God's Grace & Faithfulness on Display at Redeemer

Thank you for checking in on our Redeemer family.  We are grateful for every prayer, dollar and word of encouragement and support!  To God be the glory - great things He has done!

New Creations

Putting Fundraising Packets Together

Jesus is always sweet to us.  Sometimes I see it more clearly than other times.  Recently we've seen it in how He is moving in the lives of people in our Redeemer family.  Recently, the Spirit has been whipping through our group - quickening dead hearts to life in Christ and taking new creations even deeper in their faith and following of Him.

We will be celebrating what God is doing with Redeemer's first baptism service on September 10th.  We are excited to celebrate two ladies who have put their faith in Jesus and want to publicly show that off.  Pray that the Spirit moves mightily and Jesus is honored by our time together.


Gospel-centered Community

Family BBQ

We continue to meet each Sunday to grow in grace together through time in the Word, singing, praying, confessing and enjoying time together.  Pray with us that God will use this time of exalting Jesus and proclaiming the gospel as a family to draw others to God's family and our Redeemer family.

Our Tuesday Men's and Women's Bible Studies continue to grow in both depth and numbers.  It is exciting to see what God does when people gather together to drink deeply from the Word by the help of the Spirit.  Pray the Lord continues to bless those times.

Special bragging: My wonderful, beautiful wife Erin has been serving and loving the people of Redeemer (especially her husband!) and we could not be doing this without her.  She is God's greatest gift to me and is working so hard for the Lord in all of this!

Along with these times the Lord has used cookouts, baseball games, Pintrest parties and other things to continue to build community with out group!


Gospel in the Public Square

Faith and Culture on the Square

This summer we experimented with something we called Faith and Culture.  Once a month we rented a coffee shop after hours to host a time to tackle a specific issue in our culture and see how it is seen through the lens of the Scriptures.  It turned out to be a big hit with people requesting we continue to do it through the fall.  Please join us in praying that God would use that to draw skeptics to the truth and all people to worship Jesus more deeply.





Neighbors Wanting the Gospel

Preaching at Mercy Church

Recently we have had two sets of neighbors who are reluctant to come to our "small group" who have told us they are waiting for us to launch services in order to join us.  One family has already said they will be there everyone Sunday.  We are praying that the Lord has their names in the Book of Life and that when we launch they will hear the gospel and become worshippers of Jesus alongside us in our city!


Proclaiming the Gospel
I have been privileged the last couple months to get to preach 3 different times.  I'm always grateful for the opportunities to speak of Jesus and for those that trust me with their pulpits and people.  Can't wait for the day to get to do that we our own people soon!

We Need Your Help

While Jesus has done some amazing things lately we know He is just getting started.  

We want to see even more disciples made in our city!

Would you consider helping us in one (or more) of three ways?

Pray
Please pray that God would move mightily in our family and create disciples who treasure Jesus above all else.

Give
We need help in order to be able to reach even more people with the gospel.
Would you consider giving a one-time or regular gift to help us build Gospel-centered community and proclaim Jesus publicly in our city?

Online: redeemermckinney.com/give

(credit/debit cards or ACH transactions)

Mail: checks made out to Redeemer Church can be sent to

Redeemer Church

PO BOX 3092

McKinney, TX 75070

Come
If you'd like to come be a part of our family we'd love to have you.  Contact Mike at mike@redeemermckinney.com for more info!

First Half of Summer Update

Hello Friends and Family,

First, a slight apology.  We are trying to update the look of our blog and, as you can tell, we are still working out the kinks!  Patience, please, but I wanted to go a head and send an update before we got it looking all pretty.  : )

Once again, there is much to discuss so I'll try to keep it short and sweet.

Redeemer Church Update
Things are moving one step at a time.  It is most definitely a roller-coaster ride.  Some times are incredibly energizing and exciting - and other times can be super difficult and defeating.  But God is moving through it all and we have seen Him do great things in the lives of people in our Church.  Keep praying for the Spirit to move powerfully among us!  Here is a list of some things that have happened in the last month and a half.

