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Category Archives: Grace Church
Let’s Trash This Place
We Are Going to Jerusalem
The Boring Life of a Christian
King of the Nobodies
The Radical Rabbi
Multi Site Revolution
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Over the past few years several churches in the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church have chosen to go multi-site. Meaning, offering worship services and other ministries in more than one location. Why would a church that is highly successful in making disciples in one location attempt to duplicate their ministries in another location? Is this just a passing fad or is it something more?
Grace United Methodist Church has been looking into multi-site for several years. In 2000, we helped launch Hope UMC in Lone Jack Missouri. In 2010, we helped launch Renaissance UMC in Kansas City. We ourselves are a church plant from 1990. It is in the very DNA of Grace church to plant churches.
After passing on some interesting opportunities, we jumped at the chance to launch a second campus in El Dorado Springs Missouri. Yes, it’s an hour and half from our Lee’s Summit Campus. El Dorado Springs is a “small” town and the UMC had closed in 2014. At the time of our leap, we had not identified a campus pastor.
The model we employed was to begin with worship, then move toward missions and discipleship. In the midst of all of this, we’ve learned some valuable lessons and a few take-aways from the journey. One of which required significant upfront work and a shift in focus at our Lee’s Summit Campus. So here they are:
Learning #5 (Renovations)
It takes more effort than can be imagined to renovate a church property. With our two campuses so far away (1.5 hours), we relied on some church leaders to help, which was a huge blessing. But, we had to hire out much of the larger work because of distance. It did not slow us down much, but it was unexpected, in that the normal contractors we use at our Lee’s Summit campus were unavailable to offer the same services. We worked with new folks, on a schedule we were unaccustomed to, but all in all, it was an interesting experience.
Learning #4 (Stay Connected)
Thank God for mobile phones and technology. We could not have launched a church at such a quick pace without the amazing resources of technology. Whether it’s dropbox, email or Final Cut, we are able to stay deeply connected between the two sites. And weekly, if not daily conversations with the onsite staff can provide great spiritual support and encouragement. Celebrate EVERY victory together. And through some amazing work of the Spirit, we were blessed with an AMAZING Campus Pastor!
Learning #3 (Duplication Works!)
Grace church leadership and pastors have consulted in over 10 congregations and mentored/coached numerous pastors. We’ve experienced the negative side of structure and poorly led leaders. Being a healthy and vital congregation has helped us duplicate much of what we have done these past ten years in another location. Our daily practices and routines translate well and have allowed us to be ready to launch.
Learning #2 (Video Venue)
I was not sold on a video sermon in another location. In 2012 we began live streaming our worship services. This was a radical change for us, especially our pastors. We went from talking to folks in a small room, to reaching anyone who would listen. The shift was a good one. And as the livestream grew, we saw the blessing of folks all over the world joining us in worship.
In can take up to 20 hours to write one sermon. So, if you take the pressure off a multi site pastor, they can focus on discipleship, missions and evangelism. What a huge blessing for a gathered congregation. Instead of stretching pastors in every direction, each pastor can focus on their context. In a world of distractions, time matters more than ever. We’ve given our Campus Pastor time to connect with people.
Learning #1 (Culture Matters)
A fruitful, healthy and joyful culture of “church” can be exported. When the focus is on being a light in the darkness, loving God and neighbor, it makes room for new people. If we focus on shame, judgement and guilt, that can be exported too, but will eventually fail. We choose to focus on the love of God, not the sin of sinners.
That simple focus allows us to reach new people for Jesus Christ. We are able to stand out in a community and show people what we care about and who we love. It is transformation and sometimes a bit shocking that we focus so much on the needs of others, instead of the needs of a church building.
Final Thoughts
If your church is thinking about branching out into a new community with multi-site, may God richly bless you. It is not for the faint of heart. It will stress you and the church leadership out. But, you can nearly immediately see the fruit of your labors. If you are willing to risk big, then go for it.
