Shakopee Team Project

Dear Prayer Team,

Spring is slowly but surely stealing into Minnesota.  It hasn’t been a razzle dazzle one this year, it seems like the leaves snuck on to the branches sometime during the rainy and cool days, and the flower buds stealthily opened but they are here now and it is a welcome sight!

At Renew we are praising the Lord for His continued faithfulness.  This past Sabbath Pastor Adam preached on trusting God, this seems to be a constant theme God is teaching us.

We praise the Lord with you that:

• two regularly attending people have decided to become members of Renew this past month.  It is so exciting to see people commit themselves to Renew and identify themselves as “belonging” to Renew!  All of this is a reflection that together, we all belong to God, whether a “member” of the church or not.  Everyone at Renew belongs, from the person who has just attended for the first time to the person attending from the very beginning!
• Renew began a new tradition this past Easter by celebrating the crucifixion and resurrection with a Passover Seder, connecting the exodus of ancient Israel from Egypt to the exodus from sin that we all make with Jesus as our Redeemer.  Everyone said how much they enjoyed the service and want to do it again next year.
  Prayer Requests:

We ask you to pray with us for:

• evangelism.  Planning evangelism and outreach in 2011 has been a wild and wooly beast.  Pastor Adam has been challenged with time to develop new content for seminars, and scheduling the church we are renting for special events is difficult.  God seems to be moving in the direction of a multi-week evangelistic series in the late Fall-early Winter.  Adam has spent time contacting evangelists and has found one individual who seems to be a great match for Renew and Shakopee, named Michael Sady.  Please pray that God clarifies direction here, provides the resources, and prepares people in the community to respond to invitations. 
• Michael Sady, that God prepares and protects Him, and opens the way for him to work with Pastor Adam if that is His will.
• Prayer Ministries.  We feel this is such an important part of Renew but it has become increasingly difficult to come together midweek and pray.  Due to unforeseen circumstances we have had to change not only days but also the location for meeting.  We continue to have very small attendance.  Please pray for the small group, that God would continue to motivate us to meet together.  That more people would feel called to come and pray and that it can truly be a community outreach.
• Children’s Ministry.  We are still challenged in this area to offer great programming to the children, mainly because God has not yet brought people to Renew who are gifted in this area and have the time/ability to do it.  Please pray for one or two people to connect with Renew who can help develop this ministry.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers.  May your eyes be opened this spring to all the wonders of God’s love for you.

Kristi

He sends forth springs into the valleys; their waters run among the mountains. They give drink to every  beast of the field; the wild asses quench their thirst there. Beside them the birds of the heavens have their nests; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from His upper rooms; the earth is satisfied and abounds with the fruit of His works.  May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in His works.  Psalm 1-4:10-13; 31

Dear Prayer Team,

It is Easter time!  I love this time of year.  I love being reminded of the love of Christ, illustrated during the last few days and hours of His life, the tears and pain I feel in the remembrance.  I love the unspeakable power and hope of Jesus being raised from the dead, the goose bumps and awe that gives me every time.  I love the amazing power of redemption in Peter’s story, of denial and running away and the Savior drawing him back and placing him back as a leader.  I love the incredible love of God seen in every aspect of Jesus’s life and death.

Renew is coming together this Sabbath to commemorate Easter in a special way, by experiencing the Passover Seder.  Pastor Adam has been teaching on the siginificance of the Passover.  The culmination of the teachings will be The Seder and how it relates to Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection.  We are looking forward to sharing this time together and remembering in a new way what the death and resurrection of Christ means in our own personal relastionships with Him.

As we pray together during this Easter season, may you be filled with His awesome grace and love, remembering how very much He loves every person on this planet.

We praise Him together:

• For His amazing love and sacrifice.
• Renew has started 2011 with real stability and the prospect of continued stability for the rest of the year.  The partnership between Renew and Westview Seventh-day Adventist Church has been wonderful for Adam as he pastors both congregations, and after some deliberation with the Minnesota Conference, no third church will be added to this partnership in 2011. 
• Our partnership with the Lutheran church in renting their space has continued to be very positive.  We praise God for this stability and the potential this gives us for continuing to minister to the community. 
• Some new people have started attending regularly and getting involved in the ministry life of Renew.  Slowly but surely God builds His church!

