You may have noticed an acute absence of new material in my blog. Well, now I can fill everyone in on what's been going on. Back in January, a decision was reached to a process that began in November of 2008. "10:35", a satellite ministry of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Maumee, would begin the process of establishing itself as a mission church. That set into motion a chain of events that continues up to this moment and will continue for at least the next year.
The immediate issues were the announcement of this change to both the congregations of St. Paul's and "10:35". Additionally, the ministry needed to find a new location. It needed to clear that location with the local church government, called a synod, as well as, garner their support for the establishment of the mission. It also needed to meet with the area churches, prepare a document to share its philosophy of ministry, and begin casting the vision.
The announcement has been made. The Synod is on board. The area churches are supportive. The Philosophy of Ministry has been written. The vision is being cast. And, oh yes, the new location has been found and, in fact, this past week was our first Sunday there. Moreover, we are no longer "10:35". We are now Threshold Church. So, as you can see, I've been a little busy.
The result of all of this is a lot of excitement with a healthy mix of utter obedience to and dependence on God.
As I mentioned, this past week was our first week at our new location. We are now meeting in the Omni Nightclub on Bancroft Avenue, one block off of the University of Toledo campus. We are really excited about reaching out to this community with the good news of Jesus Christ. We expect God to do great things and for His Kingdom to intersect with the lives of many, many people. The first Sunday was absolutely wonderful. We are taking this opportunity to put much greater emphasis on our vision and to study together what it means to be the Church. You can listen to that message via our website: www.1035online.org . Yeah, that's one of the things we need to do that we haven't gotten around to. The website name will change, but for now that's still the location.
What is really important is that we do not waste this opportunity that God has given us. A time of such change is a time for introspection with the goal of clarification. We need to answer the question of who we are. Why has God called us together? For what purpose has God placed us here? These are, indeed, questions that every church should ask itself. God has given God has placed on the heart of Threshold Church a strong desire to rediscover the Biblical Church and its purpose. We certainly do not claim to have the only way or even the right way. We are simply trying to pursue that in a faithful way. Should not every church do the same?
That's all for now. I do hope to get back to blogging and I will in the weeks to come as I share with you the journey that God has me and Threshold on.
Peace,
Tom
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