[SPEAKER_01]: All right, so the Lord, he began to speak to me about 2026.
[SPEAKER_01]: If you remember, well, of course, first of all, let me just kind of give you this information.
[SPEAKER_01]: Every year, we seek the Lord of Lord.
[SPEAKER_01]: What is it that you're speaking for us as a church?
[SPEAKER_01]: What is it that you want to say to us as a church for this year, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And we stand upon that word, I typically will preach several weeks, I'll preach a whole month.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, about that word as we start out the year, which we will do.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then we just stand on that all year long, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: And we really see as the year progresses how the Lord is really faithful to that word.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it just happens.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you know, it's just the Lord, he just, you just see it, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And so, so I last year, I remember, you know, we give the, we give it, you know, the first Sunday of the year, I remember it was like summer.
[SPEAKER_01]: It was like June or July.
[SPEAKER_01]: And all of a sudden, the Lord spoke to me and told me what 2025 would be about.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I was like, wow, like, this is super early.
[SPEAKER_01]: But like, and I put it in my phone notes and I had it until the right time.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, so that came like super early this year, even as a few weeks ago, I'm like, Lord,
[SPEAKER_01]: The new year is, you know, right here, what are you saying about it, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And I just began to really sense and feel from the Lord that it's really like a momentous year.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to begin to really begin to see momentum and build momentum and I really kept feeling that.
[SPEAKER_01]: I kept sensing this urgency on
[SPEAKER_01]: just the fact that we're going to be building momentum and just all of the things that we're going to be doing this year.
[SPEAKER_01]: And last Sunday, during worship, I'm standing right there, worshiping like always every Sunday, nothing was abnormal or different, and I really heard the Lord confirm it.
[SPEAKER_01]: He really confirmed it.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then I was having a conversation or I was hearing a conversation, if you will, that
[SPEAKER_01]: that Donna was having with somebody on slash Sunday and she kept talking about how great the Lord was and how great he's been and all of this and she kept using that word great and I kept hearing the word great and it was in that moment that I was standing back there overhearing that conversation and the Lord put two and two together.
[SPEAKER_01]: and he spoke so loud and clear, and I heard the Lord say that 2026 would be the year of great momentum.
[SPEAKER_01]: Great momentum, come on, do you believe that with me today?
[SPEAKER_01]: Great momentum.
[SPEAKER_01]: And this is, you know, you may hear, oh, this was kind of simple, no, it's not simple.
[SPEAKER_01]: I believe this so strong for our church, last year it was the year of intercession, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And we saw how in our intercession God began to do a work, and the Lord began to move, and we began to intercede specifically for all of those things that are on our vision board, and we saw those things come to pass.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I believe that this year we're going to experience great momentum, as we dive into the vision goals that I'm going to give to you here in just a little bit, you're going to see how everything points back to this.
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's what's important, everything does point back to this.
[SPEAKER_01]: We want to make sure that we are obedient to what the word of the Lord is for our church for this year, and that we are staying in a constant state of momentum.
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's not just any old momentum, but it's great momentum.
[SPEAKER_01]: In other words, he's calling us under great things.
[SPEAKER_01]: And some things that are going to be hard.
[SPEAKER_01]: Some things aren't going to come easy, but it's going to be momentous for us.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we're going to begin to experience this great momentum as a church, amen.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so this is the word of the year.
[SPEAKER_01]: You will hear me talk about it for the next several weeks.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then we will constantly be reminded of it all of 2026.
[SPEAKER_01]: that this year is the year of great momentum, amen?
[SPEAKER_01]: Now that is what the Lord has spoken over this church.
[SPEAKER_01]: I want to encourage you, stand upon that word for church of the city, stand upon that, be in prayer about that for this church.
[SPEAKER_01]: But I also want to encourage you to seek the Lord.
[SPEAKER_01]: What is it that the Lord is saying about your year?
[SPEAKER_01]: I know what the Lord said now about church of the city, but what about your year?
[SPEAKER_01]: What is he saying to you?
[SPEAKER_01]: What is 26 gonna be about in your life?
[SPEAKER_01]: And I want you to seek the Lord about that and stand firm in that and believe what the Lord God says about it, all throughout my Bible.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I recently, as y'all know, I got my Bible recovered.
[SPEAKER_01]: And, you know, because I've had this,
[SPEAKER_01]: How was y'all's, what do you call honeymoon?
[SPEAKER_01]: Woo!
[SPEAKER_01]: Come on, give it up for him.
[SPEAKER_01]: Eric, Eric comes to, Eric is okay.
[SPEAKER_01]: Eric comes to it with your wife.
[SPEAKER_01]: Emmanuel can sit back there, he's fine.
[SPEAKER_01]: Come sit with your wife.