- Women's Bible Study is growing: both in numbers and in depth!
- Started a weekly Men's Bible Study (to catch up to the ladies!): The Spirit is most definitely at work!
- Faith and Culture: We've had one of these with two more scheduled this summer
- That means Redeemer Church McKinney is officially a 501c3 non-profit!  Woo-hoo!
- We are waiting to receive a few more documents before we can set up a bank account and start accepting contributions.  But stay tuned!

- Vision Events - While our June event didn't have as many attenders as we hoped, we have many more RSVP'd for our BBQ in July.  Pray the Spirit will move!

RoughRiders!

- We went to the RoughRiders game as a church in June - so fun!
- Continued wisdom, support and guidance from the Acts 29 Church Planting Network

Prayers
- That the Spirit would grow us deeper and bring more people alongside us to launch Redeemer
- We will be fundraising starting next month and need many partners to join us in the gospel
- Jesus would be glorified in us as disciples making disciples

Other Opportunities

Not only are things moving in our church but God has brought other opportunities also.  Here's another short list of other ways God is moving.

- Led worship for a Baptist Church around the corner from us.  Praying for a strong relationship.

- Was asked by the Chamber of Commerce to lead the opening prayer at their Young Professionals Quarterly Luncheon.  Grateful to be asked!
- Along with our neighbors, we had a community BBQ in our front yard to reach out.
- We were part of the Chamber of Commerce's New Member's Showcase
- Preaching at Mercy Church in Frisco on July 14th and July 21st.
(www.themercychurch.com)

Mike and Erin
We also have some fun stuff coming up!  Erin and I will be celebrating our 2 year anniversary on Monday and are spending the day together.  Erin's best friend is getting married next weekend and so we are very excited about that.
I, Mike, have started working part-time for WelcomeMat Services.  A gracious fellow believer in the Chamber of Commerce reached out to me and so I am learning about life on commission! : )

Pray for You
Please let us know how we can be praying for you!  Email me at mike@redeemermckinney.com and let us know how we can be lifting you up!

Thank you everyone for your love, prayers and support.  Pray that God multiplies what He has already done in the lives of the people here!

May Update - It's a BIG one!

Hello Family and Friends,

God is doing so much right now and there is so much to talk about!  I'm going to try and keep it short, but there is just too much to not share it all!

Since it is so much, we are going to use the "bullet list" format to make it clean! : )

www.redeemermckinney.com

Redeemer Church

• We have seen the Holy Spirit moving.  One recent profession of faith in Jesus (!!!!), one who seems so close to placing her faith in Him, and many people growing deeper in their faith and discipleship - including developing a clear discipleship plan (still in the works!).  Keep praying for us!
• Erin is leading a Tuesday night Women's Bible Study that finished Genesis a few weeks ago and is starting Exodus in a couple weeks.  It ended with HUGE momentum and the Lord is working through that time with the women.  We also had a Men's Retreat a couple of weeks ago for some bonding and time together talking about the Lord.
• Yes - we are Redeemer Church.  We went public with our name, website, and Facebook page, and we are hosting Summer Vision Nights all summer long [June 23, July 27, Aug 18].  Go to our website or Facebook page for more info, or send someone else there who might want to come hear about our heart for God and for McKinney. redeemermckinney.com
• We have also joined the McKinney Chamber of Commerce and have already seen fruit and relationships built through drawing awareness to who we are and our desire to impact our city.



Chamber of Commerce Meeting

• Giving to Redeemer - many people have asked about giving to our ministry.  We are very close to being able to accept donations as a 501(c)(3) as we pray through and as God selects our Board of Directors, but we would ask that you be patient for a little while longer.  Maybe consider putting those funds aside now so that when we are ready (soon!) you can help us share the gospel and make disciples in our city!