We pray together:

• A family has just recently relocated to another city and this is a loss to our congregation.  She is a new Seventh-day Adventist, so we praise God that she is part of a church family that stretches across the nation.  Please pray for her and her family that they find a new Seventh-day Adventist Church home in their new city.
• Adam has been challenged to find time in developing new seminar content for special events.  One of our key strategies has been providing new and relevant seminars for the community to start and grow spiritually significant relationships.  Please pray for Adam to have the focus and ability to create these seminars.  The first one has already been postponed and is now set for May 27-28.
• Our prayer ministry has had some setbacks!  Our regular Thursday night prayer time has been challenged by another much larger group needing to use the church space at that time, so it is moving to a church member’s home.  While this is not as accessible to people in the community, it seems the only option we have right now.  Please pray for our prayer ministry, that more people in the church and in the community respond to the need for community prayer and beging attending.  Please also pray for Kristi that she be encouraged to continue her crucial work in leading and coordinating the prayer ministry and weekly prayer time.
• Adam’s mother has recently been diagnosed with cancer and is starting chemo treatments.  She has some other disabilities/complications that make chemotherapy more risky for her.  In addition to her own need for health and encouragement by the presence of the Holy Spirit for her right now, this obviously has an impact on Adam’s availability and energy in ministry work during this time.  

Thank you for your continued support for this ministry.  We feel encouraged by your prayers and motivated because you are in ministry with us.

All glory to the Lamb!

Kristi

And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.

                                    Matthew 28:2-7 (English Standard Version)

Dear Prayer Team,

Here we are at the end of March already!  We are praising God for how He is leading us into deeper times of worship together and bringing more people back to worship with us. 

This month I have become more aware of the gift God gives to us to live a life filled with meaning.  I started by reading through Proverbs and am now in the middle of Ecclesiastes.  As I’ve read through these scriptures God has turned on the light to help me see how many people walk through this life seeing everything as meaningless, ‘a chasing after the wind’.  But we don’t have to choose this for ourselves!  We can live a life of purpose and joy as we daily and hourly ask God to put His plan in our hands so we can live it out.

My prayer for us all, in sending out this newsletter, is that God would awaken us to a closer walk with Him as we pray for this little church and God’s purpose for it.

We sing praises together:

• for the people who are coming and are part of Renew.  One person who has recently attended shared with me, “What I like about Renew is that when you walk in the door, you know that you can come just as you are and that’s just fine.  It’s a really welcoming atmosphere.”  How important this is to so many people!  And it is the people that make Renew such a welcoming community.
• Renew is truly blessed to have so many worship leaders and teams to lead up front during the worship service.  They show so much commitment and desire to help others to draw near to God.  What an honor to have these people be part of Renew.

We lift up to the Lord:

• Renew is in a district with a sister congregation, Westview Seventh-day Adventist Church.  Recently the denominational governing body for Minnesota communicated that it may be necessary for another church to join this district, and Pastor Adam would oversee 3 congregations.  While there are many benefits to this arrangement, one major impact it would have on Renew is the limited time and availability Pastor Adam would have to work with Renew’s ministry in the Shakopee community.  Nothing is decided until March 29 at a supervisory committee meeting.  Please pray for God to lead in this meeting and for God to enable Renew to grow in ministry impact and people coming to worship the Lord.
• In 2011, Renew has the goal of becoming a church company.  This means that the church needs to have at least 25 people worshiping each week, and also $25,000 in tithe offerings each year.  We praise God that we are meeting the tithe goal already, but Renew needs to have more people worshiping with us in order to be officially organized as a Seventh-day Adventist church company with the Minnesota Conference.  Please pray that God continues to protect and provide for the people who are already part of Renew, and for more people to become part of Renew.  We need at least ten more people attending on a regular basis.
• One of the families at Renew may have to move to a new community.  Please pray for this family that God provides for them and blesses them, and opens the right door that will be best for that family. 
• Several individuals at Renew face major health concerns.  Please pray for God to heal and restore, to bless with His presence and give endurance to these people.
• Pastor Adam is currently preparing an outreach seminar on living a compassionate life.  Please pray for him as he prepares this seminar, that he has insight and health.  Pray also for the community that many people respond to invitations to the seminar and attend.  The target date for this seminar is May 27-29.

