...and with that, we're on the web!
It's almost like the home of our dreams magically appeared on our block, ready to move in. And so, here it is: a great new website. But is it just that? Is it only a website? Can it be more?
This is FUEL on the web; our vision being lived out in the digital universe. Not a static site, but a place to connect in new, innovative ways. A means of reaching out, of finding common ground, and coming together through that common ground.
But in order for this to be effective-if we are to use this as a means for reaching out, it must be alive and vibrant. Reaching out requires movement. Movement requires life. Life requires you, FUEL Students, becoming an ACTIVE PART of www.fuelstudentministries.cc, and actively interacting with this blog.
Let's put FUEL on the map-physically, and digitally!
Friday, November 2, 2007
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Live The Vision
Kerman, Ca. is a small rural farming community located near Fresno, Ca. and in the center of the San Joaquin Valley. The soil of this valley is some of the most fertile to be found and a mainstay for the agriculture industry of our nation and world. Greater still is the fact that it is home to Pentecostal Tabernacle of Kerman. This assembly has been home to great apostolic leaders such as Elder Paul Price – Former District Supt., Randy Keyes –Asst. General Supt. of the U.P.C.I., Jerry Jones – General Secretary of the U.P.C.I., Rick Keyes – District Secretary of the Western Dist. U.P.C.I. and Nathaniel Wilson – Pastor of Rock Church, Sacramento Ca. Kerman’s’ impact, although small and unknown, has affected generations and thousands of souls. The history of Pentecostal Tabernacle is one that humbles me as I serve the congregation as current pastor. What I have just brought to your attention is a brief summary of the past accomplishments of the congregation I pastor and as some would say, “Our Claim to Fame”. It is the living testimony to the effort and prayer of prior generations and their legacy left for us to enjoy. Sadly enough, this is where too many apostolic congregations choose to dwell. We always talk about the past and the great warriors who grew up in our midst. The purpose of this article is to challenge every church and subsequent ministry to move beyond yesterday’s victories and into living your present vision. By this I mean that you stop depending on prior generations to validate your apostolic existence. Step forward in faith and then go to work bringing your vision to life! As Paul Harvey would say, “…and here is the rest of the story”.
Seven years ago when I became pastor I began to challenge our church and youth to think and plan bigger than our size and location. I truly believe God’s people can accomplish anything! After many struggles, hard work, prayer and sacrifice the vision began to live. It did not start with a vision that benefited us but rather the world at large. In 2006, we determined to make a difference through the Sheaves for Christ program sponsored by the General Youth Division of the U.P.C. I. Our whole church caught the vision and we gave over $21,000.00 dollars and ultimately were classified as the top giver for SFC in the Western District. With this offering God helped to change our mindset regarding the ability to make a great difference. You see the church in Kerman, Ca. does not have 1000 members. No, not even 500 or 250 or 150. When everyone is present there are around 80 – 100. Trust me when I say it has been too long since we saw 100! This is what changed our mindset and hopefully will inspire every small to mid-sized apostolic church in North America. There is more yet to come…keep on reading.
The Lord spoke to us on many occasions promising to reward our sacrifice for souls around the world. We kept praying, preaching, working and waiting. Then in April of 2007, after a great night at the Western District Youth Convention where two of our own received the Holy Ghost and one was baptized, a dream was born. Our young people and youth committee determined to come home and build a youth chapel. They asked permission to use an area that was slated for future expansion of the existing main sanctuary. I gave permission thinking this would be like most other ideas…long on vision but short on reality. These young people and their committed leaders had a dream and a location but NO MONEY! Remember…we gave it all away. They determined to each give a small amount to pay for the disposal of trash that would be created in the demolition of walls in their specified area. This resulted in a grand total of $ 75.00! Not much, but little is much when God is in it. They scheduled the Saturday for work to begin. Faith and willing hands was all they had. Then…the night before demolition they discovered it was FREE DUMP DAY for our city. There would be no cost to dispose of the debris if they only had the demolition complete. What to do? They rallied the troops and came to the church on Friday night and tore out all the walls, carpet, etc. and prepared to take advantage of the Free Dump Day. At this point they were faced with what to do with the money they had saved. Do you know what they did? I will tell you, that is part of the story. I was out of town and when I returned on Saturday evening they were all at the church painting. Yes…they felt God had given opportunity to stretch their money to match their faith and knew that faith without works was dead. They were living their vision.
While they were living their vision the church entered into six weeks of revival, vision casting and organization. This was accomplished through my support and the anointed ministry and experience of the Nathaniel Rios family. The Rios’ are experienced youth ministry visionaries who couple their calling with incredible amounts of physical labor.
