This week I was with thirty two people from around North America for training for the PowerPlant student mission experience that will take place in 2006. PowerPlant is a pre-packaged, weeklong mission experience for students.
I met some great people from all over North America. Cities represented included included Vancouver, B.C., Seattle, Orlando, New York City, and Nashville to name just a few. PowerPlant is all about involving students in church planting with local church planters in various cities. I will be the Ministry Coordinator, which means I will be responsible for planning and connecting the teams that will be coming to Cleveland, OH with church planters and church planting ministry sites. At the retreat we were being trained on the nuts and bolts of how to put together a PowerPlant in our respective city.
The guy I roomed with, Gary Morgan is the pastor of Mosaic Church in Nashville and has a great ministry going on down in the Volunteer state. Gary planted Mosaic in the east side of downtown and is reaching the artsy/musician/eclectic crowd in the area. Rooming with Gary was a blast! Gary is one of the few guys out there who is truly engaging his culture, not just talking about it. With Gary, it is not about demographics or trying to reach a "Nashville Nick" stereotype that might define the culture. He and his church is all about engaging people where they are and not about having a service that is about come and see what we have to offer. I love Gary’s lingo that he used, as I picked up some new words even though I am not sure what they mean. Gary is a forty five year old guy who lives with his wife and two young daughters among those he is trying to reach in Nashville. Go Gary! The website for Gary’s church is www.mosaicnashville.org. Go check it out and send Gary an email to let hom know that you are praying for him. Pray that God will bless Mosaic financially, and with a useable facility.
During 2006 and 2007, Cleveland Hope (www.clevelandhope.com) has plans to start twenty two new SBC churches in the Greater Cleveland area as part of the Strategic Focus CIty initiative of NAMB. I am on the church planting team for Cleveland Hope and am very excited that PowerPlant is coming to Cleveland to help our church planters. I welcome new churches into our ministry area, as it means we will be reaching our region for Christ. It is time for the church to quit being territorial and start being missional.
If you would like more information on PowerPlant, go to their website at www.power-plant.net . For more information about bringing your students to Cleveland, drop me an email and I will get back to you.