I’ll explain more in the days to come, but Cheryl and I made a video recently. We shared it with the church yesterday. It’s one of the hardest videos I’ve ever had to make, but it feels great to be in the center of God’s will.
Ron and Cheryl Edmondson from Gcomchurch Sermons on Vimeo.
Hebrews 11:6
A look at John 12:12-28. Sometimes things have to get desperate before they get better. Let’s look at the final week of Jesus earthly ministry. Things are getting desperate, but Easter is coming!
The Hour Has Come from Gcomchurch Sermons on Vimeo.
Grace Community Church has been looking for a way to raise up and develop future leaders. We wanted something that gave people real hands-on ministry experience and also helped them grow theologically . We believe in seminary education, but we also see the value in practical experience.
Similar to a medical residency, we view this as a post-college “residency” where those in the program will be doing real ministry alongside pastors who are a little further down the road. They’ll be entrusted not with making copies (though, as we all know, that is a small slice of ministry, too) but with life-changing ministry. They’ll be viewed as full-on staff members, and held to the expectations of the rest of our staff team.
In addition to doing the work of ministry, one major benefit of the program is that seminary tuition will be included. Clarksville is 45 minutes from the new Nashville campus of Southern Seminary. We’ve already had staff members who have worked full-time at Grace and attended classes concurrently. We believe that this is a great way to learn and do ministry: in the classroom and in the “lab.”
We’re receiving applications now, looking to have residents in place by August, 2012.
If you’re interested, just click HERE and start the application process. If you know someone who would fit the bill, send this info along. If you have any questions, we’ve tried to answer the most frequently asked HERE.
We’re excited about this program and are convinced it will be a great benefit to a number of young leaders.
If you were at the right stage in life, would this program entice you?
Today I’m challenging my church to join me in the Grace 10in10 Challenge. The goal is simple. Lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks. It officially starts tomorrow, but you can begin at anytime.
We are in a series called “All In”. This year, we want to be all in to whatever and whoever God calls us to be, with every aspect of our life; physically, mentally, spiritually and relationally. This challenge is a part of physically being all in.
I’ve learned by experience that I’m more productive when I feel better physically. When I’m at my optimum weight, I have more energy. Most of us could benefit from losing 10 pounds.
Could you stand to lose 10 pounds?
It’s simple. Go to the Facebook page, “like” us, and play along. If you have suggestions or tips on how to lose weight, feel free to post them there. This is for accountability, not to sell a product. I’m okay with letting us know about products, videos or programs to help us, but will monitor the site and those who are clearly only here to sell or who misuse the site will be deleted. A great help will be to share low calorie recipes or exercise tips. Feel free to post your progress.
Are you in?
(Please keep in mind, this is not an offer for physical counsel or help. Don’t participate if you have any question about your health. Check with a physician if in doubt. The page is for fun and accountability only and cannot warrant or vouch for any information others post.)
Here’s a guest post from 11 year-old Mallory Fundora. Mallory and her family are active members of Grace Community Church. I love her vision and passion. She reminds me of Isaiah 11:6 “and a little child will lead them”. Be inspired…
In October 2011 I sat down to write my Christmas list for my parents, I looked around my room and I realized there was nothing I needed, nothing I wanted. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought about the children in Africa, and how they weren’t going to get Christmas presents, and there was a lot of things that they needed. So, I sent my mom an email with my Christmas list, one thing on it, to help Africa.
See, in August of 2010 the Ugandan Orphan Children’s Choir came to my church to perform, and I got to meet the children, and they were amazing. They were so loving, and just wanted to hug me and hold my hand. My mom had also started doing work for a couple of organizations that helped in Uganda, so she had taught me about the children there.
The day after I sent the email my Mom and I sat down and talked about what I wanted to do, and how I wanted to help. I contacted Amazima Ministries and Project Have Hope and I told them what I wanted to do, and I asked them how I could best help them. That is how Project Yesu was born. My goals at first were simple, I wanted to raise $600 to sponsor 2 children, one from Amazima and one from Project Have Hope. When you sponsor a child, it pays for food, medicine and sends them to school. I also decided I wanted to send Christmas cards to the children in Uganda, I mean who doesn’t like to get a card, it makes you smile. So I drew two different card designs and I contacted a local printing company and asked them if they would donate the printing of 650 cards, they did.