And for those congregations that might be considering closing and giving up, call us. It doesn’t matter where you are, we want to talk. Due to technology, distance is no longer a barrier. If you would like to join the multi-site revolution with us, contact us today.
Grace United Methodist Church, Lee’s Summit Campus
2400 SE US 50 Hwy, Lee’s Summit, Missouri 64086
816-246-5764
[email protected]
www.grace4all.org
El Dorado Springs Campus Launch
by Grace Launches our El Dorado Springs Campus
Grace United Methodist Church (El Dorado Springs, MO) Oct 26, 2015
Over 130 joined us this past Sunday to celebrate the launch of our second campus in El Dorado Springs, MO. At 10 am, our worship band (Psalms Prophet) opened the service in song. The Grace Choir, led by our Director of Music Sharon Owen, sang two songs. Pastor Kevin led the service and Pastor Jeremy preached. After the service, we gathered in front of the building and prayed together for the future of the new congregation and over the absolutely amazing food from County Line BBQ. We are thankful for the amazing leadership provided by so many to help launch our second campus. Especially, we would like to thank Rev. Bob Farr, Director of Congregational Excellence in Missouri and District Superintendent Rev. Mark Statler. Without their out of the box thinking and visionary activity, we would never have considered launching a second campus one hour and thirty minutes away from our first campus. Great things are happening in El Dorado Springs and we ask for your prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness to help continue the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ.
Summer Camp 2015- Central Methodist University
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Summer Camp significantly changed for Grace Church this summer. We’ve camped at Galilee forever. Since 1991 (the year Grace came into existence) we have led, counseled and camped at Galilee. This past year, due to decisions from the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church Camp Board, Trustees, Mission Council and the Annual Conference, Galilee was no longer an option.
Some counselors and campers skipped camp at CMU with us because they were busy, working or still upset about Galilee closing. But a few brave souls (91) chose to do something new. We jumped way outside the camping box in Missouri and tried “camping” at CMU.
It’s difficult to put into words the feelings of loss and confusion during this time of transition. We could have focused on the experiences or things that CMU did not have compared to Galilee. What was normal to us at Galilee was completely foreign and just different at CMU.
But, we chose to focus on God, the children and youth. We left our baggage at the door and jumped into something completely new and exciting. And to put it simply, CMU is an extraordinary place to host and lead a summer camp!
We used the same schedule we’ve used for 10 years. Only a few adjustments were needed to fit the site. New Scriptures, daily themes and activities were changed or updated, but the Spirit was still with us. I’ve led and counseled at camps for nearly 20 years. This was one of best weeks of camp I’ve ever experienced.
From the facilities to the staff, CMU did an amazing job. Their high level of professionalism blew us away! And facilities were in awesome shape. Even when we identified areas of concern, they were taken care of within the hour. We had access to nearly everything we needed, and are already making plans for next year.
And for those concerned with safety, that was addressed immediately. Did you know that CMU has “blue” campus phones? They are security phones that students and campers could pick up/take off the hook and security guards would be there shortly. We also noticed at least two security guards on duty every night. Galilee certainly never had security. All in all, we were very safe on the campus.
Worship was led by our Sr. High Leadership camp, with some help from a few others. Again, the Spirit was the same, we just happened to be in a different place. It felt odd at first, but after a few days, CMU became familiar. CMU became camp to us. And once we dropped our preconceived notions about “camping”, we found ourselves in a near perfect setting to experience God in a brand new way.
All of us loved CMU. We loved Galilee as well. If given a choice, 99.9 % of campers and counselors prefer CMU. The excitement and passion we left with carried back into our churches and we are praying that we can double the number of campers next year at CMU. We’ve experienced the largest week of camping at Galilee ever (247). It may take a few years, but we believe we can reach more children and youth at CMU than Galilee.
