Pastor Bryce just published a blog giving an update on Sojourn’s response to the disaster in Haiti.  We were informed that there are in fact, around 1200 Haitian people living in Louisville and many of them have personally lost someone in the natural disaster that has captured the attention of the world.  So this Saturday, January 30th from 6-8p we will gather with Haitian Bethel Church, Haitian Tabernacle, and Antioch Church as well as other members of the Haitian community in Louisville to pray for, encourage, bless and comfort those who are grieving over the loss of family members and friends in the recent earthquake.  Please mark your calendar and make it a point to join us this weekend. Check out the church planting blog for more details on this special event.

You can read more about this event by clicking:

http://travelblog.sojournchurch.com/2010/01/26/haiti-prayer-financial-assistance-disaster-relief-teams/

and

http://churchplanting.sojournchurch.com/international-missions/time-of-fellowship-with-haitian-community-in-louisville/

A Word of Encouragement

I hope you are encouraged this week as you go to your groups to spur them forward in being outward-focused.  There is a lot of excitement in the air as the deacons of mercy have had time to gather together and discuss how to best equip Seed Leaders in their work to inform and equip their community groups in loving their neighbors.  We dream of what it would look like for our community groups to be more outward-focused and service oriented, and we are hard at work to see this come to fruition.  So pray for Sojourn’s mercy and benevolence team as we continue to seek God’s vision for Seed, and ask the Lord to show you how you can better spur your group on to a deeper and fuller vision of the gospel.  One way you can lead is by reflecting on the Questions for Reflection and answering questions in such a way during your community group time that you encourage discussion about service.

HandyMan Ministry is Launching

Is your community group looking for a way to get involved in service?  The HandyMan ministry is one avenue for your group to consider.  Saturday, February 13th, 2010 will be the first work day and we need 2 community groups to help complete home repair projects.  No special skills are required and a HandyMan Team Leader will be provided to guide you through the work.  Each group should have at least 5 volunteers who can commit at least 2 hours for the project.  Please contact Andy Robinette if you would like to get your group involved (ca.robinette@gmail.com or 859.948.3966).

Porterbrook Training Update

Starting Sunday, January 24 (self-study).  Our Porterbrook training, which was set to begin Sunday, January 17, has been pushed back to this coming Sunday, January 24.  For those of you who approached the welcome desk last Sunday, we apologize for not informing you of this update sooner.  But the folders are now here and ready to go, so they will be available for pick-up at whatever service you attend this coming Sunday.

What is Porterbrook?  Porterbrook is Sojourn’s new teaching material that we are *very* excited about.  It is a three-month study that will guide you through how to grow in your Christian character.  It is unique in that it is a self-study, so you can go through the material whenever you have the time.  You can sign up for the material online, and your binder with materials will be ready for you at the Connect kiosk during the morning and evening services this Sunday.  We are asking our Seed Leaders to attend the Feed & Seed on Sunday, February 14, to review the assigned portions and to help us assess the training materials.  The teaching material for this three-month period is $25.  If you are unable to pay for the class, email jmoss@sojournchurch.com and we can walk through other options.

Mercy 101

Mercy 101 will take you through the basics of Mercy Ministry at Sojourn.  You will, among other things, review Sojourn’s benevolence policy, walk through several case studies, and unpack the theology behind our Mercy Ministry.  This course is required of all Seed Leaders.  If you want more information about the class or have any questions, please email jmoss@sojournchurch.com.

Germantown Campus: Starting Sunday, January 24 (9am – meet in the lobby). At the Germantown Campus this four-week course will begin the third Sunday of every month, so you will have ample opportunity over the next six months to take this course.

East Campus: Starting Sunday, January 31 (12 noon – 1:30pm in the auditorium).  At the East Campus this course will begin on the Last Sunday in January and will culminate in Feed & Seed East on Sunday, February 28, from 12noon-2:30pm.

