Worship

"Hillel used to say: He who aggrandizes his name, loses his name. He who does not increase in knowledge, decreases it. He who learns not, forfeits his life. He who makes unworthy use of the crown (of the Torah) shall pass away."


I recently read an article about the decline of the church on our days. It stated that 4000 churches are closing their doors every year. In another study 6 out of 10 young people will leave the church by the age of 15. I know many people ask and wonder why this is happening. Most of the responses come back stating that to fix this issue we need to "win more souls to the Kingdom". Other strategies focus their efforts on church growth principles of invitation style churches. They provide facilities that are business-like, warm, welcoming and esthetically appealing. They offer music like you hear on the radio, inspirational messages that leave you feeling good about yourself and a place to leave your kids for someone else to teach them. Although arguments can be made, these churches usually do a great job of attracting people and filling seats. This has been the most popular style of church since the mid 1990's which was perfected by Willow Creek in Chicago and Saddleback in California. But over the past 20 years, after learning how these two churches have inspired a country to change its style of church to become more attractive, why are so many churches closing every year? Why are so many people still walking away from God? Why are 6 out of 10 children leaving the church never to return?


Maybe because this style of church is more cultural than it is Biblical. Maybe leaders have missed the point that instead of making disciples, converts were the bigger priority. And just maybe this is the cause of the decay of the country over the past 20 plus years. Hence, we even bring up the fact that four years ago, Bill Hybels. Sr. pastor of Willow Creek came out and said in an interview that the model he helped create and perfect failed at making disciples. Yet nobody seemed to care what Bill had to say. The machine kept going and decay continues to deteriorate our country and this world.


So what is the answer? If we actually listen to Hillel and study the words of God, things become a little more clear. As we learned last week, this is what Yeshua was commissioning us to do-to raise up many Talmidim. Talmidim comes from the root word lamad, which means to study. And what are we to study? We are to study all of God's word and then we are to apply it to our lives. This was the most important form of worship in the days of Yeshua; to study and apply God's word in daily living. Imagine what would happen if parents studied God's word and applied it to their families. Imagine what would happen if kids actually saw demonstrated for them what it truly meant to live out the words of God. Imagine what would happen if parents actually took on the role prescribed for them in the Torah to teach their children the ways of God (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).


If we learn from the Rabbis, Yeshua, Paul, Peter, Hillel, Gamaliel, etc., we would see that learning how to follow God isn't something we do once a week. Learning the scriptures takes time, energy and effort.


"If he learns Torah and does not go over it again and again, he is like a man who saws without reaping" (Sanh. 99a) "One who repeats his lesson a hundred times is not like him who repeats it a hundred and one times" (Chag. 9b).


Learning always begins with questions. Do you questions things? Do you ask the tough questions? Do you ask the tough questions of yourself? In the first century, the followers of the Messiah were in the thousands and they were all "zealous for the Torah" (Acts 21:20). It was in these days that whole communities were being transformed. Whole cities like Ephesus, Thessalonica, Rome and elsewhere were learning about the Hebrew Messiah Yeshua from the words of Torah.


My prayer is that St. bernard will be one of those places that the Messiah Yeshua and His Kingdom break into this place and Shalom is brought back to the broken and His people are "zealous for the Torah".

