Well, it's been a nutty, busy week for Emily and me, full of great stuff, but I wanted to post about our awesome picnic last Saturday! I'm also committing to posting tomorrow evening and Friday, so stay alert...
We had a great time at Fountain City Park Saturday afternoon hanging out in one of the pavilions there, sharing lunch and dessert, getting to meet and know everyone who joined us, and enjoying the day! It was awesome to get to meet some folks who we've merely heard about, and also to chat with special people who we haven't seen in years.
Since our picnic, we've had several meals with folks we've been introduced to who are interested in learning more about The Ridge and getting to know us personally. We love that!
Our idea is not to rush getting to know each other, since it's such an important thing. The plan is to have a gathering for those interested in learning more about Ridge Church (or just curious about us!) every few weeks through the rest of 2008. Our goal is that our gatherings will reflect what The Ridge is all about, so that every time we meet, you will get a taste of Ridge Church's vision and values.
After the purely social time of this week's picnic, our next gathering will be an opportunity for us to chat about Ridge Church's values and talk about what Ridge Church will "look, sound, feel, smell and taste" like. Because we want to be a family and kid-friendly fellowship, we have worked to find a great spot that will give us a chance to spend relaxed time together and also make safe provisions for kids.
On Sunday evening, September 14, from 5:30 to 7 pm, we will meet at Mr. Gatti's at 6903 Maynardville Highway in Halls. Gatti's is a great spot, since it's easy to get to, it has affordable food, it has a meeting room reserved for us, and it has an arcade if parents wish to let their kids roam that realm. All in all, a great location for a Ridge Church gathering! (Of course, we're open to other locations for future gatherings... Justlet us know your ideas!)
So, you are invited to join us in a couple weeks to as we continue down the path that is The Ridge! We'll be eating at Gatti's from 5:30 to 6 or so, and then we will talk about our new church until 7.
If you have any questions, want to learn more about us, or have someone you'd like to introduce us to, please don't hesitate to email kevin@ridgechurchknoxville.com or call me at 865.223.5851.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
One way to make friends in your neighborhood
Emily and I have lived in our subdivision in Knoxville for almost 2 months. And we've been struggling pretty much that whole time with figuring out some good ways to meet the neighbors immediately around us. It seems that no matter where you live, people are just very busy these days, and also very private about their home lives. It's not as easy as it used to be to meet your neighbors.
We want to make some friends, and also just establish ourselves as kind and positive additions to our community. We want to do this just as "regular" people, not as a pastor and his wife or church planters. We don't want to have any agenda when meeting our neighbors right now, although in the future we hope to have the opportunity to talk with them about God.
Well, Emily had an idea that turned out to be great! She baked about 100 chocolate chip cookies (of course, I got some!) and then wrapped them up in six different packages. Then, she made a greeting card with our name, address and phone number on it for each package. From there, we just went door-to-door and gave the cookie packages and cards to our neighbors! It's kind of like a reverse housewarming gift... And it worked!
Last night, we finished giving the cookie packages to the neighbors who weren't at home on Saturday. When we went outside again several hours later to take a walk around the neighborhood, our neighbor across the street stopped us and told him how much the gift meant to him. He is a widower and lonely. He probably bent our ear for 15 or 20 minutes, telling us about his situation. It's sad that he's lonely, but the good thing is that he knows we care. It was an awesome interaction, because at the end he perked up and told us if we ever needed anything we should just ask. A great connection was made!
We also met a neighbor who just had a baby in March, and a guy with a teenage daughter. There are all kinds of ages in our neighborhood, and now we actually have exchanged names with them.
Finally, we gave some cookies to a neighbor who lost his father last week. This guy's father happens to be an old family friend of Emily's parents, and by happenstance he lives in our subdivision. When we walked up to him, he was actually going through some of his father's stuff. He was visibly upset, but the cookies put a smile on his face, at least for a little bit. We had the opportunity to talk to him about his father and show we care.
So, if you're wondering about how to meet those neighbors and start representing Christ to them (after all, every church planter should be a good neighbor first!) may I suggest chocolate chip cookies? You may be surprised at how well they break down barriers!
We want to make some friends, and also just establish ourselves as kind and positive additions to our community. We want to do this just as "regular" people, not as a pastor and his wife or church planters. We don't want to have any agenda when meeting our neighbors right now, although in the future we hope to have the opportunity to talk with them about God.