Mercy Monday Training

Due to popular demand, we created a Mercy Monday class to accompany the outreach that takes place.  This class is completely optional and it is not required that you attend it in order to go out to visit the neighborhood from 6:30-8:30pm. Classes are always open to anyone who wishes to come and is always applicable to your visit into the neighborhood, so jump on board.  This training will equip you to live out the gospel and will carry heavy implications for the way you lead.  So Monday nights will be outlined as follows:

• 5:30pm till 6:30pm.  Join us as we read Scripture, train, pray, and get equipped to visit and minister.
• 6:30pm till 8:30pm.  Join us as we put feet to the message of the gospel and minister to our neighborhoods.

Get Involved in Service

Here are some ways you can get involved in service at Sojourn Community Church:

• Consider bringing your Community Group to Mercy Monday this week.  We have a time of teaching followed by going out into the neighborhood to serve our friends and neighbors in Germantown.
• Begin looking at opportunities where your community group meets to serve your neighbors.  Find a local nursing home or community organization that you could serve in.  If you need ideas, contact jmoss@sojournchurch.com
• Serve the poor every Saturday – Every Saturday afternoon, a group of Sojourners serve meals with Bates Memorial Baptist Church to needy families in Shelby Park neighborhood. Read about it here at the Seed website and contact David Taliferio for more information at david.taliaferro@summitenergy.com

Encouraging Feed & Seed Germantown

This past Sunday the Sojourn Germantown Campus had our monthly Feed & Seed.  It was an encouraging time to meet with fellow workers in the harvest and to reflect on how we might better serve our groups.  We heard a challenging testimony from Rob Maine on the joys and pains of serving others relationally.  Following that, Nathan walked us through how to utilize the Questions for Reflection that we send out with our Seed Email every week.  Use these suggestions to help your group think and act in a more outward-focused way. You can find a copy of the Questions for Reflection for this week here. If you have not been attending Feed & Seed, we encourage you to come to this wonderful time of encouragement, reflection, and good food.

Porterbrook Training

Starting Sunday, January 17 (self-study).  Porterbrook is Sojourn’s new teaching material that we are very excited about.  It is a three-month study that will guide you through how to grow in your Christian character.  It is unique in that it is a self-study, so you can go through the material whenever you have the time.  The self-study starts next Sunday, January 17, and is required of all Seed Leaders.  Once you sign up for the material online, we will have a binder with materials ready for you at the connect kiosk during the morning and evening services.  We are asking our Seed Leaders to attend the Feed & Seed on Sunday, February 14, to review the assigned portions and to help us assess the training materials.  The teaching material for this three-month period is $25.  If you are unable to pay for the class, email jmoss@sojournchurch.com and we can walk through other options.

Mercy 101

Mercy 101 will take you through the basics of Mercy Ministry at Sojourn.  You will, among other things, review Sojourn’s benevolence policy, walk through several case studies, and unpack the theology behind our Mercy Ministry.  This course is required of all Seed Leaders

Germantown Campus:  Starting Sunday, January 17 (11am – room to be determined). At the Germantown Campus this four-week course will begin the third Sunday of every month, so you will have ample opportunity over the next six months to take this course.

East Campus:  Starting Sunday, January 31 (12 noon – 1:30pm in the auditorium).  At the East Campus this course will begin on the Last Sunday in January and will culminate in the launch of Feed & Seed East on Sunday, February 28, from 12noon-2:30pm.

Mercy Monday Training

Due to popular demand, we created a Mercy Monday class to accompany the outreach that takes place.  This class is completely optional and it is not required that you attend it in order to go out to visit the neighborhood from 6:30-8:30pm.  Classes started last Monday, January 4, but the class is always open to anyone who wishes to come and is always applicable to your visit into the neighborhood, so jump on board (class from 5:30pm-6:30pm in the Listening Room of the 930, going into the neighborhood from 6:30pm-8:30pm). This training will equip you to live out the gospel and will carry heavy implications for the way you lead.  The first half of our time together will consist of classroom instruction as we go through how to live a gospel-centered life.  Immediately following the class time we will go out into the neighborhood surrounding the 930 to visit widows, the elderly, and our friends in Germantown, putting what was learned into practice.