Mission

The missional mindset, missiology, or outreach-these are things I have studied and read about from several authors, teachers and lecturers. I have studied for years what this looks like and how we are to reach people for Christ. Every year there is another book that comes out telling us how to do these things. It's like self help books for the church. It's interesting how God can break our foundations to their beginnings sometimes. It's interesting how God can change our path and our direction if we truly have hearts that are open to Him. It's amazing what happens when we start asking questions rather than just accepting what is taught or as my friend always says, "drink the Kool-aid". Instead of looking for ways to be missional or manufacture missional ideas, doesn't the Bible already teach us how to be missional? Doesn't the Torah teach us that by the lifestyle He asks us to live, we will be missional? By living according to the Torah, our lives will be seen as different from the world's. Doesn't Yeshua himself say to those listening in the crowd that they, as Jews, are to be the light of the world, and that by their deeds people will praise God and give Glory to Him? Maybe we should ask the question, is it in our obedience to God that we are truly missional? Isn't it our obedience to Him that makes us stand out, look different, handle money differently, speak and talk about others differently, eat different, etc, etc... It's our obedience to the Father that makes us stand out in this world. It's what opens doors of trust and influence in the community. It's in our obedience that the Holy Spirit moves us to do the unthinkable, the unexplainable, the undoable. Maybe instead of focusing on being missional to win more souls, maybe we should focus on being more obedient and the boldness that it takes to live differently. Then maybe, people might start praising our Father in Heaven... Matthew 5:14-16English Standard Version (ESV)14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that[a]they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Attitude

Attitude

"The longer I live the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change  the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how i react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes." 

Charles Swindoll 

As I was digging through some old files today, I came across this old quote from years ago. As I read it, many emotions came rushing to my mind from the past and those days when this statement impacted my life in the days I needed it most. Today is not much different than those days years ago. Oh how I needed to be reminded of this. Oh how, even after speaking about "Lashon Hara" and "baseless hatred", I am reminded how my attitude is what dictates my speech. Lord, forgive me for my attitude. Forgive me for allowing my negative attitude to affect my negative speech. Forgive me for allowing the enemy to make me believe in such negative thoughts. "Restore unto me the joy of your salvation and renew a right spirit within me"... Psalm 51:12

As a community, may we be reminded everyday that the enemy, the accuser, Ha-satan is constantly trying to destroy the Temple with baseless hatred. We must be on our guard against gossip and negative speech. Instead encouragement, exhortation and reconciliation should be on our minds.

"Be angry, but don't sin - don't let the sun go down before you have dealt with the cause of your anger; otherwise you leave room for the Adversary. The thief must stop stealing; instead, he should make an honest living by his own efforts. This way he will be able to share with those in need. Let no harmful language come from your mouth, only good words that are helpful in meeting the need, words that will benefit those who hear them. Don't cause grief to God's Holy Spirit, for he has stamped you as his property until the day of final redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, violent assertiveness and slander, along with all spitefulness. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted; and forgive each other, just as in the Messiah God has also forgiven you". Ephesians 4:26-32 CJB

"How Long Will You Refuse"

Exodus 16:22-30
On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. He said to them, “This is what the LORD commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’”So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the LORD. You will not find any of it on the ground today. Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.” Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? Bear in mind that the LORD has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” So the people rested on the seventh day.

Do you ever read portions of scripture and ask questions? In the passage above, a whole host of questions could be asked, like, why does God ask the people to not go out to find food on the seventh day? Why can't He just give them food seven days a week? Not to mention what is this stuff He's giving them anyways?

As we read the story of Moses, it is amazing to see God's power, His mercy, grace and lots and lots of patience. This is just one example of the many times the followers of YHVH chose not to obey the Lord or refused "to keep" His commands and instructions. After just witnessing the greatest miracles the world had ever seen, these people failed to trust God for food AND in resting on the Sabbath. They lacked trust. For whatever reason, they didn't trust that God would provide for them nor did they trust that they could take a day of rest.

It's interesting that even though these events took place thousands of years ago, they still apply to us today. Do we too struggle with trust? The FFOZ commentary had a great quote regarding this,

"Manna can teach us about money and materialism. God provides the bounty of the material world for our welfare. He provides adequately for our needs, sometimes in scarcity, sometimes with abundance, but always with sufficiency. “He who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack” (Exodus 16:18). When we try to hoard wealth, though, it can turn into something spiritually ugly. Just as the manna turned rancid and wormy, hoarded wealth sickens the soul. It causes us to cling to material things. We no longer need to rely on God because we can rely upon our savings and investments. We no longer need to pray for our daily bread, as Yeshua taught us to do. As Yeshua warned us, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:23).

