MIDWEEK CONNECTION
Greetings Urban Life family,
Last week we received a phone call from someone who was searching for a church. We had none of the things that they were looking for in a church. Unlike times past, the fact that we could not meet their requirements did not discourage us or make us feel like we were lacking in some way.
Instead, a fresh revelation came to us. We didn't have what this person was looking for because that's not what we were placed in Harrisburg to do. We're not here to meet the needs of church searchers. We're here to build people. We're here to build families. We're here to fulfill the great commission. We're here to make disciples of all nations. We're here for the people who have a desire to be part of those things.
Then the Holy Spirit quickened our thoughts with the realization that over the last ten years, we've been more like a ministry training center. But we're not a ministry training center in the clergy sense of training.
We're a FAMILY MINISTRY training center. We're training people to minister to their families, friends, neighbors, coworkers and classmates. Most of the people that we will train will not stand in a pulpit. They will be apostles, pastors, teachers, evangelists and prophets in their homes and neighborhoods. They won't be famous or well known, but they will be effective in their circles of influence. They will be mighty warriors in the Kingdom of God, in everyday life.
After that phone call we updated the official ministry description to read:
"Urban Life is a fellowship and family-ministry training center that meets once a week to instruct and teach Christian Believers how to focus their time and energy on the great commission. We are providing practical ways to make disciples of all nations. However, we begin this effort with our closest relationships.
We encourage in-home gatherings with our families, along with group activities with friends, neighbors and people within our circles of influence. Urban Life provides the tools and training for you to go into your world and change it by allowing the love and power of God to flow through your life every day.
The Urban Life Family Center is dedicated to the restoration of the urban community through the healing of hearts and homes."
This narrative best describes the mission, vision and strategy God has given us in this era in America. After making a serious attempt to start a church, restart a church, and then settling into a weekly outreach from the Pennsylvania United Church Center, we have surrendered to the molding and shaping of the Holy Spirit.
It's amazing to look back over the last 5 years of our weekly ministry from a dining hall and various conference rooms. God simply would not allow us to venture into the traditional or the modern methods of holding church services. So far, we haven't been able to establish a worship team, a children's ministry, a youth ministry, a men's group, a women's group, adult small groups or do any of the things that are supposed to draw people to a church.
Over the last twelve months, it has become very clear that God was not structuring us in the traditional or contemporary understandings of a church. He had obviously drawn very specific people to this ministry and it was obvious that He was drawing us together for something other than what we had in mind.
Why is it important that we talk about these things in this week's email? Mainly because this understanding will bring much unity and agreement as we each discover and lock in to the various roles and responsibilities we will each embrace on the Urban Life Ministry team.
Everyone on our team has had a wealth of experience in life and we believe God wants to tap into those experiences so that you can help us train the next generation and build them up. Many people have huge dreams that involve making money and becoming famous. However, they don't have the internal fortitude to deal with the relationships in their lives. They are still hurting from how they were reared as children. Many don't know their parents and they are strangers to the true ways of God.
We have a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in someone's life through the FAMILY-MINISTRY training center that the Lord has placed in our hands.
Just check out the Urban Life website and you'll find tons of videos that mainly involve marriage, family and relationship issues. When you explore the site and the history of this ministry, it's as if though God was preparing us to become a family-ministry training center all along. We just needed to launch it with the right people at the right time.
So, what's next? We just want you to take some time in personal prayer. Seek God about your role in this training center. Very soon, we want to get together and share more details with everyone.
We're very excited about the holidays and the New Year because God has already given us our Christmas gifts and our New Year's resolution when He sent each and every one of you.
It's all for the harvest,
Chris and Carol Green
