vision and goals

Dan Wilson had a conversation with me last night about some of our growth plans. he suggested that I consider talking more about growth goals, and laying out vision more clearly. Perhaps he's right and I am praying about it.

In the last few years I have stopped talking about numbers goals, even though I do have them. In 08 for example, I am asking God to help us reach 1600 in average weekly attendance. But to talk about that publicly makes us vulnerable to the accusation that we are all about numbers, not abou healing the pain an individual ight be feeling when they walk through our doors.

But maybe I shouldn't care. Maybe I should boldly profess a vision and simple get over the accusations about being "too big". Maybe by now it is simply something we ought to face with our heads up and not apologizing about it.

There are a number of other things we need to work on that may get us there; 1. helping people get connected better for example. And starting more sites. And advertising more. And raising up more leaders. Perhaps I could communicate these better and the numbers would not even need to be communicated.

The bottom line is, numbers matters because they represent eternal souls.

the vision meeting tonight

Tonight we prayed about, considered, and discussed some challenges:

1. Worship space; we are over-full
2. Existing mortgage of 1.2 million
3. Organizational deficiencies; we need to grow significantly in how we do church
4. Perception vs. reality; in many ways, people have to adjust what they think versus what we are. For example, newer people commonly perceive us to be a small church, then have to adjust their expectations for a larger size.

And some possible solutions:

1. 3-5 year “Buy a square foot campaign”
-Add an additional Sunday service by Fall
-Create non-traditional seating outside sanctuary
-Build additional leadership teams + add services

2. A one-year campaign for the new facility
-$50,000 a month, or 500 squares
-Currently about $13,000 monthly for building
-Building happens as the money is in!
-Every ministry would need to do serious sacrifice

3. Borrow $600,000, build immediately

4. Move Sunday morning services off site

Essentially, we decided to do the #1 solution, although we are hoping to get it done a lot quicker than 3-5 years. A campaign will be kicked off on the second Sunday of next month.

Soul Space campaign (call "soul space" because it represent room for souls to come to Christ)

a. added to Missions Campaign week (2nd week of the month)

b. 6 square feet (600 sq ft) is a Soul Space

c. Yellow is the Soul Space color for envelopes, shirts and general info

d. Give a Soul Space T shirt when $600 is reached

e. Wear Soul Space shirts on missions weekend!

f. Develop a shirt to buy as well.

g. Jason will work on the ad campaign

h. Team members who volunteered to help with Thursday morning meetings: Jason, Marvin, Lorrie, Clay, Brandy. 1st meeting 4/10/08 10am.

This weekend

This weekend Ron Johnson will be here. I am excited about it. I love it how God often uses him to speak to me, and helps me grow by being around him. He provides some spiritual fathering for me, and blessing. I appreciate that so much. It's like I get some time with my Pastor.

Maybe this will be the weekend that we experience breakthrough!

Gerry

life without speech ...or a good phone

"No discipline is pleasant for the moment... it is painful." That scripture is easier to read and teach, than to live.

This weekend was interesting. Saturday night, the lights went out and we totally lost power during the Saturday evening service. Our unstoppable congregation produced flashlights, candles, and even a headlamp for me to read by, and we went ahead anyway. God really spoke to us.

Sunday morning I got up at 6am (5 am if you count that it was daylight savings time) to tape the TV show at 7am. We did, but it did not air- perhaps they did not get it on time! By the end of the 9am service, I could hardly speak, and was so exhausted that I went upstairs, sat down in the prayer room, and promptly feel fast asleep, almost before I set down the hot tea I was carrying. I slept right through worship in the 11am service!

When I got into the auditorium and tried to say hi to someone, I realized that NOTHING was coming out! I couldn't speak at all. I prayed fervently that God would give me a voice, and when I acted in faith, it started to come. I felt like the Holy Spirit empowered that sermon almost like none I ever preached. That is such an indescribably cool, and powerful feeling.

I spent the afternoon celebrating my 17 year old son, Evan's birthday. Candace and Aaron were here, which was also very special as I have not been with them in about a month! They make me so happy to be a Dad. Candace is such a treasure, and Aaron is quite a man of integrity, honor, and hard work. I cannot imagine being happier as a Dad than I am with my children.

