Cell Pastor Michael's Mind & Heart

Relationships are the Bottom Line

2011-03-31T06:50:00.000-07:00

We have been talking all month about reports and statistics and how they can help in measuring growth, health and potential of your cell / holistic group system. I stress a point I made earlier, simple is better. I gain the greatest insight about what is going on through the on-going relationships with my leaders and coaches and visits to see them in action.

Last night I visited a cell and I learned more by participation and observation than I would have by simply looking at a written report. I also got to meet two new people who were attending the cell. Sure their names will show up on the report the office will receive today. But now I know who they are and gained insight into who they are as a person and a little about their story. I learned much as I observed them and the rest of the group members throughout the evening. Now when I meet with this cell leader for my monthly one-on-one time together, the list of names comes alive and I can help him see the potential in the people who surround him week after week.

During a one-on-one time last Saturday with one of my coaches I learned invaluable information about two other cell groups. Sure, I could look at the report from the cell leader he is coaching and see the names of those who are attending but what I learned through the face to face communication with this coach was that a relatively new member of that cell led the Word time in the gathering and did fantastic as a facilitator. I was able to approach this person and determine interest in being equipped to become a cell leader. I will work in conjunction with this coach and leader to see that this happens.

This same coach told me about the struggles of another cell and how they have not been able to establish a regular meeting place. Looking at the report I would have seen that they met in various locations but I would not have know about their desire to move south and establish a more stable place to meet. Because of my relationship with this coach I gained the needed insight to understand what was going on and now the coach and I can encourage the leader to make the necessary move.

Reports and statistics are important but it is in relationships where everything comes to life. Relate to your coaches and leaders and hang out with them and you will learn so much more than sitting in an office looking at a chart. Relationships are the bottom line to effective use of reports and statistics.

Comments?
Michael

"Bread and Butter" Cells before Specializing

2010-06-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

This week I would like to speak to those who are just starting out with cells or transitioning toward a base of "holistic" cells.

When I first arrived at Allen three years ago, I came into a situation where there were some cells in place. The problem was that these cells were not "holistic" as we have been describing in our blogs this month. There was no leadership training or coaching in place. There was not a common vision or approach toward what happened as these cells gathered.

So the first thing we did was introduce training to help the existing leaders begin to understand cell life and the dimensions that make a cell holistic. A few weeks ago I introduced these dimensions and the questions to ask to determine if your cell is “holistic” in nature.

#1 (Upward) Are the people being directed into the presence of God?
#2 (Inward) Are the people experiencing community and serving one another.
#3 (Outward) Is the cell actively praying for and reaching out to the lost?
#4 (Forward) Are people being discipled and leaders being raised toward the next multiplication?

Next we made sure every cell leader was coached. I believe this is one of the most important aspects of a cell system. Everyone needs to be cared for, especially your cell leaders. Beyond this, one of the best decisions we made during this initial phase was to make our mixed (family) cells to be the "bread and butter" type cells we focused on starting. We didn't want to start specialized cells until we had the basic systems in place. So we said no to many requests about starting specialized cells and directed people to first participate in a mixed cell.

Now with 25 cells we are open to planting specialized cells, like recovery cells, women's cells, college cells, single mom's cells as well as forming networks. We now have a men's network. The key is train your leaders well and build a base of "bread and butter" type cells then God will begin to call different people to plant more specialized cells. But the common denominator is that all these cells are holistic in nature, there is a common training system and coaching structure in place.

This approach was very helpful in our startup phase and the first few years of our transition.

Comments? Questions? What has been your experience as far as types of cells in your system?

Michael

2010-06-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

Weekly Threshold Ministry
by Michael Sove

The dictionary gives the following definitions for the word "threshold”:

1. The sill of a doorway
2. The entrance to a house or building
3. Any place or point of entering or beginning

I think the word threshold is a perfect word to describe cell ministry that penetrates the neighborhoods we live in. Wherever we go we carry the life of Christ. What an awesome picture to capture and a worthy vision to chase after. Taking the life of Christ across the thresholds of our homes and inviting others across that same threshold to experience that life! At Allen we call our cells "Neighborhood Life" with that vision in mind.

Since a cell church soars with two wings, celebration and cell, it makes sense to hold cell gatherings on a weekly basis as we do celebration services. Those who come to our weekly celebration services can be immediately be plugged into a cell and there can be continuity between what happens on Sunday and what happens in the cell.

Each month we hold three cell gatherings for edification and one cell gathering for outreach (usually on a weekend where people are more available). For the week following the first Sunday of the month all our cells hold parties and events in our neighborhoods for the purpose of outreach and helping unconnected people from our celebration services get connected. This month I invited my whole townhouse community to what we called "Ice Cream Sunday."

I pray that you and your cell members can catch a "Threshold" vision!

Your comments?

Michael

2010-06-09T18:31:00.000-07:00

The Four Dimensions of a Holistic Cell
by Michael Sove

One of my favorite ways to determine wether a cell is holistic or not is to look for the following four dimensions. (upward, inward, outward and forward) The questions I ask are as follows:

#1 (Upward) Are the people being directed into the presence of God?
#2 (Inward) Are the people experiencing community and serving one another.
#3 (Outward) Is the cell actively praying for and reaching out to the lost?
#4 (Forward) Are people being discipled and leaders being raised toward the next multiplication?

As a church we have adopted the following definition for our cells and it has been very helpful. You will see the four dimensions are seen in the definition.

Definition of a Cell Group
A group of 4-15 people who have chosen to live together in biblical community for the purpose of Christ-centered worship, edification, relational evangelism and discipleship with the goal of multiplication.

A Closer Look at Our Definition of a Cell Group

Small Size (4-15 people) Cells should remain small enough so that each person can participate and intimacy in relationships can occur.

Regularity (meet weekly) Cells meeting weekly are the norm to promote continuity from the weekend services and to assure quality control. Guests from the weekend can immediately connect with a group.

Penetration (outside the church building) Cells meet outside the church building to penetrate the world where people live, move and breathe.

Upward (Christ-centered worship) Cells help people experience the presence of God.

Inward (biblical community) Cells provide the optimum environment for meaningful relationships to be developed. People are created for community.

Outward (for the purpose of evangelism) Cells pray for and reach out to those needing Christ. This is the reason for cells and is the priority of the cell as the group reaches out together.

Forward (discipleship and equipping) Cells offer pastoral care and a process for spiritual growth through an equipping track designed to help all toward become Spirit-filled servants of Christ.

Expansion (goal of multiplication) Cells focus on raising new leaders so new groups can be started and more people reached, developed and cared for.

Clarity in definition has helped us remain four dimensional and holistic in nature.

Comments? What definition do you use?

Michael

Good and Pleasant Teamwork

2010-05-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

David expressed what we are experiencing as a staff here at Allen. He said, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!” Psalm 133:1

A few days ago Jeff Tunnell talked about how “Two Are Better Than One.” He said, “We need the camaraderie and brotherhood of others for mutual encouragement, mentoring, sharpening of skills and broadening of ideas in our cell ministry.”

Our staff is actually experiencing this and we are working well together. There are a couple of things that lead to this unity and camaraderie. Each of us including the Senior Pastor is involved at some level in a cell. Some of us lead a cell, some of us coach as well as lead a cell, while others simply participate in a cell because of other levels of responsibility. We understand the importance of connecting in community and being in each other’s lives. It’s a value we all hold in common and this strengthens us as a team.

Having a cohesive team is important in any situation but I feel it is even more critical in the cell church. One of the greatest moves we have made is to simplify our objective as a church. Each person on the staff focuses on that objective and therefore our ministries all fit into a directional flow that leads toward the fulfillment of that objective. So when we come together in a team meeting, there is this sense of togetherness and encouragement. We are helping and supporting one another. We understand the importance of “integration.” Everything we do fits the objective and connects with everything else we’re doing. There is not a sense of competition but of cooperation.

On top of all that, we’re growing as friends and this leads to good and pleasant teamwork.

Comments? What have you done to enhance teamwork in your ministry?

Michael

Walking and Talking Cell Church Values

2010-05-12T11:24:00.001-07:00

We have already established how important it is for the lead/senior pastor to actually take the lead when it comes to cell church vision and principles. It's not something that can be delegated away to someone else. This week we're looking at some practical ways to do this.

The lead/senior pastor has the opportunity to communicate cell church values every time he stands up to preach. I'm not referring to speaking about cells using cell church terminology but speaking and giving personal examples that reinforce the values that form the foundation of a cell church strategy.

For example: Instead of talking, "cells, cells, cells" speak about the beauty and benefit of community, the power of evangelism as a team, the need for "Spiritual Fathers and Mothers" to help and encourage those who are one step behind or just beginning their faith journey. Of course all these messages are strengthened by stories from your life and others who are participating in cell life.

Not only must you talk about the values but you must walk out those values as well. When you lead a cell or participate in a cell, you show that this is something you value, it is not just something you talk about. The same can be said about personal evangelism, and discipleship as well. The story about how God just used you to lead a person to Christ and how you are meeting him weekly for discipleship speaks volumes to those who are listening.

Bill Warren, our Senior Pastor, has been visiting cells and I continue to hear how that has encouraged the leaders and those in their cells. They get the feeling that they matter and what they are doing is important, just through a simple visit.

Both Bill, our Senior Pastor and I the Cell Pastor / Champion lead the monthly V.H.S. (vision, huddle and skill) meeting for all our cell leaders. He casts the vision for some aspect of our strategy. He also uses this as a time to honor those who have lived out the values we are teaching.

Another way to exemplify leadership in a cell church is to keep things simple and on task. In our setting, our objective is lived out in three words, "Connect, Grow and Serve." So everything we do and say comes back to living out these three objectives and helping others to understand how they can live them out as well.

People will tend to value what they see you doing rather than what they hear you saying. So make sure what you are saying is supported by what you are doing and you will exemplify cell church leadership that will invite others to follow.

Comments or other practical suggestions?

Michael

The Real "Cell Pastor"

2010-05-06T12:02:00.000-07:00

I'm am in my fourth year serving as cell pastor at Allen Memorial. I was hired to help our church transition to become a cell church that impacts the world for Christ. From the very first interview I had many questions. You see, I had been a church planter and lead pastor for eighteen years. I knew that my title as cell pastor was really a misnomer. A better description of my role would be "Cell Champion."

Sure, I could be a great help assisting the Senior Pastor by focusing on leadership development, coaching, equipping, writing cell materials, helping cells to focus on evangelism and missions. But I understood from the day I was hired who the real cell pastor was.

The Senior Pastor can never give away his role as cell pastor or visionary if a church is to transition to be a cell church and not just a church with groups. He must be involved and model himself cell church values like community, personal evangelism, and the importance of making disciples.

Even more important than that, he must be a man of prayer, seeking to be "filled with the Spirit" day by day, meeting God to hear from Him and to receive power, vision and direction to lead the charge.

If you are a Senior Pastor, having someone to function as "Cell Champion" can really make a difference. They can put all their effort and focus into the cell system and people development, but never forget who the real "Cell Pastor" is. You are so important to the fulfillment of the vision. We will stand by your side, pray for you, encourage you and run with you but we need you to lead the charge. Your example speaks more than your words. Show us the way!

Entering the Circle

2010-04-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

by Michael Sove

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." John 17:20-21 (my emphasis)

The will of the Trinity is that we should be invited into the fellowship of the Trinity. What a beautiful picture to have as you gather with your cell group. Many times we talk about recognizing Christ in our midst, but what about recognizing us in "Their Midst?" The Father Son and Holy Spirit.

Dallas Willard writes these words:

“God’s aim in human history is an inclusive community of loving persons with Himself included as it’s primary sustainer and most glorious inhabitant.” Dallas Willard

As I gather with my cell I'm always trying to heighten our awareness of whose presence we're in. I do this in a number of ways...

• Begin with prayer addressing the members of the Trinity, acknowledging their presence, inviting their work in us and through us.
• By spending quality time in worship, praying and singing and expressing love directly to God.
• Allowing time for listening and responding, asking people if they heard anything from God that they would like to share.
• By not responding quickly to a need but by pausing and asking God for direction for ministry.

As we enter the circle of the fellowship of the Trinity, lives are transformed, bodies are healed, marriages restored and dreams are realized. Come to the cell gathering looking for God's movement in your midst and you won't be disappointed.

What practical ideas would you add to my list to heighten awareness of the presence of God as you gather with your cell?

Michael

Prayer: The Pathway to the Spirit-filled Life

2010-04-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

Prayer: The Pathway to a Spirit-filled Life
by Michael Sove

As leaders we need to hear the call to the Spirit-filled life.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 (NIV)

Not only must we hear the call but must heed the call to the Spirit-filled life.

“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” Eph 5:18 (NIV)

At Allen we believe prayer is the pathway to a Spirit-filled life. We ask all our pastors and cell leaders to participate in “Soul Switch.” This is an on-going 40 day period of commitment, where each of us agrees to pray for 30 minutes and read for at least 15 minutes daily. As we do this we ask God to crucify our self-focus and our self-confidence.

Prayer must become a meeting with God. We don’t like to use the word quiet time, as this meeting with God is far more than quiet. In order to meet God, your soul must thirst for God. We believe that when you approach God you must have “intense intentionality.”

Psalm 42:1-2 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (NIV)

Prayer also becomes important in the destruction of strongholds (areas of persistent disobedience that we refuse to destroy but rather try to justify). In order to remain Spirit-filled, you must attack the strongholds. We encourage each other to C.A.B daily. (Confess your sin, Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you, Believe that you have been filled)

James 4:7 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (NIV)

Do you want to have a strong cell church that impacts nations for the Glory of God? Then grow Christians to become Spirit-filled Believers. Put them on the pathway of prayer. It begins with you, passes through the leaders and spreads to the others.

Comments?

Michael

2010-04-15T07:36:00.001-07:00

This week we've been talking about how we can integrate prayer in the cell. Brother Lawrence coined the phrase, "Practicing the Presence of God." If a cell recognizes "Christ in the midst" prayer will be spontaneous and can happen at any point in the cell gathering, rather than being relegated to a specific time and place, or just a closing exercise.

Cell members who are in tune with God and listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit will be ready to pray at any point in the gathering. Right in the middle of a discussion, we've stopped and had a person who was welling up with tears sit in a chair so others could gather around and pray for and with them.

This week I wanted to draw your attention to two things we do in our cells that really allow us to get specific in prayer beyond just being ready to pray as led by the Spirit at any point in the gathering.

First: During our weekly breakout time for discipleship. We break into two's or three's, men with men and women with women. We use the following questions to share transparently and hold each other accountable.

Life Transformation Questions (For use in groups of three/two)

#1 How have you done this week in meeting the Lord through prayer and reading His Word?

#2 What do you hope to do differently as a result of this week’s passage/message?

#3 Do you have a need to confess any sin?

#4 Who are you praying for to receive Christ? What is the next step you need to take in this relationship?

#5 How can we pray for you? (Burdens, Hopes…)

As you can see any honest sharing on any of these questions can lead to specific prayer. We try to give at least one half hour to this breakout time.

Second: During our mission focus at the end of cell. All our cells have adopted international pastors for prayer and ministry. We want each of our cells to have a heart for the nations. So at the end of each cell gathering we come back together after the discipleship time and we pray specifically for one of the needs of our international pastor that we have adopted as a cell.

God has provided many blessings to these pastors as people's hearts have softened through prayer and God has directed them to meet the needs they were praying for. God loves to answer prayer specifically, so make sure there are opportunities to share specific requests as you gather the next time.

