Party Update and Prayer Requests

First of all, we want to give a big “thank you” to everyone who came out to the party at our (Dirk and Kristin’s) place! By all accounts it was a huge success. There were a little more than 50 people who decided to spend the evening partying outside despite ominous rain clouds looming overhead. The rain held off and we had a great time.

Just to give you an idea of how things went, burgers were served and beverages were opened a little after 7. We need to give grill master Dan Iwema a special shout-out for his work with the spatula. He braved flame-ups that threatened to take off his eyebrows. But in the end the food was delicious.

A little ways into dinner, I (Dirk) thanked everyone for coming and used a big map to show a few of the church plant locations being considered. The point was made again that there are 8,000 people living in a very small section of Kentwood who have no faith affiliation whatsoever. Within the next five years it’s expected that another 1,100 people will call this area home. In the neighborhoods within 2.5 miles of Alger and Eastern, almost 20,000 people reported having no faith involvement…in any religion! Whether it means worshipping in a movie theater, a school gymnasium, or a storefront, these people need to be reached with the good news of God’s love.

Moving forward, some of the things that you can expect are more events at Brookside Church. Look for announcements about upcoming events that answer questions like, “Why do we need another church?” “But what can we do?” and “How do I talk to my neighbor in a way that invites her to worship?”

Through all of this there is one thing that we desperately need. Your prayers. Starting a new church is no small ordeal and it can’t happen apart from God’s rich blessing. Specific prayer requests are for God to lead us to the right place to start the church. We also need God to help us find people who are gifted but have “slipped under the radar,” so to speak. Church planting is an endeavor that discovers and deploys the gifts of the whole body. And the first step is finding them.

That’s all for now.