Well, Emily had an idea that turned out to be great! She baked about 100 chocolate chip cookies (of course, I got some!) and then wrapped them up in six different packages. Then, she made a greeting card with our name, address and phone number on it for each package. From there, we just went door-to-door and gave the cookie packages and cards to our neighbors! It's kind of like a reverse housewarming gift... And it worked!
Last night, we finished giving the cookie packages to the neighbors who weren't at home on Saturday. When we went outside again several hours later to take a walk around the neighborhood, our neighbor across the street stopped us and told him how much the gift meant to him. He is a widower and lonely. He probably bent our ear for 15 or 20 minutes, telling us about his situation. It's sad that he's lonely, but the good thing is that he knows we care. It was an awesome interaction, because at the end he perked up and told us if we ever needed anything we should just ask. A great connection was made!
We also met a neighbor who just had a baby in March, and a guy with a teenage daughter. There are all kinds of ages in our neighborhood, and now we actually have exchanged names with them.
Finally, we gave some cookies to a neighbor who lost his father last week. This guy's father happens to be an old family friend of Emily's parents, and by happenstance he lives in our subdivision. When we walked up to him, he was actually going through some of his father's stuff. He was visibly upset, but the cookies put a smile on his face, at least for a little bit. We had the opportunity to talk to him about his father and show we care.
So, if you're wondering about how to meet those neighbors and start representing Christ to them (after all, every church planter should be a good neighbor first!) may I suggest chocolate chip cookies? You may be surprised at how well they break down barriers!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
About today's sad event...
Today, a young man shot and killed another young man in the cafeteria at Central High School in the minutes before school started. It's a horrible thing that you hope never happens in your community... It's a shame and there's no way around that fact, regardless of the reasons that may come out for the violence in the future.
What made me want to post is some of the discussion that I heard today about the shooting. I heard some folks talking at lunch, and one made the comment that "this wouldn't have happened if we still had corporal punishment in schools." He claimed that students misbehave in school because they aren't paddled anymore.
Going back to "the good ol' days" will not make everything in our society better. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure child abuse, alcoholism, teenage pregnancy, and other social ills occurred 50 years ago, people just kept that stuff quiet.
But, just as people weren't "better" 50 years ago, people aren't going to find themselves in some state of utopia in another 50 years. If you believe what God has to say about the matter, reactionism won't save our society. But, then again, neither is humanism the answer. Like legalism and license, both of these philosophies are in error; one is just erroneous to the rght and the other is wrong on the left side of the truth.
The Bible has a great deal to say about this type of thing, and Romans 3:9-24 is a great passage to read.
The Bible shows us that the real illness humanity has to deal with in order to find peace is our sin problem. Our sin caused a severed relationship with God starting with Adam and Eve. The root of our behavioral and emotional problems that lead to things like school shootings is simply our separation from God. The true answer to all the problems taking place around us is a restored relationship to God. And that can only happen via a life-transforming faith in Christ.
The Gospel has the power to change individuals and has done so for 2,000 years. Not only can the Gospel change individuals, it's truth can change families, neighborhoods, communities, towns, cities, and nations. If we truly care about our world and want to see it reconciled to God, we must do what it takes to earn the right to share the truth of Christ with others.
That way, instead of bringing back paddling to public schools to keep kids from "smarting off," we'll do the smart thing and help people to discover what they really need--Christ.
What made me want to post is some of the discussion that I heard today about the shooting. I heard some folks talking at lunch, and one made the comment that "this wouldn't have happened if we still had corporal punishment in schools." He claimed that students misbehave in school because they aren't paddled anymore.
Going back to "the good ol' days" will not make everything in our society better. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure child abuse, alcoholism, teenage pregnancy, and other social ills occurred 50 years ago, people just kept that stuff quiet.
But, just as people weren't "better" 50 years ago, people aren't going to find themselves in some state of utopia in another 50 years. If you believe what God has to say about the matter, reactionism won't save our society. But, then again, neither is humanism the answer. Like legalism and license, both of these philosophies are in error; one is just erroneous to the rght and the other is wrong on the left side of the truth.
The Bible has a great deal to say about this type of thing, and Romans 3:9-24 is a great passage to read.
