The Next Chapter

At The Bridge Church we've been facing a deadline for sometime:  MOVING DAY.  It seems like we are always facing Moving Day around here.  As you know, we are currently holding our services at The Venice Community Center on Sunday mornings at 10am.  Our last day in that location is staring us right in the face: October 7.  After that, we are headed in an entirely different direction. 

We've known since the beginning that we were going to have to find another location after October 7th.  We just weren't sure where that new location was to be.  So, we immediately started praying and brainstorming our options.  "Is there a place we can go to that can house all of our people?"  "Is there a place that also has adequate parking?"  "Is there a place that would allow us to still meet on Sunday mornings?"  After a short time of brainstorming these questions, you know what we found out?  Meeting on Sunday mornings was going to be difficult to do.  The only buildings in our city that could house us and provide parking for us were church buildings.  And guess what?  Yep, all of them were being used on Sunday mornings. 

It was clear that God was leading us into uncharted territory.  We were sensing the call to abandon our Sunday morning process and look toward doing a Saturday night or Sunday night format only.  Talk about making a pastor nervous!  We started calling churches in our area and asking them about the availability of their space.  We got a lot of answers back.  Some churches were tentative.  Some were very welcoming but had conflicting schedules.  But, there was one church in particular that was standing out to us like a shining light.  The story goes like this...

Steve Revels, a guy on our staff, was asked to call Venice Nokomis Methodist Church and find out about their church availability.  When he called, a girl that he has know for a while answered the phone on the other end.  After they small talked for a while, she said to Steve, "Are you calling to find out if The Bridge can use our building?"  Steve said "Yes, as a matter of fact I am."  She then replied, "That's so funny.  We've already been talking about having you come and doing your worship service here.  We need a contemporary service and when we heard you needed a place, we hoped that God would call you here.  We have plans to order some screens and video projectors for our auditorium.  Maybe they aren't even for us.  Maybe we are purchasing them for you."

When Steve hung up the phone, he relayed the story to me.  Something about it clearly sounded like God was opening a door for us.  After a few meetings here and a few meetings there, our new church home will be Venice Nokomis Methodist Church.  Our new church meeting time will be on Saturday Nights at 5pm.  This all kicks off starting October 13th.  Make plans to be there.  It's going to be awesome.

God is leading, God is speaking and God is moving.  Get excited Bridge Church and hang on for the ride!  This is all being orchestrated by the Lord. 

Part 12

Just thought I'd share with you some cool news.  After our last worship service at Laurel Nokomis School, someone came up to me after the service and said that they would like to give some money to the church for moving expenses and to help with the cost of our new location.  I said, "Great."  They then said, "It's 100 thousand dollars."  I said, "I can use it!" 

Isn't God good!  It's just another sign post along the path in our journey as a church with God.  Be blessed and encouraged today!

Part 11

So, there I was on Miami Avenue.  When I didn't find the owners of the cars with the fat whitewall tires I had just seen, I started walking back to my car.  On my way back, I recognized a man whom I've known for a while eating at Althea's Restaurant.  He doesn't attend The Bridge, but he was waving at me.  Now, this wasn't a "hey, how are you" kind of wave.  It was a "I've got something to tell you so come here" kind of wave.  I walked across the street to where he was.

We exchanged pleasantries and he asked me to stay for lunch.  I politely refused because I was on my way to meet Amy.  And then he said it.  Friends, what I'm about to tell you came right after the Vision Night word that I had just received the night before, and it also came right after the meeting with the city that I had just come out of and was feeling kind of discouraged about.

He looked me dead in the eye and said, "The reason I called you over is that I have a word from God for you."  I said, "OK" and then he said to me, "This is what the Lord wanted you to know.  Don't be discouraged.  Don't be afraid.  I have great plans for you concerning My Kingdom.  Don't be discouraged.  Don't be afraid."

When he finished speaking to me, I had nothing to say.  The man then said, "I don't know if you can use that but if you can, it's yours."  I said, "Do you have any idea what I'm going through?"  He said, "No, not at all.  Look the hair on my arms is standing on end.  I never eat at this restaurant and I never eat by myself."  I interrupted him and said, "I never walk down Miami Avenue!"  He continued, "But, I knew I was supposed to be here today and when I saw you, I knew I was supposed to give that word to you."  I told him that I can definitely use that word. 

For me, it was unmistakable that I had a second word from God within a 24 hour period.  What do you do with that?  You sit back, hold on tight, and watch God beautifully work!

Part 10

The 3 giants we were (and still are) facing were as follows.  (1) The property has to be rezoned.  (2) The city planning map has to be amended and (3) The type of structure we are looking to put up has to meet code.