Today (Monday) I cannot speak at all. Whispers and screetches come if I try enough. I am spending the say home quietly, asking God to heal me and give me rest.

Clearly this is a season of attacks and discipline by the Holy Spirit. May I be found faithful, no matter what. I am quietly praying about what cell phone to buy this time, and how to get the deep rest I obviously need. God is so good to me I have nothing to complain about, and do not intend to.

What I know is this; at the end of a season like this, comes breakthrough!

we are back

Well the team of 15 is back from the Dominican Republic. So it's time
for a wrap-up.

The saga of challenge for my trip personally never stopped. Yesterday I
accompanied the rest of the team to the airport and left them at
check-in at the Delta counter, while I went on to find American. My
flight was an hour after theirs, so I had plenty of time, and went
through check-in- security, passport control, emigration, and finally
looked for my gate. On my way to the gate, I saw an earlier flight to
Miami.

I approached the lady at the desk, and asked her if by any chance I
could get on an earlier flight to Miami. She shook her head, explaining
that a traveler must travel with his bags. I was disappointed, but
understood. I walked away and wanted the entire length of the airport,
looking for a way to connect with the rest of the team. But I could not
get back over to them, as they were in a separate terminal and travelers
were prevented from doing so.

As I was at that far end, the very lady I approached at the gate ran up
to me. "Are you the man who wanted to go to Miami earlier"? she wanted
to know. I was. She said I had to come quick because they canceled my
flight (again!) and if I wanted to get to Miami at all, I had to make
the earlier one.

It was a 20 minute run back! We got to the counter sweaty, tired, and
glad to have made it by about 10 seconds. I was in the air immediately.

In Miami, I had about 5 hours until the next flight to BWI. I got out my
laptop and finished this weekends sermon, and dozens of emails. When I
got up from that to find dinner, I suddenly noticed that the zipper on
my bag was open were I kept my cell phone, and it was GONE! Of course I
am being presumptuous at this point because I have not yet proven it,
but I think it was stolen. The hardest things to part with is all the
numbers that I really need off of it.

The next airplane took off an hour late.

All in all, this trip was disastrous for me in many ways. Yet it feels
to me that it was very much a God thing, and that He is orchestrating it
all in some unusual ways. Satan has to be really intimidated to have
worked this hard to take us down. SO many things went wrong, it was like
5 minutes could not pass without needing to adjust our stance against
the devil, and adjusting our plan. We must have changed out plan 10 or
more times! The main upside is that Frank Thomas is an amazing trip
leader with amazing faith and just kept coming back with more plans!

For example(s) my first flights canceled, and my computer barely worked
(to be used for printing outreach materials) right when I needed it
most. Our evening services got canceled twice, and our plan to bless
people with some items we took along, turned into a mess. By the final
night, we had hundreds waiting to get into the meeting place hours
ahead, and the power in the whole town went out, forcing another
cancellation! Another flight was canceled, my phone got stolen, I got a
stomach virus, and so much more!

Yet I have rarely felt so squarely in the center of God's plan and doing
what He called me to do. I was born for adversity, and get energized by
certain setbacks. Thanks to the overwhelming, kind, amazing grace of
God, I get to be in this Kingdom and doing this job.

I believe that what the enemy meant for evil, will turn into good! I
believe dozens of churches will be planted and the DR transformed by
Jesus (and pretty much in spite of me!) I believe God's amazing urging
to "ask me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance" means
me, and in my little way I am asking Him for one more little nation. I
cannot wait to see what He will do with me, in spite of me, and most
times totally without me.

Take that, devil.

Gerry

day 7 in Santo Domingo again

This morning we said our final goodbyes in Padre Las Casas and headed
back down to Santo Domingo. Tomorrow we fly out, landing at BWI around
midnight.

This evening we had a great Bible study before dinner, recommitting
ourselves to doing whatever we can to help the cause of World Missions,
in every way that we will find to do it!