Christ Fellowship

• Today, May 31st, is technically my last day at Christ Fellowship.
• The past few months I have been helping write, shoot and provide additional resources for videos to go alongside a summer sermon series on Technology and Faith, also helping lay an infrastructure for an internship program as well as connecting Christ Fellowship with Dallas Theological Seminary for some exciting future opportunities to connect church members with DTS curriculum.
• God has used this experience in a great way!  I am a much more aware leader, pastor, and communicator now than when I started.  Some of my strengths and weaknesses in leadership were exposed, and God has grown me in them. I was privileged to see "behind the scenes" in a large church ministry and to build relationships with godly men and women in McKinney.  I am so grateful for the personal growth and relationships God has worked in during my time at Christ Fellowship and for the supporters who made it happen.

Acts 29 Network

Erin and I at Kemah after A29 assessment

• Last week, Erin and I went to Houston for our Acts 29 assessment (step 3 in a 4-step process of becoming an Acts 29 church).
• We have been given great encouragement that we will be accepted into the candidacy phase (although it won't be official until next week).
• This means we will now have a relationship, support, guidance, oversight and wisdom of being connected in a network of churches and church plants who have the same heart, mind, and vision for Jesus.
• This is a huge encouragement for us and we already have been blessed by pastors and churches in Acts 29 that want to help make our church the healthiest and most successful for the gospel it can be.
• Acts 29 Network - www.acts29network.org

Other Ministry Opportunities

• I am grateful to Jesus for the ministry opportunities he has been giving me.
• I have been blessed by the opportunity to share in worship and teaching with the Woodcreek Senior High, as well as the College Unite.
• We are praying through and pursuing a possible opportunity to help lead worship for a church near our house on Sunday mornings.
• We are also talking with a local coffee shop in downtown McKinney about hosting an after-hours "Faith and Culture" time where I would teach on a current topic of culture and how the Bible speaks to it.  We would have a Q&A afterwards.  This would be another opportunity to share the gospel in the public square while also sharing the heart and vision of Redeemer Church.
• Finishing the Timothy Program at Christ Fellowship - this is an opportunity I was given to sit in with the Elders of Christ Fellowship during their meetings for the last six months.  What a blessing and learning/training experience!

Job and Future Support Raising

• With my Residency over, I am still looking for employment. Anywhere from part time to full time.  You can access my resume HERE (please feel free to pass it around and let me know if anything pops up!)
• For those that might still be interested in supporting Erin and me directly, once our Board of Directors and 501(c)(3) status is officially recognized, our Board will have to decide when and if we will be able to pull a part time salary from the Redeemer Church budget.  We will communicate this clearly when the time comes, but for those wanting to support us, we would ask that you consider giving to Redeemer Church itself and allow the Board to seek wisdom when it comes to supporting Erin and me.  Once again, we will communicate this more clearly as the time approaches.

Personal

• Thank you for all of those who are supporting us through praying, giving, and joining us in what God is doing through us.
• The past two years have had their emotional ups and downs, and while we know those will continue, the Lord has allowed Erin and me to be very encouraged and excited about what God is doing now and what He is going to do in the near future.
• Please keep praying that:
• The Spirit would continue to move mightily in us
• God would raise up and bring mature believers to join us in reaching our city
• Erin's Crohn's would not cause her pain and that she would be healed
• God would make us into a people who let go of ourselves and this world and grab tightly onto Him

Thank you so much and to God be the glory for great things He has done!

April Update

Hello dear friends and family!

We have a bunch to write about so I'll get right to it.  God in His graciousness is moving with us, and we are grateful for everyone who is partnering with us in person, in prayer, and in giving.  Thank you so much!

[this update is a little longer than usual because there is so much going on!]

Work at Christ Fellowship

Go and Be with Christ Fellowship

Things have been busy as we work towards the tail end of our Residency here.  God has been stretching and growing me and Erin a lot, and we are grateful He has deemed us worthy to grow in Him.  The current projects I have been/am currently working on:

• A new welcome video for the Christ Fellowship website
• 6-12 short web videos highlighting certain aspects of technology and faith that will be used in a summer sermon series
• Materials for the Elder team and leadership team book study this semester
• Go and Be, the largest project

Adrian, Erin and Michael

For the Go and Be project, I was able to assist Ken Stoneking, who was heading the project up, and be his go-to-guy with coordinating volunteers, online registration and communication pieces.  We spent many weeks setting up the system so that the church could have an impact in our community.  We had hundreds of volunteers working over two weekends on 20-plus homes and churches on the east side of McKinney.  We are grateful for the work the Lord did in the community and in those who were a part of the event.