We can also be challenged by the Sabbath. According to Biblical calendar, beginning in Genesis 1, the Sabbath is a Holy day. A day God ordained for US! A day for us to rest and to spiritually recharge in HIM. This day begins, according to the Greco-Roman calendar on Friday night at sundown and ends Saturday at sundown. A day for our rest and a day that God provides for us, physically and spiritually. For the followers of YHVH, the sabbath was a big deal. God wasn't merely giving a suggestion, it was something He became quite upset with upon their lack of observance.

I wonder, do we have that same lack of trust? Does materialism and the world's idea of monetary security control us? Does the Sabbath mean anything to us, or is it just a day for chores and to do lists? I wonder, is God asking us, "how long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions?"

Hesed

"I will sing of the 'hesed' of the Lord forever, with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations." Psalm 89:1


What does it mean to sing of God's loving kindness, His mercy, His grace forever? Does it mean we sing on Saturday night, or does it mean something more than that? I know what it's like to "go to church" on the weekend then live my life the rest of the week. I know what it's like to wonder, God where are you in the midst of everything going on right now. I have played that game before-wanting the God of creation to come in and fix my situation so i can get back to "my" life. To pray to Jesus because things aren't going the way "I" had planned them, only to find myself still stuck in the same problems, just a different day.


Maybe if I were to sing of God's hesed, I would be reminded of the mercy He has shown me. Maybe if I were to sing of His hesed today I would be reminded that He is involved in my daily activities right now. Maybe if I were to sing of His hesed, I would be reminded of the grace He has shown me which I do not deserve. Maybe if I were to continually sing of His hesed I would be reminded to show hesed to others. To give grace to those I want to judge and condemn. To give mercy to that one person who I want nothing to do with. To give steadfast love, to actively love my neighbor not only with words of kindness, but with action. 


May we be a community that sings actively of God's hesed in our lives. 


Grace and Peace,
Matt   

Connections, Connections, Connections

I continually find it amazing the more I dig into scripture how I see more and more connections that I never saw before. Hopefully you've been reading your homework from two weeks ago when I asked everyone to read Malachi. I said that there was a tremendous amount of nuggets that come glaring off the page after reading Yeshua in context for the past few years. Verses like "Behold i will send my messenger and he will prepare the way beforeme." Malachi 3:1 or "For I the Lord do not change"...3:6, then there is the same voice saying "Remember the Torah of Moses my servant, the statutes and rules I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel." 4:4

We then moved to last week where Yeshua himself says, "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would also have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." John 14:6,7 Here we see Yeshua doing a few things that if you only see the surface, you can easily miss the depth of this statement. First you should see the connection from Malachi. Who did God say would come after the one to prepare the way? Himself! God the Father would come. Yeshua says if you knew the Father you know me, if you know me you know the father, why? Because "I and the Father are one" John 10:30. 

Now let's go even deeper. Yeshua says I am the way, the truth and the life... As we have pointed out before, Yeshua is a Rabbi of the first century. He speaks in a way the people in his day would understand and he teaches as the rabbis did. Rabbis would often quote scripture or allude to different texts often by just using a sentence and sometimes even a word. Here we see the Rabbi Yeshua quoting three different passages of scripture in just one sentence. "For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life."Proverbs 6:23; Your righteousness is righteous forever and your law is true." Psalm 119:142; "In the path of righteousness is life and in its pathway there is no death." Proverbs 12:28 Here are three different passages proclaiming that the Word of God, The Torah, are the way, the truth and the life. We shouldn't be surprised at this statement because doesn't John himself tell us at the beginning of his gospel that "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God." 1:1 and also "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." 1:14.  Yeshua is the word of God, the walking talking Torah in the flesh. He is God and He is Father.  

It's pretty significant to notice that Yeshua was raised in the Torah, lived by the Torah, taught others how to live their lives according to the Torah and who himself was the Torah. Our first question should then be, how important is the Torah in our daily lives? Do the words of Torah (i.e.. the words of God/Yeshua) play a role in our daily decision making?

May we be a community that lives following what is true, what is life and what is the way...

