One Region, One Church, One Mission
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim's Tale
What happens when the pastor of a mega church loses his faith? Pastor Chase Falson has lost his faith in God, the Bible, evangelical Christianity, and his super-sized megachurch. When he falls apart, the church elders tell him to go away: as far away as possible. Join Chase on his life-changing journey to Italy where, with a curious group of Franciscan friars, he struggles to resolve his crisis of faith by retracing the footsteps of Francis of Assisi, a saint whose simple way of loving Jesus changed the history of the world. Read this riveting story and then begin your own life-changing journey through the pilgrim's guide included in this powerful novel. Hidden in the past lies the future of the church When his elders tell him to take some time away from his church, broken pastor Chase Falson crosses the Atlantic to Italy to visit his uncle, a Franciscan priest. There he is introduced to the revolutionary teachings of Saint Francis of Assisi and finds an old, but new way of following Jesus that heals and inspires. Chase Falson's spiritual discontent mirrors the feelings of a growing number of Christians who walk out of church asking, Is this all there is? They are weary of celebrity pastors, empty calorie teaching, and worship services where the emphasis is more on Lights, Camera, Action than on Father, Son, and Holy Spirit while the deepest questions of life remain unaddressed in a meaningful way. Bestselling author Ian Morgan Cron masterfully weaves lessons from the life of Saint Francis into the story of Chase Falson to explore the life of a saint who 800 years ago breathed new life into disillusioned Christians and a Church on the brink of collapse. Chasing Francis is a hopeful and moving story with profound implications for those who yearn for a more vital relationship with God and the world. journey of your own through the pilgrim's guide included in this book.
Can Buffalo Be Saved?
It is Time for the Church of WNY to Arise and Shine!
Photo by Julianna Patterson
Earlier this year, International Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke declared “All America Shall Be Saved.” What? Does Bonnke not know the condition of our country, the advance of evil, and the scepter of impending judgment? Or could it be that it is easier for me to recognize the work of the enemy than to celebrate the work of the Father?
Take Buffalo, NY -- our city. Can Buffalo be saved? First, a look back… For fifty years, Buffalo has been in a death dive. Our population has dropped from 580,000 to 260,000.
But God sometimes does His best work in the darkness. Chuck Pierce prophesied the following on May 16, 2009, “You will see Buffalo some way be saved in days ahead instead of being controlled, being an outpost center of hell. It will be one of the most glorious places where the Spirit of God moves, and it will be known all over our nation that Buffalo and the waters of Niagara Falls are a sign of the River of God that has come into Buffalo.”
November 2011, Julie Meyer from International House of Prayer was leading worship at an Eagles Wings’ Conference. She spontaneously sang: “Unity, unity, unity, unity (she repeated this about 20 times), the walls between the races is coming down. It won’t be black, it won’t be white, it will be two becoming one… I’m gonna start to move. I’m gonna start
Deb and I have been working to connect the regional church since 1997, facilitating dozens of gatherings in which we declared 'revival' and 'transformation' over the Buffalo/Niagara region. We have brought together regional pastors and intercessors to intercede, worship, pray Scripture, as well as to steward these prophetic words.
The genesis of Good Friday Together was four local church pastors who went to Israel together – Pastor Jerry Gillis (The Chapel), Pastor Roderick Hennings (Zion Dominion Global Ministries), Pastor Pat Jones (Eastern Hills Wesleyan), and Pastor Marty Macdonald (City Church). Since returning home, they have developed friendships, golfed together, and began exchanging pulpits each December. They wanted to do something much larger and decided that Good Friday was the time to do it. They approached us about helping to promote a region-wide Good Friday service.
Our prayers were answered and history was made at Good Friday Together when 11,000+ people gathered in the First Niagara Center to lift high one name – Jesus Christ! No famous speakers or singers flown in, just some of the best and brightest from our region. Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, city, suburbs, male, female, young, old -- it looked like the Body of Christ. Each speaker and singer introduced his or her flavor to the melting pot, and the flavor was HEAVENLY!
For a three minute video recap:
Even though this was a unity event, the decision was made to have an altar call. Why? Because Jesus promises “May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” (John 17:23b) More than 150 people came to faith in Christ!
In addition, a significant offering was taken to bless the city in the areas of sustainable housing, education, health care, and teen mentoring. The Church came together to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city…” (Jer. 29:7) The offering is our gift that will keep on giving.
What was the secular media’s reporting of our event? Overwhelmingly positive!
Christians gather en masse
First Niagara Center was transformed into a cathedral Friday...
We estimate that at least 200 churches participated. In previous years, each of the churches would have had its own Good Friday service. If they averaged 50 people, 10,000 people would have been in separate worship services. But television cameras came to witness this watershed moment because we gathered together. Once again, we proved we are Better TOGETHER.
Earlier we mentioned the number of people who received Christ that night. Even better, words of testimony continue to pour in as to the number of regional churches that have experienced an increase in people accepting Christ in their services. As one pastor wrote, “Crazy good- on Easter Sunday we had 53
people profess Christ for the first time.” That same Sunday, two more churches recorded 10 first time professions, while a church that was unable to participate in Good Friday Together had 8. The River of God has risen, and all ships are being lifted. We believe a shift happened in the heavenlies, a dark cloud was lifted, and Unity, Unity, Unity is preparing the way for evangelism.