The Bible shows us that the real illness humanity has to deal with in order to find peace is our sin problem. Our sin caused a severed relationship with God starting with Adam and Eve. The root of our behavioral and emotional problems that lead to things like school shootings is simply our separation from God. The true answer to all the problems taking place around us is a restored relationship to God. And that can only happen via a life-transforming faith in Christ.
The Gospel has the power to change individuals and has done so for 2,000 years. Not only can the Gospel change individuals, it's truth can change families, neighborhoods, communities, towns, cities, and nations. If we truly care about our world and want to see it reconciled to God, we must do what it takes to earn the right to share the truth of Christ with others.
That way, instead of bringing back paddling to public schools to keep kids from "smarting off," we'll do the smart thing and help people to discover what they really need--Christ.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Right between two great weekends!
This weekend, Emily and I visited Rick Long and The Point Community Church in Frankfort, KY. I touched base with Rick, the lead pastor there, a few weeks ago. I invited myself to visit his church plant, and then he generously invited me to share with his church about God's vision for Ridge Church and our hopes and dreams for how God can transform our area of Knoxville. Rick and The Point also prayed for me, Emily, and Ridge Church. It was a cool day!
I can't say enough about the guys like Rick in the the Acts29 Network. The network is great for church planters--it's an awesome group of guys who are always there to pray for each other, assist each other, and encourage each other.
Today is Wednesday, and that means we're halfway through this week and almost to another weekend... And this weekend is a big one for us! We're having a Picnic in the Park this Saturday from noon to 3 pm at Fountain City Park. It's an opportunity for anyone interested in The Ridge and getting to know other people interested in The Ridge to come and hang out together as the summer winds down. Bring your own lunch and we'll provide dessert!
Bring your kids (if you have kids) and join us for a relaxed, no-pressure time to get to know each other a little better. If you have any questions, just call Emily on her cell phone at 704.579.2022 and she'll be glad to help!
I can't say enough about the guys like Rick in the the Acts29 Network. The network is great for church planters--it's an awesome group of guys who are always there to pray for each other, assist each other, and encourage each other.
Today is Wednesday, and that means we're halfway through this week and almost to another weekend... And this weekend is a big one for us! We're having a Picnic in the Park this Saturday from noon to 3 pm at Fountain City Park. It's an opportunity for anyone interested in The Ridge and getting to know other people interested in The Ridge to come and hang out together as the summer winds down. Bring your own lunch and we'll provide dessert!
Bring your kids (if you have kids) and join us for a relaxed, no-pressure time to get to know each other a little better. If you have any questions, just call Emily on her cell phone at 704.579.2022 and she'll be glad to help!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Gospel is the Focus of Ridge Church
A couple days ago, I listened to a podcast of an excellent talk by Daniel Montgomery, Founding and Teaching Pastor of Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY.
Daniel is a member of the Acts29 Network and often is asked to speak at A29 functions. His talk at the 2007 Church Planter "Boot Camp" (basically a church planter training conference) in Raleigh, NC was called "Gospel-Centered Theology." You can listen to it here.
One of the difficulties (at least one that I've found) of being a church planter is adequately conveying the driving force behind the church that you're planting--the most central focus of the church. That's one reason that I'm sharing our core values with you (we've done 2 so far, there's 6 total).
However, just sharing your core values sometimes feels like you are using happy words to describe something; anyone can use positive language to describe a particular vision that they have for the future. What Ridge Church will be (and really is already) is a church that is focused on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The word "gospel" simply means "good news" and is the English translation of a Greek word. The good news that we are excited about at Ridge Church is Jesus! The Gospel, the Good News (massive understatement), is found in simple terms in such places as Paul's first letter to the church at Corinth: 1 Corinthians 2:2 and also 1 Corinthians 15:3-5.
Jesus should be the focus of everything we are at Ridge Church. Everything we believe, value, talk about, think about, and do. The Gospel transforms people completely, from the inside out. It is profoundly robust in its scope: it makes everything about a person totally new. The Gospel's power changes people, families, churches, communities, cities, and nations.
Daniel is a member of the Acts29 Network and often is asked to speak at A29 functions. His talk at the 2007 Church Planter "Boot Camp" (basically a church planter training conference) in Raleigh, NC was called "Gospel-Centered Theology." You can listen to it here.
One of the difficulties (at least one that I've found) of being a church planter is adequately conveying the driving force behind the church that you're planting--the most central focus of the church. That's one reason that I'm sharing our core values with you (we've done 2 so far, there's 6 total).
