SNOWMAGEDDON 2011 CHURCH

I wanted to say "Thank You" to all the people who have called, texted or in other ways reached out to me to see if I was OK. I have survived SNOWMAGGEDON 2011. So far, this winter season the South Bend area has seen 64.3 inches of snow (still counting).

My new year started off with record highs on the first Sunday of the year. Temperatures soared to the 50's, all the snow had melted off and we could see the ground. One week later, 39.4 inches of snow had fallen, with 25.6 inches of that snow coming in one day. Needless to say, the majority of our South Bend churches were closed on the second Sunday of the year as travel was bad; most people could not dig out of their own homes and the snow crews couldn't keep up with the falling snow.

I want to thank the Men of Macedonia for all of their hard work in removing and plowing our parking lots. One local Pastor called and joked with me about "my slave driver mentality" for calling a men's meeting during a blizzard, which isn't true but to pass by our church on Saturday night and see 6 Deacons and 4 men along with their Pastor trying to clear the parking lot was a great sight.

Our church sits on Olive Street which South Bend considers one of their priority streets so the city had our street cleared off. With the lots and the street clear, I prayed and decided to have church even though the city was still digging out. I figured who wanted to come would come and who wanted to stay in would stay in; but I noticed Notre Dame and Connecticut still played their Women's Basketball game and 18,000 people showed up. Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Super Target and Meijer's had full parking lots so I decided if they weren't shutting down, God's House wasn't shutting down.

Sunday Morning we had good community church with members from Greater St. John, Mt. Carmel, New Salem, Bethlehem as well as the few from Macedonia. I thank God for a relationship with these Pastors that the members they have been entrusted with would count me worthy that if they couldn't have their "Chef" for the day, they would trust my cooking. I told them, I can't cook it, serve it or prepare it like your Pastor but I will make sure you won't starve.

What took place on Saturday night and even on Sunday Morning inspired me to preach out of Mark 2:1-12, about the paralytic that was brought to Jesus. Some problems are so big, one person can't do it all by themselves. No matter your education, finance, strength or expertise, YOU NEED SOME HELP.

Even the best Rooster still needs a Hen
Beethoven still needs a Piano
Picasso still needs some Paint
Surgeons still need a Scalpel
Cornflakes need milk
Pastors need workers
We all need some Help. We are Better Together!

There were four helpers, each one carrying their own end of the pole, Most of the hassle we have in churches is someone trying to carry someone else's pole. CARRY YOUR END. They were all moving IN THE SAME DIRECTION and they were all headed TO THE SAME DESTINATION, the injured paralytic will receive A NEW DESIGNATION.

I. A New Position Vs 5. "Sins are Forgiven". He was on the outside looking in, but forgiveness will climb the roof, forgiveness will cut a hole, forgiveness will let you down to where Jesus is. There was a time we didn't have access to God because of our sins but God cut a hole,............

II. A New Posture Vs 11. "Rise, Pick up your Bed, Go Home". Sin had me on my back, but Jesus put me on my feet. Why take your Bed? People need to know the Before and After story. I was crippled, I was lame, I was a paralytic but I met Jesus, Here is my bed in case you don't believe me. And we all have an I WAS STORY. What's your Story? I was a liar, I was a gambler.....................

III. A New Praise Vs. 12 "We never seen anything like this before"




We had a good time Sunday with a few people.



Owens

Shared Service

Sis Janice Gaddis, Pastor Teron Gaddis, Rev. Ray Owens

What an amazing weekend I shared with an innovative Pastor and a powerful Church in the Greater Bethel Family of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Pastor Gaddis' commitment to Preaching/Teaching once again shows me that real, sustained and effective church growth is not done through Gadgets or Gimmicks but is through the power of God.

I have shared with this church family on the second Sunday in December for the Pastor's Aid Day for almost 8 years now. I started going when Pastor Woodberry missed a connecting flight from Bakersfield coming back from his vacation and I had to cover. After that Pastor Gaddis told Doc, stay on vacation, I can use you for another area of ministry and use Ray in this spot. Since I am no longer at Mt. Olive, it would have been very easy for Pastor Gaddis to say out of sight, out of mind but he thought enough of this preacher to bring me back to Oklahoma (not home as South Bend is my home now).


Many of the challenges I face here in South Bend and at Macedonia, Pastor Gaddis has already faced. A church with great older adults and loads of babies but a missing generation in young adults. Pastor Gaddis went off grid from the normal traditions of the church, his church motto is that they do church beyond the box, so he went after the unchurched. To see what God has blessed him with now knowing what he started with is a testimony to the faithfulness of God and the power of preaching and planning.


They are building Phase 1 of their new sanctuary and should be in by May. We pray God's choicest blessings on this ministry and can't wait for our Marriage conference in 2009 when the Gaddis family will come to South Bend and bless not only my church but this community.


Looking at his church, I saw a quick glimpse of what Mark 2:1-12 describes. I saw Shared Service. Everyone had their place, their position, their point, their "pole" if you will. I shouted when I was watching his church because I knew I was coming back home and preaching what the Lord was birthing into me.


Many people want to "Give" the Pastor the vision and foolishly many uncalled preachers have accepted some person's counterfeit vision instead of asking God for a vision for their church. God Conceives the Vision, then he Creates the Vision in the Pastor and that vision Consumes the Pastor with a burning to Cast the Vision, every sermon, every Bible Study, every business meeting, Cast the Vision until the people Catch the Vision and Correlate the Vision with their Conduct.


That's Mark 2. It's Shared Service. We have to help people who can't get themselves to Jesus. If we get them to Jesus, they can be healed but they have no motion, no movement, no manner to get themselves to Jesus. We are waiting for people to come to our churches who have no way of getting there in the first place. Yes they have transportation , yes they know what time service is but their condition has rendered them without movement.


Shared Service teaches us that there has to be a:

Right Method: Work together, Man your end of the pole, Some Carry, Some Climb, Some Cut

Righteous Message: Faith to Listen, Favor to Look upon, Forgiveness to Look past

Revealing Majesty: Transitional Position( Sins forgiven), a Transformative Posture( Get up) a Transcendental Praise, (We have never seen anything like this!)

Thanks to Macedonia for allowing me to go to Greater Bethel, thanks to Pastor Gaddis for allowing me to come and thanks to Pastor Staples for preaching the Word of God in my stead encouraging, edifying and educating the Body of Christ like only he can.





I am ready to run!





Owens