“But forget all that — it is nothing compared to what I’m GOING to do. For I am about to do a brand new thing. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness for my people to come home. I will create rivers for them in the desert!” — Isaiah 43:18-19
That was the Scripture I read out of my New Living Translation – One Year Chronological Bible 6 years ago when God confirmed the calling in my heart to plant Element Church in Cheyenne. And last night, there we were…standing in a conference room of a bank in Wheatland, WY seeing the beginning of a “brand new thing” again. That Scriptural promise is something I pray for our church every week. “Lord, do a BRAND NEW THING!” I don’t want what happened last year, last month or last week to be what happens all the time. I’m praying for God to do BRAND NEW THINGS! Amen?
Last night we held our first “official” informational meeting in Wheatland to talk about the eventual launch of our Element Wheatland Campus in January of 2013. We didn’t have any idea what to expect. We didn’t know if one family would show up, or none. When we started Element in Cheyenne, it wasn’t until our 2nd or 3rd small group meeting that someone NOT on our original team came. I remember seeing that one person walk up to our door and could hardly contain my excitement. I felt the same thing last night.
About 10 minutes till 6 pm, people started slowly walking through the door. One family, then another. One individual and the next. By the time 6 PM rolled around and we kicked off our meeting, we had 24 people there (not counting Element staff) that were curious about this thing called Element Church. A few already attend Element in Cheyenne and will be a part of starting Element in Wheatland. Most of them, we had never seen before. PRAISE GOD!
I took a few minutes to talk about the mission and vision of Element, introduced our campus pastor to the people and let him share his testimony, heart and passion. We then opened it up for some questions. It was an AWESOME time of just talking about God’s mission, how Element plays a role in that, and how that role can fit in Wheatland.
The COOLEST thing about last night, I didn’t even realize until today. Yesterday was January 10th. Well, it was January 10th of 2006 that I read these words in the book The Barbarian Way: “We look to Jesus not to fulfill our shallow longings or to provide for us creature comforts. We look to Him to lead us where He needs us most and where we can accomplish (Him) the most good.”
Those words WRECKED my heart that day. I believe they were the genesis of Element Church. I committed that day in 2006 to pray every day “Lord put me where I can do you the most good.” It was through that prayer that God called my heart to Cheyenne, and ultimately now, our church to Wheatland. Yesterday, six years ago to the DAY, God started another BRAND NEW THING, and I believe is putting us where we can do HIM the most good. SO cool! To GOD be the glory!
Till the end,
Jeff