However, just sharing your core values sometimes feels like you are using happy words to describe something; anyone can use positive language to describe a particular vision that they have for the future. What Ridge Church will be (and really is already) is a church that is focused on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The word "gospel" simply means "good news" and is the English translation of a Greek word. The good news that we are excited about at Ridge Church is Jesus! The Gospel, the Good News (massive understatement), is found in simple terms in such places as Paul's first letter to the church at Corinth: 1 Corinthians 2:2 and also 1 Corinthians 15:3-5.
Jesus should be the focus of everything we are at Ridge Church. Everything we believe, value, talk about, think about, and do. The Gospel transforms people completely, from the inside out. It is profoundly robust in its scope: it makes everything about a person totally new. The Gospel's power changes people, families, churches, communities, cities, and nations.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
A Great Vacation and Sunday at Redeemer Community Church
Emily and I had a great vacation in Charleston, SC last week! It was a relaxing time for us to visit our favorite town and enjoy the beach as well. We stayed in a great location in Mount Pleasant, SC, just a few minutes from the beach at the Isle of Palms and a short drive to downtown Charleston. I highly recommend the location if you like both the historical and market stuff in Charleston, but also want to hang out at the beach.
Saturday and Sunday, Emily and I spent some time with our friends John and Lindsay Fooshee (pronouned Foo-shay--it's French) and their son Sterling. Their daughter Kate was at a sleepover, so we missed her... But she's great too!
John is the Lead Pastor of Redeemer Community Church in Johnson City, TN, a member of the Acts29 Network, and my church planting coach. He invited Emily and me to worship with their church on Sunday and graciously invited me to preach. We enjoyed spending the morning with Redeemer and it was rewarding to share from Romans 7:1-6 as their church moves through that great book of the Bible.
Emily's parents from Knoxville and my parents from Chilhowie, VA were there, which was really cool. Also super-cool was enjoying the Redeemer worship team. Jim Fickley, the Leadership Coach on staff at Redeemer and an Acts29 member, played the piano and also has a fine singing voice... I was impressed at how good he was on the keys just a couple weeks after shoulder surgery!
This weekend, Emily and I are visiting The Point Community Church in Frankfort, KY. Rick Long is the Lead Pastor there and another Acts29 member. He's generously invited Emily and me to visit and share with his church on Sunday morning about the vision God has given us for the new church we are planting in the NE Knoxville area. We're looking forward to enjoying Sunday with his church and seeing what The Point's worship time is like.
It's always nice to make new friends and have people to encourage you... The Acts29 Network is a great organization for a church planter to belong to and the member pastors have proven to be a wonderful group of awesomely supportive guys!
Saturday and Sunday, Emily and I spent some time with our friends John and Lindsay Fooshee (pronouned Foo-shay--it's French) and their son Sterling. Their daughter Kate was at a sleepover, so we missed her... But she's great too!
John is the Lead Pastor of Redeemer Community Church in Johnson City, TN, a member of the Acts29 Network, and my church planting coach. He invited Emily and me to worship with their church on Sunday and graciously invited me to preach. We enjoyed spending the morning with Redeemer and it was rewarding to share from Romans 7:1-6 as their church moves through that great book of the Bible.
Emily's parents from Knoxville and my parents from Chilhowie, VA were there, which was really cool. Also super-cool was enjoying the Redeemer worship team. Jim Fickley, the Leadership Coach on staff at Redeemer and an Acts29 member, played the piano and also has a fine singing voice... I was impressed at how good he was on the keys just a couple weeks after shoulder surgery!
This weekend, Emily and I are visiting The Point Community Church in Frankfort, KY. Rick Long is the Lead Pastor there and another Acts29 member. He's generously invited Emily and me to visit and share with his church on Sunday morning about the vision God has given us for the new church we are planting in the NE Knoxville area. We're looking forward to enjoying Sunday with his church and seeing what The Point's worship time is like.
It's always nice to make new friends and have people to encourage you... The Acts29 Network is a great organization for a church planter to belong to and the member pastors have proven to be a wonderful group of awesomely supportive guys!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
A simple request...
Hey all you folks in Knoxville (or who know people in Knoxville) who are checking out our blog: I'm going to make a request of you.
Emily and I are going on a little mini-vacation this week to Charleston, South Carolina. It's where we went on our Honeymoon 10 years ago... And our favorite place to go. I wanted to take Emily there for our 10th anniversary, but with all the stuff going on with moving to Knoxville from West Virginia, we didn't get to celebrate our anniversary.