It was during our last Vision Night that the Lord really started to speak loudly to me.  At that meeting, I talked about that piece of property and those 3 giants facing us.  When the meeting was over, a lady in our church whom I respect very deeply came up to me.  She said, "Pastor Matt.  I have a Scripture to give you.  When the Lord placed it on my heart yesterday it didn't make any sense to me.  I felt impressed to write it down and give it to yesterday but I wasn't sure I was hearing correctly from God so I didn't.  But, after you spoke tonight and told us about those 3 giants, I knew the Lord was speaking.  It's Jeremiah 1:17-19."

"Get up and prepare for action.  Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say.  Do not be afraid of them, or I will make you look foolish in front of them.  For see, today, I have made you strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall.  You will stand against the whole land--the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah.  They will fight you, but they will fail.  For I am with you, and I will take care of you.  I, the Lord, have spoken."

I stood there with my mouth open for a long time.  I clearly believed that I had a word from God.

The next morning, I had a meeting with the city to discuss that piece of property and to see how easy it would be to knock over these 3 giants.  Well, the meeting for me was both good and bad.  It good because the city officials that we met with were just as excited about our church as we were.  They started brainstorming land options with us in the area of town that we were looking in.  We walked in with 1 option and came out with 4 options.  One of the guys with me said, "Matt, I've been to a lot of these meetings and this never happens.  They were excitedly looking at places for us.  It was like they were part of our church, wanting to help us and wanting to see us succeed." 

The bad news is that my expectations were through the roof.  I was totally expecting them to say, "No problem.  You can start building this afternoon!"  I know.  A little unrealistic, but remember I had a clear word from God the night before.  All in all, the cards that we had on the table were still in play. 

The guys who were at that meeting were all fired up.  They saw it as a great meeting, but still, after the meeting, I wasn't feeling all that encouraged (that's the problem with unmet expectations). As I left city hall, I drove down Venice Ave.  As I made my way down the avenue, I saw all of these hot-rods parked along the street, and all of them had big, fat, whitewall tires.  Now, why is this important?  I just bought a car.  It's a 1966 Lincoln Continental (long story).  Anyway, I had been looking for some of those tires.  So, I decided to stop.  I went one street up to Miami Ave and noticed the same thing: hot-rods parked on the street.  I found a parking space and got out of my car with the intent of finding one of these car owners and asking him about his tires.  I never found any of those car owners.  What I found instead was another word from God.

Part 9

The news of our contract not being renewed (again) was different this time…when I told the congregation it was like that had already prepared for this.  Even though I was terribly uneasy about the situation I was in, our people were not.  I felt as though they were pastoring me during this time.  I received comments like:

"This is exactly what we needed…this is the best news I’ve heard…this same thing happened to the church that I just came from and they are now a church of about 6,000 people... I believe that God wants The Bridge Church to be more than a neighborhood church.  He wants our church to be a regional church which goes about transforming lives in this region for His glory...We believe that Jesus Christ has large plans for our church which will require a large building"  

These really helped me and really lifted my spirits during this uneasy time in my life.

We started getting busy planning our next move, but more than that, I became busy praying and seeking the Lord during this time.  Again, I became passionate about begging God to speak to me.  This is why I was uneasy.  I desperately wanted God to speak to me about what to do next.  Were we to become a Saturday night church?  Where could we do Sunday mornings?  Where was a building with adequate parking that could hold a church our size?

I didn’t want it to be left up to me.  I confessed that I wasn’t wise enough or smart enough to figure all of this out.  I didn’t care where we were went, I just had to know that God was leading us to a new place and that we weren't leading ourselves. “Please speak, Lord” became my prayer over and over.  With tears in my eyes, I reminded God that He created the world in 6 days and I reminded him that we had 6 weeks until we had to be out of LNS.  We had to hear a word from God.  I was desperate.

At the time, we had been in discussion with a man who owned a very attractive piece of property.  (We still are).  In the early stages of talking to this man, it just seemed like walls were falling down all around us.  

"I will rent you the land...I will rent it to you for 3 to 5 years...I will make whatever we agree to in price for a monthly rent all go to the purchase price of the property (100%).   

We then started researching temporary structures that we could immediately put up and do church in.  If everything sailed right through, we were looking at being in our own building in 6 months or less!  It was looking like God was truly opening doors and giving us new, creative ways to think about doing church...until we met up with 3 giants.

The Word of God

The God we serve is a sovereign God.  Nothing takes Him by surprise.  A couple of weeks ago I was keenly aware of this truth in my personal Bible study time with the Lord.  Where God had me reading in His Word was not by chance or by happenstance.  God knew that I would be reading what I was reading at that exact point in my life.  

I had just started the book of James that week.  Chapter 1 says "...when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy."  The joy God is talking about is the joy that comes from your character being forged into the perfect image of Jesus.  In other words, maturity happens by being steadfast in following the Lord even in the midst of the difficult circumstances that God has placed over you, and even in the midst of not being able to see God at work or hear His voice.  It may seem that God has withdrawn during those difficult times in your life, but actually what God is doing is stepping back and inviting you to draw even deeper into His presence.  

