Boys and Girls Club

So I just finished my first week at the Boys and Girls Club at Emmons Elementary in Mishawaka. I must say, I was pretty afraid that it would be too overwhelming at first. But after a few days, I have really begun to love it, though it is still a little overwhelming.

A little about the Emmons Elementary Boys and Girls Club:
- 80% of the kids live below the poverty line, making them the poorest school in Mishawaka.
- 90% of the kids in the program do not have father figures in their lives.
- There are a few kid's who cry when they have to leave in the afternoon to go home, because their home lives are so bad. They love being at the club, because there are people who pay attention to them and people to play with. At home, their parents simply do not care.

It really is incredible going into work and immediately being mauled with affection by 5 kids. They jump on my lap, give me hugs, etc. A lot of the kid's have problems, but they have so much potential.

Adren, a kindergartner, is one of my favorites. He's got long, messy, red hair and he's hilarious. He's got a REALLY bad home life though. He's one of the kid's who cries when he has to go home, because he has nobody to play with at home. I love playing Legos with him, because he gets into it like no kid I've ever seen. The way his eyes light up and the way he chews his tongue and crinkles his eyebrows when he's putting together his lego spaceship makes me think he's got so much potential. He's such a dreamer, my goal for him is to become an engineer when he grows up. I probably won't be around long enough to see that happen, but if he sticks around in the Boys and Girls Club.... maybe it will.

Anyways, just wanted to share how things were going at the BNG Club. Be in prayer for me, that I can have an incredible impact on these kids.

Blessings,
Josh

Launch!

Our public launch for Epic Church was this past Sunday, and I thought it was a great success! We had close to 200 people there for it, and all seemed to be moved and impacted in some sort of way. The best stories are when lost friends come to visit and then say that they liked it so much that they want to come back the next week! That makes me feel that we must be doing something right!

Anyways, this week, we will begin our easter series titled, "The Bridge." I'm the guy that makes our sermon graphics for all of our series. I really enjoy finding a sweet picture and then messing around with it in photoshop. Here is the one that I came up with for the coming series. Hope you enjoy!


Blessings,
Josh

Public Launch!

Hey everyone, just wanted to remind you that Epic Church's public launch is THIS Sunday, March 7th! We will be meeting at Meadow's Edge Elementary School at 10:30am. Please keep us in your prayers as we finally reach this exciting weekend in our journey as a church!

Thanks!

Josh

What if...

I'm going to hit on a pretty touchy subject in this post, so bear with me.

So apart from my work at the church plant, I also work part time at the Big and Tall Outlet in Elkhart. Recently a homosexual male couple came into the store and purchased some clothing. They were very friendly and made some nice conversation with me and some of the other customers in the checkout line.

After they were gone, a co-worker (an openly Christian co-worker, mind you) said over the walkie talkie, "Josh, you see that couple? Don't even get me started on them. That is gross and disgusting."

This got me to thinking. Why is that the first reaction she would have? If we are to be loving and compassionate towards people, just as Christ was, why would she be disgusted with these people? Sure, the act of homosexuality is gross and sinful. But in reality, a lot of times the reason men turn to homosexuality is because they were repeatedly abused sexually early on in their lives. Many times from their own family members, such as a father or a brother. Understanding this, it isn't disgust that I feel for these men... its sorrow, pain, and heartbreak. I think this is the feeling Christ would have had. Sorrow that these men are lost. Pain and heartbreak that they didn't have a loving and responsible father in their lives, so they are taking comfort in another man, instead of taking solace in their heavenly Father.

It is a broken world that we live in. I wonder if these men's lives would be different if they were in a different family situation. If maybe they didn't have that sexually abusive family member. When I see these men, I can only think, "What if..."

It is our duty to love, not to judge. Because Christ's death smeared blood or their doorposts, just as much as ours.


Blessings,
Josh

First Preview Gathering

Well, we are now officially done with our Sunday night gatherings at First United Methodist Church, and have now moved on to Meadow's Edge Elementary School. We held our first preview (practice) gathering there this past Sunday and things went surprisingly well! Everyone was excited to be there and worked very hard to make sure everything went smoothly. It was truly amazing seeing people come together to make it a fun, loving, and cozy atmosphere. Even people who weren't previously involved in church or religion before Epic, have now become passionate about their roles with Epic, which is truly exciting to see! It was great seeing their faces as they helped, because they know that they are a part of something big in Mishawaka.

We have another preview session this coming Sunday, followed by our Public Launch on Sunday, March 7th at 10:30am! Please pray for us as we prepare to finally launch this church plant and do some amazing things for the kingdom!

Blessings,
Josh

Leadership

So I'm reading the book "360 Degree Leader" by John Maxwell. In it, he speaks about various aspects of being a good leader from the middle of an organization. He talks about how in order to be a good leader, one must learn how to lead those above you (ie, your boss), below you (ie, your employees/volunteers), and to either side of you (such as suppliers or vendors). Although you may not approve of everything that your boss does or how he leads, a good leader will not try and cause a mutiny against the poor leader. Someone who is a good leader supports his superior and tries to compensate for his superior's flaws and understands that the superior was put in that position for a reason.

As I'm reading this book, and also reading through 1st and 2nd Samuel, I'm realizing that David is the perfect example of a 360 degree leader. David was just a sheppard boy when he was called into action against Goliath. After this, he finds himself with a huge throng of followers who support him even above King Saul. As Saul finds himself lower and lower in God's favor, he becomes jealous of David and tries multiple times to kill him. David always manages to escape, and even finds himself in striking distance of Saul twice. Yet both times, he allowed Saul to live. David refused to kill Saul because Saul was anointed king by the Lord, and who is David to kill the chosen king? David knew that God had chosen him to be king someday, but instead of taking matters into his own hands by killing Saul, he chose to let God deal with the situation in His own time.

Eventually Saul did die, and David was rewarded for his patience. If you haven't read through 1st and 2nd Samuel, I would recommend it. The life of David is something you can learn a lot from.

Blessings,
Josh

Epic on Facebook

If you haven't already, be sure to join Epic Church's facebook fan page! Search for "Epic Church - Mishawaka" and be a fan to get updates on all things Epic. We also hare on twitter! Look for epicmishawaka on there to get our updates.

Thanks and have a great week.
Josh

Convicted...

So I've been reading the book "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan the past few days, and it has gotten me to thinking. So often I want God to just give me straight answers and my future. I feel like when I call for God, he needs to be there and give me all that I ask for. I often wonder why that is not the case.

How can I ask God to give me all of Him, yet not surrender to Him all of me?

If we are to truly see God, hear God, be used by God, then we need to be willing to carry our crosses daily. But what does that even mean? How do I even go about doing that? Lately I've been thinking about what my future holds. How do I fit into God's master plan? I'm willing to give up everything for the Kingdom (I think), but how do I even do that? What would God have me do? This is something I've been struggling with. I ask for prayer for wisdom/discernment on how I fit into the Kingdom.

Blessings,
Josh

In charge...

Epic's pastor (Jeremy LeVan) is officially on vacation until January 16, and he left me in charge of making sure the church doesn't fall apart while he's gone. While I don't expect any kind of major decision to fall into my lap (thankfully), it will require some extra work on my end. I would be grateful for any prayer you can offer for the next two weeks as I try and "hold down the fort" while Jeremy is gone.

Thanks!
Josh