From Passive to Purposeful Prayer

2010-04-07T11:31:00.001-07:00

As I write this first blog for the JCG Group, here is a little bit about me. I’m the Cell Pastor (Champion) at Allen Memorial in Salisbury, Maryland. We are a church of 450-500 adults in the process of transitioning to be a “Spirit-filled cell church that impacts the world for Christ.” We currently have 25 cell groups. I have a heart for the nations and will often share thoughts from those I am mentoring on the front lines, as well as from my own experiences in the trenches.

“Pastors and churches have to get uncomfortable enough to say, ‘We are not New Testament Christians if we don’t have a prayer life.’ This conviction makes us squirm a little, but how else will there be a breakthrough with God?” (Jim Cymbala – Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire – Zondervan, 1997, p.50)

Prayer must be at the core of our Christian life and our community life. Prayer is to be the heartbeat of our life as Christ followers and our life together as the church gathered. Prayer becomes not only the foundation of the cell church but the atmosphere it lives, moves and breathes in.

When we understand this we will move away from passive praying, which is to pray only when one has time or feels like praying, to passionate, purposeful and persistent praying. At Allen, the first step we have taken to strengthen our prayer base is to establish a weekly prayer initiative called “FaceDown.” Each Wednesday from 6 am until 8 pm our prayer room at our church facility is open for people to gather and pray together for the objective and needs of our church. All staff have a shift in the prayer room and are committed to this time of prayer. We have a long way to go to become a praying church.

In talking with Pastor Munawar from Pakistan, he gathers believers to pray three times a day for an hour as well as 5-8 pm on Saturday for fasting prayer. This is also the regular practice of Pastor Suresh from India to hold fasting prayer on Saturday for three hours. He also said he encourages his cell leaders to daily prayer and once a week fasting prayer as he sees this as the key to revival. Once a month they call the whole church to three days of prayer and fasting as well.

What prayer practices do you have when it comes to the church as a whole? Michael

Indian Connection

2009-07-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

I want to introduce you to Sanjay. He is one of the pastors who is in our International Cell Church Prayer network. He has a growing new ministry in Bangalore India.
The following are his faith vision goals for his ministry for 2009. I hope you will take time to pray for this new ministry.

1) God Has given me the vision for India… Before I die I want to see India called a Christian nation.
2) I have a vision for the perishing souls, especially for the young ones.
3) I have a vision to start an orphanage to become “Somebody” for those considered “Nobodies.”
4) I have a vision to start a Bible College to reach out to the unreached.
5) I have vision to build so many churches to worship the “True & Awesome” God.

Current Prayer Request

1) Pray for church growth that many new believers would be added to the church.
2) Pray for Outreach Ministry on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s.
3) Pray for the Hospital Ministry on Saturday’s.
4) Pray for the Bible College Teaching Ministry on Monday’s and Wednesday’s.
5) Pray for the Strength of God during the time of Persecutions.
6) Pray for the City of Bangalore which desperately needs the mercy of God, where in within 26 days of this 16 people got murdered, we do not want any innocent blood to be shed. This brings the curse of God upon the cities. We are Praying God to break that Yoke.
7) Pray for our Government which is anti-Christian.
8) Pray the unstated prayer requests.

Pastor Mudalgi’s e-mail address is sanjay_mudalgi@yahoo.co.uk if you’d like to communicate with him and encourage him.

The cell group of Matt Jones has adopted this pastor and recently was asked by him to pick a name for his ministry. They suggested Cornerstone Church of Christ which he liked and will have a naming ceremony on August 2nd.

Another Life Transformed for God's Glory

2009-01-16T06:15:00.000-08:00

To lead a person to Christ is about the biggest honor and greatest adventure a person could experience. I had the honor and privilege to lead Dave to Christ on Nov 5th 2008. He followed this decision in baptism and faithfully attends my cell group with his wife Crystal who also followed the Lord in baptism. Below you can see the outline he used as he shared his testimony on January 4th 2009.

DAVID COOPER’S TESTIMONY

HI, MY NAME IS DAVE COOPER I HAVE JUST RECENTLY GIVEN MY LIVE TO

CHRIST AND BAPTIZED HERE AT ALLEN MEMORIAL. PASTORS BILL AND

MIKE WANTED ME TO SHARE MY TESTIMONY WITH THE CHURCH. THE

OLD ME WANTED TO SAY “NO!” BUT THE NEW ME WANTED TO SAY “YES!”,

SO I SAID “WHY, WHAT COULD I HAVE TO SAY THAT PEOPLE COULD WANT

TO HEAR?” THEY SAID THAT MY TESTIMONY IS A POWERFUL ONE THAT

COULD POSSIBLY HELP SOMONE ELSE FIND AND ACCEPT CHRIST INTO

THEIR LIFE. ALL THAT I HAVE TO DO IS ANSWER 3 QUESTIONS:

I. WHAT WAS MY LIFE LIKE BEFORE CHRIST?

II. HOW I MET CHRIST AND MADE THE DECISION TO INVITE HIM INTO MY LIFE?

III. WHAT HAS MY LIFE BEEN LIKE SINCE I ACCEPTED CHRIST IN MY LIFE?

· WHAT WAS MY LIFE LIKE BEFORE CHRIST?

I WAS BORN IN 1978
MY DAD WAS INCARCERATED BY 1981
MY MOTHER DIED OF HODGKINS DISEASE ON MAY 15, 1985 WHICH PUT ME IN TO THE CARE OF AUNT AND UNCLE.
THEY GAVE UNDYING LOVE,DEVOTION AND SUPPORT
MY ANSWER TO THEIR GIVING WAS ANGER, LIES AND DECEIT

· HURTING THE ONLY FAMILY I HAD LEFT
· MOVING AROUND LIVING WITH OTHER FAMILYS FOR ABOUT 7 YEARS
· WITH ONE FAMILY I MET WHO IS NOW MY WIFE CRYSTAL
· CRYSTAL HAD LEFT ME ONCE, UNABLE TO HANLDE MY LIFE STYLE
· VIOLENCE,AGGRESSION, DRUGS, ALCOHOL, AND ALL THE PARTYING I HAD DONE
o AGAIN I WAS ALONE

o I LATER MOVED IN WITH A CHRSTIAN FAMILY WHILE LIVING THERE:
· THEY TRIED TO GUIDE ME TO CHRIST
· I WOULD NOT OPEN MY HEART TO HIM
· I RECONNECTED WITH CRYSTAL
· WE SOON MARRIED HAD A CHILD AND MOVED BACK TO THE EASTERNSHORE

o BY COMING HOME I FACED ALL THE PROBLEMS I HAD LEFT BEHIND AGAIN
· CRYSTAL SHOWED ME LOVE AND SUPPORT
· NEVER LEAVING MY SIDE
· WITH HER HELP I CONQUERED MY PROBLEMS
· I WAS STARTING A NEW LIFE

WHICH BRINGS ME TO THE SECOND QUESTION.
· HOW I MET CHRIST AND MADE THE DECISION TO INVITE HIM INTO MY LIFE?

· NOW I WAS TRYING TO LIVE HONESTLY
· UNABLE TO FIND LEGITAMITE WORK
· WITH NO MONEY ABOUT TO LOSE EVERYTHING
o BUT IT FELT GOOD DEEP DOWN
· I STARTED ANOTHER MY JOURNEY TO FIND CHRIST

o SUSAN WHITE, A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY HAD TOLD ME SHE HAD ATTENDED A WONDERFUL CHURCH AND THOUGHT I MIGHT LIKE IT

· SO MY FAMILY ANDI CAME TO ALLEN MEMORIAL
· THIS WAS MY THE FIRST TIME IN CHURCH IN 9 YEARS
· AND I LOVED IT
o WE LISTENED TO A GREAT SERMON AND RECEIVED AN OUTSTANDING WELCOME IN THE WELCOME CENTER
· IN THE WELCOME CENTER WE WERE INTRODUCED TO A CONCEPT CALLED CELL GROUPS
· WITH THE WAY IT WAS EXPLAINED TO US WE COULDN’T RESIST ATTENDING ONE
· THE CELL LEADER TREATED US LIKE WE WERE FAMILY
· WELCOMED US INTO HIS HOME
· WE ALL TALKED ABOUT THE CURRENT LESSON
· THEN HE TOOK THE TIME TO LISTEN TO OUR PROBLEMS
· OFFEERED TO HELP IN ANYWAY HE COULD
o THIS MAN DIDN’T KNOW ME BUT HE ALREADY CARED AND MY FAMILY AND I WERE TOUCHED
o LATER THE NEXT WEEK I CAME INTO SOME MORE FINANCIAL COCNCERNS
· I CAME TO TALK TO PASTOR MIKE TO SEEK GUIDANCE
· AFTER TALKING ABOUT MY SITUATION HE ASKED IF I HAD GIVEN MY LIFE TO CHRIST.
· I SAID MY WIFE HAD BUT I FELT UNWORTHY DUE TO MY PAST.
o HE GUIDED ME THROUGH THE STEPS TO PEACE WITH GOD
· EXPLAINING NO ONE IS UNWORHTY
· WE JUST AREN’T AWARE THAT JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS TO FORGIVE US FOR OUR SINS
· NO MATTER WHAT WE DO THE LORD LOVES US
· WE JUST HAVE TO RESPOND TO HIS OFFER OF FORGIVENESS

ON NOVEMBER 5TH 2008 I ASKED THE LORD TO COME INTO MY LIFE AND FORGIVE ME AND TO HELP ME THROUGHOUT THE REST OF MY LIFE.

WHICH THEN LED HIM TO ASK ME IF I HAD GIVEN MY LIFE TO CHRIST? I

TOLD HIM MY WIFE HAD ALREADY COMMITED HER LIFE TO CHRIST BUT I

HAD NOT BECAUSE I FELT UNWORTHYBECAUSE OF MY PAST. HE WAS

PROMPTED AT THIS TIME TO GUIDE ME THROUGH THE STEPS TO PEACE

WITH GOD. HE EXPLAINED TO ME THAT NOONE IS UNWORHTY OF THE

LORD’S LOVE. THEY ARE JUST NOT KNOWLEDGEABLE TO FACT THAT HE

DIED ON THE CROSS TO FORGIVE US FOR OUR SINS AND NO MATTER

WHAT WE DO THE LORD LOVES US WE JUST HAVE TO RESPOND TO HIS

OFFER OF FORGIVENESS. ON NOVEMBER 5TH, 2008 I ASKED THE LORD TO

COME INTO MY LIFE.

· WHAT HAS MY LIFE BEEN LIKE SINCE I ACCEPTED CHRIST IN MY LIFE?

NOW A BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN I HAVE HAD A LOT GOOD THINGS COME

INTO MY LIFE:

a) I HAVE GOTTEN THROUGH MY A LOT OF PROBLEMS THE RIGHT WAY

b) MY LIFE NOW IS HAPPIER THAN EVER FOR THESE REASONS

i) MY DAUGHTER AND HAD I NEVER REALLY CONNECTED BEFORE AND NOW WE ARE INSEPERABLE. I CAN TRULY FEEL HER LOVE TOWARDS ME.

ii) THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MY WIFE AND I COULD NEVER BE BETTER

iii) I AM FINALLY COMING INTO A SOMEWHAT MORE STABLE BUT LEGITIMATE FINANCIAL STATE

iv) I WENT ON AN ENCOUNTER WITH OTHER MEN LIKE ME AND RECEIVED A CLEANSING AND FRIENDSHIPS I COULD NEVER HAVE IMAGINED

v) I NOW ALSO HAVE INNER PEACE AND AM GRATEFUL FOR THE DIRECTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO NOW LIVES IN ME.

vi) THE BIGGEST HELP NOW IS MY NEW WONDERFUL AND MUCH LARGER FAMILY THIS CHURCH. I ALSO HAVE A NEW FRIENDSHIP AND INTIMACY THRU MY CELL GROUP.THIS ALL HAS HELPED GET THROUGH MY RECENT PROBLEMS. FOR THAT I THANK YOU ALL BECAUSE WITH OUT YOUR PRAYERS, HELP, AND LOVE I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE IT THIS FAR

I APPRECIATE ALL THE LOVE CHRIST HAS BROUGHT INTO MY LIFE AND I

WILL NEVER SECOND GUESS THE ALMIGHTY POWER AND LOVE OF THE

LORD JESUS CHRIST.

2009-01-09T13:57:00.000-08:00

Cell Insights for Growth
Week #1
Cell Groups are a Big Priority to God

If you are like me perhaps this thought has crossed your mind. “I’m just a cell leader.” Can I be the first to tell you that there is no such thing as being “just a cell leader.” In the eyes of God cells are a “Big Priority.”

God created all of us with a desire for community. This connecting with one another is essential because we were created to work together. Just look at the writings of Paul and you’ll see over and over again the term “the body of Christ.” Paul showed us how we are all interdependent and how no part could survive on its own.

1 Cor 12:21 (NCV) The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the foot, "I don't need you!"

Living a life of isolation has damaging results. Listen to this quote by Phil Zambaro a Stanford University professor, who writes,

“I know of no more potent killer than isolation. There is no more destructive influence on the physical health than isolation of you from me and us from them. It has been known to be the central agent in the etiology of depression, paranoid schizophrenia, rape, suicide, mass murder, and a wide variety of diseases.”

It has been said that our hunger for relationships is a key distinction of our humanity. Small group experts Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson write,

“God created us with a ‘communal gene,’ an inborn, intentional, inescapable part of what it means to be human.”

This explains why cell groups are so important to us at Allen and not just a ministry option. Think about this, people don’t just come to church to satisfy a spiritual itch. They come internally wired with a desire to “Connect.” What better way is there to satisfy this desire and need to connect than through an effective, growing and multiplying cell group.

This year as you learn to lead a cell group where people move from isolation to connection, from loneliness to love, recognize you are involved in one of the greatest ventures on the face of this planet. Your cell group is a “Big Priority” to God.

My prayer is that your cell will experience real biblical fellowship in 2009. Chuck Swindoll describes what happens when real biblical fellowship occurs. He says, “Fences come down. Masks come off. Welcome signs are hung outside the door. Keys to the doors of our lives are duplicated and distributed. Joys and sorrows are shared.”

Insight for Week #1
Your cell is a “big priority” to God!

Take time to thank God for the opportunity He has given you to be involved in a cell group. Determine to become with God’s help the best cell leader you can possibly be! Thank you for your hard work and diligence.

2008 in Review

2008-12-29T13:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2008
Dear Family and Friends,
Greetings in the wonderful Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who’s birth we prepare to celebrate once again! It is so hard to believe that yet another year is almost gone. Since we cannot be with you, we wanted to give you just a little update on our lives this past year.

Michael and I have had a very busy year at Allen, and since we moved to our new building in Oct. 2007 we have seen tremendous growth. Many people have given their hearts to Jesus and people are being radically changed and transformed, and this is why we do what we do! We hosted a cell conference here in October with Joel Comiskey, the “guru” of cell church movement, and Michael has become one of Joel’s leading “go-to” people for pastors wishing to transition their congregations to a cell church model. This is not only here in the States, but globally, and as a result, Michael, myself and two others from our congregation are going to Hyderabad, India in March 2009 for two weeks to train a pastor there and his eight house churches in the cell church model and to encourage the body of believers there. We are so excited! We will also hopefully be going to Pakistan in either late 2009 or some time in 2010 to do the same with another pastor in Faisalabad that Michael is mentoring in cell church development.

