I’m so proud of our Renaissance Church folks for how they gave, served, and ministered to over 100 folks over Thanksgiving.

We delivered all the groceries for a complete Thanksgiving feast to the homes of families who needed a helping hand for the holidays.  We also delivered a lot of warm smiles, and shared a lot of hugs.  We were able to pray with almost everyone we served. Our volunteers did a great job ministering to our new friends.

Renaissance Church kids hand-decorated gift bags to distribute to the children of the families we served.  There were all kinds of cool things inside the bags, but I think the best part was the love that was conveyed on the outside.

Thank you to everyone who took part!

Some wonderful volunteers

"Some real Renaissance men"

What great time we had at Church@theLake!  The weather was beautiful, and everyone had a blast relaxing, swimming, and canoeing.

We shared a nice meal together, and then listened to the Word of God, along with some great worship led by Marla and Anitra.  Perhaps the highlight for me was getting to baptize two more precious folks.

To see a lot more pictures, visit our Renaissance Church group on Facebook.  (And if you haven’t joined our group, why not do it now?)

We were about 80 people, and such a beautifully diverse group (including people who hail from 5 of the 6 inhabited continents!)

Did you attend Church@theLake?  Leave a comment below and tell us what you thought.

Listening to the Word of God after lunch

The first reason is obedience.  Jesus commanded his church to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19)  In the book of Acts, the church followed this pattern:  the good news about Jesus was proclaimed; those who repented and believed in Jesus were then baptized.  So, if you’ve made a decision to follow Christ and put Him at the center of your life, trusting in Him for your salvation, you should get baptized.  For many, their baptism serves as a “stake in ground” that serves as a reference point for their faith – a physical act that marks their decision for Christ, and salvation received by grace through faith.

Baptism is also a public ceremony that declares your identification Jesus Christ, and symbolizes your allegiance with Him in His death and resurrection.  Our Christian faith is not meant to be a “personal matter” to be kept secret. Rather, we unashamedly identify with Christ’s death and resurrection, and testify to the new life that we now have in Christ.  By going down into the water we are symbolizing the “death” of our old self.  Coming out of the water represents our new life in Jesus Christ.

Now let’s deal with a couple of common misconceptions:

1.  Baptism is not a means to join a church.  I’ve heard stories of people moving to a new church and being asked to get baptized again… simply because, “Well, you haven’t been baptized by us.”  Baptism is not about church membership.  It is, in part, a ceremony to celebrate new membership in the Church, the Body of Christ universal.  But there’s no need to get baptized again because you have changed churches.
2.  Baptism is not the means of salvation.  It is a beautiful visual picture of your salvation.  You should get baptized when you become a Christian, as discussed above.  But it is not absolutely necessary.  The thief who died on a cross next to Jesus apparently repented of his sin and trusted in Christ, but he did not get baptized.  And yet, Jesus said to him, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.”  (Luke 23:39-43)

Got more questions about baptism?  Or about becoming a Christian?  Ask them here by replying to this post, or email me directly.

Being with our three kids reminded me how thankful I am that we were born in this wonderful country with such a godly Christian heritage.  But there is still much work to be done for the Kingdom of God.  So many of our friends and neighbors still need to know Jesus Christ!

Last week I attended the Multiplying Churches Globally seminar hosted by missions agency Reach Global.   I enjoyed meeting a bunch of people who are deeply devoted to Jesus and committed to making Him known in every corner of the world.  Since I’m not a foreign missionary, I got asked “Why are you here?” a few times.  Answer:  To become more effective in making Jesus known in my little corner of the world:  Charlotte, NC.

People from different backgrounds are discovering that special sense of unity that comes when we worship together, share life together, and serve one another in the name of Christ.  It’s beautiful.  I love it.  I’m thankful that I get to be a part of it.

A Christ-centered spiritual community is not exclusive, like a club, but rather open.  We not only welcome newcomers, we seek them out! We want others to experience the blessings of a life-giving community, and especially the joy we are finding in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

On May 1, the Sunday after Easter, Renaissance Church will be baptizing new believers in a joint service with the Vietnamese Christian Assembly of God.

It’s a great occasion to celebrate as several folks from Renaissance will be bearing witness to their new life in Jesus Christ.