Thank you for your prayers of purpose and meaning for Renew Community Church!  Thank you for the continued ministry you provide for us in hearing our prayers and helping us lift them up to the Lord!

With gratitude for you,

Kristi

⁹Two are better than one, because they have a good [more satisfying] reward for their labor;

    ¹⁰For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

    ¹¹Again, if two lie down together, then they have warmth; but how can one be warm alone?

                                                                                                                                                                  Ecclesiastes 4:9-11

Dear Prayer Team,

Somewhere around the corner is spring (I say, as I type, shivering, in my basement with subzero temps just outside), I am confident of this.  It gives me hope.  In fact, the weather man just told me last night that cold temperatures can’t hang on long in February because we are moving into spring.  If he were sitting in my living room I would have kissed him.

Winter can be long.  Winter can be depressing and hard.  Winter can make us wonder why the whole world doesn’t move to a Floridian latitude.  But winter cannot last forever.  We always have hope of spring. 

Isn’t that true in the trials, pain and suffering of this world too?  We always have hope, hallelujah!

Renew Community Church is no exception.  We have struggled through a long winter but there are birds singing.  Just in the last three weeks we have had a number of guests coming in from all over Scott and Carver counties.  Many of them have been studying about the Sabbath, then googled a Sabbath keeping church and found us.  There is a breath of life that God is breathing through Renew.

We want to praise the Lord for His rich mercies and love.  We ask you to praise Him with us for:

• the church we are renting from.  Christ Lutheran continues to be supportive and a good spirit exists between us.  They are allowing us to use the facility for our upcoming Weekend Bible Conferences with no extra fee.
• the supportive and solid core group of people that are Renew Community Church.  Praise God for what He is doing among us by bringing us together and keeping us together!
• an awesome Spirit of worship that lifts us up every Sabbath into the presence of God.

We ask you to join us in praying for:

• the upcoming Weekend Bible Conferences for 2011 are scheduled.  The first one is March 25-27 entitled Compassion Alive!  Attendees will learn how to live a more compassionate life patterned after Jesus’ compassionate ministry to seek and save the lost.  Please pray for the church as we prepare for this series and for the community that God prepares people now to be receptive to an invitation and He will send people who are in real need to encounter and embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior.
• several members of the congregation who have been suffering physically and financially.  Please pray for God to provide for His church family and to be able to support one another.  Through the sharing of these sufferings, may the church grow closer and stronger together instead of drift apart and become fragmented.
• Adam and Kristi as we continue to work together to minister to the church and keep people involved and equipped.  It is a great blessing to be able to share ministry together!  The health and strength of our relationship and our family needs prayer cover because that is what directly impacts our ability to be sensitive to God’s leading and to provide caring leadership.
• new people.  That they would continue to come to worship.  There have been several new people attending in the last month; please pray that they return.
• Adam is starting new community Bible classes during the week, advertising in the classifieds of the local paper.  Please pray that he can find a stable location to hold these Bible classes week to week, and that people from the community respond.  Already there are two people from the community who are attending a class.

May God continually be praised for the ways He leads us into hope and light.  I pray the end of this winter would lead you into deeper and clearer paths of His love and grace.

In hope,

Kristi

Be strong and take heart,
   all you who hope in the LORD.                Psalm 31:24

Dear Prayer Team,

Reflections on 2010

2010 has been a year of transition; new beginnings and learning balance.  It seems ironic that a church named ‘Renew’ would have the opportunity to find meaning in that name so quickly into its existence.

