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MAY IS MARVELOUS.

April 28, 2011 in Church, Men's Ministry, Ross' blog with Comments Off

ONEchapel Family and Friends,

What an incredible Easter Sunday we shared together! We had our highest attendance day ever and a bunch of people made decisions for Christ while many others had their first church experience in a movie theater. You invited people and our teams did a fantastic job of serving. Way to go ONEchapel! It was a day of celebration and reflection of who Jesus is and what his resurrection means to us.

Don’t miss this next Sunday as we continue our series, “Resurrection People!”

SQUARE ONE
If you are new to the ONEchapel community, we want you to find a place to connect to this family. That’s why we’ve created Square ONE, a three-week membership track where I share our history, values and guiding principles. It is a great place to meet some other new folks and begin to find your place to connect with and serve at ONEchapel. Join me this Sunday, May 1st at 5:30pm in the ONEchapel offices (3800 Ben Garza Lane, Austin, TX 78749). I hope to see you there!

CHURCH WORK DAY!!!
There is nothing more bonding for relationships than working together on a project. And we’ve got just the thing! We’re having a Church Work Day on Saturday, May 7th from 9am – 3pm at our offices (3800 Ben Garza Lane, Austin, TX 78749). We want to empty out the garage and a room full of equipment to create more space for more meetings and events. We’ll also make some changes outside to get ready for summer. So, bring your work gloves, shovels and rakes as we beautify and clean up a great space for ministry!

MAN UP!
Announcing our first ever Men’s Meeting at ONEchapel! I want to invite all the men, 13 years old and up, to join me for an evening of fellowship, worship and a challenging word about our responsibility as men to lead and to serve. We’re meeting Monday night, May 16th at 7pm. We’ll have some good man-food and a time to connect with each other. This is a chance to make new friends and meet other men on this journey of faith. No man can do it alone, so come on…it’s time to Man Up!

CONNECT GROUPS
The season just after Easter is so important for connecting new people and helping one another grow. Be sure to reach out to people you don’t know. And check out some of the great Connect Groups that are already meeting and some new ones just starting. Go to www.onechapel.com and click on Connect Groups to find the list and find your group today!

MEMORIAL WEEKEND PICNIC, WORSHIP NIGHT AND BAPTISM
Join us for a picnic, worship and baptism on Sunday afternoon, May 29th from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at the Church offices! This is an event you don’t want to miss. Bring your best covered dish and enjoy some fellowship, a huge time of worship and a special baptism service all out in the open under a big tent. More details coming…it’s going to be a memory-maker!

I love doing life with you. And though it can be messy because we all struggle from time to time, there is nothing more encouraging and uplifting than realizing that you’re not alone. You belong to a family. I’m grateful for you, ONEchapel family.

Jesus is building HIS Church! And the best is yet to come!

Ross

HUNGRY FOR GOD?

October 18, 2010 in Ross' blog with Comments Off

I remember being on a trip to San Francisco, California speaking at a one day worship event. On the way back to the airport something really exciting happened. We realized we might have time to stop and experience one of the greatest inventions to ever come out of California. Yes, I speak of the IN-N-OUT BURGER!

The thought of a “double-double” and fries were causing two grown men to giggle with glee. We were drunk with anticipation, darting in and out of traffic on the interstate and racing against the clock so we wouldn’t miss our flight. Of course, we were fully willing to take the risk for the sake of shakes, onion rings and fresh-cut fries!

I remember the rush of excitement as we neared the giant golden arrow pointing us toward our burger nirvana. We pulled up, jumped out of the car, walked in and stood in line waiting for our turn to order, anticipating the wonder of special sauce and extra cheese. We were willing to risk an extra night on the road, to live dangerously close to the line of spousal anger and disappointment, all in the name of imbibing this fast food experience. And then I had a thought…

What if my worship were filled with as much expectation and joyful anticipation?

One of my favorite worship scriptures is Hebrews 11:6. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

I have become convinced over 25 years of worship leading that the fundamental essence of worship has to do with faith. To say it another way, worship requires anticipation; the kind of confidence that comes from trusting that God is who he says he is.

I do not come to worship based on my flimsy feelings or my radical experiences, but rather by the firm faith and deep conviction of my relationship with God. I believe in a holy, loving Creator-God and I have an abiding conviction concerning His worth. I come to Him with confidence and boldness because of the blood of Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in me. Unlike the beef induced euphoria experienced at IN-N-OUT, I do not require goose-bumps or mountain tops to engage in worship, but I do need faith!

Psalm 34 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” God is infinitely more nourishing than IN-N-OUT BURGER. He deserves honest and eager anticipation from a heart filled with confidence that He is holy, loving and worthy of all worship; and He rewards me as I earnestly seek Him!