[SPEAKER_01]: We need to be separated on the first Sunday back.
[SPEAKER_01]: Come on now.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we had such a beautiful wedding last weekend.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it was so good.
[SPEAKER_01]: And Kelsey, you really, you really blessed my heart.
[SPEAKER_01]: I have never, I have done quite a bit of weddings.
[SPEAKER_01]: I have never had a bride cry the whole time.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it wasn't like a bad cry.
[SPEAKER_01]: It was a really good cry because it was so sweet.
[SPEAKER_01]: It was such a sweet moment.
[SPEAKER_01]: And the presence of the Lord was here.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I was so blessed by that.
[SPEAKER_01]: I've been telling everybody that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Not that it was a bad thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: It was a cry the whole time.
[SPEAKER_01]: But it was like it was so moving.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like it made me want to cry.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like, you know, I remember we were both, where I was a, I was a groomsman in one of our really close friends.
[SPEAKER_01]: wedding and he had gone through a really harsh divorce and it's a lot of stuff that took place and and he met somebody and and got remarried asked me to be a part of the the wedding.
[SPEAKER_01]: I remember standing up there as a groomsman knowing what he had gone through for a couple years than that process and then finding this new person and just the love that they had and just this whole thing it was so beautiful.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I remember, I, Melissa will tell you.
[SPEAKER_01]: I was, I'm a groomsman, I'm standing up there.
[SPEAKER_01]: I was an absolute baby the entire time.
[SPEAKER_01]: I was up there like,
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, snoddy, cries, this whole thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, probably ruined all of the wedding pictures.
[SPEAKER_01]: But it was like, my heart, like, it was just, my heart was so moved by just walking him through that process, being there with him through that whole process and just to see the restoration of the Lord and just the exciting, it was just so good.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm like, I told him at the end, I'm like, I'm so sorry.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, I just ruined your wedding, but I just, like, cried the whole time.
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, but I'm up here like last Saturday and you're just, you know, the tears are just coming.
[SPEAKER_01]: I just wanted to cry with you because it was just so beautiful.
[SPEAKER_01]: But anyway, so we're glad you're back.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're glad you're back.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I just told the church, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: And we could put it back up there, Alyssa, about the word of the year for our church.
[SPEAKER_01]: This year is that it's be a year of great momentum, amen?
[SPEAKER_01]: Great momentum.
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's what we're standing on.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's what we're believing for.
[SPEAKER_01]: And really all of this comes, I was sink in the Lord.
[SPEAKER_01]: This week and said, Lord, what is the scripture?
[SPEAKER_01]: What is the backing behind this?
[SPEAKER_01]: And he gave me first Samuel chapter 17, first Samuel chapter 17.
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's the story of David and Goliath.
[SPEAKER_01]: We went and saw the new movie, David.
[SPEAKER_01]: Have you all seen that cartoon, David?
[SPEAKER_01]: It's good for a cartoon.
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, I'm not a cartoon animated.
[SPEAKER_01]: Sorry, you know what I mean?
[SPEAKER_01]: Uh, I'm not a movie guy.
[SPEAKER_01]: Believe me.
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, I fall asleep pretty much in every movie that we go to.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're in the movie theater and the Melissa, like, look and have it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Look out.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I'm sorry.
[SPEAKER_01]: I just fall asleep in every movie.
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, animated movie.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a Christian film.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's really good.
[SPEAKER_01]: David's the story of David.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's really, really good story.
[SPEAKER_01]: And, um,
[SPEAKER_01]: really after seeing that and just really asking the Lord like about this great momentum he gave me for Samuel 17.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so we're going to be talking about that beginning next week and diving into that story.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because I believe there's a lot of revelation there that I have never really fully grasped and really come to the understanding of.
[SPEAKER_01]: But I was reading it yesterday, or no, it was Friday, I was sitting in our bedroom.
[SPEAKER_01]: I was alone by myself, locked myself in the room, and I opened up my word, and I was reading for Samuel 17, and just the revelation, I was like, wow, Lord, okay.
[SPEAKER_01]: I can see how this story is all about great momentum, and how it relates to us as a church.
[SPEAKER_01]: So it was a beautiful thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, so that's that.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
[SPEAKER_01]: So are you all ready for the vision goals this year.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is what I want.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is not me preaching this, you know, today.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is not me even teaching.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is me casting vision.
[SPEAKER_01]: Letting you know what we will do in 2026.
[SPEAKER_01]: Not what's optional, not what's maybe, but what we absolutely will do.
[SPEAKER_01]: When you look at that board right there, you see, when I stood up here a year ago and I said, we were going to do all of those things and look, we did all of those things.