I also was reading through the book of Isaiah (and still am).  In chapter 8, the Lord told Isaiah that He was going to punish the people of Judah because of their disobedience with an invading army.  And then God says something specifically to Isaiah to calm his heart. "The Lord has given me (Isaiah) a strong warning not to think like everyone else does...'don't live in dread of what frightens them (Judah).  Instead, make the Lord of Heaven's Armies holy in your life.  He is the one you should fear.  He is the one who should make you tremble.  He will keep you safe'."  Isaiah answers God by saying, "I will wait for the Lord...I will put my hope in him."  I love that.  Chaos was about to break loose in Isaiah's life and he chose to put his hope in and put his eyes on the Lord.  That is what God is calling all of us to do.  Later on in that same chapter, Isaiah writes that during this time people are going to go looking for answers from mediums and spirits from the dead.  But Isaiah counters by saying, "Shouldn't people ask God for guidance?"  And then He boldly says, "Look to God's instructions and teachings!"  The Word speaks, and we must be willing to put time into engaging God's Word so that it can do its job in our ears and in our hearts.  

I'm also was reading as I always do through the book of Psalms!  I came across Psalm 121 that week.  All I can say to you is READ IT.  Sometime this week, read Psalm 121 and let God speak to you about His constant, protective care.  He has not forgotten you.  He sees clearly what is going on in your life, and He's sovereignly ordering your circumstances to develop your trust in Him and your dependence on Him.  James says--trials are going to come.  Isaiah says--in those trials, put your hope in the Lord and His Word, and Psalms says--the Lord will be with you every step of the way.  I love His Word!  

During this times within our church, let's keep our eyes peering into His Word.  It's the primary way He speaks to His people.  I will illustrate that clearly in the next post.

Part 8

After Summer Sunday Nights had ended, our contract at LNS was renewed through August of 2012 (it was later moved up to June 3rd).  It looked like the heat was off and it looked like we had a new lease on life at the school.  But, something had changed in me.  I didn't want to be in that situation again.  Although I loved worshiping at the school, I looked forward to the day when we could have our own space.  We immediately started putting our heads down, looking for a permanent home and I'm glad we did because it wasn't too long after we had gotten back to LNS that we once again heard contract rumblings. 

About mid-April, we got word from a custodian that our storage unit needed to be cleaned out for the summer.  Some major parts of the school were being renovated and they needed all of the storage space they could get.  To me it didn't seem like that big of a deal.  It wasn't like they were asking us to move out.  But, there was something in his voice that gave me concern.  We immediately scheduled an appointment with the school.  When we met with the administration of the school, there was indeed reason to be concerned.  June 3rd (today) was to be our last Sunday at LNS (at that time 6 weeks away).  The reason: renovation issues, construction issues, and storage issues facing the school over the next couple of years.  To say the least, it caught us totally by surprise. 

We understood the reasoning behind them not renewing our contract, and we saw this day eventually coming, but we honestly didn't know it would be that soon.  If it wasn't for the conversation I had with one of the custodians (which I think was a God thing) I don't believe we would have even had 6 weeks to prepare.

Again, after I got this news, I went into a funk.  Six weeks.  Six weeks to find a new place and move 400+ people!  My shoulders started to feel a heavy weight upon them. I immediately started begging God to speak.  I desperately needed to hear from God on this issue.  What was He calling us to do?  Where was He calling us to go?  My constant prayer became "Please, God, speak.  I desperately need to hear from You."

I love the pastors in the city of Venice that are associated with One Christ Won City.  We are very well connected and very close.  One of the first things I did when I heard the news was email these pastors.  I knew they would pray.  I knew they would seek God and intercede for The Bridge and for me.  Some of them responded to my email and what they said blew me away.

"I’m certain that this will be a door, not a wall.  I pray for uncommon favor to launch the Bridge into new territory with greater influence and greater impact.  I also pray that you do not grow weary or impatient, and that your ability to know and follow the voice of the Lord is fine tuned for these days.” 

"The Lord has been walking with you and The Bridge in a Mighty way!  And we are blessed by this.  He sees you as a jewel and your faith and obedience will be rewarded with great favor from him.  Praying for his protection and comfort for your members as they pray for the new direction the Lord has prepared.”

"I have prayed for you this morning as well as your leadership and the people of The Bridge. It is reassuring to know that our GOD has already prepared the way and we simply have to follow.”

"As I was praying tonight, I believe the word God gave me applies to you and The Bridge Church.  ‘This is a year of fulfillment.  You shall see it.  My Spirit is upon you.  You have great expectations.  Walk it out, speak it out.  What I have in store for you will astound you.’  Be encouraged.  I love you.”

Talk about encouragement!  God was indeed speaking.  I could feel myself being lifted out of the pit and singing a song once again.  Good thing because Sunday was coming and I had to break the news to my congregation in just a few days.