Michael and I are now very proud grandparents of three grandchildren with another one on the way. Daniel and Stephanie’s son, Daniel Wayne, was born on Aug. 10th; Chris and Alma’s daughter, Evangeline Elizabeth was born on Sept. 11th, and our first grandbaby, Audrey Elizabeth, is already 16 months old and Mark and Callie are expecting their second in May. We were able to spend a week in Ohio in late October and stayed with Mark, Callie and Audrey. We had a fantastic time spoiling the grandbabies with early Christmas presents, and seeing all five of Michael’s sons, his mom and step-dad and his dad and step-mom, as well as Tom, Stephanie, Jen, Nick, Aubrey and Alexis. It was so wonderful to be with family again!

We took three days and went to up-state New York to visit Daniel and Stephanie two weeks after “Baby Dan” was born and that was such a treat! We also spent a fabulous and very relaxing week in Ninety-Six, SC with Michael’s dad and step-mom in their beautiful new home on a really neat golf course that runs along Greenwood Lake. They tired of the hurricanes in Naples, FL and relocated to South Carolina, and we are glad that they are much closer to us now.

I wish we had been able to see Doug, Denise and Erika, but there just wasn’t enough time or
days off to go to Connecticut this year. I sure miss my “baby brother!” Douglas Bradford is a freshman at New Mexico Highlands University and hoping to play football. He wants to get into law enforcement after college unless he makes a pro-football team, which would not surprise me at all! We also got to do two weekend getaways with our dear friends, Kip and Sharon, to Lancaster County, PA and of course did some major damage in the Amish furniture department! We are already planning to go back again next year.

I hate to admit it, but Michael and I have become “Wii” fanatics too! And much to Michael’s chagrin, I remain undefeated in Wii golf. He has tied me twice, but that is the closest he has gotten to beating me. Now Tiger Woods is another matter—I can barely get the ball off the tee with that game! Our next Wii purchase will be the Wii Fit, which we tried out on Thanksgiving at Kip and Sharon’s house. We are hooked big time! It is great exercise when you are stuck in the house during the cold winter days!

We have had a wonderful year, full of life, love and blessings on the Lower Eastern Shore of
Maryland! We pray that you have a peace-filled, Jesus-filled and joyous Christmas Season and we wish you much love and best wishes for a prosperous and healthy 2009.

Relationships the Key to Finding Christ

2008-08-07T13:16:00.001-07:00

For 1 1/2 years I prayed for Matt and I asked God to draw him to Himself. Not only did I pray but I began to reach out to him and befriend him. He likes to golf so we began to golf together. Then I invited him to a "Connection Week Party" that our cell groups host every month and the rest is history! I will let Matt in his own words tell the story!

A New Beginning with Christ – This Is How It Happened!

Just like everyone, I have been exposed to sin throughout my whole life. Unlike everyone else, but probably like most, I pushed my sins away thinking that they would go away. Even after years of hiding out, sins would sneak up on me and remind me of what had happened. I may not have felt as bad as I did when it happened but I would still feel a certain level of guilt and uneasiness.

I knew for sure that by getting married it would make my past disappear so that my life would start over again. And by moving out of town I could run away from a life once lived.
I have a great wife, a healthy 12 month old foster child, a great job, a great family, but I still can’t let go of the past.

My wife, Kelly, used to attend Allen at its’ former location on a regular basis. I would go once every couple of months or so. Once Allen opened for services in its’ new building during the fall of 2007, we began to attend on a very regular basis, almost every Sunday. Excited by the fact that we were regularly attending Church, my in-laws began asking us to come to their Cell Group on Thursday nights. By the way, other than being two of the greatest people I know, the in-laws lead a Cell Group out of their house in Fruitland.

I never showed up. I did not go because I had an excuse; I had to work on Thursday. Notice I said I had an excuse not a reason. Kelly had an excuse also; she didn’t want to be “preached” to. Come on, are you kidding me? We would do anything with Kip and Sharon when they asked. Anything that is, except go to their group. We were both scared.

We were invited to attend a different group that meets on Wednesday night when I did not have to work. Now I was going to use the same excuse so that I did not have to go, I don’t want to be preached to. It didn’t matter what night of the week it was, we were scared of going to hang out with people that we may or may not know and read the Bible.

We received an invitation from the Wednesday group to come over for a game night, just show up with some food and play games for a couple of hours. Now we are talking. So we showed up and had a blast. We skipped the next three or four weeks and then there was another game night. Again, we loved it.

After talking about it, we decided that we should try to go one night and see what Cell Groups were really about. I believe that the first night we attended was on chapter 3 of the “Live” book. Other than the leaders, we actually knew a couple of the people that were there. So there we sat, waiting for someone to stand up and start reading scriptures from the Bible for the next hour.
IT NEVER HAPPENED!!!

What we experienced was a group of adults that were brought together to talk about the Lord in ways that we can all understand. Here we were, in an open room, surrounded by others that were not afraid to talk about their feelings, their lives, and their personal battles. We were all brought together as a group of one to discuss the lessons of the “Live” book, and those books that follow, and how they pertain to the Bible. Scriptures were read, but that was done a verse or two at the time, not chapter by chapter. I began to think to myself that this may not have been a bad idea to show up here tonight. As we drove home that night I remember telling Kelly, “I actually enjoyed that tonight”. She felt the same way. There was no pressure, no intimidation; there was no spot light that would shine down when you spoke out loud. This was as comfortable and non-confrontational as being with your best friends!

That is why we went the next week, and the next week, and the next……. It took a couple of months, but I finally began to realize the reasons that I would show up every Sunday and Wednesday night. I was looking for help. I never heard a voice, but someone was telling me where to get the help that I needed. I began to understand who God was and what His Son sacrificed. Now it was my turn to confess my sins and accept Jesus Christ in my life!

And that is what I did on July the 30th, 2008. It just so happened that this was a Wednesday, the day that our Group meets. Once we are all assembled and getting ready to open our discussion for the night I was asked to announce my big news of the day. I was caught off guard by the request but thought why not, I am surrounded by Christians. After letting everyone know that earlier in the day I accepted Christ in my life, I was shocked at what took place next – applause, cheers, and even a “Birthday” cake.

Even though it has only been one week, I can feel the guilt being washed away. I am beginning to read the Bible everyday and memorize verses that stick to me. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” I have probably heard that over a hundred times in my life but I never knew what it meant. I do now!

Here is a good one, take a minute or two to read Psalm 103:1-12. Those words are POWERFUL! After all of that time I thought I could run away from my past, but all I had to do was ask for forgiveness and receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. The past cannot be forgotten, but mine is being forgiven.

If it were not for the Cell Group, I may not stand where I do now. Who is to say? I just wish Wednesday came more than once a week! Thank you to Kelly and my family for their love and support. Words cannot describe how much I appreciate the guidance and leadership of someone that has become special part of my life, Michael Sove. By Matt Jones

Friends keep inviting and keep praying you'll never know when God will use that invite to change a life!

Encounter - Buiding an Altar

2008-07-18T14:55:00.000-07:00

I just received this story from one of the cell group leaders and wanted to pass it on. We just started the Encounter book in our equipping track and this group truly had an Encounter with God as they gathered on Wednesday night.

Story from Diane Johnson.........

Little did I know when I did my Chapter 1 homework for my Tuesday morning cell group meeting that I would end up gathering rocks!

I had only attended Kathy Dyke's group one time and considered myself a 'newbie' to the group - even though the existing group of ladies welcomed me with open arms and smiling faces. A recent retirement gave me time to do the things I never had time to do in the past and I was excited to be able to be fed by attending Kathy's group on Tuesday morning and Bill's group which meets on Wednesday evenings - I am one of those people who need to hear things more than once for it to sink in! Back to the rocks.................

I started reading the chapter and got hung up on the verses that referred to Abraham building an altar. I have read and heard these verses MANY times in the past but never had it had the impact that it did this time - I couldn't get past it. "build an alter - Abraham built an altar to the Lord - build an altar and lay upon the alter those things that are keeping you from walking closely with God". WOW - where were these thoughts coming from? Logistically, all kinds of questions came to mind - being the type of personality that I am , I wanted to know how big an altar, where was I to build it, what size rocks, how high - You get the picture!

Then I started thinking about what would I need to put on this altar so that I could walk closer to God and realized there weren't enough rocks in the world for this. But I couldn't shake the idea that I was to help build an alter and I needed to share this with the cell group. One phone call to Kathy dispersed my fears of being out of line. Kathy helped me realize that God uses all of us to get a message across- it didn't matter that I wasn't a charter member of this cell group - God had chosen me to deliver this 'object lesson' and I found out that there are others like myself who need to physically perform the act of writing down our needs and laying them on the alter.

I thank the Lord for what the cell group has come to mean in my life - and I am doubly blessed to be able to attend 2 groups. I have no idea what God's plan is for my life but if it involves gathering rocks - Lord, let me do it to your glory!

If you would like to connect with this cell group which meets on Wednesday nights in Fruitland you can reach Bill and Kathy Dykes at wdykes@comcast.net .

International Cell Church Prayer Network Rebirth

2008-07-17T11:57:00.001-07:00

God is so awesome and gives you the desire of your heart, especially when your heart matches His! Let me tell you an amazing story. In 1999 while on a 40-day fast, God broke my heart over the nations. He laid on my heart the vision for coordinating prayer for cell churches around the world. I began to pray over nations and ask God to connect me to a Pastor from that nation that I could pray for. I would ask them for their "Faith Vision Goals;" something they were dreaming about that only God could do! God beagn to give me contacts. The common denominator was Christ and Cell Church. In other words, churches who understood the importance of both large group celebration and cells. I call this the two-winged church where people meet together and then gather in cell groups during the week for more intimate growth and discipleship. To make a long story short, in three years I had 60 participants representing 40 nations. I would send out a prayer request for one of these Pastors daily and that request would circulate the nations. Wonderful things happened as we prayed for each other and the God given dreams. People started partnering for missions and many friends were made across denominational lines.

Recently God has given me the vision and passion to begin this process all over again. I envision having a cell church representing every country as well as a cell church representing all 50 States. I recently received an e-mail from the first Pastor in the new network for prayer. Here is what he said:

"Dear brother in Christ; I am pastor Suresh from India. I am doing my ministry in Hyderabad A.P iNDIA. Hyderabad is a big city in India I am started my church with 5 members now I have nearly 150 members I want learn more about cell church please pray for me and my church. I am working in poor slum area I have no church building we are conducting prayers in rented building. The believers very poor and laborers please pray for my family and church."

My cell group has adopted this Pastor and his family and church. We are going to pray for them and encourage them and do whatever the Lord directs us to do. I am very excited and hope that all the cell groups in our church will be able to adopt Cell Churches from the Nations!

One Proud Coach

2008-06-17T08:37:00.000-07:00

“Cell”ular Sound Bytes
(Michael Sove, Cell Pastor)

Meet the Still Cell Group
Are you looking for a cell group on the west side of Salisbury? Let me introduce you to Matt and Breta Still. Their group meets in their home on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 pm. Their address is 6361 Crockett Lane, Salisbury 21801. Matt can be reached through e-mail at matthewstill@bayardsalescorp.com or by phone at (410) 912-0148.

This group was originally started by Pastor Bill Warren in January of 2007 and in March, Bill approached Matt and asked if he would become his apprentice leader. Matt say’s he would have never dreamed of himself as a cell leader a few years back. But in May 2007 Matt took over the leadership of the group as Pastor Warren birthed a new group out of this existing group. Matt and Breta have a heart for people and have the gift of hospitality.

This group really knows how to worship and pray together. They have really touched many lives since their beginning. Recently Matt’s daughter gave her heart to the Lord and is now a member of this loving, caring group. They really desire to grow and would love to have you come experience God’s presence with them.

Matt is a great encourager and truly models faithfulness and passion for the cell vision that God has given us at Allen.

God is Amazing!

2008-06-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

“Cell”ular Sound Bytes
(Michael Sove, Cell Pastor)

CELL BLOCK PARTY
Cell Block Party? No, it’s not what you think. This was not held at the local correctional institution. It was held in Fruitland last weekend in the back yard of Kip and Sharon Powers’ house. I don’t know who came up with the idea but what an idea it was. Four Fruitland cell groups as well as our new Delmar group, decided to work together for our June Connection Week event. All our cell groups hold monthly parties for the purpose of connecting with those who attend our services who are not in cells as well as connecting with neighbors, friends, co-workers, who we’d like to influence for Christ. What a great time we had together as sixty two people filled the yard despite the heat.

What is most amazing is that if these cell groups would have held this party together last year, we only numbered about 30 people. This shows you what God is doing in our cell groups as the number is now doubled. If you have not connected with a cell group please stop by the Neighborhood Life booth (Neighborhood Mural) to pick up a current listing of groups or see our web page http://www.allenmemorial.org/ for more information. As Cell pastor I would love to help you get connected as well, and can be reached on my cell phone at (443) 880-1716.

Great Problems to Have

2008-04-03T08:13:00.000-07:00

God is really taking the lid off our cell groups at this time. Many of our groups are experiencing explosive growth. The group that gathers at my townhouse had 16 last night with more wanting to attend, which leads me to the problem. Cells leaders have to deliberatley raise up those who will be able to help them birth new groups. New groups require one and only one thing to begin, that being a ready and trained leader. At Allen we have an equipping track that will help us raise up disciples who can become future leaders to start new groups. We as leaders have to see everyone as potential and always be mentoring someone toward that goal. Remember the goal of cell ministry is cell mulitiplication, making room for more people that God is bringing from the Harvest.

A few weeks ago Eddie Downes and a few birthed out of Bill Dykes cell group and they both continue to grow. Last night Bill had 16 and Eddie had 11 people in their cell groups. You ask why are these groups growing and multiplying? My answer is this, they have a willingness to reach out and multiply! If you are a group leader and you are not inviting or don't have the passion to multiply then your group will not grow. It makes sense that God will send people to groups who have the vision for outreach and multiplication.

My biggest prayer request right now is for God to show us how to keep raising leaders and multiplying cells and what to do in the short run to keep the flow moving! Thank You Lord for the adventure of Cells!

Old Friendships Never Die

2008-03-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what God is up to but I love it. One week ago as I was getting ready to delete my junk folder I thought I'd look at what was in it before I pushed the delete button. Much to my surprise I saw a name I recognized. As I opened the e-mail it said, "Is this the Mike Sove I served Jesus with in Greenwood Indidna? Please reply if it is!"

Not only did I reply but ended talking on the phone with my old friend Jeff Cummings for over an hour. It has been 12 years but as I talked with him it seemed like we had never been apart. That's the beauty of spiritual relationships. Jeff was part of my first church plant, a church called White River Baptist Church located in Greenwood Indiana on the south side of Indianapolis.

We spent may hours together and both passionately loved Jesus. I'll never forget a few events that we worked together on. I had an opportunity to speak to a large gathering of teens and Jeff built me a cross to use as a prop. When I moved to Ohio I took that cross with me and it remains on the platform of Vineyard Community Church. Another time Jeff helped me as we rented out the Greenwood Recreation Center for a large outreach event. The more I think about it Jeff and I share a heart for evangelism!

The first time I ever attended a Cell Conference Jeff was by my side. We traveled to Columbus Ohio to hear Dale Galloway speak. He was the same person you hear Bill Warren speak about in his call to transition Allen to be a Cell Church. So Bill and I were both being called and God was using the same people to capture our attention for the power of cell ministry.