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, obviously, the exception is the bottom, which I'll explain because that one ties into this year's vision.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, and I told you that, that that would be different, that that one right there goes into what this year is about, okay, and so I'm going to make sense of all of that, all right, and then we'll be able to check that off.
[SPEAKER_01]: I want to make sense of it for you so you fully understand.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, so what I want from you.
[SPEAKER_01]: is I want you to actually take notes because this is how you keep yourself accountable to the vision of the church, but you also keep the church leadership accountable to the vision of the church.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is also so you can go back and reflect on what the vision is all throughout the year.
[SPEAKER_01]: And when you wonder, well why are we doing this or why aren't we doing that?
[SPEAKER_01]: You can go back and you can remember, okay, I remember.
[SPEAKER_01]: on January 4th, this is what we talked about, this is what was mentioned, this is what was said, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: And so this is a big Sunday for us because this is a Sunday where we really step out and really an audacious faith.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because some of these things that we're going to hear today, you might be like, how in the world is church of the city going to be able to do that?
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm asking the same thing, but I know that God is faithful, and I know that what he has spoken, he will be faithful to his word, and we will absolutely see God help us in that area, and we will accomplish these things by his help, amen?
[SPEAKER_01]: Hallelujah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Alright, so these are our vision goals.
[SPEAKER_01]: Now,
[SPEAKER_01]: With this being vision Sunday, you can just put the vision Sunday slide up for me.
[SPEAKER_01]: But with this being vision Sunday, we got together, you know, a small group of our team here with like Robert and Jen and Eric and others and we set down and I was like okay, this is what I don't want.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't want us to have, you know, like, you know, five goals for 2025, you know,
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, this and that, like, and make it so, you know, like, silly like that, because a lot of times that's what we do.
[SPEAKER_01]: We try to make it so cliche and all this kind of stuff.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, we, we, we, we dream together, we strategize together, we prayed together and we talked through all of this and we put together the whole vision and this week I was sitting there and I was talking to Melissa and I said, I started laughing.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I said, this is absolutely hysterical.
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't even realize after I told everybody I don't want something like that.
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't even realize and maybe you all didn't even realize that we actually came up with six things for twenty twenty six.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I was like oh my gosh, but it wasn't intentional.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just how it just how it unfolded So I'm okay with that.
[SPEAKER_01]: I know it's I know it's the Lord, but it was certainly humorous because I was like hey weren't I even said I even said we're not gonna do six things for twenty twenty six and make it sound like that
[SPEAKER_01]: And then we just started going and didn't even count, didn't even have a number.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then this week I'm like, look at that, I'm like, what just happened?
[SPEAKER_01]: But anyways, it's funny.
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you put the next slide up, we have six vision goals that we're gonna have for 2026.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to explain, I'm going to go through here.
[SPEAKER_01]: This comes out of Habeckic Chapter 2 versus 2-3, and you've all heard this scripture probably before, but it said the Lord answered me right down this vision, clearly inscribed it on tablets so that one may easily read it.
[SPEAKER_01]: For the vision is not, yes, you'd be for the appointed time, it testifies about the end and will not lie.
[SPEAKER_01]: Though it delays wait for it since it will certainly come and not be late.
[SPEAKER_01]: So this verse really teaches us to write out the vision.
[SPEAKER_01]: Make the vision clear, make the vision plain.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm really big on that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I want you to know, that's why we put up a vision board every single year.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because so that way, we can constantly be reminded of it.
[SPEAKER_01]: We can constantly reflect upon it.
[SPEAKER_01]: We can constantly look at it and thank the Lord.
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you God for what you're doing.
[SPEAKER_01]: But also, thank you God for what you are doing this year, what you have yet to do.
[SPEAKER_01]: Amen.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so, back at chapter two is so important because it tells us, like, write the vision out because the vision will not die.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it certainly, if it comes from the Lord, it will not die.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I believe that as we step into this great momentum that the Lord is calling this church unto, and as we begin to explore these goals, we're gonna really see how the hand of the Lord is upon this church and how the hand of the Lord is upon this vision, amen?
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, so number one is this.
[SPEAKER_01]: Number one is 75 plus active members.
[SPEAKER_01]: 75 plus active members.
[SPEAKER_01]: In other words, we're not putting a limit to God.
[SPEAKER_01]: If he wants to do more, he can do more.
[SPEAKER_01]: But also, we're not numbers people.
[SPEAKER_01]: And he've heard me say this a million times before.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're not numbers people.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're not trying to just put butts and seats.
[SPEAKER_01]: We've never been about that, we never will be about that, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: But we strongly believe that this church, that we are capable of housing at least 75 people in 2026, if not more.
[SPEAKER_01]: But I want you to really key in on that second word there, active.
[SPEAKER_01]: In other words, we don't want 75 people that are doing anything.