Grace and Peace,

Matt

2011

First let me apologize for not posting in a while. Since project 52 ended and the volunteers stopped coming we as a staff have been putting all our spare time into working at the Gathering Place. We have been doing anything from grout, concrete leveling, HVAC duct work, drywall and all kinds of projects in an effort to complete the building. This weekend we will be having a stucco party with our community to try to complete the outside of the building.
I was hoping that the end of January or even the beginning of February we would be able to start meeting inside the GP. Unfortunately after getting together our last punch list, it looks as though we are about $30,000 short to complete the building. So once again we are cinching our belts a little tighter and rolling up our sleeves as we work on what God puts before us. We have several little projects that will cost a couple thousand then a bunch of projects in the hundreds. So we are pulling together as a community and doing what we can to finish the construction. We will be doing everything from collecting cans for recycling to collecting spare change. We also will be looking for anything we can put our hands on to refurbish what we may be able to use for the final punch list.
Below is a list of everything that is needed if you are interested. Please keep us in your prayers as we wait on the Lord and obediently work as hard as we can for His will to be done. We know that this building will be opened in His time frame not ours, but we also know that apathy gets nothing done.
Thank you for all your prayers and support.
Grace and Peace,

Punch list:
Fire Alarm panel installation $3000
Carpet install $3000
Closet doors $2100
Restroom partitions $4000
drywall $500
Stucco $1000
Exterior Handrails $1000
Paint $1000
HVAC finish $6000
Exhaust fans $500
Thermostats and wire $400
Parking lot stripping $100
Large assembly room lights $500
Fire Suppression test $5500
Cove base $1000
MISC $2000

Project 52

Wow, after several weeks, many volunteers and thousands in donations we have come to the end of our 52 day time frame. We are so close to finishing and we couldn't have come this far without you. For those of you who came to NOLA, donated or prayed for us, we greatly appreciate all of you.
Our last volunteer group for the year left last week, so we as a community are rallying the troops and working on some of these projects as we speak. This weekend is our community work week in which we typically work in the community serving as the Church instead of having a traditional teaching service. This weekend we will have the bulk of our community working on the Gathering Place trying to get even closer to finishing. Our current projects that we will be working on are tile, insulating duct work, plumbing, drywall touch up and a few small projects.Please keep us in prayer as we are so close yet still have a few things to complete.

Joyful apology

OK i must apologize, it has been over a month since our last blog. As you can see the past three weeks have been consumed with something more precious to me than the building of project 52.
Not to take anything away from the project but we have been enjoying the birth of our little baby girl, Kennedy Eliana. I will make sure and get out another update on the building
later this week. Once again we want to thank everyone for your prayers, encouragement, generosity and energy in what God is doing here in New Orleans.

Grace and Peace,

Update on Project 52

Really, can words sum up these pictures. It is amazing to see what has happened in just a few days. Who would have thought toilets would have been such an exciting picture.
I will have a lot more pictures to show next week.
By the grace of God, we are moving so quickly in the completion of this
building. It is amazing to
watch the church in action, being
used by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Praise God, all Glory to HIM.

week 2

Wow, after a good start last week we have continued the momentum and the GP is progressing beautifully. With the help of our friends from Fern Creek in Louisville and some Gathering peeps here we have been able to accomplish a lot this week. So far we have three bathrooms tiled (the fourth may be done before Friday), ceiling grid wire hanging from the ceiling, a slab was poured this morning that will hold the HVAC units outside, outlets and emergency exit lighting were installed and the fire suppression sprinklers were completed in phase 2 and 3. It is amazing to see how much work is being done each day and we thank our God and King for everything that he is providing daily to complete this project. We have been blessed with tremendous people who have come to serve, others who have donated materials and others who have sacrificially given. We praise you Father for what you are doing.
Below is an updated list of the materials still needed for the completion of the building. As we have been asking we have found that some people have a lot of these things lying around in their warehouse or garage not being used. If you have a minute we appreciate you looking around.