I am so excited to renew my friendship with Jeff and look forward to his visit to the Eastern Shore this summer. We share a common love and that is for Jesus Christ. I only wish 12 hours didn't separate us. But thank God for internet and cell phones!

Tonight I received a call from John another friend from my past. I don't know what God is doing but I'm Blessed to have friends through the years who all love Jesus and God is knitting our hearts together once again. What amazed me the most about both these friends from the past was what God had done in their hearts and lives. I could see that God had done an amazing work in deepening their relationship with Him. They oozed Jesus and humility. Both men said if they had done anything in the past to offended me or hurt me they asked forgiveness! I assured them both that I had nothing but thankfulness and good memories as it relates to them and the years we had together!

"Thank You Lord for the gift of relationships in the Body of Christ!"

A Year in Review

2007-12-31T13:18:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2007
& HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Dear loved ones:
We hope this letter finds you all well and that your Christmas holidays have been blessed! We are sorry this has gotten out a bit late this year—it has been quite busy for us here at the church as you can imagine.

Well 2007 certainly was an eventful year for us and our families. In March Michael and I signed a contract with Ryan Homes and in July we moved into our brand new town house in Fruitland, a small town just south of Salisbury. It was such an exciting time picking out all the flooring, cabinetry, etc. and I finally have the wonderful country kitchen with wood floors that I have always wanted. I had a grand time picking out paint and painting and decorating, but I probably
will not ever choose dark colors again. I painted one wall in our dining room area and
our morning room all a Merlot red, and it took four coats...uggghhh! But it turned out
beautiful, I must say. We get compliments on it all the time. We have a huge living room
now too, and now that we have a cell group in our home, we actually have room for everyone!

Chris, Michael’s oldest son, got married in February, and both he and Alma were
in law school together. On December 14th Michael and I flew out to San Diego for three
days to attend Chris’s graduation from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law. It was wonderful
being able to meet Alma face to face too. Alma graduates next August, and she and
Chris are planning (at least right now) on moving to Ohio after she graduates.
Michael became a grandfather on July 30th with the birth of Audrey Elizabeth (not
to be confused with Nick & Jen’s daughter, Aubrey Elizabeth...whew!), Mark and Callie’s
first child. Michael is one happy and proud grandpa! In September we went to Ohio for a
week to see her for the first time and to see Daniel, Michael’s youngest, get married.
Daniel had just returned to Ohio from Army basic training, and he and his new bride,
Stephanie (no kidding) are now in New York where Daniel is stationed at Ft. Drum with the
10th Mountain Division. He is infantry and is on rapid response, so he could be called up
and have to be shipped to wherever on 48 hours’ notice or something like that. We are
praying he does not end up in Iraq or Afghanistan, but have to rely on the Lord watching
over him wherever he goes. While in Ohio we did an overnight trip to Indiana to visit Michael’s
mom and step-dad. It was so good to see them, but far too brief a trip! We stayed
with Nick and Jen while in Ohio, and Michael was able to play golf with Mark and I was
able to visit with Steph while he was golfing.

Michael’s dad and step-mom came to visit us for a week in August and we had a
wonderful time showing them around the area. Of course we had to do the Ocean City
boardwalk and drive to Assateague to see the beautiful wild ponies. We also drove to Annapolis
for a day and Dad, Sharon and I were able to go into the Naval Academy and see all that,
but Michael had left his wallet and ID at home, so he was not allowed inside the Academy.
Poor fella had to suffer “on the outside” and just wander the stores around the waterfront until
we were done touring the Academy. He learned a hard lesson about having his ID with him,
that’s for sure.

In late October, we finally moved into our new church building on the outskirts of town,
and it is wonderful! It is so good to be out of that ancient (built in 1859) building we were in
before. I love old buildings, but trying to keep up with maintaining it was really a huge problem,
especially with very old wiring trying to handle 21st century computers and wireless internet!
We have state of the art sound and lighting in a wonderful large worship center now…
and no more church pews! We have chairs instead (which I much prefer). Check out our new
website: www.allenmemorial.org and you can also read Michael’s blog where he puts all sorts
of news and happenings with us personally as well as goings-on in the body of believers here
at Allen. Just look for the vulture picture in the resource section of the website. The staff at Allen laughingly (and lovingly) call him the vulture because of his uncanny ability to “swoop
down” on unsuspecting “prey” (meaning new neighbors in our new subdivision and unsaved
people in our community) and bring them into the fold here at Allen.

Michael is always busy as the cell pastor, mentoring cell leaders, potential leaders, discipling
new believers, etc. I have really settled down in my job as the church administrator
and feel very comfortable in the position (finally). It is very demanding and I do put in lots of
long days, but I feel the Lord has really grown and stretched my faith as I learned this position
over the past year, and that is a good thing. We are never too old to learn, nor are we ever too
old to lean more heavily on the Lord and stop relying on ourselves.

Michael and I spent both Thanksgiving and Christmas with our friends, Kip & Sharon
Powers, like we did last year, and we had a wonderful day with them. They really have become
a “family away from family” for us, and are such wonderful friends.
We hope that you have a blessed and fruitful 2008 and we send our love and best
wishes to each and every one of you. May the Lord bless you in surprising ways in 2008.

With much love, The Soves

Maryland Family

2007-12-27T04:50:00.001-08:00

It has been a little over a year now since we have answered the call to come serve at Allen as the cell pastor. I love Maryland more than any other place I have lived. Don't get me wrong I still have a heart for Chicago, Indianapolis and the Dayton but the Eastern Shore is a wonderful place to live. I like the fact that in our area you can get anywhere you want to go in one half hour. For ministry this is fantastic. In some of the other places I lived it would take an hour to go from the north to the south. If you reached someone for Christ in the north they wouldn't travel to the south to worship with you. But here you have people coming from all the surrounding areas and there are no barriers as far as outreach. But even more than the ministry side of it I love the people of the area.

Part of the reason we were willing to leave family and friends to answer the call was the love of the people of this area. One such couple that has really impacted our lives has been Kip and Sharon Powers. When I moved out here last year I drove out one week before Cary and needed a place to stay. The Powers opened their home to me and my cat Samoa. It was friendship instantly. The following week when Cary came out they had us over for dinner and we were surprised to find out that Sharon and Cary share the same birthday month and year as well as Kip and I sharing the same birthday month and year. It got even more strange when Sharon's cell phone rang and Cary thought it was hers. They had the same ring tone "Sweet Home Alabama."

Little did Cary and I know how hard it would be to move so far away from family. Our first 6 months here we both battled depression, especially the first Thanksgiving and Christmas away from family. The Powers adopted us as family and when those holiday family gatherings came around we were included in their family activities. We have been there ever since! I appreciate Sharon's daughters Kim, Kelly and Krista who have shared their family with us as well. The Bible says, that God puts the lonely in families and we have found out how wonderfully true that is.

I also want to thank our extended family at Allen, each of you have made us feel so loved and welcomed and we wouldn't be any other place. Maryland is our Home!

Proud Day in San Diego

2007-12-20T05:56:00.000-08:00

I am so grateful to God for the blessing of being able to witness my son's graduation from Thomas Jefferson School of Law located in beautiful San Diego. I remember when he went through a very troubled time in his life when I wondered if he would even live let alone succeed. Chris then put himself through undergraduate school at Eastern Michigan University where he majored in math and then decided to pursue law. God has really gifted him as far as intellect and I'm very proud to be his Father.

Another highlight of this trip was being able to meet Alma my new daughter in law. Chris and Alma another law student married in February of this year and we were unable to travel to the West Coast for the wedding. She will be graduating from law school herself in August. They desire to move back to Ohio where they hope to practice law. Chris is interested in taxation and she is interested in employment law.

Below are some pictures from our trip for you to enjoy!

Follow Up Story

2007-12-09T14:40:00.001-08:00

On March 1st I wrote a story called "Japanese Birthday." I talked about leading this student to Christ. Last weekend he stood bfore the Allen congregation and shared the following story!

-My Testimony

When I was little, I remember walking down the path to go down to a temple on New Year’s day, which is a tradition in Japanese culture, seeing a bunch of people holding up pictures of Jesus Christ hanging on the cross, and announcing the verses from the Bible through a microphone. Nobody seemed to really pay attention, but I remember asking my father as a curious child, “Who is Jesus Christ?” My father simply smiled and told me “Boy, you don’t have to worry about it, how about another candy huh?”

Coming from Japan, where more than 50% of the population is Atheist, when I moved to New York in the summer of 2000, spirituality was one of the many things that I did not know about American culture as a whole. To say the least, learning the language, adjusting to the school system, and getting used to the enormous food servings were more important to me back then. The high school I attended was very small, and mostly Jewish. It’s embarrassing to say, but I went to the first couple Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs with no knowledge that it is a religious celebration; to me, it was more of an opportunity to hang out with my friends who I could barely communicate with and eat good food. Four years in high school was definitely not the best time I had in my short career so far: I was learning the English language for the most part in school. Because of that, my grades weren’t that great, and my family was a mess. I was suicidal; I did slit my wrist a couple times, and I struggled to get along with my parents.

I must say I was somewhat relieved to leave New York to attend college in Salisbury. As a freshman, I arrived at Salisbury University in September of 2006. I experienced what society calls “college life” for the first couple months down here before I encountered God. Partying hard on the weekends, doing whatever I felt like doing, to say the least. Somehow I still felt empty inside, and that’s when I first had a conversation about God. One of my strongest passions is to dance. I tried out to be on a dance team at Salisbury called “Untouchables Dance Inc.” Through there, I met this one girl whom I found to be attractive. I expressed my interest to her towards the end of the first semester, and the response she gave to me was pretty much “I love God!” Unlike some people, I just couldn’t back off that time; as selfish as I sound, I just wanted to find out more about this God thing that she was so into. She ended up taking me to Allen Memorial that weekend. That was my first church experience. I kept coming back to church for the next couple weeks, because it was fun for me. I loved the music, and I enjoyed hearing Pastor Warren’s message each week. I was still partying on the side, but I did begin to slow down. One Sunday, I found myself filling out the “Christian counseling request” that I found in the bulletin. That week, Pastor Michael Sove e-mailed me and we set up a meeting.

Going into the meeting, I did not know what to expect. I did not even have a Bible with me at that point. I went in to the meeting that day an Atheist, and came out of it as a follower of Jesus Christ. I still remember the Bible verse that we discussed for a good amount of time; Romans 10:13 “for anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” That verse just blew me away. I did not know how to react. Until that day, I thought you had to know and follow certain rules to become a follower of anything. That verse just simply shocked me. At the end, that day, March 10th 2007, I did become a follower of Jesus Christ and it completely changed my life.

I did not feel the difference right away, but in upcoming weeks, I found myself asking a bunch of questions to fellow Christians, and looking forward to weekly meetings that I had with Pastor Michael. I found myself looking for and spending more time with people who helped me get to God. And for the first time, I felt as though that empty spot in my heart has been filled, with love of God. And to this day, that hasn’t changed.

A few weeks ago, my mentor passed away with prostate cancer. If God wasn’t with me that day, I honestly don’t know what I would have done. Even though selfishly I miss him a lot, I know that Peter, my mentor is with the Lord now, and that he is happy: Peter was one of the people who were so excited to hear that I had become a follower of Christ, because he himself was in love with God.

God has led me to do many things since I’ve been a follower of His. Just a few days ago, I invited my parents to go to church with me on the way back to Salisbury after Thanksgiving break. I did not know what to expect when I asked that question. But their answer was “yes.” I cannot describe to you how happy that simple word made me feel. The same father who told me to not worry about who Jesus Christ was, was now coming to church with me. When they told me that they enjoyed their first church experience, I was truly happy for them and only wished that there was a church back home where they can go frequently.

If you asked me to describe myself in one word last year around this time, I would probably used words like Japanese, male, dancer, or a student to describe myself. But ask me that now and I will tell you from the bottom of my heart, that I am a Christian: that I have been saved by Jesus Christ, and I am in love with him. Thank you. Hideaki

Neighborhood Life Captured in Art

2007-12-05T06:30:00.000-08:00

I want to thank Russell Sullivan for capturing in this mural my hearts desire. It's my desire to bring Christ's Life to our neighborhoods. That is why at Allen we call our cell groups "Neighborhood Life." I am so grateful to be part of a church with a vision for discipleship. I believe the cell church is the best vehicle for life change. I have been walking in this vision since 1995 myself. I had planted a church on the south side of Indianapolis. We grew from my family of 7 to 150 attenders in four years. I had the privilege of leading the majority of those people to Christ.

Even though this was very exciting I was one person and could not disciple all those new believers myself. it was in 1995 that God exposed me to the two-winged church. It was this design that would make it possible for all believers to be rasied up to a lifetime of ministry and discipleship. For those who do not understand that terminology, let me explain. When God designed the church He designed it with two wings. The large wing called Celebration and the small wing called cell. The early church met in the Temple Courts and from house to house. This design represents the very nature of God Himself. He is both transcendent (most high) He is a Great God and also immanent (most nigh) or close and personal God. The Tent of Meeting and Mt Sinai contrast God's transcendent and immanent nature. God designed us His church to experience both these dimensions as well. In a cell church both wings cello and celebration are equal and both are necessary if the church is going to soar to the heights God has called it to.

Through the last 12 years I have been walking in this calling to help people experience the church as God intended. I am called to this cell church vision and thank God for Bill Warren sticking to the vision God gave him 9 years ago. I am grateful that God merged visions and moved Cary and I from Ohio so we could be part of this precious team. I am so excited to see what God does as we obey His clear call to become a cell church. To be a church that not only gathers at one location to worship but scatters into the neighborhoods of the region to impact lives. Thank You God for a Great Adventure!

Expressions of Worship

2007-11-17T08:33:00.001-08:00

I am so blessed to have a wife who loves God with all her heart and loves to express herself in worship by dancing for the Lord. I waqs so impressed with her dancing for the Lord that I asked her to dance on our wedding day. She danced to a song called "Dance With Me" by Paul Wilbur. You can see a picture of her dancing at our wedding below. Since it was a six minute song she told me I would have to join her for the last minute, which I did. When she dances solo she dances as led by the Spirit and it is a wonderful thing to behold. While on a date last night at a Chinese restaurant (of course), I asked her all about her call to become a worship dancer. Below you'll find the story of her call in her own words.

(Cary's call to dance) In 1992, I attended the Feast of Tabernacles at Christian Retreat in Bradenton, FL with my pastor and his wife. During the eight days of celebration, the Lord broke my heart over Israel and called me to be a worship dancer. Having two left feet and the coordination of a fish out of water, I knew God had quite the sense of humor. I was obedient, however, and in 1993 I was asked to dance with the Christian Retreat dance team during the eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles as well as at a women’s conference. After months of grueling practice, I was nervous but so excited. The very first night while doing a very fast circle dance with nine other dancers, I came down wrong on my left foot and I heard and felt the snap in my ankle and knew immediately it was broken. I attempted to get the dancers to my left and right to release me so I could hobble off the platform, but they didn’t and I heard in my spirit the Lord telling me to continue dancing. I was in tears because I was in great pain, but I said “OK” to God’s prompting. I was basically trying to dance on just my right foot so I was really just hopping around in a circle with the other dancers. I then accidentally came down on my left foot and I heard and felt another snap, and immediately the pain was completely gone. I was able to finish out the other three dances that night and the numerous dances the next seven nights. God had healed me through my obedience.

