Pray Re:Awaken 2016

one of our recent gatherings where we shared this vision

I'm sure everybody is ready for Spring.  I know my kids are.  This winter has reminded Connie and I of back home in Ohio.  Despite the winter here being one of the hardest and coldest (yes 4 snow storms, I know fellow Northerners is doesn't compare) we have experienced since coming here 5 years ago I would say the vision is red hot with our people and where God is leading us.  I wanted to update you and ask for your prayers as we enter the next season of ministry here in what we have seen become an international ministry because of families we have all over the world due to the military concentration here.

This spring as we are approaching 4 years since seeing Awaken started our leadership team spent the last 6 months in prayer, fasting, and planning for our future as a ministry.  We wanted to ask God where He was taking us over the next two years.  Through this process Re:Awaken 2016 was birthed with the following goals and price tags affiliated.  

Step 1:  Mobilize:  ($60K over 2 years) 
We saw God challenging us to bring our current worship leader on in a full-time pastoral role to lead our people towards greater impact both locally and globally.  Jeff will be responsible for mobilization within Awaken and help with the Expansion Goals we are looking at (below).  Somethings about Jeff...

• Jeff has been with us 2 years and is a natural networker, well connected in the area, and has leadership abilities beyond leading worship.
• Will help oversee a better and more strategic mobilization of people both locally and abroad.
• Will be able to help me with a growing ministry here at Awaken and also give me the freedom to continue helping other church planters in the area through the Bridge Network.

Step 2:  Expand:  ($40K over 2 years)  
We are in the process of establishing a student ministry and are laying the groundwork for planting a new church campus in Portsmouth. 

• We currently have 8 adults meeting in a Community Group in Portsmouth that we will use to help gather a team of people in the next 2 years to see a new campus church planted there in Portsmouth.  There are families currently planning to move there to help with this Church Plant as well. 
• It is a proven stat that if a church doesn't plant within 5 years of inception they will never plant.  We want to be a church that is about reproducing.
• With this money we will be able to mobilize people more in our area of Virginia Beach and Norfolk to reach people through things like our soccer camp and now the City of Virginia Beach has asked us to help with their firework display.
• We have a budding need for a Youth Ministry to be developed in Awaken.

Step 3:  Flex:  ($10K over 2 years) 
Awaken has always been a church without walls.  Literally.  But we could use a small, flexible space to gather for developing our leaders, administrative and practice space, and to create and run an internship program.

• We want to help people grow in their leadership abilities and will be able to run more Next Gen programs which help with developing leaders.
• We can begin bringing in Interns and developing young budding leaders.
• Worship Practice Space and Administrative Space.

For the last 6 weeks we have been communicating this vision which we believe will see more people impacted in this area and world wide by the gospel.  Several mentors of mine have been helping us with this process: Bob Combs from my home church, Dan Gregory from my home church, and Lynn Hardaway from the Bridge Network of Churches here in Hampton Roads.  Please pray with us over the next two weeks for the following.

Prayer Needs:

• Our leadership team has committed $50,000 over 2 years to the total amount of our goal being $110,000 over 2 years.  Pray that we see the congregation rise to see the rest come in.
• Pray for this Saturday Evening March 15th as we will share and celebrate together as a congregation why we are moving in this direction.
• We are a young congregation with many people new in their relationship with Jesus.  Pray that through this process our people will learn to seek and discern God's voice as they seek God about being a part of this process.
• Pray that this will open up many more opportunities for the gospel of Jesus to go out and see many more lives changed.  
• Pray that through this process God will continue to create a culture of missions both locally and globally.
• We have been sharing with our people that as a new church Awaken is kind of in the toddler phase just a couple of years old.  Pray that this process will move us into what we are calling adolescence.  Pray for Awaken to grow in maturity.