Today was Vision Sunday 2009 at MCC, and I am in Lincoln, IL. No, don’t get me wrong, I love school and I love my friends here, and I am beyond thankful for how God has blessed me. In fact, whenever I want to complain I am so reminded of how education is such a privilege and most of our world thirsts for it…who am I to complain?
This week has been so tiring! I have now added on another course, and am doing it online…it’s IDS: Intro To Worldviews. I’m already loving the reading…I feel like there is so much I don’t know, and am excited for God to increase my capacity to love people as I learn more about how people different from me think. It’s hard to sit down and watch the 40 minutes videos though.
Back to this Sunday, I miss New Hampshire so much. Especially on days like today. What makes my heart beat fast? The vision of MCC…I’m not joking. When I read it I can feel myself getting excited. It’s so weird being such a different culture out here. What I love about New England as that people don’t know about Jesus, and we have the opportunity to share with them who He is for the very first time. Out here, everyone at least knows about Jesus, and it’s more about getting the congregation to want to do more than just attend church every Sunday. I think that that’s definitely so awesome! Still, my heart is geared towards New England…I can’t help it, I am so passionate about what Jesus has for His people out there.
This morning I got to play for Lincoln Christian Church. It was good for me to be able to jump in and get involved somewhere so quickly (seriously, I’ve been to this church once before today!), and it made it easier to be away from such a spectacular morning out there. One thing that I am learning while out here is that God deserves my worship and will be worshiped whether I feel like it or not – whether the sound mix is good or not, whether I am feeling well or not, whether I am happy or sad – doesn’t matter, Jesus will be worshiped. So even when I am far away when I play I think much about you guys, and I think much about Rwanda. I love that we are all connected through our love for Christ Jesus.
So to you, anyone that is reading this that does not know about the vision that I am talking about, or even if you do know…let me share with you what I am essentially all about.
There are almost two hundred thousand people in the greater Manchester area who are in desperate need of the life-saving grace of Jesus Christ. Our vision is to partner with God to be a church who makes an eternal difference in their lives. Our dream is to be a community of ordinary people on a journey of transformation together; a community learning to love God and to love people – not just people in Manchester, but people throughout New England and beyond; a community sharing the unchanging love of Jesus in culturally relevant ways to a changing world.
We see Sunday gatherings in multiple locations which compel us to invite others to share our joy. They will be so full of energy, so compelling, and so positive that all of our members will invite friends and relatives who do not know Jesus to come and experience what God is doing. We will use the arts to communicate in ways that are dynamic, creative, fun and challenging. People will not only listen to the message, but will apply it to their lives that very day. We will be surrounded by evidence that the Word is alive and relevant and powerful. God will have our best as we relentlessly pursue excellence in all facets of our Sunday gatherings.
We see a church that loves people because we love God. We believe that small groups are essential for a growing church to care for one another. We will continuously provide opportunities for people in the large Sunday morning group to naturally come together in small groups. These small groups will be a place where we share our struggles and successes, hopes and fears, pain and joy. We will hear stories of life change, as stagnation changes to motivation, fatigue changes to excitement, and resigned doubt turns into earnest searching.
We see a church vibrant and alive with personal spiritual growth in an environment that welcomes honest questions. We dream of a church made up of children, students, adults, and families excited about the power of God’s love in their everyday lives. Each year, we see hundreds of people making a commitment to Christ and celebrating that with baptism. We want to be a place where a stagnant relationship with God is the unacceptable exception, and spiritual growth is the exciting norm. We see a church where families grow in their love for one another and their love for God. We will celebrate when broken relationships are restored and adults, students, and children find God’s unique purpose for their lives. We will help people to identify, understand and use their spiritual gifts so they can find joy as they bring glory to God by serving in ministry.
We see God using us to change New England and to change the world. We will make it our life mission to love God and to love our neighbors. Through our everyday lives, we will assist those around us to become followers of Christ. We will offer encouragement and prayer for the leaders of regional churches. We will lead out in establishing long healthy relationships with regional churches, meeting regularly to encourage and pray together. Our small groups will work together to promote PEACE by promoting reconciliation, equipping servant leaders, assisting the poor, caring for the sick, and educating the next generation. We will empower and equip every member to reach out locally, nationally, and across the globe to share the good news of Jesus Christ with all people.
We see a church that is constantly seeking God to turn this vision into reality.