Just food for thought…

ONECHAPEL 3G STRATEGY

October 11, 2010 in Church, Groups, Ross' blog with Comments Off

As the ONEchapel family grows we’re turning our attention to making certain that we all have opportunity to connect and grow in relationship with one another and as disciples of Jesus. Of course, there are numerous ways that we all do that, but here are some of the ideas we feel like Jesus is leading us to pursue.

Like many other churches, we will have larger weekend services and smaller groups. Both are valuable and part of connecting, growing and encouraging people. However, sometimes the big group can feel anonymous and lonely as people slip in the back, sit alone and leave early. Small groups should help but can also be intimidating to break into. Inviting a new person to a small intimate group can feel too vulnerable and threatening to some. We want to add one more medium-sized group where people can connect to ONEchapel. These groups will challenge us to take the message outside of the church walls, encourage shared experiences and welcome others who want to know more about this “Jesus” thing. Here are three ways we can make strong connections at ONEchapel!

COMMUNITY Weekend Services (UP)

Life in Christ is not to be practiced as an individual spirituality. We belong to a family that looks to our heavenly Father for everything and we are defined as a community by this posture. We are bound together by our belief in Jesus as we look to him, the author and finisher of our faith. This is our community of faith where each of us have chosen to belong to each other and have joined together for the cause of Christ in our city. The ONEchapel community is best represented by our weekend service where we join our voices together to worship God, share the Scriptures, to pray for and encourage one another. We belong to a community by gathering together, sharing values, beliefs and purpose.

CONNECTION Connect Groups (IN)

Jesus taught an inside-out approach to becoming godly. Christianity is not about rules and regulations, it’s about relationships and re-birth. The only way for any of us to experience long-term growth in Christ is to “do life” together with a core group of friends who share their struggles, dreams and victories with each other. Connect Groups take the form of small fellowship groups, bible studies, interest-based groups and individual discipling relationships. We belong to a connect group by meeting at least twice a month, regularly opening up our lives and challenging each other to follow Jesus. This is how we let Jesus and others in.

COMPASSION Compassion Groups (OUT)

Compassion is the emotion attributed to Jesus whenever he came into contact with people in need. A Compassion Group is a group formed by two or three small groups that join together for a focused mission in our city. Compassion groups organize themselves around an external outreach, serving or ministry opportunity. Each group is self-directed and designed to be a consistent event (i.e. at least every few weeks) that may include un-churched people who are invited to participate along side us to serve people in need. This is a non-threatening event and totally open to all, providing a place for people to find purpose and connection while embracing the compassionate heart of Jesus. Caring for the poor, feeding the hungry and tangibly loving those in need keep us focused on our mission while building relationships.

UP // We belong to a community that looks to our Heavenly Father for everything!

IN // We protect one another and grow together when we’re connected!

OUT // We have a mandate to GO and share the GOOD NEWS with compassion!

We have great days ahead together.

Ross

THE VALUE OF PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICHES.

October 4, 2010 in Ross' blog with Comments Off

What a crazy Sunday yesterday was! The service was full of life, love, healing and flubs. Yes, I said, “flubs.” First of all, I walked in to my own church service a little late because I was greeting people in the hallway, so I missed giving the opening welcome and prayer (but Marty Urwin did a great job of getting us going).

Then, during communion I spilled grape juice all over my arm, pant-leg and shoe. I didn’t think there was that much juice inside one of those little cups! I prayed for people with what appeared to be blood rolling down my arm, which might have seemed a little weird to any new people (not to mention that almost everyone is new in a church plant that’s only 4 weeks old).

Anyway, I begin my message and I’ve got more notes than usual because I’m launching a ministry called Square ONE which is our growth track for new members and I wanted to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. I get through the opening of my talk and, suddenly, I can’t find my second page. I try to fake my way through reading the wrong Scripture on my third page but now I’m starting to feel lost. Finally, I just let everyone in on what’s happening and try to work through the presentation slides that I have prepared and soon I’m back on track (never did find the second page, though).

This was not a Sunday of a table perfectly set, however, it felt like family. I don’t mean family in the sense that people use the analogy as an excuse for their lack of preparation and stewardship. If we’re doing poor work too often then we’ll have less opportunity to serve more people.

But I mean “family” in the sense that everyday is not Christmas. Families don’t have Turkey and all the trimmings every night for dinner, that’s called Thanksgiving! Sometimes it’s okay to have peanut butter and jelly or macaroni and cheese for dinner. Day in and day out living with people you love means big dinners and small snacks, banner Sundays and blue Mondays (which my kids had this morning). Family means we place value on being together through good times and bad, ups and downs, and flips and flubs!

I liked last Sunday. We had a good meal together. It wasn’t anything overly special but the Spirit of God ministered to people and five of them committed their lives to Christ after that flub-filled message. I’ll never complain about that! As a church family, every Sunday won’t be spent on the mountaintop, and most won’t be low valleys either. Most Sundays will be spent in that middle ground of living life together, loving each other in our strengths and weaknesses, and enjoying our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! So pour a glass of milk and let’s do life together.

Ross