Redemption Fellowship, Inc.

I have recently filed the Articles of Incorporation with the state of PA that will make us a corporation. We will have exclusive rights to our name in this state and will soon Trademark our logo. We are ramping up the marketing in several ways. We continue to place ads in the newspaper, drop flyers, and invite contacts. Soon we will have a new website and Facebook page. Unfortunately we had a computer failure a short while ago that has slowed us down and we are still waiting for new software to continue with the website, but so far it is looking pretty good! A few new faces are popping up here and there and we are hopeful that this is our year. Please keep praying.

Holy Snow, Batman

The most snow I've ever seen. The kids have had a blast. We have had over 6 feet of snow this winter and more expected next week. Several things were canceled including Christianity Explored class last Wednesday and my Church Planter Community meeting. Thankfully I have plenty of work to do right here in the house.

Crammed

Sometimes I look around parts of our local community and I am repeatedly taken back by the shear mass of humanity living on top of each other. I think such tight housing could be fine if you really knew your neighbors well, but sounds fairly challenging considering fewer and fewer people know their own neighbors at all. These communities are increasingly transient when they were once highly stable. With so much change comes opportunity for the gospel to shine. Make no mistake, if we are successful in starting a church community up here it is the work of God and be careful to give Him all the glory! Please keep praying as we continue making plans towards our launch and preview services. Also, check out our prayer updates.

Quick Update / Overveiw

The new year of 2010 is the sink or swim year for the East Delco church plant. We are aggressively marketing the area for our "preview" services that begin on Easter and run once a month until the big launch service on September 12th. We are also campaigning for another Christianity Explored class once again being offered at Cocco's Pizza. We will likewise do another Summer Camp for kids through Child Evangelism Fellowship, hopefully in June. Our Sunday Night Fellowship has started back up for the semester and we are slowly growing a worship team and learning songs. There are many pieces that must come together over the approaching months for this project to be successful. Please pray that God will glorify himself through our efforts and do a mighty work. We are getting excited about the potential for another Bible teaching church espousing the glorious doctrines of grace to this community and impacting people's lives with the Kingdom of God.

Merry Christmas

As the year winds down and we pause to consider the incarnation I am reminded of the fact that Mary and Joseph had no place to stay in Bethlehem. Sometimes we forget the impact of certain details of a familiar story. Mary was pregnant and gave birth in a stable! The natural, yet phenomenal process of bringing the Son of God into the world was not an easy event. Why would Mary have hardship in bearing Jesus if she was in God's favor? Didn't the angel say she was "blessed among women?"

I think anything worth having is worth struggling for, and I think that is often the way of God. Mary was blessed to be the mother of the incarnate Almighty God, which also meant she suffered! She had to endure: scorn and rejection as a pregnant virgin; pregnancy and labor pains; uncomfortable, humble circumstances for birthing; and then fear for her child's life as they fled to Egypt to escape Herod's decree to kill all male babies that year.

It is worth noting that anytime the Kingdom of God is expanded it is done through suffering. Consider the Israelites entering the promised land--what blessing to be those who take possession of centuries-old promises to the patriarchs! However, to take the land they must face their fears of the "giants" who live there and wage war. People suffer horrid wounds and die in warfare. Blessing and turmoil go hand-in-hand and I could site countless examples (read Hebrews 11.)

I am encouraged to know that the most pivotal people in history who played major roles in God's agenda, who are considered the most blessed people ever, had to take the suffering with the blessing. Be not afraid of the pain, rejection, uncertainty, and risk! Nothing ventured, nothing gained! As I plan to launch a church I must keep this perspective. I do not throw wisdom to the wind and I try to live a balanced life, but I also know that if we never risk going "all in" we can expect little reward.

Jesus was "all in" as he left his Father's side to become a helpless babe; to grow up as a hard-working laborer while keeping every aspect of God's law. He endured the curse of God on the cross and lay down his life for the lost sheep. There was no half-stepping or short cuts for Jesus even as he anxiously awaited the wrath of God in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus is the the greatest victor of all time and the most blessed man in history. Great gain at great risk and great suffering.

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and remember that it is not about elves, cookies, consumerism, or even merely family, but the beginning of the most important life of all time... the celebration of the point in history when God would venture into the fallen world as a man and redeem it with his own pain. Praise the Lord Jesus Christ!

Franklin Institute

Last week I was blessed to attend a home-schooling enrichment field-trip with the YMCA to the Franklin Institute. The Boys and I had a great time together with the "hands-on" exhibits. Fatherhood is rewarding. Please keep us in prayers as we discuss future education options for our kids.

Fall coming to a close

Here are a couple pictures from October. I continue to coach in the Boys Club, we just started Basketball and wrapped up a very successful soccer season. The kids are getting better all the time and it is rewarding to watch them grow. Looking at this picture of Halloween pumpkins shows me how fast time is moving since Thanksgiving has come and gone already. Advent is here and before we know it the New Year will be upon us.