Patrick O'Connell

Tommy Bowman's Song for Community

Tommy Bowman is a gifted songwriter. Moreover, he and I have been on this amazing journey together at Restore and we have worked really hard at trying to determine how Restore can be a difference-maker in our community. 

And so I was thrilled when when we sang his new tune 'Together You and I' about God-community this weekend at Restore. Wow was it powerful. 

The cool part is that Tommy and I are part of this Theology Club that meets at Starbucks every Tuesday AM and we were discussing the Trinity and the fact that God was in community with himself long before he created man. Tommy took the idea and wrote this song. 

You ought to check it out. Better yet, tell your worship leader to do it during service because Tommy will get the royalties and he has a baby due and all.

Seriously, it's a moving song. Check it out here.

Parkville Days Booth

This weekend Restore set-up a booth at Parkville Days Festival along the river in downtown Parkville.

We thought that having a booth would be a great opportunity for us to reachout and connect with the community. Our plan was simple: be present in community, handout free water bottles, and ask people to complete a simple survey. The survey asked them to identify the 'Best of the Best' in our community before asking them for their opinions about its greatest needs.

By the end of the festival Sunday evening we'd given away a total of 1500 bottles of water. Our contributors had some really cool conversations with people while doing handing out the water. And nearly 200 people took our survey. We plan on using this information to begin a formal assessment of our community--more on that later.

I am convinced that it's essential for the church (especially new churches) to listen and dialogue with the community as frequently as possible. 

 

New Small Group!

I was privileged to start leading a new small group on Wednesday evening. Ours is going to be a mixed group. Several of them have been following Jesus for some time while others are still exploring what it means to be a Christ-Follower. 

We began the evening by reviewing some small group guidelines. The guidelines helped us create boundaries for our discussions and identified some goals for the group. Guidelines and/or a covenant are essential to the well-being of any group.

We spent the rest of our time together playing the Penny Game. This simple game is a great way for people to get to know one another. Email me if you want to know how to play.

I am really excited about this new group and look forward to this new journey with them. 

Community is the message

How to alleviate the suspicions people have about of Jesus followers working in the community?

This suspicion is unwarranted because community is the message. We do not have an agenda for power or control; we do not seek privilege; nor do we wish to exclude anyone. And no, we don't anticipate that everyone will come to follow Jesus.

We do claim that:

1. God created us for community.
2. Our community is not the way God planned it to be.
3. God calls us to do our part to restore his original plan for community.
4. God will achieve his dream for community as we love and serve our neighbor, not through manipulation or political power.

I can't state it more clearly. 

Your thoughts?

ServeFest II

We at Restore feel God has called us to be difference-makers in our community. We want to make a real impact in the lives of people.

So we have organized our efforts under Reachout.

This ministry gathers together monthly to serve our community.

Troy has blogged about our latest effort.

Praying Aloud

Another reason church planting has been good for us:

My wife now prays aloud.

Up until our joining this church plant she has flat out refused to do this. But I've been noticing that she's been doing it more and more. Usually she will vascilate. Then we'll have a dialgoue like this; should I pray; I don't want to pray; I should pray; but I don't like praying; maybe I'll pray this once. And then, sometimes, she will pray. Other times she won't.

Sunday night we were gathered with our small group when our leader Cliff asked if anyone would like to pray. Mcuh to my shock Nancy said, "I'll pray," and started.

A year ago Nancy said she would NEVER EVER pray aloud. She told me that being a part of the church plant has changed this.

I guess she's learning that nothing is impossible with God.

Connecting

It has taken a church-plant to show me that my wife Nancy is a natural connector. What I mean is that she has this amazing gift to connect with people and to invite them into relationships. I can read all of the books on the subject and be intentional about relationships, but I will never be as good ash she is. (I am just being honest.) Nancy has a natural talent in this matter that absolutley amazes me. She is open and honest and caring and about as genuine a person as I've ever met. I've always know this about her, but it seems like our move to KC and the church plant has brought this to fruition in her.

Connecting with people is so much of what Jesus us wants us to be about. And now that we are church planters it seems so obvious that God is going to use her ability to connect with people to work his mission. When we first arrived in KC she was openly questioning what she could do to make a difference for Restore. Now it's so obvious.

How do you Hear from God?

How do you hear from God? What kind of answer would you give to an unbeliever?

I ask because we're covering this in our small group curriculum. During a recent discussion we  focused on how we as Christ-followers can claim to hear from God.

So, what would you say? I think it's one of those questions that drive your spiritual direction really.

Here's my list

• Bible
• Prayer
• Meditation
• Music
• Journaling
• Small group
• Serving

What about you? How do you hear from God?

Our Blossoming Small Group

I think our small group is beginning to blossom. Up until this evening there have been four of us. Tonight we were joined by another couple. Next week yet another couple is going to join our group. And there are at least two other couples (and a couple of individuals) we've invited who may yet say yes. And this is all before the official launch of Restore.

Last week I was wondering if anyone would ever come to our group. Tonight, i am convinced that we are going to need to start thinking reproducing our group much sooner than we anticipated.

Was I really expecting anything different? I have been in a small group for most of my spiritual journey. In fact, joining a small group was a huge factor in my spiritual growth. Had I not joined a small group soon after I said yes to Jesus, I would not be writing to you as a church planter today. I get all gigged about small groups. And now that I am church planter I understand how essential they are in helping people find their way back to God.

Matches Anyone?

Two men walk into a bar...

...and this is not a joke.

Josh and I walked into one of the local 'lounges' here in KC. It was just another one of our stops that day.

A blonde waitress behind the counter greeted us with a suspicious smile. Josh handed her a box of matchbooks. In a brief conversation, Josh explained that Restore Community Church was handing out the matches to people in the community. "They're free, he said, "no strings attached. We're simply trying to let the community know that we are here."

"So you're handing these out at bars," a man sitting at the bar said.

It seemed everyone in the bar (there were about 10 people) were focused on us now.

Another man (a different man) reached over and grabbed one of the matchbooks. "You're a church and your handing out matches?"

"That's right. Smokers need God just like anybody else," Josh told him.

"That's pretty cool," the guy says. "What kind of church are you?"

I explained to him that we're a new church in the Northland and that we are passionate about people finding their way back to God.

"Pretty cool," the guys says as he lit another cigarette.

He asked where we would be meeting. I told him that we'd be at the high school starting in March. He said that maybe he would come out and see us because 'everyone needs Jesus.'

The people at the bar started to talk amongst themselves. I heard some laughing but several seemed intrigued that we were from a church.

Josh left his contact information with the bartender and told her that we had more matches and would be happy to bring her as much as she wanted.

And then we were off, to the next bar and the next conversation. Restore printed up 25 boxes of 100 matchbooks each so that's a lot of conversations about Jesus.