God is good! God is with us! And we at Grace are excited about the future of camping in the Missouri Conference. Prayers for Jo-Ota as they continue to put together an amazing and ambitious plan. And prayers for our other three sites. May they end up in the hands of those who might continue our faith-filled outreach to the world.
A word of personal thanks to Jeff Baker, Scott Burdin and Tina Twenter.
A word of personal thanks to the staff at CMU, specifically Brad Dixon, Mark, Connie and the entire Cafeteria staff!
Finally, thank you to Stephanie Smith and Courtney Boedeker for your faithfulness in directing our Sr. High and Elementary Camps. And thank you to all the counselors who gave up a week with your families to serve God at camp. Thank you!!!
God in peace and go with God.
The NEDA Walk- Eating Disorders
by Last week, my family and I participated in the NEDA walk- Kansas City. This is the first time we were able to walk due to our summer schedule, but not the first time we’ve donated.
A few years ago, a beloved and wonderful young woman lost her life to an eating disorder. Her name – Emily (Em). At the time, there were limited places that were offering significant treatment in the Kansas City area. So, her family looked outside of our area. Two of the best ones around 4 years ago were:
Timberline in Lemont, Illinois
Remuda Ranch in Wickenburg, Arizona
Now, there are numerous clinics and facilities all over the country, and Kansas City now has numerous options for those struggling with an eating disorder. Much is to be learned about eating disorders, and so what follows is a bit of information to better inform.
Eating Disorders are often referred to as “ED”
What is NEDA?
NEDA is the National Eating Disorder Association.
“NEDA was formed in 2001, when Eating Disorders Awareness & Prevention (EDAP) joined forces with the American Anorexia Bulimia Association (AABA) – merging the largest and longest standing eating disorders prevention and advocacy organizations in the world. The merger was the most recent in a series of alliances that has also included the National Eating Disorder Organization (NEDO) and the Anorexia Nervosa & Related Disorders (ANRED).”
Why is the there a walk?
Money needs to be raised for the diagnosis, treatment and cure for of all aspects of ED. NEDA raises around $4,000,000 a year. Compared to numerous other illnesses and diseases, this is a rather small sum. There are a few other groups out there raising money as well, but little research or study is actually being done to better understand ED. The Federal Government provides around $30 million as well. More needs to be done.
Around 300 people gathered this year at Berkley Riverfront Park. There were many supporters there, in prayer and helping make the walk possible. Here is the link to the walk site. We raised $30,000! As we walked, numerous signs shared the staggering and sad statistics.
Eating Disorders by the Numbers
Millions of people suffer from ED (possibly over 30 million)
ED Is Not Choice, It’s an Illness
10 Million Men Suffer from ED
ED is way underfunded.
Since “Anna’s” Law was introduced in May of this year, 384 people have died from ED.
Anorexia kills 12x more girls age 15-24 than ALL other causes of death combined!
A Bill Becomes Law
In no small effort from the friends and families of those affected by ED, Governor Jay Nixon and the Missouri State Legislature passed a bill to help those struggling with ED. Essentially, the bill forces insurance companies to cover all aspects of ED.
Read about it HERE
How Can We Help?
Pray! Pray! Pray! Pray for those suffering with an ED. Pray for the family and friends of those suffering. Remember, we are not alone if we stand together.
Donate! Give money to help those with an ED.
Pay Attention! ED’s are not always diagnosed. Why? When your arm is broken, you go to the doctor and they “fix” it. But when you have a mental disorder, some believe you can just fix it by willing yourself to change. That is not a helpful approach. The stigma needs to end.
“According to a number of experts, as well a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, eating disorders might be the most deadly of all mental illnesses, with an estimated 10% to 20% of individuals diagnosed with anorexia nervosa dying prematurely as a direct result of the disorder or its complications.” National Post 2/5/15
ED’s are deadly. The more we can talk about it, the more lives can be saved. We need to share information, treatment options and do everything we can to help those who suffer.
Go in peace and go with God.