Great Things in January!

 

What a month January was!  2013 kicked off hosting a mission team of college students from Second Baptist Church of Springfield, MO.  These students were such a blessing to us.  They spent the majority of their time doing two things for us.  They prayer walked and they took surveys.  That is, they walked through specific areas of our community and prayed for the needs in those areas.  In doing so, they prayed for most of the Ewa area and in base housing at Pearl Harbor.  At other times, they took surveys in order to learn the needs of our community.  The information they have gathered has been very valuable to us.

College Student from Second Baptist of Springfield Missouri talks about the Gospel with a woman outside an Ewa Beach coffee shop.

 

This trip has really laid a foundation for future mission trips.  Aside from learning the ins and outs of hosting a group here on the island, we also now have several ideas for outreach events.  We have learned that many in our area desire more community activities, especially things for kids.  We can direct future mission groups towards outreach events that will generate interest and help us to be salt and light here in Ewa Beach.

 

January also saw growth in our Ohana Group.  Ohana Groups are Bible studies that meet in the home.  Currently we have one group that meets each Wednesday in our home.  We began this group in October, and through December, the group could run anywhere from 3-9 people.  In January, the group has run from 9-13 people.  We have been welcoming new people week after week.  In case you are wondering, yes, my house is probably too small to handle much more than 13 people.  That is a good thing.  This means we must expand with additional groups.  5 members of our Ohana Group live in a neighborhood called Iroquois Point.  The obvious step is to begin a group there.  We are excited about this as Iroquois Point is a somewhat secluded neighborhood in Ewa Beach with approximately 1600 homes.  I truly believe that as we establish more of these groups we will see more growth.

 

This growth is exciting, so this month, we are focusing on a few things.  First of all, I want to establish a culture of discipleship.  At this early stage, the things we do can become the norm for our church once we launch.  For this reason, I am encouraging people to for discipling groups of two or three for the purpose of walking together in the Christian life.  We are also focusing on outreach and how we can begin to share the gospel in larger groups.

 

One exciting opportunity is to conduct an Easter outreach event at the beach in the Iroquois Point neighborhood.  Easter Sunday is a day when many people are looking for some kind of worship service as part of their holiday celebration.  A service or other form of outreach (we are working with the managment of the property as to what they will allow) is a great chance to share the Gospel and we hope to do just that.  My prayer for such an event is that we will see people begin a life with Christ as well as establish one or two Ohana Groups.

 

These are exciting times and with that are some challenges and needs.  Like any church plant, we are always in need of additional support.  Outreach events require added expenses.  Also, we are currently talking with a young couple about coming along side us to work here in Hawaii.  Additional staff will be a huge blessing to us and a great benefit to the work here, but that will also require more funding.  Beyond additional funding, we also need mission teams to come.  Thanks to the surveys that our recent mission team completed, we have a good idea of the kinds of events that will give us a chance to reach people.  We now need people to come and helps us with those events.

 

Finally, there is a need looming on the horizon.  As our Ohana Groups grow, we will look for 20 or more people from those groups that will commit to being a part of a launch team.  That will be the team that plans and carries out the preview and launch services for Aloha Community Church.  Many of our friends, family, and prayer partners ask us, “When will you hold your first services?”  Before we can do that, we need to have a launch team.  Given the growth we have experienced and the opportunities ahead, it is foreseeable that we will find those people in the near future.

 

Please pray with us along this journey.  Scripture tells us that we have neither seen, nor heard, nor even imagined what is in store for those who love the Lord.  What does the future hold for us?  I do not know.  I only know that it will be better than I can imagine.

 

Prayer Requests:

• Pray for a new Ohana Group to begin.  We have more than enough people to begin a group, but we need someone to volunteer to host the group in their home.
• Caleb had been dealing with a bacteria in his stomach since September.  This bacteria causes him to feel sick most of the time.  Recently, I asked our prayer partners to pray specifically for this.  I am happy to report that things are starting to look up for this situation.  He is feeling much better than he has in a while.  Please pray that healing continues.
• Over the next few months, we will be trying to recruit additional financial partners as plans for outreach events and staff require more funding.  Please pray for the Lord’s provision in these matters.
• With Caleb’s stomach issues, we have encountered unexpected medical bills.  Please pray that the Lord provides in this area as well.
  

  Mission team member surveying at a popular West Oahu beach