Get Involved in Service

Here are some ways you can get involved in service at Sojourn Community Church:

• Consider bringing your Community Group to Mercy Monday this week.  We have a time of teaching followed by going out into the neighborhood to serve our friends and neighbors in Germantown.
• Look around your neighborhood.  Have your neighbors talked to you about being cold all the time in their home?  Perhaps you could encourage your Community Group to winterize that home.  If you don’t know how to approach your neighbors or if you need more information on how you can winterize a home, email jmoss@sojournchurch.com.
• Serve the poor every Saturday – Every Saturday afternoon, a group of Sojourners serve meals with Bates Memorial Baptist Church to needy families in Shelby Park neighborhood. Read about it here at the Seed website and contact David Taliferio for more information at david.taliaferro@summitenergy.com.

Last night, both Immanuel Baptist Church and Sojourn Community Church came together to pray for our Shelby Park neighborhood.  It was a blessing to gather with our sister church and unite in prayer and concern for our city.  We encourage you to pray along with us as we seek to increase God’s presence and advance God’s kingdom in our inner-city neighborhoods.

Jeremiah 29:7

⁷ Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

The word Shalom or peace means much more than the absence of conflict.  The content of Shalom or peace is the presence of right and harmonious relationships that are full of delight and flourishing before the Lord.  Thus, shalom is present not merely when neighborhoods know no violence, but when they work in such a way that individuals and families might grow up, come to know Christ and flourish.  Peacemaking, according to Scripture, is about loving our neighbors – even in the face of tragedy, suffering and pain – exercising discipleship, and embracing Christian mission all while fueling our efforts with prayer and trusting in God’s promises.

As we continue to pray for the peace of our city – it’s leaders and residents – let us thank the Lord and lift up the following to Him:

• That David Tandy, our councilman, would stay strong in his faith, standing for what is right and seeking justice from his position of authority.  That he would not give in to fear of man, but would instead fear God, who is in complete control of all things.

• For Commander Maj. Steve Green and Lieutenant Brent Routzahn— Thank God for their leadership willingness to put their lives on the line for the safety of our city.  Pray that the police officers under their authority would have a heart to protect the residents, working hard for a safer neighborhood.  That they would stand boldly in a place where violence can strike fear into residents and create mistrust toward police authorities.  That God would protect our officers and their families from harm, violence, and fear that would keep them fulfilling their duties of keeping the city safe.

• That Sojourn and Immanuel members in Shelby Park would work for peace in the neighborhoods they live in, loving others without fear and trusting in the Lord’s provision and protection over their lives.  That they would be obedient to Jesus’ command John 13: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

• Pray that our churches would unite together for the sake of the gospel, demonstrating God’s love through sacrificial service and relationships that point to God’s love and redemption for us in Christ Jesus, so that God’s kingdom might expand and include the once lost, isolated, rejected and lonely.

Let us pray that we would follow Christ and embrace mission, so that our neighbors may know Christ and so that peace would be found in the city of Louisville according to God’s promises.

Connecting What We Know With What We Do

In last week’s post we mentioned upcoming training opportunities at Sojourn for those in the body who feel a disconnect between their knowledge and their experience.  We seem to know a lot, but when it comes to putting what we know into practice, it seems much harder. Part of the problem is the way we talk about “knowledge” in such a way that we mean storing up more information in our heads.  But true knowledge—true understanding—doesn’t happen if we don’t connect our head knowledge with our experience.  This can be easily illustrated by using the image of a section of railroad tracks.  One rail represents knowledge, the opposite rail represents experience, and the connecting boards represent our reflection on our knowledge and experience that connects the two.

So in order to better equip the saints here at Sojourn, Seed has developed training opportunities in which we attempt to practice all three aspects of learning—knowledge, experience, and reflection.

