Element Church Insider

Well, in celebrating Element Church’s one year anniversary, we wanted to honor Pastor Jeff as a staff so I (Terri) hacked into Jeff’s blog so that you could all read what we REALLY think about Pastor Jeff! Here is what the staff has to say about Jeff and his leadership:

Pam:

Sometimes when you know someone from a distance (as in a church goer/pastor) you have a lot of respect for that person, and then you get to know them better.  In getting to know them better, you find that your distant relationship was better because the person you now know is not any where near the person you thought they were.  Well, with Jeff, I knew him from a distance.  I respected him, I felt convicted and uplifted by his sermons.  Then I started to work at the office and I have gotten to know him better.  And I have to tell you, my respect has only grown for him.  He really does live what he preaches.  The side we see Sunday morning is the way he is all the time.  His sermons still convict and uplift me, and so does his daily walk.  Thank  you Jeff, for being a true man of God.

Curtis:

Pastor Jeff Maness… simply a name on a church website 14 months ago.  Now, he’s a pastor, a mentor, a friend, and a brother for me and my family. Working with/for Jeff this past year has been the best church experience I have ever had! Because of Jeff, I’m a better husband, a better father, a better pastor, and a better Christian. The things that I’ve learned about church planting, preaching, and leadership have blessed me so tremendously that I told Heather this past week that I feel like God put us in the Air Force and brought us to Cheyenne just to be a part of Element Church!  I have the utmost respect for you Jeff, I believe in what God is doing through you, and I absolutely love being on your team.  Any time you feel called to
battle, I will be your armor bearer.  I am with you heart and soul.

Grant:

Like I put in a previous blog- “do all that you have in mind. I am with you heart and soul”

Adam:

This last year getting to know Jeff has been a journey.  Prior to element I didn’t know Jeff all that well.  I was nervous going through the process of working side by side with someone I barely knew, with different church backgrounds and even preferences, but God helped us.  Jeff and I became great friends very fast.  Not only has he been just a friend but one of those guys that pushes me to that next level over and over again.   His leadership blows my mind and has expanded me into who I am today.  Jeff thanks for not being afraid to dream.

Katie:

I have had the privilege of being under Jeff’s leadership for almost two years now and I have been so blessed to have such a fearless leader. Rare is the leader who faces things head-on every time. He’s always respectful, he’s always concerned about the people, and he’s always submitted to God. No matter how easy or how difficult the situation is, Jeff always holds to his principles. Paul said, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” What an honor it is to follow Jeff as he follows Christ.

Andy:

When I think about Jeff Maness there are a whole plethora of adjectives that come to mind.  Like funny, awesome, smelly, these are just a few of the things I think about Jeff Maness.  In all seriousness I would not be in the pastoral ministry if it were not for Jeff Maness.  As my youth pastor from 8th grade through graduation he gave me spiritual direction.  He pushed me, and challenged me to be the man of God that I am called to be.  He wasn’t simply a youth pastor, he was a friend to me, and now more than ever he is a friend that I deeply love and respect. As I sit here and try to come up with one word to describe Jeff, I simply cannot do it.  I think one of the best compliments in all of scripture is the way that God describes Job.  “A man that fears God and shuns evil”.  When I think of Jeff Maness, this is the phrase that comes to mind.

Terri:

It has truly been a pleasure to work with Jeff these last couple of years. Not only do I enjoy my job, but I enjoy the people I work with and it all begins with Jeff’s leadership. He is an incredible man of God who truly “practices what he preaches” and pursues to live a godly life. He has challenged me to get out of my comfort zone, pursue God with all that I am and truly live life! Not only does he lead an exemplary life at the office, but he carries that in to all aspects of life. He truly loves his wife and kids. He loves other churches in the community. He serves in the community. And in addition to all of this- He is hilarious! We have so much fun and laughter in our office and it usually begins with Jeff.  Jeff, you are so funny! (he paid me to say that-LOL) Thanks for being the great leader that you are and have become. It is an honor to work with and for you!

So there you go-our thoughts on Pastor Jeff! I hope I still have a job tomorrow!

HOLY COW!  What a day.  We didn’t let on to much we were doing today for a reason but the anticipation on the team and in the office was finally realized today.  It’s amazing that one year ago I was blogging about 200 people showing up at church on our launch day.  As I watched the testimonies and highlights of the year I can’t believe what we fit into one year as a church.  I don’t even know where to begin in talking about today or this past year.  Can’t begin to thank all the people who make Element happen.  Here are my ruminations on the day.

— 507 in attendance.  CRAZY!

— 2 months ago as we were praying and planning for our anniversary Sunday we wanted to be able to give something to YOU the people of Element Church to honor you.  Doing what we did today didn’t cross our minds until Grant brought it up well into our discussion.  We all IMMEDIATELY loved the idea and began praying about it.  We felt it was what God wanted us to do so today we did another Element Gives Back and gave away $10,000 in varying increments back to the church. I want generosity to be a character trait of our church and I want to trust God COMPLETELY when he asks us to do whatever He wants with his money.

— If you got money, remember you can’t spend it on yourself or put it back in the offering.  You need to pray about what God wants you to do to pay it forward.  Go to www.elementgivesback.com to post your story about what you did with your money.  Be creative.  Combine money with friends and family.  Go out and make a difference.

— We had wedding cake today to celebrate our anniversary. That was fun.

— The name for our day today was The Vow.  We all wore t-shirts that said “Live The Vow” on them.  I wrote a vow and it became my sermon as I answered the question “What do I want said of us?”  You can download the vow HERE.

— I brought Pam, Terri and Katie up on stage to honor them for all their hard work with the team.  Gave them some gifts.  Thank you ladies for ALL your hard work.

— I then brought the pastoral staff up on the platform.  None of them knew I was doing this.  I preached a sermon back in March on Jonathan and his armor bearer from 1 Samuel 14.  I talked about having the heart of a warrior and advancing in spite of the setting.  I feel like these 4 men have been my armor bearers all year.  I could think of nothing more than to get them something that symbolizes our fight in the Kingdom.  Each of them received a Braveheart style sword, a wall mount and a plaque to go with it.  I wouldn’t want any other 4 guys serving with me than them.  AMAZING!

— I was moved to tears a few times today.

— Worship sounded amazing.

— The three testimonies we watched were awesome.  I’ll get them online as soon as I can.   So cool to hear peoples stories of what God has done for them and what Element Church meant to them.

— Love peoples reaction to Element Gives Back.  That will never get old and I pray we NEVER stop doing it.

— One person I didn’t honor today with a gift but is the most valuauble person on my team is my wife.  I CANNOT imagine this whole thing without her.  I told her when we got home “I hope you realize that you mean more to me than any one of the people on my team!”  She is an unbelievable wife, mom and pastors wife.  Not many wives will just pick up and move when their husband said “God is calling me.”  She hasn’t wavered.  I love you Sabrina!

— Ok, that’s about it.  I’ll get the vids up tonight hopefully.  You guys ROCK!  Can’t wait to see what year two has for us.

Following Christ,

Jeff