I am impressed with this team. They are not here for the adventure of
travel, or because it's fun, although God generously provides those
things from time to time. They are here because they believe in what God
is doing around the world, and want to be a part of it. They are here
because they believe in obeying The Greatest Teacher of all Time and
because they believe that The Rewarder will make it possible to do it
again, and more of it.

It is really nice to be teamed up with people like that.

Have a great night, all.

Gerry

Day Five in Dominica

Laying block, building forms, mixing concrete by hand, and replacing a
ceiling were the jobs today. And passing out another 1000 flyers. We had
us a day. The 85 degree weather refuses to get old. The sun refuses to
give exceptions for who it will burn. (That would be most of us).

We are on now on a first name basis with 13 different people names
Carlos, 6 who are named Juan, and a Merquis and a Guillermo. Then there
is a Dorca, who serves us food, an Evalina who flirts a lot with one of
our young men, and a Graciela who is the Pastors wife a quite a
singer/worship leader.

The service tonight was standing room only. About 300 people crowded
into a room ready for 100... maybe. There seemed to be quite an
enthusiastic response.

But now I am too tired to think.

Gerry

day four

The Day Four report.

We started with breakfast at 8:30. But by started, (my impatient men kept pointing out), means we went to the Pastor's house so that they could see that we are ready. There at the Pastor's house we waited an hour while breakfast was made, then "wolfed it down" (as my Mom would say), and headed off to work. Finally we were able to help with construction. We tore into it like caged animals that got out while the big mean zoo keeper was not looking. Sometimes we feel like those animals because we are locked into our buildings at night, and left out in the morning. Even at most times during daylight, the gates are locked and one has to petition the gatekeeper to go out or come in. Security is very tight, even though we have not seen even a hint of a reason for it to be like that.

At the end of the day, there was a lot of blocks laid, a lot more footers dug, and bunches of those earthquake proof pilons with square re-bar. By the end of the day there were also a lot of burnt skin and very sore muscles.

But because the team was too large for all of us to work on the job site, I led a team of about 5 or 6 who were willing to do the even harder work of evangelism. Of course the language barrier prevented us from doing much, but we printed and distributed more than a thousand more our our now-famous flyers. Some people actually scoff at us now that they know what we are doing. We feel almost cool enough to be just slightly persecuted for what we believe in.

We did not have a service Monday night, much to our disappointment. This is a standard thing here I guess, and expected, although a great surprise to us.

As for the puppies, we are happy to report that our nights are now puppy free. And we did not do anything to the dear little creatures! We swear it, your honor.We are simply happy that SOMEONE de-puppied our lives and made sleep possible again. Now we are thinking of turning our sites onto the Hallelujah chorus of ten thousand roosters that start doing their thing about 4:30 am! There is still a good hour of sleep-age available at that time, and we are feeling robbed.

Thanks all for your kind support and help to get us here. Because of your investment, we push a little harder, and strain a bit more. We hope that we are using every penny you gave us to do the utmost for the treasure you are accumulating in Heaven.

We also hope that one day we can give toward the missions trip YOU are called to take.

Gerry



--
Gerry Stoltzfoos
Senior Pastor
Freedom Valley Worship Center
3185 York Road Gettysburg, PA. 17325
717-624-3411 www.freedomvalley.org

Day Three in Dominican Republic

Question: aren't puppies just the quutest thing ever?
Answer: not if they are yelping ALL night long (conflicting
reports say they stopped around 6:30 am) right outside your
window loud enough to make you want to repent of human
existence!

But that was last night. Today we went to a packed out
children's church at 9am., then we handed out about 1000
flyers about our services here this weekend. I brought a travel
sized printer with me that holds about 25 pages at a time. We
had it smokin' out the copies, while we flyered. This team of
people kindly and gladly invited hundreds of people to church.

This afternoon we cooked up the idea to play them a softball game.
We scheduled it for 1pm, so right on time, about 2pm, we headed
out to ... the volleyball court! Volleyball, it turns out, is a sport
played with a net stretched across a busy street. Cars that must
go by honk until you move. Motorcycles, which outnumber cars
3 to one, just duck. Right through the game. No apologies needed.