I later formed a dance team with my pastor’s wife at our church in Englewood, FL and we became “Hearts of Praise.” I had the opportunity in 1994 and 1995 to be the dance minister for Christian Friends of Israel on two tours to Israel. I cannot explain the depth of feeling that went through me as I danced for the first time in Israel at the church in Cana where Jesus performed His first miracle! I also had the incredible experience and privilege of dancing on Mount Skopus overlooking Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, at the Garden of Gethsemane, the Garden Tomb, along the Jordan River, and on the banks of the Sea of Galilee.

Cary Dancing by the Jordan River

Cary Dancing at Mt. Skopus Overlooking Jerusalem

Cary Dancing at our Wedding

It has been my prayer and deep desire for a number of years to once again be in a dance team, and I have had the honor and privilege of bringing together three precious friends to form AMBC’s dance team. I prayed and asked the Lord what we should call ourselves, and the Lord just kept prompting me to retain the name “Hearts of Praise.” It is my deepest hope and desire to be able to not only introduce worship dance to my “family” at AMBC, but to be used of the Lord to encourage men and women alike to freely express worship to the Lord in this way. There is such sweet intimacy with the Lord during times of free worship like this, and I truly feel I am dancing for an audience of One. Below are a few pictures from the dance team's first perfomance at AMBC.

There are many ways to express yourself in worship and dance is one of them! I am grateful to have a wife who worships!

Cell Conference in Virginia

2007-11-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

God is so awesome! About 6 years ago I coordinated an International Cell Church Prayer Network. I coordinated prayer for about 100 Pastors from 70 Countries. I got to know many Cell Church pastors from around the World and United States. One such Pastor was Greg Mayo from Cornerstone In Virginia. This weekend I attended a Cell Conference in Virginia. When I signed up I didn't realize it was to be held at Greg's Church. I was so happy to meet him again and renew our friendship. He is the Pastor of one of the Cornerstone churches located in Augusta. Years ago God gave Gerald Martin a vision to multiply churches. Today there are about 10 Cornerstone Churches in the US as well as 5 planted overseas. Gerald is the network leader.

This is a picture of the facility which is located in the Shendendoah Valley at Augusta. What a beautiful setting!

The Friday night conference speaker was Joel Comiskey. I was so excited to meet up with him. He is our Cell Church consultant and God is using him in a great way. Bill Warren and I get to talk with him each month and what a Blessing. God has used Joel around the world to encourage and resource cell churches. Joel spoke about the two most important elements necessary for cell mulitiplication. It all comes down to prayer and diligence. These are two things that all cell leaders can do something about. Thank you Joel for the inspiration to never give up!

The greatest part of this trip was spending time with 4 men who love God with all their hearts.

Our times of worship were fantastic. Traveling in the van was great as we played, name that tune with Bill Dykes Ipod which had over 2000 songs. Matt Still was the champion and sure knows his music. Saturday we sat under the teaching of Dave Earley who planted a church in Columbus, Ohio and saw oit grow to over 2000 people with over 100 cells. He is now a Proffessor at Liberty University. He gave a leadership seminar and we learned much about how to grow as leaders! What a blessing to be entrusted by God to influence people. I am having the time of my life!

Experience of a Lifetime - Carry the Cross

2007-11-04T15:55:00.000-08:00

I have travelled around the world and have had experiences that moved me to the core of my being. What I and 400+ people witnessed last weekend was one of those rare moments in life. The concept was marvelous! (Thank you Velvie!) We would transition from the old church facility to the new church facilty in a way to get everyone involved and create a memory. So 400+ people lined up on the 2 1/2 mile route. The cross would be handed to each person who would walk a few steps and hand it off to the next person.

What touched me the most was the sense of unity that we felt. The oldest to the youngest, sons and daughters, families, various backgrounds, everyone together involved in the transition. It was a taste of heaven on earth. Those of us who participated will never forget this day.

Picture Description

#1 Picture of first missionary who died on the field and whom the church is named after.

#2 Oldest member of the church 98 yrs old.

#3 Daughter of missionary the church is named after.

#4 The Cross in route.
#5 Joe Bruton takes cross from Pate Matthews

#6 Youngest member of the church and last hand off of cross.

To see a short video of this event you can go to our web page at http://www.allenmemorial.org/ and click on Carry the Cross or see video below.

Reaching a New neighborhood

2007-10-28T04:38:00.000-07:00

I was very excited to have this posted on the web site of The Joel Comiskey Group...

Reaching New Neighbors
Fall 2007
by Michael Soves

I, Joel Comiskey, have the privilege of coaching churches in cell-based ministry. Each week I talk on the phone to pastors and try to help guide them in making cell ministry work in their churches. One of those pastors is Michael Sove, cell champion at Allen Memorial Baptist Church in Salisbury, Maryland (about 2 1/2 hours from Baltimore). I was so excited about Michael’s attempt to reach out to his new neighborhood for Jesus that I asked him to write his testimony down. Michael Sove writes:

My adventure began in March as my wife and I signed a contract on a new townhouse in Fruitland, Maryland, which was contingent on the sale of our condo in Ohio. I was called one year ago to be the Cell Champion at Allen Memorial Baptist in Salisbury, MD. We have grown in one year from nine cells to twenty cells with three more getting ready to launch in the next month. Our cells are called “Neighborhood Life” as we want to bring the life of Christ into our neighborhoods.

Our condo sold at the end of March and we got approved to build our townhouse in a new community called Cedar Commons. The target date for moving in would be the middle of July. This was very exciting because we would be some of the first residents to live in this new housing development. The plan was for seventy nine townhouses, fifty duplexes and 27 single family homes. From the moment I sensed God wanted us to build in this community my wife and I began to drive over daily to pray over the land, asking God for His favor in this community and the opportunity to influence this whole development for Christ.

When we moved in on July 17th there were only five other families currently living at Cedar Commons. I began to take a prayer walk every morning and evening. I continued to ask God for His favor and the favor of the residents. As I walked and prayed I promised the Lord that I would never walk by a person without talking to them and befriending them. The Lord has been faithful and has allowed me to meet every person in the community. There are now fifteen families and God is opening a whole world of opportunities to minister to these families.

Shortly after moving in I had an open house and invited some church friends as well as my neighbors to come celebrate with us. I went around and invited neighbors in person and if they didn’t answer the door, I left a flyer giving the invitation. Four new families showed up including a young woman who, after meeting William Warren, the Senior Pastor, and I, started crying and said, “I need God and now I know why I came to your house.” She has been at Celebration and Cell ever since that day. My next door neighbors weren’t attending church together and they have connected with us as well. The stories go on and on.

My neighbors who are Christians have now caught the vision for claiming our neighborhood for Christ and are excited about the cell group I’ll be planting in our development on Nov 7th. As I meet people in the neighborhood I tell them about my vision for bringing people together and how I’d like to throw a monthly party for that purpose. Everyone seems open to the idea and are all excited about this and a few have begun to offer their help and homes as well. I just held my first monthly party, a cookout and invited all fifteen families to attend. Three families were out of town but eight attended. What an awesome day we had together!

At this party I discovered many new bridges to my neighbors. Next week I’ll be golfing with one; this Friday we are going to another couple’s house to teach them a new board game. The following Friday we will attend a football game with a single mom whose son is on the local team. The open doors are limitless and I have never experienced this level of openness in all my years of ministry. I directly relate it to prayer walking and making myself available!

One story is worth repeating and reflects what God is doing. Last week a new family arrived and I noticed they were from California. I try to get to newcomers within 24 hours simply to introduce myself and welcome them to the community. So my wife and I stopped by and introduced ourselves. While standing in their driveway my wife noticed a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers – a Christian ministry) sticker in the car window. We found out that their furniture wasn’t due until the following week. On my way home from our celebration services the next day the Holy Spirit prompted me to go over and offer to help the neighbor put in his garage door opener which was laying on the garage floor. He thanked me for the offer and said he couldn’t put it up because he was missing a bracket. It was then that the Holy Spirit gave me another prompting. I said to my new neighbor that he had two choices for dinner, he could either take his family out and pay for dinner (I was looking at an empty house) or come over to my place for free pizza.

He was thankful for my offer and sure enough they called shortly after. As we stood over the pizza that evening I asked if it would be okay if I prayed before we ate (I always ask when I’m unsure if they are Christian) and they said that was fine. As I closed my prayer their little seven year old belted out “Amen!” I now knew I was probably standing with new neighbors who were Christians. The next two hours we shared testimonies of God’s work in our lives and really knitted our hearts together. They told me that their neighbor who I had reached out to previously had invited them to attend my cookout the following weekend. Like I said, the neighborhood is working together. Yesterday they came with their two children and had a wonderful time meeting all the other neighbors.

This morning I received a call from one of my neighbors saying that the family called her and said they had to take the two year old to the hospital because of some medical problems and asked this neighbor to call me for prayer. Not only was I able to go to the hospital and pray over this mother and child, my other neighbor is going to watch the other child as the father goes with me to the airport to pick up a friend who is flying in from the west coast to help them at this time. I also sent this prayer request to all the cells in our Church. God is doing great things at Cedar Commons!

I want to challenge all of you to consider what you could do in your neighborhood as well. It’s nice being in a brand new development but there is nothing stopping any of you from walking through your neighborhood, praying as you go and asking the Holy Spirit for “Divine Encounters.” Walk – Pray – Talk, you can claim your neighborhood for Christ as well!

What a Blessing - I like the new title of Grandpa

2007-08-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

Well I knew I get the title eventually with Five Sons. I'm now a "Grandpa" and I love it. Audrey Elizabeth was born on Monday July 30th at 1:00pm to my 4th born son Mark and his wife Callie! This is very emotional times for the Soves with a new baby and my youngest son Daniel in Army bootcamp and headed to Iraq. Daniel just let me know today that he is getting married on Sept 22nd after graduating from bootcamp. So we are looking forward to our trip to Ohio in Sept to see my sons their wives and my new grandaughter. Four sons married one to go!

Claiming a New Community for Christ

2007-05-12T05:45:00.000-07:00

God is so good! Now that our condo in Ohio has sold we are beginning the process of settling in Maryland. The foundation for our new townhouse was poured this week.

The name of this new community is called Cedar Commons and is located in Fruitland, Maryland. We will be some of the first new residents to move in. The plan for this community is to build 27 single family homes, 50 duplexes and 79 townhouses. We have asked the Lord to place us in this community so we can influence this community for Him!

This is a wonderful location for Cary and I because it is right off the bypass one exit west of where the new church facility is located. We will be three miles door to door and all bypass driving! We have been driving over here and praying over this land now for the last two months. Our Cell group is going to adopt this community and as new residents come in we are going to deliver welcome to the community care packages to them. It looks like we should be able to close on this by the end of June and move in sometime in July.

When you think of us, please join us in prayer for the people of Cedar Commons. Ask God to bring the right people here. People who are open and receptive to the Gospel. Pray for God's favor on us as we follow Him and reach out to our new community. By the way pray for your community as well. God wants to use you right where you are to influence your neighborhood. I'm praying for you! "For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost." Luke 19:10

The Fellowship of the Mat

2007-03-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

Rob Campbell from The Joel Comiskey Group writes....

Four faithful friends…a paralyzed man…God’s healing power upon Jesus… and a house (with some roof damage).

The house was packed — people everywhere. Jesus was in the house. Four faithful friends had carried their friend– a paralyzed man– to Jesus. I wonder how long they journeyed through the town? A few blocks– or maybe a mile or two? They must have experienced a little bit of frustration not being able to get into the house. Ingenuity prevailed.

They ascended the house’s outer staircase and landed on the roof. Quickly, they removed the tiles eventually breaking through the roof. “Sorry for the dust and debris my friends, but we’re on a mission.” It was now elevator time. In this day, homes in Capernaum were– let’s just say– elevator free. The faithful four attached ropes to each corner of the mat and meticulously lowered their friend right in front of Jesus. What an suberb entry, eh?

Luke 5:20: “Seeing THEIR (emphasis mine) faith, Jesus said to the man, `Son, your sins are forgiven.’” You do see that word `THEIR,’ right? The paralyzed friend did nothing except cooperate with the ride through town on a mat and the elevator stunt. Yet, his sins were forgiven. But, there’s more.

Luke 5:24: “Stand up, take your mat, and go on home, because you are healed.” You can finish the story. Indeed, as everyone watched, the man jumped to his feet, picked up his mat, and went home praising God.

Consider this scenario as a cell gathering. What do you think the members present would be talking about on the way home? Were they murmuring because the child care was haphazard… the coffee was too weak… the “talker” was back and wouldn’t be silent for more than two minutes at any given time… the worship seemed flat? Not exactly. “Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe. And they praised God, saying over and over again, `We have seen amazing things today.’” What a cell gathering!

Some questions to ponder:
When you were on the mat, who held a corner for you?
Are you holding a corner for another right now?
Is the Lord’s healing power heavy in your midst?
Are your cell members gripped with wonder and awe?
What remodeling needs to take place in order to get the hurting and needy in the room?
What mat do you need to leave behind?

As a conduit of God’s care coupled with faith in Christ, grab a corner of the mat and let’s see Him change lives.

I hope you enjoyed and were challenged by this as much as I have been. There is nothing quite like being there for one another! That's what are cell groups are all about. Are you helping carry someone's mat or do you need to humle yourself and allow the others in the group to carry you to Jesus. We need to keep looking outside our circle as well and see the harvest that is ripe and ready. Until next time..... Michael

A Japanese Birthday

2007-03-01T14:02:00.000-08:00

Today I had the privilege of meeting with a young man who has been attending our church. Recently he checked the yes box at the end of one of our services, indicating a prayer to receive Christ. Asking me to follow up someone like that is like asking a fish if he wants to swim in water! One of my passions is helping people affirm their decision for Christ and helping them take the first steps as a Christian. When I opened my heart on June 15th 1983 no one was there to help me. I was so excited about my decision for Christ I learned much on my own. Looking back I would have loved if someone spent time with me to encourage me in my new found faith. I would have loved to meet and ask questions of someone, anyone!

What a wonderful experience I had today hearing the story of how he came to the United States six years ago (New York City) and he didn't know any English. Talking with him today I was amazed at how fluent he had become. This young man had no spiritual background at all before coming to the United States. He entered Salisbury university this year and one of the students from a class invited him to Allen Memorial. She had been telling him about her relationship with Christ and inviting him and he was interested. The first time he came he said he heard rock style music and was so impressed and excited because he actually could relate to it. He loved the messages that were easy to understand. The people were loving and friendly. But most of all he had a desire to learn about Christianity.

As I talked with him today I discerned that he didn't understand the free unconditional gift of salvation. He saw it as something he was heading toward and eventually he would arrive. I took him through steps to peace with God and after a explanation I invited him to pray to receive Christ which he did eagerly and willingly.

He is now going to go through the booklet called "Live" the first step in our equipping track process! I am longing for the day when all of our leaders and cell members are trained and equipped to win and mentor people just like this.

I have been leading people to Christ since my salvation in 1983 and I never get tired of having the privilege to help someone else. I want to see him grow into a discplemaker himself and perhaps he will lead the rest of his family and multitudes to Christ! Pray for Hidi and ask God to speak to this new child and help him to be all God created him to be! Happy Birthday Hidi!

A Thought Worth Passing On

2007-02-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Whose Life are we trying to live. What is our true identity? I want Christ to live His life thru me how about you? Enjoy the following devotional thought for today! Michael

Today's meditation is taken from:
THE LAW OF LIFE
by Chip Brogden

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"For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the Law of Sin and Death" (Romans 8:2).