Project 52 Materials Needed

HVAC

-5 ton split package system-3 phase (either 208 or 480)
-ductwork

-copper line sets

-wire

-refrigerant

-disconnects

Ceilings

-$3,000 to buy dropped ceiling material

Entry Door

-$2,500 to buy roll-up door

Interior Doors

-$5,000 includes handles, frames, hinges, and closers

Flooring

Epoxy

Cove base

Cove base glue

Fire Alarm

Wire

Panel

strobes

Go time

Labor day weekend came with a bang! Lots of banging actually as the jack hammer was pounding away digging up old concrete in order to prepare for our new handicap walkway into the Gathering Place. Several people from our community came together this weekend to work as we celebrated what God was doing in this place. Thanks to some great volunteers from Indian Creek and and a group from Texas the concrete steps and a first coat of paint will be completed this week. Next week we have several volunteers coming from Fern Creek and we look forward to the adventure continuing.
Keep checking us out as we will be posting weekly everything that God is doing through His people to complete the building of the Gathering Place, Project 52.

Project 52 update

We are approaching our launch date for project 52. Can you believe it? We have collected and/or received commitments for $24,000, almost half of our $52,000 goal. In a couple of weeks we begin this project of completing the building. Once again we find ourselves in an area of uncertainty. We know that completing such a task is almost impossible. Yet we know we serve a God that is all about mission impossible. We believe that our friends have been called by God to do the impossible, to complete the Gathering place in 52 days. It is this excitement of anticipation that overwhelms us as we prepare daily for what God has in store for us. These next two weeks we will be looking for God to provide the needed supplies for week one to be kicked off with a bang.
Please look over the below and let us know if there is anything or anybody you know that could help with the following. Also, please join us in prayer as we seek God's discernment, His direction and His guidance as we desire for His will to be done, not ours.
Grace and Peace,
Plumbing
-2 urinals
-2 handicap commercial floor mount toilets
-14 toilet flushometer valves w/1”supply
-13 ½” tubular p-trap kits (including trap adapter)
-11 ½” chrome escuchions
-24 ½”x3/8” angle stop compression connection
-24 ½” chrome escuchions
-24 3/8”x1/2” faucet supply line (16”or 20”)
-2 ½”x1/4” compression angle stops
-14 closet bolt kits
-14 extra thick no-seep wax rings (w/black plastic piece)
-3 urinal flange connectors
-3 urinal spud (3/4” or 1” tube)
-3 urinal wax rings
Electrical
emergency lights
exit signs
breakers
mc cable—12/2 w/ground
-50 20 amp light switches w/covers
-100 20amp outlets w/covers
HVA C
15 ton ahu
5 ton split package set
ductwork
copper line sets
wire
ductwrap insulation
piping insulation
regrigerant
disconnects
Ceilings
grid
mains: 2100’
1050 pieces 4’ tee
1050 pieces 2’ tee
2400’ wall mould
Entry door
9x12 roll up
aluminum doors
Paint
70 gal exterior stucco/masonry paint
interior paint (300sqft/gal) 50 gallons
roller naps
Interior doors
21 doors
Flooring
stain
carpet
thin set
grout
cove base
cove base glue
Fire alarm
wire
panel
strobes

Project 52

How many of you know the story of Nehemiah? How many of you know how God used this individual and his team of followers of the one true God to complete a task that almost seemed impossible. The completion of the wall around Jerusalem in just 52 days. These were men who were led by faith, who were obedient to the call and God did the unthinkable.
I have recently been approached by some friends from up north that have felt a similar calling. God has placed upon the hearts of many that phase one of the Gathering Place could be completed in just 52 days. We believe that this call is from God and we are willing to be obedient to that call.
Starting Labor day weekend we will launch Project 52 and believe God will bring phase one to completion just before November.
BUT, just like Nehemiah, we can't do this alone. We need the help of God's faithful, of His church, His community of followers. We need them to pick up a tool and help complete "the wall". We are in need of several things:
1st- volunteers in the construction process
2nd- funding for the rest of materials needed to complete phase 1
3rd- construction materials. Often times we have seen God connect us with people who have the ability to provide supplies and materials. (items include floor tile, lighting, plumbing fixtures etc...)
I would like to ask all of you to please join us. First join us in prayer as it is our desire to continually seek the Lord's direction, His wisdom and His will. Next, if you can join us in any of the above items, please contact us. We would love to partner with you in what God is doing here in this place.
(For a list of the items needed and time line please visit our website next week for complete details at www.thegatheringcc.com)