Their experience with youth and the construction of youth chapels at other locations proved invaluable. The Rios’ are not only anointed but also extremely talented. I believe this was a key element in the accomplishment of the vision. (Don’t ever hesitate to use the gifting and talents of specialized ministries from outside your local congregation) With their help and resources the plans were drawn, material list created and cost projections established. The cost projection for the first of three phases was an additional $10, 000.00 dollars and the youth had already spent their seed money on paint. WE NEEDED A MIRACLE! The vision had been cast, faith implemented and sacrifice made…resulting in an open area approximately 30’x 45’ with wall and ceiling colors of black, red, yellow and blue. The floor was painted a dark gray. By the way, all this had transpired and none of the adults had even seen it. It was a top secret project! Nonetheless, it was here that we had to trust God to be not only the author but also the finisher of our faith. Our youth fund was depleted and the project still in the infancy stage.
From this place of question and seeming impossible task of completion Bro. Rios challenged us to take our vision to the city itself. A vision letter and contribution form was created and began to be shared with local businesses and business owners. One young man from the church works for a local construction company and after my meeting with the owner, an appointment was arranged for the employee to present our project to the C.F.O. of the company. The presentation letter offered different levels of sponsorship that related to time, benefits and financial requirements. These terms ranged from 1year to lifetime and required a $500 – 10,000.00 dollar contribution. In exchange for their contribution we offered to publish their names as sponsors of every community project hosted by our youth ministry. This information was presented to the local company and the waiting game began to play out. Approximately one week later on Sunday night, while closing our service around the altar, I felt prompted to allow our whole congregation to buy into the vision. In just a few minutes time we raised $ 2,800.00 dollars for the project. The church and youth rejoiced. We were living the vision together and now we could move forward. All the while we were anticipating a response from the local construction based on a commitment to help in some form. After service I told our youth that because the church had invested in the vision, NOW we would get our response from the community. Then came Monday morning and my phone was ringing. It was the young man from the church informing me he had just received instruction to go to their company office and pick up a check for our project. I could tell he was quite excited and I asked him what amount they had contributed. He said, “The whole thing, all of phase one”. I said, “You’re kidding me…REALLY?” He replied, “No kidding…I’m going to pick up a check for $10,000.00 dollars! We could hardly believe it. Our very first corporate sponsor had donated enough money to complete the entire first phase of our vision. God had multiplied a vision, $75.00 dollars, and steps of faith into $12,800.00 dollars.
From there everything was a flurry of activity. Everyone kicked into high gear, some literally working around the clock. Bro. and Sis. Rios put in 12 and 14 hour days. The youth of the church worked like soldiers. Elder saints encouraged and supported. I saw more unity on this project than any other in my seven years as pastor. There is a spiritual magnetism when you began to live the vision. You cannot just talk about vision…you must live it! Thirty-five days from our corporate sponsor’s donation we had our first service in the new youth center. The center is equipped with a stage for musicians and speakers, stage lights, sound system, computer stations, gaming centers and 50 chairs. Phase two will implement a full coffee bar as well as musical instruments dedicated to this ministry alone. The décor, vintage gasoline and automotive industry signs, is specifically related to the chapels official name, “Fuel Station”. All of this operates under the legal entity, “Fuel Student Ministries”. The “Fuel Station” serves as the gathering place for all of our youth events and Sunday School class.
We are now working diligently to live our vision through multiple venues which are aggressively marketed to the public. These events will be relevant to this generation’s youth but always remain apostolic. Methods can change but the message of truth and all related righteous principles must forever remain. I believe that we must be relevant to our generation and be on the cutting-edge related to technique; however, we must be careful not to fall over the edge and move from righteousness into recklessness. We pray that our “Fuel Station” will become the desired gathering place for the youth of our city every time the doors are open.
What is the moral of this story? Was it just to testify of our miracle? No, the moral of the story is this: If God did this for us, a small group willing to live their vision; he will do it for you too! In parting I have to ask you a question. What is your vision and are you living it yet? If not, don’t wait on God to show up before you start…He is waiting on you!
Seven years ago when I became pastor I began to challenge our church and youth to think and plan bigger than our size and location. I truly believe God’s people can accomplish anything! After many struggles, hard work, prayer and sacrifice the vision began to live. It did not start with a vision that benefited us but rather the world at large. In 2006, we determined to make a difference through the Sheaves for Christ program sponsored by the General Youth Division of the U.P.C. I. Our whole church caught the vision and we gave over $21,000.00 dollars and ultimately were classified as the top giver for SFC in the Western District. With this offering God helped to change our mindset regarding the ability to make a great difference. You see the church in Kerman, Ca. does not have 1000 members. No, not even 500 or 250 or 150. When everyone is present there are around 80 – 100. Trust me when I say it has been too long since we saw 100! This is what changed our mindset and hopefully will inspire every small to mid-sized apostolic church in North America. There is more yet to come…keep on reading.