So what’s next? Did we witness a tipping point for our city? It would seem so. The spirit of hope is taking root, and the service continues to generate quite a buzz. One Common Council Member told me that this event impacted him both personally and professionally. Visually witnessing the Arena filled with fellow believers filled him with new courage to lead boldly in his office.
Welcome to the resurrection of a city. Dust off those prophetic words. Let God renew your hope and vision. In this season of acceleration, what was impossible a short time ago may be possible now. It is time for the Church of WNY to arise and shine!
ALL AMERICA SHALL BE SAVED!
"So there was great joy in that city." Acts 8:8
Revs. Al & Deb Warner are the founders and directors of Set Free Inc. Set Free is a networking ministry connecting business, governmental and church leaders for a Nehemiah-like rebuilding and transformation of our city. Al and Deb have over 30 years experience pastoring local churches and working as missionaries in Hong Kong. In 1997, God laid a burden on their heart to bring the regional church of greater Buffalo, NY, together. As they obeyed, God birthed their ministry, Set Free Inc. The Warners have led multiple prayer and training events over the years, including National Day of Prayer.
To contact them, email: info@setfreeinc.org
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
'Aslan Is On The Move'
Over the past few years, it has been my personal observation that God has begun to do some unique, profound things in Western New York. I certainly loved Good Friday at First Niagara Center downtown! But I also believe that there is a groundswell of activity that is beginning to happen in the areas of greater body partnership and geographic intentionality. With regard to greater body partnership, I have seen how God has personally begun to work in the lives of men and women in leadership of the Church in the region of Western New York, bringing them together, finding common ground in ways that I don’t recall have ever happened around here. In regard to geographic intentionality, the way in which the Church has begun to think about taking ownership for the needs and issues that are prevalent all around us has been palatable. In sum, if anyone is a CS Lewis fan, I believe that Aslan is on the move.
While the manifestations of what is going on are prevalent in church plants, church partnerships, and church events (e.g., Good Friday), I personally sense that God is doing some profound things in the lives of normal people here in Western New York. In my job, I spend a good deal of time meeting with other church leaders throughout Western New York. As I continue to develop relationships with other leaders, I have begun to see stories in which normal people want to join God on mission, and it is in their ordinariness that profound things are happening. A common thread that I see in many of us- a commitment to pursue intimacy with God and a willingness to be in Christ-like in relationships (both to believers in Christ and those yet to be convinced of the Gospel). God is helping people like this find each other, and when we do, we have begun to see that kindred spirit and sense of purpose drive them to trust God for great things.
With regard to intimacy with God, there are times when some of us as believers perhaps can lose focus on the goal of pursuing God. Perhaps it is more knowledge. Perhaps it is a greater sense of favor. In our brokenness, there are times where we can miss the mark. For me personally, the last few years have yielded times with the Lord where I have gained a clearer sense of Missio Dei (God on mission) and have felt compelled to join in. Probably the greatest breakthrough that has happened for me has been in the area of taking ownership of a geography and starting to pray over it. The two places where I have spent time extensively in the past two years specifically have been in praying over my neighborhood (for individuals that reside all around me) and driving through the city of Buffalo. This time of prayer for me has been incredible. I have begun to realize that God will use normal people to do extraordinary things. In essence, two-three years ago, I feel as if I had put my “yes” on the table with God, telling Him that I wanted to be part of what He was doing and join Him where He would have me be. As a result of that, I have loved the role that He has given me. I feel like He has asked me to repeatedly be committed to my neighborhood and the city of Buffalo in prayer. The joy of being able to pray for the lostness of this geography is something that I am grateful God has given me a passion for.
I am not alone. As God has been doing this in my own life, cultivating intimacy with Him, I have picked up my head and He has brought other men and women into my life, and they have shared the same sense of burden and passion for the lostness of Western New York. This is where I have begun to see the love of normal people making a difference in the region. Granted, there is much more to be done. Partnerships must continue to be developed without pretense or poor motive. Other men, women, and children can play key roles in joining God on Mission. And when they do, they become part of a larger community of followers of Christ who have begun to live with Christ-like love for the relationships that God has given them in their domains of influence. And to me, this is the genius of God. Normal people realize that they have something to offer in bringing the kingdom of God to their community. When people live with such faith that God can and will come through, we can be part of saturating this geography- giving every man, woman, and child the repeated opportunity to hear, see and respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ. It may be a group of widows gathering to pray faithfully. A cohort of soccer moms may begin to gather and pray for the children in their soccer league. Pastors of any size of church and context in Western New York may begin to look differently at what it means to be successful in the region. College students believe that they can change the world with the hope of the Gospel. I believe that we are beginning to see that very manifestation happen here in Western New York. There is more to be done, but I believe we are living in a fascinating time here in this region.
Ryan Kozey is Director of Strategic Initiatives at The Chapel at Crosspoint and a National Delivery Team Member of Christ Together.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Resource Review: Platform
To be successful in the market today, you must possess two strategic assets: a compelling "product" and a meaningful "platform." In this step-by-step guide, Michael Hyatt, former CEO and current Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers, takes readers behind the scenes, into the new world of social media success. He shows you what best-selling authors, public speakers, entrepreneurs, musicians, and other creatives are doing differently to win customers in today's crowded marketplace. Hyatt speaks from experience. He writes one of the top 800 blogs in the world and has more than 100,000 followers on Twitter. His large and growing platform serves as the foundation for his successful writing, speaking, and consulting practice.
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