Being the Church

Over the past couple of years we have spent a lot of time teaching on the idea that we are called not to "go to church" but to actually "be the church". To be the spiritual community that God has called us to be. Sounds simple right? Actually, what we have found is that we live in a culture that has spent the past several generations learning a vocabulary that directs the way we live. Buried deep in our subconscious, we have experiences and teachings that direct the way we learn, listen and live. These are sometimes seen in our own vocabulary which then proceeds in the way we act. A psychologist once said, "people believe what they say, and they act upon those beliefs". If that is true how does that apply to "the church"? Well, what did you do last Sunday? Most likely you went to church. When you learned about the role of the church to serve, give, disciple and pray, based on the above quote, who's responsibility is that? The church, the place I went last week.
What if we changed our vocabulary? What if we stopped treating the church as a building, or place to go and actually started "being" the church?
In an effort to teach such lifestyle of responsibility, we at The Gathering have decided to put our money where our mouth is, so to speak. We have decided that every other month, The Gathering will replace a Sunday morning gathering with a service day. A day where everyone in The Gathering community will do service projects all over the parish and eventually, God willing, all over the world. Our mission is to be the spiritual community that lives as Jesus lived. We do not want to be a community that goes to church. If we are going anywhere, its where God is leading us to do His will.
Next Post be ready for Project52.

BP oil spill

Two weeks ago Aaron and I went down the road to get our badges from St. Bernard Parish so we could participate in meeting with fisherman, police, fire and government officials to talk about whatever they are struggling with. We are a part of the St. Bernard Pastors Coalition where pastors from all over St. Bernard are working together to minister to those going through such a tough and life changing ordeal. It was an eerie feeling as we walked through groups of people getting our proper identification. I had the feeling of Katrina all over again. There were all of the same elements but just being used in a different capacity this time. You had Gov't, police, military, special response teams, non profits, but then you had boat captains, fisherman and crew. Many of which were saying such things like, "i would take Katrina again over this". Can you believe that?!? This event could eclipse the catastrophic event of Katrina and effect the lives of so many people here in St. Bernard Parish and we are right in the middle of it. Every week we meet with Captains and crew before they head out to attack the oil with boom and other elements to keep our shores clean. As you can see from the photos it is a challenge. Because of the recent hurricane winds and rain have kept our fleet of fisherman in the docks and off the water. I talked and prayed with many of them Tuesday morning and frustration and fear are welling up inside them. One Boat Captain from Alabama committed suicide last week. That is a real fear to many here in St. Bernard. Please Pray for us as we seek to minister to those whose lives have been drastically impacted by this disaster.

The Rain

You know its summer time in New Orleans when it rains almost everyday. We don't complain though since it helps bring down the temperature to help cool off what usually begins as a hot and humid day.
This week we began putting primer on the walls as we are preparing to start painting in just a few weeks. We are at that point of starting to see some of the light at the end of the tunnel. We do have a few big things that we are currently working on that need your prayer and possibly your assistance.
Our current list:

• Roof insulation to be completed
• Fire suppression plans to be completed and pipes to be arranged
• HVAC duct work assembly and completion
• Drop ceiling materials and installation
  
• Interior doors/windows/outlets/base cove to be installed
• Flooring? Tile vs. Stained concrete
• Phone system and fire alarm
• Glass front doors
• Wheel chair ramp
• Completion of stucco

These are most but not everything needed to complete the Gathering Place. Would you please join us in prayer as we move forward day by day using what God has given us. If there is anything above that you may be moved to help us with please give us a shout.