In 2010 Renew went from three paid pastoral staff to one.  In addition, the one pastor became pastor of two churches.  While being quite a shift in time commitments and responsibilities, there has been a renewal of joy in having a sister faith community. 

In 2010 we said goodbye to several families, including our worship pastor.  Though we miss the fellowship with those gone, the Lord has renewed us and gathered us closer toether.  He has strengthened relationships, with Him and between us.  God has brought together a beautiful group of people to reach the community.

In 2010 we changed locations.  Shifting from being in our own space in a high triaffic area and having a large sign in a prominent place to renting from a small church tucked into a quiet neighborhood with small signs only up on Sabbath has been a big adjustment.  Through it God has renewed our dependence on Him, His strength and His power.  We realize our health, stability and growth will only exist and occur because of Him. 

In 2010 Renew worshiped together.  We sang, prayed, studied the Word, reached out to those around us, ate, swam, ice skated and dreamed of where God would lead in 2011.  In other words, we did not give up meeting together (Hebrews 10:25), we have pursued righteousness, faith, love and peace (2 Timothy 2:22), we have rejoiced in the Lord (Philippians 4:4) and we are being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2).

We pray for more chances for renewal in 2011 and that you too will be filled by His Spirit of grace and love.

Sincerely,

Kristin

Dear Prayer Team:

It has been a beautiful fall in Minnesota!  We have been enjoying warm temperatures, lovely fall foliage, dry days, cool  nights.  For some reason, I’m still not ready for winter though the weather man tells us snow is on the way, maybe this week!  I pray that you are experiencing some joys of autumn wherever this newsletter finds you.

At the beginning of October Renew held a brainstorming session to ask the church family how we are doing, what we need to improve in and what vision they had for Renew in the next months and years to come.  We are still a small group but the Lord is leading the people He has brought to Renew’s doors into a fellowship with Him and with each other.  It is beautiful to see everytime we get together.

We wat to join you in praising God for:

• the ongoing commitment and ministry participation of people at Renew.  There is beyond a doubt a true core of people who have come to call Renew their church.  That is one of the top reasons we came to Minnesota to answer God’s call for starting a new church, to see this happen! 
• Time to Pray on Thursday nights.  Though it continues to be a small group of people, it is still going strong and the people experience a profound presence of the Spirit each time.

Please join us in praying for:

• Renew’s ministry action plan for 2011.  Please pray for the church to have insight into God’s direction for the church and be responsive to His leadership as we develop these plans and set dates for various events.
• Renew’s prayer campaign for specific residents of Shakopee who have been randomly picked out of the phone directory.  Teams within the church pray for these families and individuals for a period of weeks.  Each of the people being prayed for also receive an invitation to church.  Renew will continue this cycle in conjunction with each new sermon series.  Please pray along with the prayer teams that God would bless each of these families and individuals, and that God would strengthen Renew as we pray more together for the community!
• Renew’s financial needs. They have become more prominent in the last couple months.  Please pray for God to provide for Renew and enable it to continue to do ministry and reach the community.  While the church is able to hold steady at its current size and meeting place, it is very difficult to do outreach without funds. 
• Pastor Adam as he continues to lead two congregations simultaneously and needs to balance his time effectively and wisely.  Pray that he continues to take time to grow spiritually and for energy to be fully present in all his interactions and responsibilities.

Thank you for your continued partnership with us in ministering to the people of Shakopee and Scott County!

Kristi

 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you.  1 Peter 1:3-4

Dear Prayer Team,

I am so happy to be back on track, corresponding with you and praying together for this amazing project that God has brought about! 

We are praising God for so many things this fall:

• that He is ever faithful and full of love for all He has made.
• for a good relationship and ongoing goodwill between Renew and Christ Lutheran, the church we are renting from.  The Pastor of Christ Lutheran has been so good to work with and has a heart for reaching as many people for Christ as possible.
• for all the people who have been attending and are part of Renew’s various ministries.  They have shown such wonderful commitment and generosity.  They are also what makes Renew such a joyful and worshipful community.