Upcoming Training Opportunities

1. Mercy 101 – Germantown Campus: Starting Sunday, January 17 (11am in Room 201); East Campus: Starting Sunday, January 31 (12 noon – 1:30pm in the auditorium).  This class is the backbone of the Mercy Ministry here at Sojourn.  You will go through the theology of why we even have a mercy ministry and what poverty truly looks like according to the Scriptures.  This class is required for all Seed Leaders.  You can sign up here for Mercy 101 at Germantown and here for Mercy 101 at East.
2. Mercy Monday Training – Started last Monday, January 4, but the class is open to anyone who wishes to come, so jump on board (class from 5:30pm-6:30pm in the Listening Room of the 930, going into the neighborhood from 6:30pm-8:00pm). This training will equip you to live out the gospel and will carry heavy implications for the way you lead.  The first half of our time together will consist of classroom instruction as we go through how to live a gospel-centered life.  Immediately following the class time we will go out into the neighborhood surrounding the 930 to visit widows, the elderly, and our friends in Germantown, putting what was learned into practice.
3. Porterbrook Training – (Starting time TBA, self-study).  This self-study course will be for any one who is interested in living a gopel-informed life at Sojourn.  More information is forthcoming on this training, which will begin in early 2010.

Feed and Seed
Germantown Campus – Sunday, January 10, we will meet from 12:30-2:30pm in the Listening Room for our monthly potluck.  We will enjoy some great food and have a time of encouragement and reflection.  During the teaching time will walk through how to answer the weekly Questions for Reflection in an outward-focused way.  We encourage you to look at the questions and consider how you might answer them before we meet.  So sign up online and bring your best side dish!

East Campus – We will be launching the first Feed and Seed at Sojourn East on Sunday, February 28, from 12noon-2:30pm.  Mark Minnery and Andrew Coverdale will be casting vision for Seed at Sojourn East.  So come, bring a side dish, and be encouraged by fellow Sojourners.  You can sign up here.

Get Involved in Service

Here are some ways you can get involved in service at Sojourn Community Church:

• Consider bringing your Community Group to Mercy Monday this week.  We have been visiting Parkway Nursing Home and are establishing relationships there with the elderly, who recognize the reality of death and need to hear the truth of the Gospel.
• Email mercy@sojournchurch.com for the name of someone who is lonely and in need of a visit.  We have several elderly ladies within walking distance of the 930 that would love to see a friendly face during the week.
• Serve the poor every Saturday – Every Saturday afternoon, a group of Sojourners serve meals with Bates Memorial Baptist Church to needy families in Shelby Park neighborhood. Read about it here at the Seed website and contact David Taliferio for more information at david.taliaferro@summitenergy.com.

We are entering into 2010: a year of vision for Sojourn Community Church.  Our heart and confident belief is that the gospel has the power to change – our lives, church, community and city.  Over the past 10 years, we have seen this power demonstrated firsthand through God’s grace: new life given to those who believe, authentic community shared, relationships and marriages restored, art and music culture redeemed, neighborhoods and the poor reached.

We know what lies behind, but what about what lies ahead?  How are we, as God’s people in Louisville, to mobilize, embrace mission, and “present our bodies as a living sacrifice wholly pleasing to the Lord (Romans 12:1)?”

A modern paraphrase of Proverbs 29:18 says that:

If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.

For the past two years, the pastors have been seeking God’s face through word and prayer asking the Lord to reveal to us His plans for Sojourn, knowing full well that only God alone builds his church.   In anticipation of God answering our prayers and as a means of listening to God, we set out to study our city and neighborhoods.  Our goal was to discover, by God’s grace, what He is doing around us so that we might align our resources, gifts, and staff in order to join in His redemptive plan for Louisville.

Over the next few months, as the pastors share with you Sojourn’s vision for the next decade, we will be posting portions of our city study in this blog.  We are excited to show you how this vision is in line with where we believe God is presently at work in our city and how he is calling you and me as Sojourn Community Church to be His agents of mercy and grace.

Have you ever wondered:

• what Community Leaders are saying about Sojourn? or
• what the dreams and desires of Germantown/Shelby Park residents are; or
• how you can make a difference in the lives of inner-city families?

Be in prayer with us!  We desire for you to get involved in what God is doing.  We want you to participate in making this vision reality.  Consider your particular part and how will God use you “so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:12-13).”

