Reaching The God Given Dream

This week as my partner Josie and I arrived at Free Church, we took notice of where the impressively large building is located. The church happens to be positioned within walking distance of numerous apartment complexes, while also being within close proximity to the 405 Freeway and Diamond Jamboree a very popular place to shop and eat. This central location makes the Free Church space accessible to a lot of people who live throughout Irvine. Additionally, the outside of the church is wall to ceiling glass, and its unusual architecture makes the Church stand out when driving past it. Also, the windows allow for a lot of natural light to filter into the space, and to give those on the inside a fantastic view of the surrounding area of Irvine.

In the book Unstoppable by Tim Green, the theme is to not give up on your dream no matter how many obstacles are in your way.

Galindo analyzes that the fundamental “mission” of a congregation is the same as any other congregation that exists in any part of the world. He argues that though every congregation has a mission and a vision, at the same time, it shares a basic common mission. (43) This reminds me of my home church The First Church of Evanston and my Field Site, The Evanston Vineyard Church. Both churches have a common mission of welcoming people to the church, irrespective of their ethnic, cultural, racial, and economic and, gender backgrounds. The mission is to help people be received in the house of God with due and deserved Christian love so that they feel loved and welcomed. Both these churches encourage church attendees to attend the service and receive the Eucharist.

After reading the lecture notes church structure chart, I would say that my church falls between the attractional and organic view of small groups. We have an amazing new building that has a “come and see” feel; but, we also believe in relational missional groups that go out in the community. We believe that all gifts are needed in the body of Christ. We believe in forward movement, so we do count people and dollars. But our real success is measured in life change. We have a large budget that supports the staff and property, but a large portion of that budget

For example, when my grandmother was young, she used to dream about being surrounded by a loving family. She was an orphan. She often tells me stories about how she would lie awake at night dreaming about just that. Many kids in her orphanage used to tell her that none of them were ever going to have a life like that “Why would we?” they said, “can you not see not even our parents wanted us!” Despite all the harsh words, she kept on dreaming and overcame all her obstacles and has reached her goal. Even though your goals might seem impossible, if you dream big you might get just that.

After arriving in Tennessee, my parents were very adamant about getting plugged into a church. I was raised in church but up until then, I went because I was told to. Usually I had to count ceiling lights or people in pews to keep from falling asleep during sermons. We attended countless services, but it wasn’t until one special Sunday that we found Sand Ridge Baptist Church. Unbeknownst to me, it would change my life.

In discovering the dream of our perfect future and all that we could do, we begin to take the proper steps in reaching said goal. God has given us the ability to dream and the ability to choose what we do with our one life; he has given us the chance to earn our entry into his kingdom. The way that we reach our dream can depend on any number of steps but no matter how many different possible options, God has set the path for each person to reach their dream and all we have to do is take the first

“We are a church transformed by grace, connected through relationships and committed to service” is their mission statement and as is everything down in Texas, they are big! They have a large campus with several buildings surrounding the main sanctuary and a visitors center that can be accessed with one of their many golf carts. I must say, as someone who works with youth, I was impressed as to their commitment to a separate building for kids, especially those in middle school and high school. At a time when autonomy is so important for a young person, (and budgets are limited), having their own space is quite impressive.

help within this new church. At first my brother and I didn’t like the idea of moving away from

I joined the staff of the Carolina Missionary Baptist Church in March 2002 as a church administrator. My first major responsibility was to complete the development and construction of the Family Life Center. Although, I had worked on development projects in another County before, I had not actually managed the construction of a building and certainly did not know the process in Prince George’s County Maryland where the church is currently located. There was an enormous amount of knowledge for me to gain. My first assignment was to develop a detailed plan. The initial undertaking in the plan was to learn the Construction process.

The nation was going through a devastating time with everything hitting them at once. Mother nature was not helping at all she sent the huge dust bowl that lasted for years. The dust bowl put a lot of worries on the families for when it was going to stop or if it was better for them to move. People didn’t know what to do anymore, they were getting bored and that's when the movie theaters came out. The movie theaters were a place for people to sit down and relax and get their mind off of what was happening around them.

This church is going to pick a location that is centrally located in the middle of town. As a church plant, we know that location is key and believe that being in the middle of town is going to maximize the ministry of the church. The location of the church is vital to the people who you are trying to reach.

1. Lack of a permanent Church Structure - The church was involved in a long-term lease agreement which prevented the church from saving resources.

Firstly, there was no popular music being played as people entered the room. In addition, the screen were not in use as the sermon was going on. I believe that this is due to the fact that the church is catering the space to the audience that they have. Additionally, the space consist of a stage and seats similar to a normal church setting where people would to listen to the pastor/ speaker. However, in the back there are also seats and tables where people can sit to socialize with each other. This proves that the space is not only being used as a place to learn, but rather a place to socialized and be entertained. Moreover, at the front there is a large desk that one must pass on the way out, this in affect is a way to regulate and discourage people from leaving during the middle of the

I’m basically a non-denominational guy so the major consideration for a church was a large parking lot. Well that would get me in the door but they had better be preaching the Bible if they wanted me to stay. It was very interesting visiting all those churches across this great land.