Then we headed back and showered in the coldest water known
to human-dom, and gathered for prayer. God visited us in that
prayer time. We talked, and prayed, and God talked. Which caused
more prayer.

Tonight's adult service above the hardware store was even more
packed, and rockin! We seemed to connect deeply with the church. It
feels like they are waiting to see if we are for real, and if we can be
trusted, and with every interaction we connect more. Nice.

I really feel God's excitement about this church, and this little city.
Padre Las Casas is a town about the size of Gettysburg, surrounded
by mountains and farms. It is a farming depot. Someone told us that
the kids outnumber the adults by a lot, so it is so smart and Christ-like
for this church to invest so heavily in the children.

We hope to get a flyer into every house, and see more of them
come to church this week. Even better, we hope that some of them get
to walk the streets of Heaven with us, where we can introduce you
as the people who sent us.

Thanks so much.

Gerry

day two of our Dominican Republic Trip

Cold People,
First the torturous details. It is not painful (for us) to be in 85
degree weather again. Not painful at all. It may be painful for you to
hear about it. I know you will feel so sorry for us to hear that at
times today we were very hot. A little sunburned, even, just from riding
in the bus with our arms hanging out the windows to stay cool. Various
smart-alecky types were trying to do the Disney voice about keeping arms
and legs inside the moving vehicle at all times. B ut we didn't. It was
just too hot (I know, boo-hoo).
Our wonderful Dominican Republic Missionaries, Joseph and Ellen
Anonby, arranged for transportation for our group from the airport to
our hotel. We had a nice night last night, although I could have used a
couple of more minutes of it. This morning we had a nice buffet
breakfast of fresh fruit, hard boiled eggs, and sausage. Pastor Lirano
was ready with the bus as we finished up from that, and we headed out to
Padre Las Casas. It's a four hour trip, but we managed to do it in 6.
After we got here, we checked into our hotel. We are happy to
discover that some of us have showers, and some will even have hot
water. Nice.
I set up our little print shop, and we started printing post-card
sized flyers inviting people to services. Our first service just ended.
It was basically a meet and greet time. Joyce, and Luke and I shared
about how God got us here. Now the team is about to have dinner, whilst
I write you-all this email.
The team (all dressed in the identical blue shirts that Daniel St.
Armand designed for us) flyered the town for n hour before dark tonight.
We think we got about 300 pieces of literature out. Flyering after dark
is not a good idea when vehicles move very fast, and may or may not have
headlights. Tomorrow we plan to get a lot more out. My printer is
already feeling the strain perhaps. But we get 4 flyers per page, and we
are feeling pretty thrifty about that. Justin brought a scissors (and
about everything else one can think of), so we were set for cutting and
preparing them.
We are an hour ahead of you. Some of our phones work here, some do
not. For all of us, a phone call is expensive- about $3 a minute, we
discovered. Nevertheless we love hearing from you if you choose to. My
Sprint phone does not work at all here in Padres Las Casas, although in
Santo Domingo it worked great. The bottom line is, you may not hear a
lot from us during this time. (we think you might even be relieved a
little about that)
Tomorrow, our guys really want to go to work on the church, but it's
Sunday, and this culture is still one of those blessed with a belief in
taking a day off. So we plan to help with their burgeoning children's
ministry ion the morning, and the adult service tomorrow night.
Frank, Justin, and Jeff couldn't wait to see our construction site,
so they walked the 5 blocks or so to see it. The people have already
torn off the existing roof, and prepared the foundations. Monday we set
to work building a concrete floor where the roof was, on which the
second story will stand. Our services tonight were held on the second
floor of the local hardware store, which, it turns out, is a very nice
building. We should have some great services in their this week!

So, I should probably go to dinner now.

Thanks everyone, for investing in Missions! I believe the Windows of
Heaven will be open on you because of your generosity, and your faith.
Let's believe God for a mighty harvest coming back as a result of those
powerful financial seeds that we sowed, and the good that we are
empowered to do when God blesses us to do it.

I love you-all! Wait... no... yeah, I do!

Gerry