The meeting will be held at the Vietnamese Church, 4525 EAST WT HARRIS BLVD.   Pastor Kurt Johnson of Renaissance Church wil be preaching to both congregations, followed by the baptisms.  Lunch will be served after the service.

Please contact Pastor Kurt if you have any questions or would like to discuss being baptized.

Have you ever felt like that?

God doesn’t need us to speak to Him in fancy words.  He loves it when we call out to Him.

My 6 month old daughter started saying “Da-da” recently.  Let me tell, it melted this daddy’s heart. I didn’t correct her pronunciation, or rebuke her for not being eloquent enough.  No, I was thrilled.  Those two little syllables got my attention because they came from my precious daughter!   One word from her, and I’ll give her anything she needs!

John Wimber used to say that one of his favorite prayers was, “HELP!”       Been there, done that.

If it comes from the heart, our heavenly Father hears.  A few simple words touch His heart.  He’s a proud Papa, who loves us dearly.  He understands our weaknesses.

As we grow in our relationship with God, we’ll probably start sounding a little more “grown-up” when we pray.  Just know that wherever we are in our walk with God, it delights Him whenever open our hearts to Him in prayer.

Volunteers delivered turkey and groceries to 16  families for Thanksgiving.  That’s over 90 smiles that were a little brighter because of the love of God demonstrated in a practical way.

We love the personal touch we can offer through this form of service:

1.  All the families we served were connected to us through relationships of people associated with Renaissance Church.    We get to know people on a personal level, because we hear their stories of hardship.  And there is the possibility of further relationship.

2.  Delivering the food to the home offers dignity, love, and a personal touch to those receiving.

3.  Opportunities for ministry abounded.  We prayed with almost every family.  Many Bibles were distributed.  Kids from church even included hand-made cards in the basket of goodies.

4.  It’s true: ‘Tis the greater blessing to give than receive.  Those who served and gave were deeply impacted by the experience.  I know I was.

An act of practical loving kindness speaks volumes.  And nothing is more practical than offering a helping hand during the holidays to people who really need it.  This Thanksgiving, we want to help out as many needy families as we can by supplying them with a free turkey and groceries.  It’s a small gesture, but believe me, it will make a big difference to the recipients.

We need your help.  We have THREE QUESTIONS for you:

1.  Do you know someone who could really use help this Thanksgiving? Maybe a family that has been struggling to make ends meet because of losing a job, or unexpected medical bills?  If so, would you please contact us?  (We can only serve families in the Charlotte metro area.)

2.  Would you volunteer to help us with this outreach? We need people to help us with deliveries, help schedule the deliveries, and help buy the groceries.  If you can help with any of that, please call or email us.  (See right panel for contact info.)

3.  Would you give $20 to help a needy family this Thanksgiving? Or maybe you are able to provide food for several families?   Your gifts to Renaissance Church are tax-deductible.  To give, you can drop a check in the mail, or in the offering at church. Make checks to out Renaissance Church and send to PO Box 49523, Charlotte, NC 28277.  Please include a note that you are giving towards the Thanksgiving Outreach.  If you prefer, you can donate to Renaissance Church through paypal.

Thank you so much for helping!  May God bless you this holiday season!

We are looking for teammates – like-minded people who are ready for an adventure of eternal significance.

God is doing something so exciting – changing hearts and transforming lives of people who have been far from God.

But we need teammates to help us.  We especially need Christians (families or singles) who want to roll up your sleeves and help us in this work.  Looking for an outlet to serve and make a real difference?  Please keep reading.

[ Note: if you are happily serving in another church, please stay right where you are.  But if you are between churches, or desiring something different, please keep reading and prayerfully consider joining us in this God-ordained mission. ]

Here are a few things that make us unique:
(lots more info on our website)

We are a cell church.  We value meeting in both large Sunday celebrations and weekly home-based small group meetings.

We are multi-ethnic and multi-cultural.

We are outward focused.

We are Spirit-filled and Spirit-led.

We are Biblically grounded.

We greatly value worship and prayer.

We believe in training and empowering leaders.

(more on Who We Are and our Core Values)

We are located in south Charlotte.  The areas we are reaching include the South Blvd. and I-77 corridor, Pineville, Ballantyne, etc.

Interested?   Call me (Pastor Kurt) at (704) 341-4688 with any questions.  I’d love to hear from you.

We are currently meeting on Sunday mornings at 11:00 am for training and as a “pilot” cell group.