A few people had recently asked me about how our church plant was proceeding, so I thought it would be timely to give a quick update on things.
For those of you who don't already know, I am involved as a core member of a brand-new church that we're starting in Georgetown, Texas, called ChristChurch PCA. We are part of the Presbyterian Church in America. I felt strongly led to participate last spring when my spiritual mentor and friend of 13 years passed away at age 49.
One of the biggest hurdles has been cleared at this point: we have secured a more permanent place to begin meeting! Tippett Middle School will serve as our meeting place for 1-2 years as we grow. The school is located in south Georgetown, just off of Leander Road, about 1/2 mile west of I-35.
We are planning to begin Sunday morning services on Easter Sunday 2009 (which is April 12th), which is when we will make the move to Tippett. Right now, we have about 12 or 13 committed core families involved. Our goal is to have 25 or more families by the time we begin meeting in the mornings this coming spring.
I was very involved in the site selection process, and I think it will suit our needs quite well. According to our pastor, Whit Anderson, it's very hard for a church to grow beyond about 200 people while meeting in a school setting. With that in mind, we are planning to stay at Tippett for at least a year, but probably not longer than two years, depending on how quickly we grow.
The location seems like a good one for traffic/signage, and it's conducive to having a good childrens' ministry program, since there are a number of classrooms available as well as the "cafetorium" where we will be holding the actual worship services.
Overall, I am very excited at the prospect of getting things rolling and I look forward to the direction that God will take us.
As a bonus, we had a Christmas party last night, and during our "white elephant" gift exchange, I scored an authentic fossilized shark's tooth necklace said to be millions of years old. I gave it to my son - you would have thought I handed him a gold brick. Sweet!
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As someone who planted many churches in my former life, it can be an exciting time. The core families set the stage for the future and having a Christmas party with white elephant gifts is a great way to get to know one another. We did that a few times and it was great fun, getting to know people better.
Dude, a shark's tooth necklace??? Man, that would go so wonderfully with my hat! Cool to hear about the church growth! Now time to go find some land!
What a great day to start your Sunday morning services!
Congratulations! - Best of luck for you and the new core families. As a smart pastor once told me, make sure you grow as deep as you grow wide. If you and your new church plant has passion for Christ similar to that of your passion for your family, blogging, and of course real estate, I don't see why people wouldn't gravitate towards the new Church.
Jason - Exciting days ahead...but man, a lot of work too. Trying to get the "Big Mo" (momentum) going takes a lot of knocking on doors and inviting people. But, it's a lot of fun. Enjoy the ride.
Good work Jason, have worked on and with a few new churches too, lots of good WORK!
Congratulations on the new church plant! That's so fantastic. I wish you the best of luck! Christy and I are both believers in being with a small church. I'm so excited for you Jason.
Jason, it sure doesn't take much to make the kids happy, eh! With the tooth necklace.
That is so fantastic that you are inspired to start a new church. what a positive way to make a contribution to your community.
Regina P. Brown
Allison James Estates & Homes
Looks like things are taking off, Jason........
God is blessing it.... and "They will know you are His disciples by your love....."
=-)
Sounds exciting Jason. I've never been involved in a church plant before but it must be quite the process. Keep up the good work.
Good to hear, glad you are doing so well and hope next year is even better!