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