A Good Time

Community can be difficult. It's kind of like a family relationship. You have to work hard, sometimes have some tough conversations, can be a little awkward at times but when it comes right down to it these are the same people that we would rather spend our free time with. These are the people who we know and love and who know and love us. This is the type of community that I want to share with others around me. Community all the time. That is what we are about and sometimes community can be just about having some fun! Memorial Day weekend we hosted a block party at our house. It is something that we have been wanting to do for a long time but as you know we often busy ourselves with things that can prevent us from just having a good time. We had a ton of fun as we continued to invite people into our community as Jesus taught His disciples at the house of Levi. We had a water slide for the kids, volleyball, tether ball, corn hole, a large tent and lots of food. It was a great opportunity to spend some good quality time with those we love as well as meet some new friends and build some new found relationships.

Summer has begun

Its that time of year again when kids around the country are out of school, vacationers are going here and there and everyone's schedules are frazzled. Here in New Orleans it is similar yet with a different feeling of future uncertainty. There are many here with concern about the oil spill and what the future holds for their way life, their work and their families. The Gathering has been working alongside several other local churches to find a way to serve those in need, struggling with fear, depression and uncertainty. This summer we may be able to help specifically with our counseling department and with kids camp. Please keep these families in prayer as we seek Gods will and direction on how to be His hands and feet.
Summer plans for the Gathering Place. Hey speaking of vacations, what about taking a vacation with a purpose? What would be better than coming to the Big Easy, see some history, enjoy some foreign culture and participate in taking part in what God is doing here. This summer we will be priming and painting the interior walls, installing HVAC duct work, aligning our sprinkler system to fit the architectural plans, installing toilets, sinks, windows, doors, and flooring. We have a lot on the list needing to be done and if you feel that tug in your heart to help with any of these give us a shout. We would love to celebrate your vacation with a purpose with you.
As written last week, we continue to see God move in many ways. We just purchased a ton of HVAC equipment (see the pics) from a local church at a fraction of the cost. We also have a new friend who is willing to draw our fire suppression system plans. This will save The Gathering thousands of dollars!!
The Gathering already at use: last week we held our first unity prayer night at the Gathering Place. It was a great night to have many people from the community and several different local churches participate.
Outside the Gathering Place, we have just finished putting up a set of steps for a friend Chris that we have been ministering to for a few months now. He has been waiting to get out of his FEMA trailer and his house was completed except for steps leading to the raised house. The inspectors could not sign off on a permit until this was done. Our friend Chris just broke his foot as well, so getting in and out of the house was almost impossible. It was a great project and took a couple of days. Two other guys from our community helped me with this project. I have to admit they did most of the work but I was blessed to learn a lot.
Thanks again to everyone who has participated in what God is doing here in St. Bernard and for your support.
Be a blessing,
Matt

God is moving

As many of you know we have been in the process of building what we call the Gathering Place. It has been a long journey for us with many lessons from God along the way. We have learned that for much of our lives we have been taught to depend on ourselves, our initiative, our knowledge, our determination. We were taught that if we put a plan together and work our plan with hard work it will come together and we would be successful. We have learned that these concepts are actually foreign to the scriptures. We have learned that the best laid plans and the hardest work may get you somewhere but it may not be where God wants you. After several years here in New Orleans we have learned a pretty valuable lesson. A lesson of trust and dependence. We have learned about Gods timing, even though we still don't understand it, we know it's not the same as ours. In this course of time we have seen many things happen with the Gathering Place. We have seen many faces and we have been blessed by thousands of people who have all been willing and and had a desire to serve with us here. We have now come to the point in construction that we are in the finishing stages and we could not have done it without the help of all of you who have been such a blessing. WE wish to thank all of you greatly for we appreciate everything you have done. We will be updating our blogspot weekly with new updates and pictures for all of you interested in the completion of the GP and our ministry. Thank you all again.
We are currently working on:

• finishing drywall
• stucco on the front wall (you can see in picture of building)
• Painting begins June 14
  

Grace and Peace to all of you.