Big News...

No, not that big news...still waiting on baby #2. Visited the midwife yesterday for a check-up...Heidi continues to progress, but not quite enough to go into "active labor" - easy for me to say...

This last stretch has been a real journey of trust for us. When Izak was born, we were ready. Her water broke, labor started...we were off. Even with pitocin, we were ready for the intensity. That played to our strengths as individuals and a couple.

Waiting is not a stregnth for either of us...so God is allowing us to be tested. Thank you, God, for opportunities to grow in trust and patience...sometimes easier said than done...

Last night I met with the church board to talk about some incredible directions for our church. First, they voted to allocate some of my time to lead the 20-something minsitry here. This is the first step toward developing an "emerging church" within this church - one step at a time. As a part of this proposal, they also agreed to hire a part-time Ministry Assistant, who will parter with me in charting a course for young adults. I'm excited about this next step for several reasons...

1) it gets us, as a church, talking about great things - how to continue to be relevant in a changing culture...

2) it will allow me to grow as a communicator, since I'll be the primary teacher for Catalyst (the worship gathering for young adults). The best way to grow as a communicator is to do it...here we go...

The board also affirmed the direction that I'm going in planting a church (actually, planting churchES) in the city of Buffao. Right now, I'm working with a team of people to explore the best ways for Hamburg Wesleyan to take those next steps.

A recent development on that front is a potential partnership with a group who is also planting on the westside of the city. Bethlehem Church (link to a blog by pastor Eric Amundson) actually "died" a few months ago and will be "resurrected" as a new worshipping community. It's pretty exciting. We'll see what God is up to in bringing us both to the table with similar visions.

Well, if I write much more, I'll lose my blogging license for boring you to death. Some pretty cool stuff is coming together.

Peace,

Matt