Does a fish become a fish by swimming under the water, or does it swim under the water because it is a fish? Does it say to itself, "I am a fish, therefore, I must learn to act like a fish. I must remember to breathe through my gills and move my body back and forth." Absolutely not. Or what about a bird? Does a bird become a bird once it learns to fly through the air? Or does it fly through the air because it is a bird? Which is it? Of course, the bird is a bird, and therefore it flies. It does not have to be instructed per se, but when it is pushed out of the nest it flaps its wings. It is its nature to do so. So doing does not create being, doing flows out of being.
Now the Law of Life in Christ does not try to make us into something we are not. The very presence of the Life in us demonstrates that Christ already indwells us. We are not trying to be like Christ, and we are not trying to live like a Christian. Since we ARE in Him, we WALK in Him. Our works come from what we are, not what we are trying to be. We do not receive His Life so that we can work very hard to be like Jesus. That is like the fish having to remind itself that since it is a fish therefore it must swim. Or, like a bird having to keep telling itself through positive confession that it must remember to fly. Yet Christians keep reminding themselves, "Now that I am a Christian, I must remember to read the Bible, pray, and live a holy life. I must not forget to love my neighbor and smile no matter what happens." Can you see the problem here? With this mentality we cannot cooperate with the Life, because we would be depending on our life instead of His.
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Update and Cell Church Report Worth Reading

2007-02-11T12:13:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of our cell groups and the way they respond to ministry opportunities. This week I was so encouraged as I watched the cells respond to ministry during our homeless shelter week. Not only did most of the groups take an evening to feed the homeless, some of the groups invited some of these men to experience a cell gathering. I happened to be at a few of these meetings and saw the interaction and love extended to these men. I also heard reports of people being invited as they sat in a worship service. I spoke with one lady who was invited by a group last Sunday to attend a Monday meeting. Not only did she attend Monday and feel so loved and part of that group, Tuesday she went with the group to serve the homeless.

Many of our groups are starting to hold special gatherings to invite their friends to. These include dinner and bowling, phase 10 party, movie night and many other ideas. If we keep moving in this direction we are going to see a mighty move of God as people are connected to the Church and one another. I am so blessed to watch the Body of Christ in action.

Sometimes I run across articles worth passing on and feel that this is one of those. God gave Bill Warren the call to Cell Church ministry 9 years ago and this article supports the importance of this vision. I'm here to help us live out this vision. Read and enjoy!

Cell Churches are the Healthiest Churches
by Joel Comiskey

Introduction
Does cell church really work in the U.S. ? I’ve heard this comment on numerous occasions. When I hear it, I normally ask another question, “What does work in the U.S. ?” With attendance figures plummeting year by year, and some experts saying that only about 1% of all church growth in the U.S. is truly conversion growth, perhaps a better question is: What kind of church is more pleasing to Jesus? Or What does a healthy church look like?(note 1)

Summary comparison
If you’re asking these questions, you need to take a hard look at a recent Natural Church Development study that compared cell churches with non-cell churches. The study discovered that the healthiest churches are cell churches. Here’s what the study uncovered:
A study comparing the NCD scores of cell churches and non-cell churches showed that cell churches overall scored significantly higher in all areas than non-cell churches. Combined cell churches' scores averaged 59 while combined non-cell churches' scores averaged 45. Not surprisingly, Inspiring Worship showed the smallest difference (8 points higher for cell churches) and Holistic Small Groups showed the most difference (25 points higher for cell churches). Significantly, even churches that say they would focus on small groups over large group worship still had better scores for large group worship. This finding indicates that cells don't detract from corporate worship-- they add to it. Additionally, the rate of church planting-- in spite of the fact that the cell church movement has seemed to focus on getting larger rather than on planting more churches-- would seem to indicate that multiplication is in fact in the genetic code. Cell churches averaged 2.5 churches planted compared to 1.9 churches planted for non-cell churches. Finally, the study showed that cell churches demonstrated an average growth rate almost double that of non-cell churches (note 2)

Terminology defined
Because I wasn’t sure how NCD defined a cell church, I communicated directly with Christoph Schalk, the principal researcher behind NCD and this particular study. Schalk told me that their research team classified a cell church as a church with a score of 65 or higher in holistic small groups and with more than 75% of worship attendance in small groups. For the sake of emphasis, let me say this another way: in churches labeled cell churches by this study, more than 75% of those who attended weekend worship also attended holistic small groups during the week, and these churches excelled in holistic small groups by scoring higher than 65 in the NCD testing (note 3)

This still doesn’t define, however, what a holistic small group is according to NCD. The answer to this question can be found in the book Natural Church Development, where the characteristics of a holistic small group include the following:
Emphasis on the application of biblical truth that leads to transformation. People in these small groups have the liberty to bring up issues that apply to daily life.
Exercise of spiritual gifts within the small group.
Priority of small groups as being just as important as the celebration service. The small group, in other words, is not simply a programmatic extension of the celebration service. Schwarz uses the term “mini-church” to describe a holistic small group.
Multiplication. Multiplication stood out as the key factor in healthy, growing churches. Schwarz says, “If we were to identify any one principle as the most important . . . then without a doubt it would be the multiplication of small groups.” Schwarz continues, “Continuous multiplication of small groups is a universal church growth principle.” (note 4)

The NCD definition of a holistic small group is very close to the cell definition given in the introduction of this book. I also like their definition of a cell church and believe it’s an excellent starting point. I have appreciated the ministry of NCD, and I’m encouraged to see that their extensive research is confirming that cell church ministry is a healthy strategy for church growth (note 5)

Solid evidence in favor of cell church ministry
This study is exciting because it provides statistical evidence that cell churches—whether in North America, Europe, or Africa—are not only healthier but also are growing faster. This information gives hope to those who have doubted that the cell-church strategy could bring qualitative and quantitative growth to their churches. For those planting a church or whose congregation is in transition from a conventional church to a cell church, this study is a reminder that cell church ministry will actually give a boost to celebration worship, church planting, and overall growth.

Since twenty million pieces of data were used in this comparative study, it certainly should be taken seriously and applied accordingly. Embarking on the cell church journey takes prayer, planning, and persistence. The NCD study should be a huge encouragement—no matter how many obstacles—to press ahead until the breakthrough comes.

Granted, most of us already knew this, with or without the statistical backing. You probably figured that any church declaring that the small group experience is just as important as the large group one is a healthier church.

Most likely you’ve also noted that the cell church message rubs busy westerners the wrong way, and that the common reaction is simply to ignore the cell church or treat it as a passing fad. But we in the cell church movement persist because we have a hard time promoting church growth that caters to North American busyness by offering painless Christianity—in and out quickly and complete anonymity guarded. We in the cell church movement wrestle with whether we should even call this church growth.

Conclusion
We believe that Jesus has more for HIS church. We like the idea, in fact, that a church should be driven or administered through its small group system, and that the members of the small groups simply come together each week to celebrate and hear God’s Word. We’re enthralled with a church that promotes small group involvement just as zealously as large group participation.

The good news is that now we have the statistics to prove our convictions. Cell church is the healthiest type of church. The NCD study should be a warning to those churches that judge their success by how many people attend the Sunday celebration. Such churches should begin to view church growth from the stand point of both cell and celebration.

My prayer is that these statistics will stir churches to stop and listen, to ask whether it’s healthy to organize around task driven programs (normally taking place within the church building) and to begin focusing more on developing holistic small groups that evangelize and multiply, thus needing a fresh infusion of lay leadership. Such a vision might require the reorganization of staff from managing church tasks and programs to pastoring networks of small group leaders.

ENDNOTES
1. The sad reality of the U.S. church scene, according to George Sweet, author of several best-selling books on Postmodernism, is that:
- 75% of churches today are dying or declining- 24% are growing by playing musical saints- 1% of churches today are growing by reaching lost people!
George Barna adds, ”The United States has so many unchurched people that the nation has become one of the primary missions targets of Christians who live in other countries around the world." (George Barna in September 25, 2000 at http://www.barna.org/cgiin/PagePressRelease.asp?PressReleaseID=71&Reference=B Accessed on Saturday, December 01, 2001 ).
2. “ Cell Churches and the NCD survey,” CoachNet: The Cell Church Chronicles, October 2002, email newsletter. I received this newsletter in my mail box on 10/21/2002 . For further information, write CoachNet@CoachNet.org. I talked with Jeannette Buller, Bob Logan ’s key person, and she said that this study originated in Germany from the Natural Church Development data base and was conducted by Christoph Schalk, the director of NCD statistics in Germany .
3. Email from Christoph Schalk on Monday, April 19, 2004. He said, “Here’s the answer to your question: 100% of these churches with more than 75% in small groups do have holistic small groups, and have an average score in holistic small groups higher than 65.”
4. Schwarz, Natural Church Development, p. 32.
5. Brickman, Natural Church Development and Cell Church: Friend or Foe? On page 8 he says, “I am suggesting a marriage between the principles of cell church and Natural Church Development. I am suggesting not only compatibility, but I am suggesting that if a cell church paradigm can chase a thousand, the union of a cell church paradigm with the NCD paradigm can chase ten thousand. The whole will be far greater than the sum of the parts.”

I'm Back Refreshed and Ready for 2007

2007-01-11T05:54:00.000-08:00

I'm back after a long silence. To be honest December was a real difficult month for me. I had no idea when I moved away from family what it would be like going through my first Christmas away from them. Needless to say both Cary and I were being attacked by Satan on all fronts. It doesn't help that we are still waiting for someone to buy our condo in Ohio. So Satan used these pressures to put ablanket of depression over us. That is until we woke up to his schemes. The pressures are still there but we are giving them daily to the Lord.

Another helpful change Cary and I made was to begin daily devotions together along with prayer. We both realized we needed to fight the devil and his schemes together. We were each meeting with the Lord but were not fighting together in a spiritual way. So on January 1st we began reading through the Bible (We purchased similar One Year Bibles and Journals) and we take time each day to share what the Lord is showing us and then pray together as a couple.

We are so grateful for our growing family in Salisbury! Without you we would really feel so alone. We feel so loved and supported and thank God for each of you. We were able to spend both Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day with families from the Church who allowed us to be part of their family for the day. That meant everything to us!

Let me share a special blessing I experienced last night while visiting one of our groups. This was Neighborhood Life Group ministry at it's best. I went to visit the Jamie Hammond group (young couples) last night and as always feel like the grandfather of the group when I sit and look around the room. I am so excited about what God is doing espechially since this group just birthed out of the J.D Schroen group in December. After arriving Jamie the facilitator told me that that he received a call from one of the group members husbands saying his wife was admited to the hospital with contractions. This is a challenge because she has had previous miscarriages and her due date is months down the road. So after his group arrived and they covered some calendar items. He asked his group if they would be open to a field trip to the hospital to pray for this family.

The group knew that this was the right thing to do and after prayer and worship we all got into our cars and headed to the hospital. With ten of us we wondered how we would all get to see her and pray for her. We thought we would have to go in to the room two at a time. But God is awesome and after arriving to labor and delivery two of the women asked if we could go in as a group to pray. Much to our surprise they allowed all ten of us to go in the room together.

What a powerful time of prayer we had as we gathered around that hospital bed together asking for God's protection and help. Then we prayed the prayer after the prayer, for God to be Glorified! The young woman we were praying for was visibly moved and so were all of us. Our only regret was that her husband had just left before we arrived. Friends I am so proud of Jamie, who moved his group into action and ministry together. This is cell ministry at it's best!

I pray daily for our Neighborhood Life Group faciltators and ask for an increased measure of God's Presence and Power to be released in the group. Last night God clearly answered that prayer. I want to encourage all group faciltators who are reading this entry. Pray is foundational to your ministry. I hope you'll begin to pray daily over the families God has entrusted you with. He wants to do amazing things through you and your group! Until next time "Be Blessed!"

Another Son to Thank God For

2006-11-26T17:08:00.000-08:00

I've been quiet for a few days and that is because I focused on my wife and our much needed time together. Thursday we were invited to Kip and Sharon Powers home to share Thanksgiving with their family. This was really a blessing because being 10 hours away we were unable to be with our families.

Friday Cary and I took a small backroads trip to Elliots Island and then ended up at the Suicide Bridge Restaurant for lunch. It was a beautiful day in the Maryland countryside and we throughly enjoyed ourselves. Yesterday we continued the ourdoor activity by visiting Assateague Island and walking along the ocean as well as some of the trails. This is our favorite way to have a day together. Cary is quite a photographer and we have a few beautiful pictures of scenes along the way. We saw many deer and a few wild horses on our trek. I really loved the refreshing time with my wife. We don't get much time like that together because usually my day off is Monday and Cary has to work. So we treasure any hours together! Today after speaking at all three services I have a fresh appreciation for what Bill goes through every Sunday. I grateful for the opportunity to share in this way whenever it comes.

Well let me move on to my fourth born son. Above you can see Mark and his wife Callie. They live in Frankin, Ohio and attend Vineyard Community Church along with two of Marks brothers. Mark is working as an apprentice pipefitter and is also being schooled through this apprentice program. Callie is going to school and is studying massage therapy.

Of all my sons Mark has surprised me in a number of ways. Being the most quiet of my five sons he was actually the first one to get married. I had the privilege of conducting the ceremony in February 2005. Another surprise to me is watching Mark use his hands as a vocation. He was the sport enthusiast of the family and the last one I would have guessed would take on a trade as a profession.

Mark was an excellent golfer and tennis player. One thing I really miss from his High School years is all the rounds of golf and tennis matches I attended. I served as an assistant golf coach and loved watching him play. Before graduating he tied the school record at the Franklin Golf course and beat the score of Frank Lichliter (Now PGA Pro) who used to play on the Franklin Team. Needless to say I really miss the opportunity to golf with my son as it's something we love to do together.

Again like all my sons I want God's best for him and I pray that God would use Mark and Callie for His Glory.

2006-11-24T04:39:00.000-08:00

Still giving thanks I want to introduce you to my third born son, Matthew. He lives in Chicago and loves the city. He is a very talented young man.

When he was 16 he began to take flight lessons and paid his own way by working at McDonalds. His goal was to have his flying liscense by the time he was 17. I'll never forget the time he took his first solo flight. The instructor told me to bring my camera and that after a few take offs and landings she would get out. I'll never forget the grin on his face when she got out and told him he was to go on his own three more times.

My heart thumped a few times watching this whole scene but he was very capable and I was very proud. The amazing thing about all this is that he still didn't have his drivers liscense at the time. He would have to ask me for a ride to the airport so he could fly.

Matthew began college at Embry Riddle at Daytona Beach taking aerospace engineering and did quite well but decided to switch majors and came back to Columbus, Ohio where he attended and graduated from Denison University. While attending Denison he focused on fine arts. After graduating he went on to get another degree from The Art Institute of Chicago. He loves to write and loves to dance. He is a full time dance instructor for Arthur Murray Dance Studio in downtown Chicago. While on our family cruise this summer (My father treated all of us to a cruise to Cozemel) Matthew was the hit on board because of his dancing abilities.

I thank God for my creative son and pray that these talents could be used for God's glory. I pray that he would have direction as he is looking for another job since the stress of teaching dance is very rough on his body. From my perspective he has great leadership abilities and could make a great teacher/professor as well.

Giving Thanks for My Second Born

2006-11-22T04:45:00.000-08:00

I thank God for my son Timothy, he is the hands on guy of the family. He has been remodeling his home and can do almost anything. Tim is married to Sara and they both enjoy photography. Sara works for a company that takes photos for school year books and Tim works for a company that maintains the printing machines for a large insurance company.