The Louisville Study, titled “Louisville: Religious and Busy” is a comprehensive report on the city of Louisville.  The study includes a history of the city, demographic research, profiles on the neighborhoods surrounding the 930, needs assessment, proposed solutions that address systemic issues, and results from multiple focus groups held in late 2008.  You can read the entire report by clicking here.

About six million Americans receiving food stamps report they have no other income, according to an analysis of state data collected by The New York Times.  Now that is a staggering figure.  According to the article, about one in fifty Americans now lives in a household with a reported income that consists of nothing but a food-stamp card.  Can you imagine?  Chances are you may know one, but not realize it.

Members of this group – ranging from homeless men to single moms to the elderly – live on nothing but their food stamp income, which can range from $50-300+ per month.  In this challenging economy, this group is struggling to survive.  Some live in homeless shelters, while others have moved in with friends and family.  Many find employment difficult to come by, have sold all their possessions, and rely on their food stamp card for their daily sustenance.

There is much political debate taking place trying to discern how to fix the problem.  Proposed solutions range from increasing cash support available to families to decreasing taxes that create additional jobs.

But what can the church do?  What can you do to address this staggering issue of poverty in our nation?  Is there anything that you can do that will make a difference?  Here are just a few suggestions to plug in right away.

Prayer

As it says in 1 Timothy 2, we should pray for our politicians who are in authority.  Pray that they would be given wisdom to address this systemic issue in ways that would honor the poor and glorify God in heaven.  Pray for the poor who are suffering.  Pray that God would mobilize his people to step into the challenge and into the lives of the poor and needy.  Reflect on Ephesians 1 and pray for all to come to know the spiritual blessings we have in Christ as well as the power to live out these radical implications in the world.

Benevolence Ministry

Sojourn receives between 30-60 calls per month from families in our neighborhoods seeking financial assistance.  Some of these families truly have no income except their food stamps.  Sojourn has equipped and mobilized a mercy ministry that seeks to aid these families with assistance and draw these families into the body of Christ.  You can read the benevolence policy here.  There is always need for additional servants in this ministry as the poor will always be among us (Matt 26:11) and because the work is challenging and often time intensive.  Contact mercy@sojournchurch.com for additional information.

Seed Leadership

Consider becoming a Seed Leader.  Seed Leaders influence their groups to live more externally focused lives. Their primary responsibility is to encourage their group members to embrace God’s call for every individual to live a life of service and mission towards others.  Seed Leaders organize, plan and mobilize their group to service and mission in the city. There are literally dozens of ways to mobilize a community group to serve the lost, poor, hurting, and needy.  Contact mercy@sojournchurch.com for more information and read the Seed Leader Ministry Description here.

Mercy Monday

On Monday nights, we gather in groups to visit many families in need.  We enter into their homes, listen to their stories, encourage them with the hope of Jesus Christ, and minister to their physical needs.  If you have never been on mission in the city before, join up with those who have gone before you.  There are testimonies on this blog about how God uses us and blesses us as we seek to minister to the poor in his name.  Contact Jesse Moss for additional information at jmoss@sojournchurch.com

The Humble Coffee Cup

Finally, it has been said that most of the world’s problems could be addressed by the humble coffee mug.   Sound strange? Nothing can beat a redemptive relationship with someone who is in need (physical or spiritual).  Befriending someone who is in need – sharing a cup of coffee, hearing their stories, heartbreaks, hopes and fears – can lead to lots of opportunities.  You may find that you are well connected and can assist a person or family in need in ways you never imagined.  It takes a willingness to get to know a new friend, come alongside them, carry a burden, pray for them and encourage them as you yourself have been encouraged by your Christian brothers and sisters.

To speak to a deacon who can assist you in addressing the needs of the poor and needy, email mercy@sojournchurch.com.  We would love for you to embrace God’s call to care for the poor and needy (1 John 3:17-18).  You can also join us next Sunday when all Seed Leaders will gather for a meal, encouragement, and equipping.  REGISTER HERE.