When I went through church planters “boot camp” everything was pretty theoretical.  In some ways it was like reading the travel books Bev and I used to prepare for a European trip.  It wasn’t until our feet were on Parisian streets that we really understood how it all worked.

Before we moved we were warned by other church planters that people would try to hijack the mission.  We were told they would see a small, new church as an opportunity to bring their own agenda.  I filed that away for future reference.

Continue reading Divine Ignorance →

I’ve had a very busy day.  It began with an 8:30 meeting.  A city official brought together a group of pastors to talk about faith-based initiatives and how churches could help the city.  It was a good meeting, and it was also heartening to hear a public official talking about the role of faith in the city without seeing it as a threat.

Later in the day I met a person who introduced herself and asked me who I was.  “I’ve seen you a Starbucks,” she said.  I explained that I was a church planter and that I officed in Starbucks.

Continue reading Conversation →

Sunday morning began at 5:45. By 6:45 I was dressed and ready to leave for Playhouse Merced, our church home. I have a regimen that I complete every Sunday: unlock Playhouse and turn on lights, put out our four outdoor signs, set up greeters table, preach through the morning’s sermon, help set up the children’s classroom, and pray. Continue reading A Good Day →

It’s hard to believe that 2007 is now a scant 5 days away. We’re planning a New Year’s Eve party at our house to welcome in the new year. However, we’re also planning the next steps that LifeSpring will be taking in order make more Mercedians aware of us and our mission.

So as we near the end of this year, I have some prayer requests that affect the outcome of what we do. The first is that we get 501(c)(3) approval very soon. In order to get the non-profit status you have to complete a 50-page packet of information and exhibits which are sent to the IRS along with $750. And then you wait. Please pray that they will expedite our application and get us past this hurdle quickly.

The second request is that I (Bruce) be able to find a good, dependable car soon. I have been grateful for the little Honda that I have been driving, however, it has reached the tipping point of becoming too expensive to maintain. I need something dependable. Soon.

The third request is that LifeSpring turn the corner and begin to see guests in large numbers come to our services. Guests that are in our target, that is. A friend of mine (in our target audience of 20-39) was commenting recently that he doesn’t read the paper, listen to the radio, or do some of the other traditional things that people of the Boomer generation do. So we’re looking for that magic combination of things that gets the attention and curiosity of the people we’re looking for.

The final request is that we be able to replace the salary we’ve lost due to the depletion of support funds. Please pray that financial support for LifeSpring comes soon. This is urgent.

We expect that 2007 will be a wonderful year of growth. We love the progress we see in our team of people, both as a community of friends and also as people who are grasping the importance and scope of what we are doing.

Please pray for us. Blessings to you in 2007.