So I started to tell people about Project Yesu, and my mom helped me start a blog so people could read about it. I met with my Children’s pastor and asked if our youth group could help me with the cards, because I wanted them to be personal, so I needed a lot of help to write out 650 cards. I also spoke to my youth group, and told them about Project Yesu and about the children in Uganda and asked them to help me raise money. Every week I set up a booth at my church to tell people about my project, and the word spread.
In only 8 weeks I raised over $2,400 and I was able to sponsor 7 children. It was way more then I had originally planned on and it was great. I got to meet some wonderful people, and tell them my story. I was invited to go to WAYFM a Christian radio station because they learned about my project, and I was even on TV. The NBC station out of Nasvhille did a story on Project Yesu.
I read a quote one day from Mahatma Ghandi that said, “Be the change you want to see in the world”. That’s what I want to do, I want to be the change, I want to make a difference, I want to help people. Everyone thinks kids are selfish or that we’re just kids and we can’t do anything like this. I want to show people what a difference one person can make. If someone, because they heard about me, or met me, decides that they can be a change too, then it will spread from me, to that person, to another person and so on. Kids have good ideas, and you know what? We don’t know all the reasons why it won’t work, we just know we what we want to do.
I know with Project Yesu, I am making a difference, not only in the lives of the seven children in Uganda who now have food, medicine and can go to school. But I am making a difference in the lives of my family, my friends, my teachers and even people I have never met before.
I want Project Yesu to continue to spread and grow, and to do that I need people like you, who are reading this post to spread the word and to help me. My goals for 2012 is to raise $4,500 – who knows maybe I’ll double that this year or even triple that and be able to help more and more children in Uganda. I plan to travel to Uganda in December of 2012 to hand deliver the Christmas cards to the children, to meet my sponsored children and to love on the children of Uganda who have changed my life.
If you want to know more about Project Yesu, or how you can help you can find me on Facebook – www.facebook.com/projectyesu or go to my site www.projectyesu.org.
I am selling T-shirts and wristbands to raise funds, and I am also looking for families, groups, classrooms or anyone to be a part of the “Be The Change” campaign by collecting coins to donate towards Project Yesu.
So I have accepted the challenge to be the change…. Will you?
Grace Community Church is an amazing gathering of people. I’ve been in church all my life and never known people who were more compassionate and caring about the people around them. Do we have problems? Of course. Are we perfect? Not by a long shot. We serve a perfect God, but we are made up of thousands of imperfect people, so we make plenty of mistakes.
Yesterday our church supplied Christmas for a couple hundred children and their families. Toys, clothes and food… Amazing. The stories are still coming in but I thought I’d share a couple I received. I changed the names for anonymity.
Dear Ron,
Thank you for making Grace a place that helps us to remember those in the community that could really use help… Brenda and I just provided for two kids this morning through the Church’s program and I can’t tell you how great of an experience it was for us. Grace is such an amazing place for growth in so many ways, thanks for all you do.
Dear Ron,
Bob and I had two young girls, and a small group had this family’s two older kids. When the mother came, there were two bikes waiting for her and three large trash bags FULL of gifts. She was overjoyed and had tears and plenty of hugs to share with us. She was so appreciative and couldn’t thank us all enough. As we loaded up her car with all the goodies, she handed me two bags of clothing her daughters had grown out of and asked me to find someone at our church who could use them. That’s when the water works started! :0)
What an awesome lesson in humbleness and love. Thank you for helping us do this. I know they will have an awesome Christmas, but the impact of those short minutes will certainly stay with me for years to come!
Thank you for being people who live out your faith. I’m a blessed pastor! I love being known as a church who loves our community…regardless of their place or position in life.
Mustard Seed Thoughts
