Free turkeys, big smiles

Children,Christianity,Multi-ethnic,Outreach,Pastor Kurt,Renaissance Church — PastorKurt on November 24, 2009 at 11:25 am

We had a great time this weekend distributing turkeys and groceries to under-resourced families in the Charlotte area.  We were able to serve 11 families (over 60 people).  Many told us that they were desperate, wondering where the money was going to come from to pay for a family celebration this Thanksgiving.   We are so glad that we were able to help meet their physical needs in the name of our Savior.  We also had the opportunity to minister the love, life, and hope of Jesus Christ to every family.  Many received prayer.  Several Bibles were given away.

I want to offer sincere thanks to all of you who made this Renaissance outreach possible.   Thanks to our volunteers.  Thank you again to those of you who gave.  And thanks to Nova*s Bakery for donating fresh bread.

I’m thankful for so many things this Thanksgiving.  Having the privilege of witnessing so many smiles this weekend is one of them.  Happy Thanksgiving.

Renaissance goes BANANAS !!

Children,Multi-ethnic,Outreach,Renaissance Church — admin on October 2, 2009 at 7:25 pm

Renaissance Church having fun at Monkey Joe's

Renaissance Church was hopping today.  Bouncing all over the place.  Going bananas.

Yes, I’m talking about our day at Monkey Joe’s.

The children we sponsored all had a great time.  Thanks to those of you who made it possible through your generosity of time and resources (including the folks at Monkey Joe’s).

Just another day of expressing our faith through love!

For lots more pictures (on Facebook), Click here

Report from camp – signs of God’s grace

Children,Multi-ethnic,Outreach,Prayer,Renaissance Church — admin on August 23, 2009 at 6:43 pm

RainbowatCamp

The fun and excitement of our first Mega Sports Camp is over.  What a week!  God’s love touched 45 children and their parents.  Several made decisions to follow Jesus Christ.  And everyone had a lot of fun!

We received so much great feedback from the children and parents.  This was just the beginning of what God wants to do in our neighborhoods in south Charlotte.

Thanks again to our wonderful friends at the Vietnamese Christian Assembly of God who helped us so much.  And to our wonderful volunteers – Katie, Rod, Cindy, Chuck, and Gloria.  This camp simply would not have happened without all of you.

Notice the double rainbow in the picture above?  It seems almost every day of camp, the skies threatened rain.  People would call every evening asking, “Are we having camp?  It looks like it’s going to rain.”  We were determine to have camp, even if it poured.  But it never did.  A couple of nights it sprinkled briefly, but each time we prayed that God would hold back the rain – at least over Archdale park.  And every night camp went off without a hitch.  The double rainbow seems like a visual confirmation of God’s blessing on our efforts.  After all, Jesus told us, “Whoever welcomes a little child in my name, welcomes me.”

Click the link below to see all the photos from camp on our Renaissance Church facebook group:

http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?oid=91017415714&view=user#/photo_search.php?oid=91017415714&view=all

MEGA Sports Camp is underway!

Children,Multi-ethnic,Outreach,Renaissance Church — admin on August 11, 2009 at 1:45 pm

Last night was a great start to the MEGA Sports Camp. Basketball, soccer, and cheerleading were big hits with the kids.

4 more big nights!

I am Grill Master

Multi-ethnic,Pastor Kurt — admin on July 9, 2009 at 5:15 pm

I love to grill.

Not just hamburgers. All kinds of stuff. I’ve grilled Korean,
Persian, Brazilian, Moroccan, Pakistani, Italian, Jamaican, you name it.

I only use charcoal. No lighter fluid. I’m a purist. It just tastes better.

Got a favorite grilling recipe? Share it!

Disclosure: I get a lot of my best recipes from The Barbeque Bible by
Steve Raichlen. Great, great book.

Vigor Potty?

Christianity,Multi-ethnic,Outreach,Pastor Kurt — admin on June 24, 2009 at 6:40 pm

We got a good chuckle out of this yogurt we found for sale in Brazil.

It’s a good reminder that when you are working cross-culturally, things aren’t always as they seem. What makes perfect sense to a person from one culture, seems totally inappropriate to someone from another.
Renaissance Church is going to be truly multi-cultural. So I’ m sure we’ll have plenty of opportunities to work through issues like this.
And after we’ve come to a mutual understanding… then we can laugh!
Paul is the Bible’s greatest example of ministering cross-culturally. He teaches us to never change the message of the gospel, but to be willing to do just about anything else to help people know Jesus. The fewer cultural barriers someone has to jump over to meet the Jesus we are preaching, the easier it is for them to come to Christ.
What can you do to bridge the cultural divide between yourself and a friend or coworker?
Pray about that. When you get an answer, go do it.
One things I’m doing is learning Spanish. I learned French as a youth – and that has served me well. It has allowed me to minister effectively in France and Quebec (and hopefully someday in French-speaking Africa). But in Charlotte, the language I most need besides English is Spanish. There are many unchurched Spanish speakers near our future church location. Someone needs to reach them.
Sign me up for whatever it takes.

Everyone deserves a chance to hear

Christianity,Multi-ethnic,Outreach — admin on May 22, 2009 at 6:14 pm

I’ve been thinking about the people in our society that haven’t had the opportunity to hear the amazing Good News of Jesus Christ.

Last Thanksgiving, we were presented with an amazing opportunity.  Seven visitors from a very closed country were visiting Charlotte on official business, and expressed a desire to experience a traditional American Thanksgiving.   When Marla and I heard that, our first thought was how difficult and stressful the holiday would become if we hosted them.  But then we thought about how, in their home country, they had zero chance of ever hearing the Gospel.  It simply is not allowed.  If they were ever going to hear, it would have to be now.  That thought was so compelling, we accepted.   Seven guests from a very different culture, plus their two chaperones.
We are very comfortable with people from other cultures, having travelled a lot.  But we were apprehensive.  We didn’t know these people and had no idea what to expect.
It turned out to be an awesome experience.  Our guests were charming, and very appreciative for the invitation.  Before we ate, I explained the Christian origins of our nation and the first Thanksgivings.  Our guests were very interested.  They even directed the discussion towards spiritual subjects during dinner.  Before dessert, I shared a clear Gospel message.
No one made a public declaration of faith.  Even if they had wanted to, it would not have been possible among their peers.  But for one evening, we had the opportunity to show sacrificial love, and share good food, gracious conversation, and the Best News in the Whole World.
They heard.  They experienced Jesus’ unconditional love from one family who loves Him.  We’ll keep praying for our new friends, and the Holy Spirit will take it from here.
Such people are all around us, even in America.  You don’t have to go overseas.
We need to care about them enough to strike up a conversation with them.  To listen.  To become their friend.  To share life with them.  To earn the right to be heard.
Because everyone deserves a chance to hear.
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