and false security of gang involvement. By living the love of God, Christ centered mentoring, and Holy Spirit driven outreach, Pastor Jimmy and City Limits Church is successfully bringing people from the crowd into the circle where life to it's fullest!

What shouts the loudest from this interview and from knowing Pastor Jim over the years? Calling... Calling... Calling...

When God Calls, and we are certain and obedient, He builds His Church and we find life...

Nick Poole & Rich Jones

As the pastor of church planting and development at Allison Park Church Nick is part of a Kingdom minded team of individuals called to bring hope, life, and salvation through Jesus Christ.

Birthed in the heart of Senior Pastor Jeff Leake, God has been directing Allison Park Church to plant churches in the surrounding communities. Knowing what the economy has done to their region over the years, with people losing jobs, and lifestyles changing, they have focused ministry efforts to some of the more economically depressed areas. While some churches may move to growing neighborhoods, this team of ministers has committed to the call to reach the people God has placed in their back yards...

Of the many responsibilities Nick has, working with the MCM Ministry School is one. MCM is a one year school designed to train people to pursue their God given dreams to minister. There are currently 18 students involved in the school and they are active in study and ministry among the church plants of the Allison Park Network.

Being a part of this network brings life to the work at hand. They are currently accepting applications for internships. This is an intensive, hands on, twelve week program to invest in young people who are serious about leading in the future of the church.

on a side note... I'm envious (I know, it's probably sinful) of the network they have... so great to be on a team of people reaching a city for the glory of God!

On the list of places Allison Park has committed to reach, Millville is next. They have brought Pastor Rich Jones onto their team to lead the work of Element Church, an outwardly focused church that will begin meeting in August of this year at Mr. Small's Funhouse. Pastor Rich has worked in various ministry positions over the years since graduating from Valley Forge Christian College; his primary attention has been given to leading teens to find their God ordained place in the Kingdom. It's been said, "Past performance is the best future predictor," and Pastor Rich has contributed greatly to the cause of Christ. He'll be the first to tell you, he just wants to be in the middle of the will of God; that's where everything "just feels right".

That is exactly what is happening in the development of Element Church in Millville, PA... God has orchestrated a great new relationship with the owner of Mr. Small's Funhouse and the vision of reaching this community is coming into focus and is building momentum. The nightclub is is not your typical church venue, but Craig Groeschel has said "if you want to reach the people that nobody else is reaching you are going to have to do what nobody else is doing".

It's great to see a friend, like Pastor Rich, step into a network of ministry that fits. Ministry is truly better together!