My friend John Fooshee (who pastors Redeemer Community Church in Johnson City, TN) has an awesome mother-in-law named Jayne who is allowing us to use her condo in Charleston for a week!
So, while we're gone relaxing, spending our last vacation together before our baby is born (either the last week of October or first week of November, probably), thinking and praying about The Ridge and the next few months of preparation, will you do me a favor?
I've been looking for a part-time job. As a matter of fact, I've interviewed for two of them. One of the jobs turned into a full-time job (which I don't have time for as a pastor). The other one didn't work out, probably due to my inability to commit for longer than a year or so.
If you know of anyone who's hiring for part-time help, would you let me know? I believe I've been spending too much time scouring the Internet and paper for the right job. It's been taking away from other things, like meeting new people and spiritually preparing to lead Ridge Church.
So, I am going to rely on the folks who read this blog (surely there are millions by now) to hook me up! I'm just looking for something around 20 hours a week with a regular paycheck that allows me to have a relatively-regular schedule and meet as many folks as possible.
There's a bunch of good reasons for a pastor to have a part-time job, by the way, in case you're wondering:
More discussion of that stuff later, but for now, if you have good job ideas for me, just email them to kevin@ridgechurchknoxville.com.
We're a team--no one person can do it all, and that includes everything you might think of. Thanks so much!
Kevin
Emily and I are going on a little mini-vacation this week to Charleston, South Carolina. It's where we went on our Honeymoon 10 years ago... And our favorite place to go. I wanted to take Emily there for our 10th anniversary, but with all the stuff going on with moving to Knoxville from West Virginia, we didn't get to celebrate our anniversary.
My friend John Fooshee (who pastors Redeemer Community Church in Johnson City, TN) has an awesome mother-in-law named Jayne who is allowing us to use her condo in Charleston for a week!
So, while we're gone relaxing, spending our last vacation together before our baby is born (either the last week of October or first week of November, probably), thinking and praying about The Ridge and the next few months of preparation, will you do me a favor?
I've been looking for a part-time job. As a matter of fact, I've interviewed for two of them. One of the jobs turned into a full-time job (which I don't have time for as a pastor). The other one didn't work out, probably due to my inability to commit for longer than a year or so.
If you know of anyone who's hiring for part-time help, would you let me know? I believe I've been spending too much time scouring the Internet and paper for the right job. It's been taking away from other things, like meeting new people and spiritually preparing to lead Ridge Church.
So, I am going to rely on the folks who read this blog (surely there are millions by now) to hook me up! I'm just looking for something around 20 hours a week with a regular paycheck that allows me to have a relatively-regular schedule and meet as many folks as possible.
There's a bunch of good reasons for a pastor to have a part-time job, by the way, in case you're wondering:
- I can make a little money, allowing The Ridge to save some cash it would normallly pay me and reserve that dough for launch needs like a sound system, video stuff, children's ministry stuff, etc. Just an FYI: I am paid on a part-time basis by Ridge Church right now from charitable donations that friends and family are sending as financial support for The Ridge--they believe God wants to do big things in Knoxville and so do I! (If you'd like to pitch in, let me know!)
- I am not tempted to be "super-pastor" and try to do everything, but will need to gather a ministry team and work hand-in-hand with other people to do "God stuff." Believe it or not, pastors often try to do it all and "burn out" every day. The healthy thing (and much more fun thing!) is to serve as part of a team.
- I can meet new people who I may be able to invite to Ridge Church events so that they can get connected.
- I can network with businesspeople-types who may be able to introduce me to their networks... Who may be able to introduce me to their networks... So we can invite people to Ridge Church events so they can get connected.
- I can have a front-row seat to the culture around us... And even be on stage a little! Too many pastors are holed up every day in an office someplace, away from the people they hope or claim to serve... Not so with The Ridge! We don't envision our future offices as places to spend our entire workdays. Although there certainly are times for study and prayer, we want to be among the people of Knoxville on a daily basis and serve our community. How can we serve a community we don't move about in? We can't.
More discussion of that stuff later, but for now, if you have good job ideas for me, just email them to kevin@ridgechurchknoxville.com.
We're a team--no one person can do it all, and that includes everything you might think of. Thanks so much!
Kevin
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