While my son was serving in the Army Sara's family joined the church I was pastoring. She is a great vocalist and really loves the Lord. Long before Tim met her I often thought that it would be neat if Tim could meet her.
After three years of service Tim got injured in a training mission and came home. My thoughts became reality and Tim and Sara were married in May of 05. Tim and Sara are active at Vineyard Community Church in Franklin, Ohio where I served as a co- pastor.

Tim loves the outdoors and has set up a paintball course in the woods behind Vineyard Community Church in Franklin, Ohio. On any given Sunday when the weather is warm many teens and their fathers can be found shooting each other for the Glory of God. Remember the Bible says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Before moving to Maryland they talked me in to playing with them on Father's Day. I have to admit I really enjoyed myself. The only game I didn't like was when they played civil war. Two lines formed across the field and each team had an opportunity to fire on the other side. If you didn't get hit you would take a step forward and the next team took aim. I found this quite unnerving and ended up getting a few bruises when the line took aim at me.

The most difficult thing about living so far away from the boys is on days like today. I miss my family and thank God for each of them. May the Lord bless and watch over Tim and Sara and may they draw closer to Him each day!

Give Thanks Always!

2006-11-20T04:14:00.000-08:00

This week I want to give God "Thanks" for all He has done in my life and for the special people in my life. This is a photo of my oldest son Chris. He is 29 and lives in San Diego where he is attending law school. After completing his course of study he plans to move back to Ohio to live near his brothers.

He recently took up long distance running and calls me all the time to tell me about the leisurely 20 mile run he just made. He plans to run his first marathon in December in Death Valley. Needless to say I'm proud of him and can relate to his running passion. I took up long distance running when I was 28 and really was addicted myself. I was running so many miles that I became a shoe tester for Nike. At one point I was running almost 10 miles per day. I competed in at least 60 races under 10 miles, 10 marathons and 10 ultra-marathons. More on this soon as I share my own testimony.

This week I'm so thankful that God continues to look out for my son Chris. He has had a number of close encounters that could have led to his death. One time he was robbed at gun point. Some months ago had a very serious bicycle crash but was spared because of his helmet. Just last week was run down by a truck in an intersection becaue the man was talking on his cell phone and turned into the sun and didn't see Chris in the intersection.

I had this strong impression that I needed to talk to my son about the fact that God has spared his life on countless occasions for a purpose. Saturday I had an opportunity to talk with him about it. His reply was "The one thing I've learned through these encounters is that I do not have control of my life." Chris has been on a spiritual search for years and I pray that he will come full circle to Jesus Christ who loves him and is trying to grab hold of him for a purpose!

Thank You God for my oldest son Chris! Use his life for your glory!

Friend Day Miracles

2006-11-12T14:14:00.000-08:00

On the left you can see the action in our new Welcome Center. We gave away 38 guests bags today. I want to thank Velvie who worked so hard getting this room ready to receive guests! Today we had over 400 people. I know we were about 130 over our Sunday average attendance. God blessed in that He held off the rain until the services were over. (Thank You God)

Below you can read just two of the miracles of Friend Day. God surely did a "New Thing." What an honor to be part of something like this.

Friend Day Miracles (From Cary) One day this past week I was at the office when a woman came to the door who was living in a halfway house near the church building. I sat and spoke with her for quite some time. She said she had been walking by the church three times in the past several days and every time she walked by, she felt such peace, and she knew that the Lord was calling to her. She said on the day she finally stopped and rang the bell, that she was scared to death, but knew she had to ring the bell anyway. I sat and spoke with her for about 25 minutes or so and ministered to her. I asked if she had ever asked to receive Christ into her heart, and she said she had been born again and baptized as a child, and had only recently rededicated her life to the Lord.

She said she had been reading her Bible but her daily devotional had run out a month or two before. So I gave her my Daily Bread devotional for October and November and another one to carry her thru January 2007. She cried and told me some of her story and my heart broke for her. I told her that Sunday was Friend Day and I would be very honored if she would come on Sunday. When she was leaving, I walked outside with her and asked to pray over her, which I did, and she cried and hugged me several times. What a wonderful moment! I was so blessed to see her today at Friend Day, and she brought a friend with her and I immediately recognized her, and she recognized me and came running up and hugged me. She told me after the services that the whole message was so uplifting to her and she was so happy she had come.

I had invited the young lady who leased our apartment to us at Marley Manor. She has said she was very excited about it and she was going to bring her boyfriend. Well, she did not come, but I was not disappointed because it became evident that God had someone else he wanted Michael and I to minister to today.

My turn now! (Michael) It is now 4:00pm and Cary and I are just getting home! What a day of miracles. I just led one of our guests to Christ but let me share the whole story and you’ll see how truly amazing God is. One of our guests, a homeless lady tells this story. This week she had a very vivid dream. In this dream she was walking down a path and as she walked down the path she came to a cliff. As she stepped forward she slipped over the edge of the cliff but was able to hold on with one hand and pull herself back up. As she looked back up the path she had come from this path disappeared and all that remained was a shed. She recognized the shed contained her past and all her baggage and she didn’t want to go back there. To go forward over the cliff would mean death. Over to the right she saw two doors which opened to a new road which was freshly paved. It was then she woke up from the dream and she said she knew that God was talking to her about her life and the choices she had to make.

The next day she was at Joseph House and someone from AMBC handed her an invitation to Friend Day. She immediately connected this invitation with the newly paved road she saw in her dream and knew that nothing could keep her from coming to the services. Sure enough she came and was one of our guests welcomed in our new welcome center. Cary and I took her to lunch and helped her find a place to stay and before we left her we asked if we could talk with and pray for her.

I had the opportunity to share Christ with her and she wanted to invite Him in. Wow what a day! She never did find the person who invited her in the first place. (Maybe it was an angel) Pray for her (Pam) she needs a job and needs help staying on this new path that God called her to. By the way she absolutely loved the services (She sat through two) and said she has never experienced the love that she experienced today at Allen Memorial. I give God all the Glory! He is not willing that any should perish but all come to repentance. Imagine all the other miracles that took place today as this was just two of them. God is so Good!

Laying the Foundation for Friend Day

2006-11-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

The foundation is being laid for Friend Day. Thank you to Jill & Mike for the use of their home last night. Twenty one of us gathered for the purpose of prayer and what a great time we had together. We prayed over the names of friends and neighbors submitted by those attending AMBC as well as over our pastors and staff. I am so grateful to be part of a praying church.
It will be exciting to see what God does on this special day. I'm praying that God surprises us and goes beyond the 500 we are praying for.

This week the congregation has the opportunity to distribute 5000 postcards in the area. I began blitzing Marley Manor where I live until I read my lease and found out that there is no soliciting. (Oops) I'll have to find some neighborhoods to walk through. Cary and I are excited in that the girl who signed us up at Marley Manor is coming to Friend Day with her boy friend as well as my Korean Friend I met at Staples! Of course were taking them to lunch! May God Bless you as you reach out to your friends as well.

My Heart For Indonesia

2006-11-04T19:59:00.000-08:00

In the year 2000 I went on a trip to the other side of the world. The purpose of this trip was to attend the Global Cell Church Mission Network conference in Jakarta, Indonesia. This was my first trip outside of North America. Little did I know, that this trip would change my life.

While sitting at the airport in Los Angeles I met some people who were on a mission trip to the Philippines. They had asked me where I was headed and when I told them first to Jakarta and then on to Solo they showed me a disturbing article.

It was from the State Department and was warning Americans not to travel to Indonesia and that in Solo the muslims were going to hotels looking for Americans and forcing them to leave. I had planned this trip for a long time so I wasn't going to turn around. To make matter worse when I got to Hong Kong I watch a Christian Band who was headed to Jakarta make a few phone calls and pull their bags from the plane and head back to America. Still I pressed on and trusted God for His protection.

When I stepped off the airplane I was a little frightened. I didn't know the language and hoped that I could find those who were there to meet me. They found me an escorted me out of the airport. It was in those first few moments in traffic that God began to break my heart over the Nation of Indonesia. This country is 88% muslim and everywhere I looked I realized the majority knew nothing about Christ and the life He offers.

I realized on this first trip how spoiled we are in America and how most of us have no idea how it is for most of the people in the world. It was on this trip I got introduced to an amazing man who had taken on 66 orphans beside his own four kids. His vision was to raise these kids in the Lord and train them up so that they could go back to the Island of Ambon where much slaughter was going on between the muslims and Christians. He wanted to take them home to make a difference in such a dark place.

Since that first trip I have returned three times and even spent one month there with my youngest son. The Indonesian people are such a precious people. Indonesia is comprised of 17,000 islands and has 127 people groups which are unreached for the most part. I long to return there some day and spend time with these amazing people.

God has been so good to me in that wherever I have lived He has always given me Indonesian friends. Moving to Salisbury has been no different. Above you can see that that I have already made an Indonesian friend. Faye and Phoebe are precious to God and precious to me as well. I love talking to Faye about Indonesia and even practicing speaking Indonesian to her.

God will break your heart over a nation as long as you are open to the nation of His choosing. Saya Cinta Kamu (I Love You) That is the inscription in my wedding ring from my wife Cary. By the way the first time I told her I loved her I wrote a letter in Indonesian and translated it a little at a time. Who has God broken your heart over? He will truely give you the desires of your heart!

My Day of Rest

2006-10-30T14:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the message William Warren delivered hit home for me. I'm sure I wasn't the only one being spoken to. It's real easy for me to go from 6am to 11pm everyday serving the Lord and neglecting what the Lord has said about rest.

Today I took a day off and really enjoyed myself. I sat be the ocean and read a book as well as simply sat and let the Lord speak to me. It was good and I need to do this on a regular basis. I really love the sound of the waves crashing on the shore and thank God He called me here.

The Birthing of Something Beautiful

2006-10-29T02:54:00.000-08:00

The cocoon has been shed and the two-winged beauty is preparing for flight. My wife Cary took this photo down at Chincoteague a few weeks ago and I think you would agree that the butterfly is beautiful. The two-winged beauty I'm talking about is our Church.

The Bible says that when you align yourself with His purposes He will give you the desire of your heart. I have been a Christian for 23 years now and I can honestly say that I have never been happier and more fulfilled than I am right now.
This is a huge statement to make because I have really been on a great adventure. God has been so good to me and has used me in settings I would have never dreamed of. I have traveled the world and have rubbed shoulders with some wonderful people who were passionate about God.

The potential at Allen Memorial excites me as I think about it. In two weeks I have visited 15 groups and all I can say is wow! The people of our church are more loving and friendly than I have ever experienced in all the settings I've been in. When they catch the vision of what God can do through them in their neighborhoods watch out. I'm calling are groups Neighborhood Life groups because we need to take the life of Christ living in and through us and release it into our neighborhoods.

When God designed the church He designed the church with two wings, the large group wing (celebration) and the small group wing (cells). Amazing things will happen in our future as we embrace God's original two-winged design for His Church!

For help in connecting to a Neighborhood Life Group contact me at michael.sove@comcast.net

Neighborhood Life Groups
“A Place to Belong, Grow and Serve”

Neighbood Life Groups

2006-10-28T06:02:00.000-07:00

THE PARABLE OF THE ONE-WINGED CHURCH-Bill Beckham

There once was created a church with two wings. One wing was for large group celebration and the other wing was for small group community. Using both wings the church could soar gracefully anywhere in the world fulfilling the creator's purpose. Because of this special design the Creator could show Himself to His church as God the Most High in the heavens above and as God the Most Nigh in the earth below.

One day the jealous wicked serpent who had no wings challenged the church to fly with only its large-group wing. The serpent applauded loudly when the church became airborne (though it was a clumsy effort) and convinced the church that with practice it could fly just as well using only that one wing.

Deceived, from that day forth the two-winged church began to see itself as having only one wing. (This happened during the earthly reign of Constantine after the Creator had used the two-winged church to thwart the plans of the wicked-serpent-who-had-no-wings.)

The small-group wing through which the Creator could show Himself near became weaker and weaker from lack of exercise until it atrophied into a useless appendage beside the oversized large-group wing. The two-winged church that had soared high in the heavens was now for all practical purposes one-winged, neutralized by the wicked serpent who had no wings.

The Creator of the church was very sad. He knew that the two- winged design had allowed the church to soar in the heavens into His presence while doing His bidding. With only one wing the church had to try even harder to just lift off of the ground. Even if it did manage to become airborne it was prone to go in a circle and to lose its sense of direction and balance. And the one-winged church could never fly very far from its original point of departure. Spending more and more time in the safety and comfort of its bird house it grew fat, lazy, and contented with an earth bound existence.

From time to time the church dreamed of flying high in the heavens into the presence of the Creator and doing His work. But now the strong large-group wing was so dominate that it would not accept help from the weaker side. It was too late.

The Creator finally stretched forth his hand and recreated his church so that it could use both wings. Once again the Creator had a church that could fly into His presence and soar high over all the earth fulfilling His purposes.

Come experience the beauty of the second wing of our church. We're calling it Neighborhood Life groups! If you would like to find a group contact me at michael.sove@comcast.net and I would love to help you find a neighborhood life group to connect with.

Neighborhood Life Groups
“A Place to Belong, Grow and Serve”

Saying Goodbye to the MidWest

2006-09-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend was my last chance to head back to where I grew up before moving to Maryland. I spent the first 30 years of my life in the Chicagoland area. What is a trip to the area without taking in a Willow Creek Community Church Service. The picture above gives you a small idea of how big this Mega-Church is. I am always challenged and inspired whenever I visit this ministry. As always things are done with excellence and this service was no exception. This was my first time visiting since the new auditorium was opened which holds over 7000. I was really moved by the drama, music and message. If you ever get a chance I highly recommend a visit to South Barrington and Willow Creek! I'm really glad I went because I got some great inspriration and ideas for Cell Group ministry from their neighborhood ministry.

I also went back to visit McDonalds #1 which is now a museum in Des Plaines, Illinois. This brought back old memories as my family typically went to McDonalds after church on Sunday. It was a real treat and I always ordered two cheesburgers. At the time you could buy them for 20 cents a piece. This store was opened in 1955 by Ray Kroc. I had the privilege of eating here as a kid.

The most disaappointing thing about this trip was driving thru Chicago but not being able to see my son Matthew who lives and works there. Matthew is a dance instructor for Arthur Murray Dance Studio downtown Chicago. I was however able to vivist with dad and mom and my brother Bob. Eeven though I'm thrilled about my call to Salisbury, Maryland I will sure miss my sons and extended family. Four weeks and counting!

A Call to Maryland

2006-08-27T04:18:00.000-07:00

What a week we have had and all I can say is that God is good! All the Time! Cary and I got up at 3:00am Thursday so we could make our 7:00 am flight to Baltimore. The flight was just a little over an hour and then we had a two and one half hour drive to Salisbury. Salisbury, MD is located on the Peninsula just south of the Delaware State line. We crossed the bridge near Annapolis and had a beautiful ride south.

After arriving at the Church facility we went to lunch with Bill Warren who has been the Pastor for 22 years. I found out later that the previous pastors all have had long tenures. This says a lot for the Church and it's standing in the community. We ate ate at a China Buffet of course. (I couldn't move there unless there was Chinese food and a Panera Bread) It was during this lunch we found out how compatible we really are. This pastor is definitely spirit-filled and led. I can see how much we'll compliment one another as far as gifts we bring to the team. He took us on a tour of Salisbury and showed us the new facility that should be completed in March. I really like the small city feel and you can get anywhere in the city in 15-20 minutes. There are about 22,000 people in the city and 60,000 people in the surrounding community. The new facility is on the by-pass and in the south where all the growth will be. This is phase one and the worship center will hold 550 and there are three services. This facility sits on 40 acres and there is much room for growth. They have been dreaming about transitioning to this property for at least 7 years.