I will be finishing the Residency this month and am looking forward to years and years of partnering with Christ Fellowship in reaching our city and beyond with the gospel.


Exciting News in Our Church Group
Although we have some special news that we will release next month : ) , I am excited to share that the Holy Spirit is moving mightily in our team.  Recently we have seen a young couple who came to our group as unchurched and (at least one) unsaved.  God is moving in them as the young man recently professed faith in Christ for the first time, and the couple is working on what it means to follow Jesus together.  Tonight we have dinner with another lady who seems very close to trusting in Christ and is bringing her questions about Jesus to us.  Along with that, some of our other members have demonstrated great steps in discipleship and a desire to be used by God for His will.  It's an exciting time and can only be credited to Jesus answering our prayers and moving in our group.

All these things are happening within the context of our ongoing ministry of a weekly church gathering in our house on Sundays, a women's Bible study on Tuesday nights, and a men's breakfast each Saturday morning.

Since we are formally disconnecting from Christ Fellowship, we are pursuing a connection with the church planting network, Acts 29.  We have completed the initial application, have a phone interview next week, and will be heading down to Houston at the end of the month for the formal assessment.  Please pray that God would lead us and the leadership of Acts 29 in determining His will for us joining the network.

In Our Community

True religion - helping widows (James 1:27)

We have been doing a lot to connect with our city these days.  Along with the Go and Be projects, our church has been serving in other areas of our city.  We recently helped a widow take care of her landscaping (an annual event she used to do with her husband), and we are heading this weekend to help another lady stain her fence.  It has been such a blessing to put hands and feet to our faith and love our city with the love of Jesus.

I continue to build relationships with church planters and leaders in the community and have already developed some great partnerships and friendships.  Along with those connections, our church plant has joined the Chamber of Commerce, and I am sharing our heart and vision with the business owners and leaders of our community.

Upcoming Things
Along with the Acts 29 assessment and the serving we will be doing this weekend, we have some great things on the horizon.  Our men are going on a short get-away retreat this month to dive into what it means to be men who love Jesus.  Also, this month we will be unveiling some exciting news about the nature and direction of our church plant and the vision we are casting for the near future.  Please be in prayer and stay tuned!

Prayer Requests
- Pray for the hearts that have recently (or we are hoping are about to) confess faith in Jesus, that the Holy Spirit would call them to new life in Christ
- Pray for our team -- that we would be unified in heart and vision, and that the Lord would bring more workers to His harvest
- Pray for those we share Christ with, that He would call them to faith in Him

Eating after Sunday Gathering

Eating again after a different Sunday Gathering

March Update

Hello friends and family!

Here's an update with what Jesus has been doing with us this past month!

He Has Risen!
We hope you had a great time celebrating the victorious resurrection of Jesus Christ with family and friends this weekend.  We had a great opportunity to reach out to our community and to engage our city with some Easter-centered activities this month.

First, as part of my Christ Fellowship Residency Program, I thought it would be a great idea to reach out to the apartment complex across the street from the church.  So after praying for favor with the apartment management, we were given the go ahead to host a hotdog grill out lunch for the tenants while inviting them to come to Easter at Christ Fellowship the following week.  In spite of some cooler, drizzly weather, the Lord provided more people than we anticipated, and we were able to love on, serve and connect with people in the hopes they might come hear the gospel at church the following weekend!


For Easter Sunday the Lord also provided some good weather to head out to the park together.  We had a mix of core members, people we have been reaching out to in the neighborhood for months, and some brand new faces join us for food, fun and hearing the truth about Jesus' death and resurrection.  Please join us in praying for those we know are not yet believers, that the seeds of the gospel would bloom into faith in Jesus!


Diving Deeper
God is moving in our lives and taking us to deeper places as a core team and as followers of Him.  We started working through the book of Philippians together each week and seeing how Paul shares about the joy and hope he has in Jesus.