We ask you to join us in prayer:

• for Renew’s first ever community outreach prayer campaign.  Please keep us in prayer as we lift up our community and reach out in love.
• that God brings more people to worship with Renew and that He leads each of us to make new friendships and have opportunities to share our lives and the gospel with the people around us.
• for another children’s ministry leader to become a part of the Renew family.
• that Renew can host some evangelistic and spirituality events during the 2010-2011 school year.

Thank you for your support and love of Renew Community Church.  We are always grateful for you prayers and words of encouragement!

Kristin

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.  

Deuteronomy 7:9 (NIV)

Renew Community Church is still alive and kicking!

It has been quite a while since we have posted updates and prayer requests. We have been finding the balance again.

Renew has moved to our new location. It has been filled with the joys and stresses of any new venture and any new relationship. We feel more at home now and are thankful for our partnership with Christ Lutheran.

We have a wonderful group of committed people who have become Renew Church. It’s been awesome to watch God bring them through the doors, bring us together in relationship and pour out a passion for serving Him.

September we will be back up and running with the regular newsletter format.  For now, continue to pray for this small part of God’s amazing family.

¹¹Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord.

    ¹²Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer.

    ¹³Contribute to the needs of God’s people; pursue the practice of hospitality.  Romans 12

Happy May-time to you all!

Spring always seems like a huge hug from God, like a worldwide reminder that He loves us so much.  Today I was planting our family garden with my oldest son and watching his excitement as we transplanted the seedlings that have been growing in our living room window.  We grew those little plants from the tiniest seeds.  We were so careful as we placed them in the ground, touching them gently, making sure we didn’t step on them, watering them with the lightest, gentlest spray.  We really have little control over what happens next.  All we can do is water, weed and fertilize . . . and pray.

I thought of Renew, how we have been here since the beginning.  We have worked hard to make the soil welcoming, planted some seeds, been so gentle and careful of the seedlings that have sprouted.  We really have little control over what happens next.  All we can do is keep working, keep sharing the gospel, keep loving . . . and pray. 

Of course, that’s where you, our Prayer Team, has and will continue to be so vital to this mission.  Thank you for your continued care and support.  We crave your prayers!

We praise our Creator God for

• His unfailing love
• His leadership, power, providence and grace as we launched Renew over the last three years
• such good communication and support from the MN Conference
• a new place to worship!  Christ Lutheran Church in Shakopee has graciously agreed to Renew renting their church space from them.  We praise God for this partnership.

We ask you to pray with us for

• understanding the next steps for Renew as we transition to one pastor and a new worship space. 
• guidance as Matt and Jay transition to other jobs
• God’s Spirit to continue his work in our individual lives, in Renew, and in Shakopee
• more people from the Adventist community to be willing to support Renew
• our first worship service at our new location, Christ Lutheran Church, May 22.  Please pray for this service, that many people attend, that the Holy Spirit encourages the congregation and the church has a renewed sense of mission and God’s calling.  Praise for and pray for the relationship between their pastor, Pat, and Adam.
• Adam: he has accepted the invitation to include Westview SDA Church into a district with Renew.  This means a new congregation for him to pastor and to facilitate a network between the two churches.  This met the goals of Renew, the MN Conference and Westview and he is encouraged that it is a good arrangement.  Having Renew in a district at this point ensures more stability and funding for Renew over the next several years, as well as increasing the pool of volunteers.  Please pray for this partnership and Adam’s ability to pastor effectively in this context. 

May you enjoy this spring and may God’s love reach you wherever you are.

Kristin

Psalm 136

 ¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
       His love endures forever.

 ² Give thanks to the God of gods.
       His love endures forever.

 ³ Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
       His love endures forever.

 ⁴ to him who alone does great wonders,
       His love endures forever.

 ⁵ who by his understanding made the heavens,
       His love endures forever.

 ⁶ who spread out the earth upon the waters,
       His love endures forever.