Thursday evening we had dinner with Bill and his wife Deborah and they took us to Watermans a wonderful Seafood restaurant. Cary being the Florida girl loved seafood and I love fish so it was like a taste of heaven. For the next few days I ate so much flounder I began to flounder.

Friday I met for a few hours with Bill and was able to ask my three pages of questions as well as hear his heart, passion and vision. Again I was blown away as God showed me over and over again that He was giving me the desire of my heart. Everything I dreamed this could be was opening up before my eyes. I could honestly say by this point my answer would be a resounding yes if they asked me to come.

Friday afternoon I found myself in more meetings. I was able to spend time with Velvie the Childrens Pastor who has been there since February. What a great heart and Spirit and she was able to give me insight to what it has been like moving in from out of State and her experiences on staff. I have nothing but respect for the team God is pulling together. Friday night the cell search team (seen above in the picture) had a gathering for discussion and dessert. I was so charged up that when they asked me questions I poured out my heart and didn't know when to stop. So we already knew that when we got together Sunday evening for a final discussion the better approach would be to hand me their questions and I could give concise answers. Oh well they got a real taste of my passion and enthusiasm for Christ.

Saturday we had a free day for the most part and went to Ocean City Maryland and walked the whole boardwalk along the beach. We are only 25-30 minutes from the ocean so this will be a wonderful place for all of you to come visit. There are so many things to see and do in this area. We also visited the National Seashore /Assateague Isalnd where the wild horses roam. All I can say is "Beautiful." Besides all the outdoor beauty we are two and one half hours from Washington D.C., Baltimore, Dover and close to Virginia Beach as well.

Saturday evening we were invited to a barbeque hosted by a cell group and the cell pastor search team. I had the opportunity to facilitate a cell gathering. I chose to bring application from the message the previous Sunday. This is what most cell churches do. The topic that is taught on Sunday gets applied during the week. They seem to really like that idea. Cray and I felt nothing but love and southern hospitality the whole time amoung these precious people!

Sunday morning Cary and I attended all three services. At 8:15 they have a traditional service. It reminded me of the years right after I accepted Christ and attended South Park Baptist Church in Crown Point Indiana. This is not my preferred style of worship but it was well done and the people were friendly and loving. I like the idea of being able to minister to a diverse group of people who all matter to God!

The second and third services blew our minds. Before coming out here I was thinking, "I wonder what contemporary means in this congregation." The first song was a powerhouse song by the David Crowder Band and it took off from there. Cary and I were smiling from ear to ear because we love contemporary worship. We also have freedom to worship expressively as the pastor understands the power of worship. Bill is a wonderful teacher and motivator as well. Second service I noticed a man slip in and sit in and sit in the back row. During ministry time at the end I was praying for him as I sensed he had needs in his life. What a wonderful surprise to have him respond and ask Christ into his life. This congregation has momentum and I believe when they go out to the new facility their will be great growth and continued momentum!

More lunch meetings and another discussion with the cell search team and it was time to head back to Ohio and wait for a response. I was so positive and excited for this opportunity but I would have to wait until Wednesday evening to see what the team thought. Finally I received the call I was waiting for. It was unnaimous as the team met on Wednesday evening. They will recommend to the Church that I be called as Cell Pastor! Cary and I are thrilled and excited that God would give us this open door of ministry! On the weekend of Sept 10th we return for the formality of meeting the congregation and formalizing this relationship.

Some of you are wondering what a Cell pastor does and how does he use his time? I'm pasting below a rough job description that will show you what attracted me in the first place.

Job Description:
Main Purpose:The Cell Pastor will provide the primary leadership for the cell group ministry.

Key Responsibilities:
1. Lead the Cell Vision Team in their mission of guiding the church through the eight stages required to create an effective cell group ministry.
2. Coordinate and delegate the training of cell members, cell leaders, and cell coaches.
3. Supervise the cell coaches.
4. Supervise the assimilation of new members into cell groups.
5. Supervise the discipleship journey of members primarily through retreats and mentoring.
6. Lead our cell groups to multiply at least once every 12 to 18 months.

Qualifications:This ministry position requires a Spirit-filled person who is highly relational in personality and who has the administrative skills to manage a ministry effectively.

This describes my heart and passion. For those who know me, you can see the perfect fit! God is so good and truely gives us the desires of our heart!

Opportunity in Maryland

2006-07-31T18:00:00.000-07:00

Words can't describe my excitement. One day after returning from my family cruise I received the call I was longing for. Let me back up... In April I had a strong prompting from the Lord. It was like waking up one day with a clear call to return to fulltime ministry again. I have thought about it often over the last three years while sitting behind a computer. I haven't been idle when it comes to ministry. The last three years I have been heavily involved in the House Church movement and have learned much. But this was a clear call to go back to the Cell Church or at least function as a Small Group Director.

I began a computer search and looked under small group pastor. One of the first things that caught my attention was a job description for Cell Pastor posted by a Southern Baptitst Church in Salisbury Maryland. The job description described me all the way. I was so excited and immediately sent my resume out. It took one month and many resumes sent out but much to my amazement I received a phone call from the cell search team on May 17th asking if I was still open and interested. I was told upon my affirmative answer that I would receive a call from the Pastor.

On Memorial Day Pastor Warren called me. It was a fantastic conversation and we hit it off immediately. I was so Blessed by his attitude and gracious way he handled me. I was told that the Cell search team would give me a conference call. This call took place on June 21st and again I was so Blessed by this team and any concerns I had were quickly put to rest. I like their attitudes and where God has brought them as a Church. They are very serious about transitioning to Cells.

So on July 20th I was told that they selected me as candidate for Cell Pastor. Cary and I will go out to spend 5 days in Maryland, August 17th thru 21st. God is so awesome and He truely gives us the desires of our hearts.

A Promise Kept ... A Blessing Received

2006-07-23T17:46:00.000-07:00

Four years ago while visiting "House of the Father's Love" orpanage in Jakarta Indonesia God laid a precious girl named Marice on my heart. I had this strong sense from Him that I was to be a Father to her.

A few years prior she was in Ambon where the Muslims were attacking the Christians. Her family was chased into the forest and hid for two days. After they came out from hiding she was sent away so she could continue her schooling in a safe place. Her and many other children were sent four days by boat to the capital city.

The story of these kids and their house Father Gaspar is quite amazing. He introduced the kids to Jesus Christ and has been helping them continue their schooling. His big vison is to train them in the ways of the Lord, get them educated and send them back to Ambon to take that Island for Jesus Christ. To make a difference with their lives. Wow that's a vision I can stand behind.

I promised Marice that when she graduated from High School I would bring her to the USA for a visit. She graduated this year and so it was time for me to keep my promise. There were two major chasllenges standing in the way. Money was very tight for me and the air fare alone was $1500. The second problem had to do with getting a Visa for her. It is almost impossible for young Indonesain girls to get a Visa to come to the United States. God is the God of impossibilities not only did I receive the money for the air fare she was approved for the Visa on the very first attempt.

We had a wonderful two weeks with her and were Blessed to have her in our midst. God did another miracle in that we sent her back with two years of University paid for as well and someone commiting to cover the third year. Marice's dream is to be a Missionary nurse to India! It was really hard to say goodbye and I'm already longing to see her again. I'm hoping to take Cary to Indonesia to visit her in the next year or so.

Marice was so Blessed and overwhelmed by the love and generosity of the American people!

The Blessing of a Christian Wife

2006-03-08T09:39:00.000-08:00

There is nothing quite like having a spouse who is trying to be all God called her to be. We are best friends and ministry partners. I want to help her find her place in the Kingdom and she stands behind me in my calling as well. She is a woman of the Word. Right now she is in two Life Transformation groups and reads 60 chapters of Scripture a week between the two groups of women. Since she is saturated with the Word she is also filled with wisdom and the Spirit. I am humbled to be her husband. Last Sunday at our gathering she gave a Word that God had given her and I will paste it below. Just by reading this you will get a sense of the power of the Spirit working in her life. Enjoy.... This was humbly submitted to the Church as we gathered and gave Jesus the lead.

3/3/06:
A Parable and Prayer:
I built an altar over my life. Some parts were made with rough-hewn stones. Over time, the stones became smooth, as refined in a fire. But others disappeared, and in their place appeared bricks. The bricks were made by my own hand as I treaded out the straw and mortar of my life in Egypt. The stones were made by the Lord's own hand, perfect in their imperfection!
The stones laid perfectly, one upon another. The bricks would sit atop the stones for a time, but eventually would begin to crumble and decay. Although some bricks remained only for a short time, other bricks seemed as though they would last forever.

Slowly, over time, as I would yield areas of my life to Jesus, a brick, sometimes more, would crumble, only to be replaced with a new stone hewn by the Master's hand. For everything that I built with my own hand, bricks would appear on the altar. But anything built by the Master's hand, appeared as stones on the altar. As my own selfish creation crumbles with each passing day, the altar is being re-formed and fitted with living stones, fitted together in perfect form, and no weapon formed against it shall destroy it.

Lord Jesus, my Master, put Your hand upon the altar I have built, and replace my bricks with Your stones. May the end of my days, when my time here is through, be an altar of stones reflective only of You!

A Poem: By The Spirit through Mrs. Michael Sove

I've built an altar of brick and stone,
made by my hands, by me alone;
from materials in Egypt
the land of slavery.
Look, come see how high it is;
give thanks, give praise to me.

God's building an altar of living stones
made by His Hand, by his Spirit alone;
from the Life He gave on Calvary
the curse of the Cross, all done for me.
Look, come see how high it is;
give thanks, give praise to Thee.

I'm building an alter, stone upon stone
from brick and from clay,
from a life now atoned;
turning bricks into diamonds,
the clay into gold,
Give thanks, give praise
It's Your Beauty I now hold!

My prayer for all of you is that you can experience the beauty of Christian marrige Two hearts intertwined, One Flesh, Unstoppable and a threat to the enemy.

"TGIF" Thank God its Friday

2006-02-28T16:00:00.000-08:00

It seems like I'm forever asking my wife, "Is it Friday yet?" When it finally arrives all I can say is "Thank God!" We have grown to anticipate what God will do and He never leaves us wanting! He fills us to overflowing every time we gather.

First I have to rave about the cook. Vicky sees it as her ministry to us to cook a feast every Friday. She opens the cookbook and makes something new every week. It's hard to carry on conversation around the table between the ooo's and ahh's. Hospitality including cooking is really a gift to behold! Thanks again Vicky!

As a group we use the dinner time to check on each others marriages. We have experienced miracles simply because we love each other enough to hold each other accountable in this most important relationship. Dinner time is also a time to share our stories of God's amazing adventure in our lives from the past week. We are never short of stories.

After the time around the table we split up and the men head one direction and the women another for our LTG's (Life Transformation Groups) There are three tasks to be accomplished in an LTG. They are...

#1 Sin is confessed in mutual accountability

We need one another (Heb 10:24-25) There is strength in relationships that are built around supporting one another. There are some Character Conversation Questions we use to get us going such as...

In what ways have you been a testimony to the greatness of Jesus Christy this week in your words and actions?
How have you experienced God in your life this week?
How are you responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit?
Do you have a need to confess any sin?
How did you do with your reading last week? (Our goal 25 Chapters minimum see below)

It didn't take long for the men or the women to share openly about their struggles. When you have a safe place and trusted friends there is nothing quite like it. Do you have anyone you can be totally transparent with?

#2 Scripture is read repetitively - In context and in community

Each week we pick a Book of the Bible and hold each other accountable for reading at least 25 Chapters. If the book is long like Matthew it will be one read through but if the Book is short like Colossians we'll rwad through at least six times. If you have never read large portions of Scripture like this you do not know what you are missing. You would be suprised what you see when you do this. It really give you a sense of the flow of Scripture. I am thrilled about the new believer in our group. He has read the Book of John, Matthew, Hebrews and Colossians in his first few weeks in Christ. You should see how we're all growing!

#3 Souls are prayed for specifically and regularily

Each of us have people we are reaching out to and each week we can give a report as to what is happening in these relationships. We pray for one another as well as for these people. We've already seen impact through prayer. It's great to work as a team when it comes to evangelism. Prayer goes a long way in preparing hearts for the harvest.

I wouldn't trade these activities on Friday night for anything else. I hope you'll pray and seek out a few people with which you can experience what I'm talking about. You'll understand what I mean when I say "Only one more day until Friday! I can't wait!" Mike

LIFE “ZOE” IN THE HOUSE

2006-02-23T16:43:00.000-08:00

I’m not sure when it began but it has everything to do with letting Jesus lead in our times together. When Jesus has the leadership there is no mistake about it. Lives are transformed before our very eyes, questions are answered, unity is experienced, people are edified (built up) and all we can say is “wow!” Sunday evening we were all touched by the presence of Jesus moving in His Church.

Collectively none of us ever want to go back to the old way of gathering where we came with a certain predetermined agenda. We want the leadership of Christ and nothing else. This doesn’t mean there are not some common elements in our times together. We always meet over a full meal, which always includes one cup and one loaf. The main reason the early church gathered was to share in the Table of the Lord. They did not gather to have worship services like we are so accustomed to. We have also moved into a 1 COR 14:26 approach to our times together with Jesus in the midst.

The Word says in 1 COR 14:26 “What shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All these must be done for the strengthening of the church.”

What I’m personally learning about this is that even when I bring something that God is showing me I leave it up to Him as to the timing of it. (As a visionary leader I’m never short for sharing words or vision) Sometimes He is not finished working it in me and to simply bring it to blurt out in the gathering prematurely would be insensitive to His leadership. So I ask Him before I share it, “Is this something that I should share now or is this for a later date?” I’m learning to listen to His voice when it comes to sharing anything in the gathering of Believers.

Sunday's gathering was amazing. We had a guest come and share a message that God has been developing in her since 1999. She talked to us about how God is calling His people to return to Zion. This is the place of His sanctuary. We are his sanctuary! After sharing we gathered around her and her husband to pray and this is when the floodgates opened.

Another woman got revelation on something she has been trying to figure out since 1999
A word was spoken over a man and all of a sudden men were weeping and wailing entering into the pain of this man's past
A wonderful word of edification was then spoken over this man as a warrior fighting a great battle
A woman gave a word of correction to another woman who received it humbly and through tears

This is just a sampling of what we experienced as we gave Jesus the leadership of the gathering. try it the next time you gather and He will take you on a great adventure and you'll never be the same again! God Bless you til the next time you enter my heart and mind. Mike

A Weekend of Small Beginnings

2006-02-22T15:04:00.000-08:00

It was a weekend of small beginnings! Four couples all passionate about the Kingdom got together and hung out for the weekend. Our dream is to see House Churches planted all over the Miami Valley. It is also our desire to see 5-Fold Ministry teams (Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds and teachers) functioning to train God's people for the works of ministry.

We stayed at the Farm House in Hocking Hills and had a great time getting to know each other. One of us even floated in the hot tub and is now known as "floatatious." We shared stories of the heart and are excited about our future! Along with talk of the new wineskin we shared food and laughed into the night.

It would be awesome if each of us had a blog. This is a great way to see what God is doing and a great way to share ideas and discoveries! Blessings to all who read here! Mike

Hocking Hills Retreat