The women are continuing to meet each Tuesday night to study Genesis together and talk about what it means to follow Jesus with their lives.  The guys have opted for eggs and biscuits as we have Saturday morning breakfast together.  Each week, the guys and girls are finding time together to talk about what's going on in life and how the grace of Jesus is moving (or needs to be moving!) in our lives.


A few weeks ago, I assigned some reading to our group in order to talk about what type of church we want to be in the city on McKinney.  We will be meeting for dinner and discussion over For the City this week.  Please pray God would give us a clear, unified vision for being His church in McKinney.

We have also seen the Holy Spirit move in connecting some new folks to us while also taking our team to deeper levels.  Recently some of our team members have been mentioning how they are feeling the call of God to make being a disciple of Jesus the drive of their lives, and another member who comes out of a Buddhist background is talking about wanting to understand more how Jesus is God!  Please keep praying for them!



Residency Reminder
We wanted to remind everyone that as we are approaching the end of Phase 1 of the Christ Fellowship Residency at the end of May, we have decided not to extend the residency any further.  We are so grateful for the relationships that the Lord has given here in our short-term Christ Fellowship home, but through much prayer and discernment, we know God is leading us in another direction.  While we prepare to finish the residency program well, we are so grateful to the leadership at Christ Fellowship for how they have poured into us and helped us grow in leadership and pastoral training.  We know the fruits of our time here and relationships will grow for a continued partnership in the gospel here in McKinney.


Other Stuff

The Lord has given us another opportunity to do one of my favorite things - perform wedding ceremonies.  This time it was a long-time friend of Erin's, Lauren, and her now new husband Miguel.  Not only was it an honor and privilege to lead them in a Christ-honoring ceremony, but it was a dual threat as Erin served as the wedding coordinator.  Something tells me Erin and I will be doing more of these 'tag-team' weddings in the future! : )

And, for those that of you that are not already aware, Duck Dynasty is fantastic, Jack! Check it out.  : )


Prayer Requests:
- Although we are figuring it out, please continue to pray for Erin's health and energy levels
- Pray for Mike's upcoming job search
- Pray for the Holy Spirit to continue to move in our group and bring others to join us

Some of our crew enjoying some BBQ after church!

February Update

Hello friends and family,

It looks like it's becoming more of a 'monthly' update these days!  Thank so much for your continued support and encouragement during our Christ Fellowship Residency, and as we seek God in planting a church here in McKinney.  Here's a quick update!

Christ Fellowship
Things have been busy in the residency program as we enter into the second half of our time here. Right now I am working on an Apartment Outreach to the complex across the street. It is going to be a family cook-out with outdoor games; it will be the weekend before Easter to try and connect families to the church (and ultimately to Jesus). I am also brainstorming a possible video component to connect with an upcoming sermon series about living faithfully with technology. I have had many opportunities to learn about counseling and marriage enrichment from pastors here, and I am currently helping a handful of young men learn more about the faith and how to walk life with Jesus. I have a wedding coming up in a few weeks that I am working on and am excited to be a part of. We are working to connect with other ministry partners who are working on the east side of McKinney doing some neighborhood revitalization. I am also still enjoying the Timothy Program, where I get to see what it means to be an elder in God's church.

Please pray for God to be leading and guiding these endeavors and to be growing in me the leadership and pastoral development that will help me shepherd His people well!

Church Plant
We were told by many people that planting a church would be hard, and wouldn't you know it...they were right! God has blessed us with some sweet and faithful friends who are growing in Jesus and want to be used to impact our city for him. With that, we are in a constant "learning process" and are seeking God on the places in our ministry where we need to shift/change and where we need to keep on diligently working. In all things we have a great core of friends who are seeking to know and follow Jesus together and are asking God to show us what it means to be His Church with a purpose in McKinney.

Please pray that God would continue to grow His Holy Spirit in each of us and help us to know what the best way is to share and live the gospel in our city!  Check out our Pray nine3eight Facebook page to see how you can join us in praying.