The Lord spoke to us on many occasions promising to reward our sacrifice for souls around the world. We kept praying, preaching, working and waiting. Then in April of 2007, after a great night at the Western District Youth Convention where two of our own received the Holy Ghost and one was baptized, a dream was born. Our young people and youth committee determined to come home and build a youth chapel. They asked permission to use an area that was slated for future expansion of the existing main sanctuary. I gave permission thinking this would be like most other ideas…long on vision but short on reality. These young people and their committed leaders had a dream and a location but NO MONEY! Remember…we gave it all away. They determined to each give a small amount to pay for the disposal of trash that would be created in the demolition of walls in their specified area. This resulted in a grand total of $ 75.00! Not much, but little is much when God is in it. They scheduled the Saturday for work to begin. Faith and willing hands was all they had. Then…the night before demolition they discovered it was FREE DUMP DAY for our city. There would be no cost to dispose of the debris if they only had the demolition complete. What to do? They rallied the troops and came to the church on Friday night and tore out all the walls, carpet, etc. and prepared to take advantage of the Free Dump Day. At this point they were faced with what to do with the money they had saved. Do you know what they did? I will tell you, that is part of the story. I was out of town and when I returned on Saturday evening they were all at the church painting. Yes…they felt God had given opportunity to stretch their money to match their faith and knew that faith without works was dead. They were living their vision.
While they were living their vision the church entered into six weeks of revival, vision casting and organization. This was accomplished through my support and the anointed ministry and experience of the Nathaniel Rios family. The Rios’ are experienced youth ministry visionaries who couple their calling with incredible amounts of physical labor.
Their experience with youth and the construction of youth chapels at other locations proved invaluable. The Rios’ are not only anointed but also extremely talented. I believe this was a key element in the accomplishment of the vision. (Don’t ever hesitate to use the gifting and talents of specialized ministries from outside your local congregation) With their help and resources the plans were drawn, material list created and cost projections established. The cost projection for the first of three phases was an additional $10, 000.00 dollars and the youth had already spent their seed money on paint. WE NEEDED A MIRACLE! The vision had been cast, faith implemented and sacrifice made…resulting in an open area approximately 30’x 45’ with wall and ceiling colors of black, red, yellow and blue. The floor was painted a dark gray. By the way, all this had transpired and none of the adults had even seen it. It was a top secret project! Nonetheless, it was here that we had to trust God to be not only the author but also the finisher of our faith. Our youth fund was depleted and the project still in the infancy stage.
From this place of question and seeming impossible task of completion Bro. Rios challenged us to take our vision to the city itself. A vision letter and contribution form was created and began to be shared with local businesses and business owners. One young man from the church works for a local construction company and after my meeting with the owner, an appointment was arranged for the employee to present our project to the C.F.O. of the company. The presentation letter offered different levels of sponsorship that related to time, benefits and financial requirements. These terms ranged from 1year to lifetime and required a $500 – 10,000.00 dollar contribution. In exchange for their contribution we offered to publish their names as sponsors of every community project hosted by our youth ministry. This information was presented to the local company and the waiting game began to play out. Approximately one week later on Sunday night, while closing our service around the altar, I felt prompted to allow our whole congregation to buy into the vision. In just a few minutes time we raised $ 2,800.00 dollars for the project. The church and youth rejoiced. We were living the vision together and now we could move forward. All the while we were anticipating a response from the local construction based on a commitment to help in some form. After service I told our youth that because the church had invested in the vision, NOW we would get our response from the community. Then came Monday morning and my phone was ringing. It was the young man from the church informing me he had just received instruction to go to their company office and pick up a check for our project. I could tell he was quite excited and I asked him what amount they had contributed. He said, “The whole thing, all of phase one”. I said, “You’re kidding me…REALLY?” He replied, “No kidding…I’m going to pick up a check for $10,000.00 dollars! We could hardly believe it. Our very first corporate sponsor had donated enough money to complete the entire first phase of our vision. God had multiplied a vision, $75.00 dollars, and steps of faith into $12,800.00 dollars.
From there everything was a flurry of activity. Everyone kicked into high gear, some literally working around the clock. Bro. and Sis. Rios put in 12 and 14 hour days. The youth of the church worked like soldiers. Elder saints encouraged and supported. I saw more unity on this project than any other in my seven years as pastor. There is a spiritual magnetism when you began to live the vision. You cannot just talk about vision…you must live it! Thirty-five days from our corporate sponsor’s donation we had our first service in the new youth center. The center is equipped with a stage for musicians and speakers, stage lights, sound system, computer stations, gaming centers and 50 chairs. Phase two will implement a full coffee bar as well as musical instruments dedicated to this ministry alone. The décor, vintage gasoline and automotive industry signs, is specifically related to the chapels official name, “Fuel Station”. All of this operates under the legal entity, “Fuel Student Ministries”. The “Fuel Station” serves as the gathering place for all of our youth events and Sunday School class.
We are now working diligently to live our vision through multiple venues which are aggressively marketed to the public. These events will be relevant to this generation’s youth but always remain apostolic. Methods can change but the message of truth and all related righteous principles must forever remain. I believe that we must be relevant to our generation and be on the cutting-edge related to technique; however, we must be careful not to fall over the edge and move from righteousness into recklessness. We pray that our “Fuel Station” will become the desired gathering place for the youth of our city every time the doors are open.
What is the moral of this story? Was it just to testify of our miracle? No, the moral of the story is this: If God did this for us, a small group willing to live their vision; he will do it for you too! In parting I have to ask you a question. What is your vision and are you living it yet? If not, don’t wait on God to show up before you start…He is waiting on you!
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