Just for Fun
We have had a few fun things happen this month. First, my beautiful bride turned 28 on February 7th.

We spent Valentine's Day together and were able to go on a quick Groupon getaway to Robber's Cave State Park with some dear friends.

We are grateful for the times of celebration and fun God has given us this month.

Thanks again for your love, support and prayer. We would love to know what we can be praying for in your lives.  Please email me at michaeltmc@gmail.com with any prayer requests you have!  To God be the glory!

Update Jan 3. - Jan. 31

Hey friends and family,

Sorry for being a little delayed in the post this month!  But here's a snapshot of what we've been up to.  Thanks so much for the love, support, and prayer we've been receiving from you all.  We are grateful for each one of you, and the Lord uses you all to encourage us when things get tough!

We are at the half-way point of our residency and are feeling encouraged and challenged to consider the next few months as an opportunity to press in deeply to Christ Fellowship and see what the Lord will teach us and how He will use us in this second half with them.

Making Connections

Church in our living room - 6 visitors!

Thank you so much for those that have been praying for us and those who have been part of our Pray nine3eight prayer campaign for God to raise up laborers for His harvest.  We have seen God move in this as people continue to seek me out to hear more about what our heart is for our city, and we even saw 6 new people come and visit our home group last week!  Our core group is being bold and trying to connect people to our church group!  Pray that the Lord might draw exactly who He desires to come and connect with us as we learn to be people of grace who are loved and saved by Jesus!  Pray also for the meetings, lunches, coffees and other connections the Lord is providing for me to share our heart for Jesus in our city.


Our Celebration Gatherings

Study Materials

Each first Sunday we are hosting a more traditional church feel at our house with preaching, singing, fellowship, and a children's program.  This Sunday will be the second one we've done, and we are going to be working through materials I have prepared and put together on essentials of the Christian faith.  Each month's meeting will not only have a sermon, but will also have 5 'diving deeper' devotionals, further resources, and other materials to help us get to know Jesus by studying His Word and His truth!


Goin' to the Chapel

Calvin and Taylor

Part of the residency program is making sure I continue in my wedding officiating.  I was excited and humbled to perform the ceremony for one of my former youth group kids (who's not a kid anymore!) and her new husband.  Calvin and Taylor's wedding was very fun, and I am praying for many years of building their lives on the rock of Jesus Christ.  We have another wedding in March for one of Erin's friends and I am grateful to be a part of it.


Spiritual Warfare and the Lord's Gracious Nearness
The training we received before we came out on this church plant adventure has sure lived up to its billing.  While we have seen much of our deep sin exposed and felt the attacks of the Enemy, the Lord has been gracious and good to us to show up in miraculous ways to remind us that, although we are early in the journey and have much to learn, we are in Him and He is with us.  A great reminder was a few days ago in a particularly tough day spiritually for me feeling discouraged.  I went to the Walmart near our house to drop off our rent check in the bank there.  And while I was waiting in line, a petite, middle-aged lady came up to me and just said that the Lord had put it on her heart to tell me that He was with me, He was over me, and that He is covering me.  It was the "warm blanket to the soul" I needed from Jesus right in that moment.  So grateful for His grace.


Timothy Program
Although not an official part of the residency program, I have been invited by the elders of Christ Fellowship to participate in their Timothy program.  It is a one-year invitation and commitment to be in with the elders of the church to see how they lead and love the church.  I am very honored and humbled to be a part of this program and look forward to seeing what the Lord will teach me through it.


Prayers and Praises
- Pray that our core people will grow in their love for and worship of Jesus
- Pray for our efforts in reaching out to other people, that they might connect with us and meet Jesus
- Pray for God to bring us people gifted and willing to help us grow in leadership and ministry to our city
- Praise God for our visitors!  Pray for more and that those who come would feel the connection of the family of God
- Pray against the spirits of the Evil One and for God's Spirit to protect, encourage, spur, and move in our lives
- Praise God for steps in the right direction with Erin's health, and pray that the medicine and diet changes will be the answer to getting things back to normal