[SPEAKER_01]: Hey, that come in once a month or, you know, show up whenever, no, no.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're believing for 75 active members.
[SPEAKER_01]: In other words, you're here.
[SPEAKER_01]: You're participating.
[SPEAKER_01]: You're a part of what we're doing as a church.
[SPEAKER_01]: You're fully involved.
[SPEAKER_01]: You're serving the church.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: Because that's important.
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're not serving, I want to encourage you this year.
[SPEAKER_01]: Get the serving.
[SPEAKER_01]: Even if it's once a month.
[SPEAKER_01]: Pick it area and serve in that area, whether it's kids or in the media or as a greed or whatever, it could be something that's simple, something that's not, it just participate, be active, amen, but I believe that, I believe that we can accomplish this goal, and I believe that it's not by what we do.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because we've never done anything to go to try to grab people.
[SPEAKER_01]: We never have.
[SPEAKER_01]: The Lord has always brought people here.
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's the way we want to keep it.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's always been that way, and that's the way it will remain.
[SPEAKER_01]: It will remain that way that the Lord will draw people unto this house.
[SPEAKER_01]: And if they feel called here, if they feel like this is where God has called them to be, then praise God.
[SPEAKER_01]: There was a couple that visited not too long ago.
[SPEAKER_01]: And they said, well, we're just visiting around church and trying to figure out where we're supposed to be.
[SPEAKER_01]: And they were just just moved here from California or something.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I said, if this is not the church for you, praise God.
[SPEAKER_01]: And he looked at me like that and I said, yeah, I said, if it is, praise God, if it's not, praise God.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because I don't want you to be in disobedience.
[SPEAKER_01]: I want you to be where God has called you to be.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're not looking to just have as many people as possible.
[SPEAKER_01]: But what we are believing for is the fact that if somebody, if God calls somebody here, then we're grateful for that.
[SPEAKER_01]: But we're not going to force anybody to be here.
[SPEAKER_01]: We never have done that.
[SPEAKER_01]: We don't want to do that.
[SPEAKER_01]: We don't want to force the hand of God.
[SPEAKER_01]: We don't want to say, oh, it's God's will for you to be here.
[SPEAKER_01]: We don't know that.
[SPEAKER_01]: But God does.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so we're believing for 75 active members.
[SPEAKER_01]: In 2025, we were able to go from around 20 to now, around 50, we were able to double.
[SPEAKER_01]: That was part of our goal.
[SPEAKER_01]: That was our goal for 2025, the first one, exponential growth.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's what it was all about.
[SPEAKER_01]: I gave you that last year.
[SPEAKER_01]: Told you about that.
[SPEAKER_01]: What we were looking at, what we were believing for,
[SPEAKER_01]: So who are we to say that God can't do it again, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: Hallelujah.
[SPEAKER_01]: And in 2025, we saw plenty of people come for the first time.
[SPEAKER_01]: And many say this is going to be my home church moving forward.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so in 2026, we're believing for 75 active members.
[SPEAKER_01]: So if we average around 50, if we average that on Sundays,
[SPEAKER_01]: on average in this room.
[SPEAKER_01]: That also means that that includes them bringing their kiddos along.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, and all that kind of stuff.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so, but we're believing that God's gonna do it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Amen.
[SPEAKER_01]: Come on, are you excited about that?
[SPEAKER_01]: Amen?
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, praise God.
[SPEAKER_01]: The second one is this, this may get some people excited this morning.
[SPEAKER_01]: The second one is that we are relaunching city groups.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, you say, well, what is City Group?
[SPEAKER_01]: So if you ever heard of life groups, if you've ever heard of connection groups, whatever it may be, something along those lines, that's exactly what this is.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is gathering together and one another's home as a group, all right, and diving into the world of God together, having fun together, fellowshiping, breaking bread, all of the things,
[SPEAKER_01]: We're excited about we've had some success in the past with groups and we had multiple groups at the same time going and they were thriving and they were active and all that kind of stuff and so we know that this year that pushing us all right pushing us into into great and pushing us in a great momentum that we need to have groups available for people again, all right So what does that mean if you can see the bullet points there that means that we got to raise up more leaders
[SPEAKER_01]: That means some of you that are sitting in this room right now, God's going to call you in 2026 to rise to the next level.
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe he's going to call you to open up your home and be a host home for a group.
[SPEAKER_01]: Or maybe he's going to call you not necessarily to be a host home, but maybe he's going to call you to be a group leader.
[SPEAKER_01]: Where you lead a group, where you lead a group of people, and he challenges you in that way.
[SPEAKER_01]: Some of you have space in your homes where you can open up your home once a month or twice a month to a small group of people.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, hear me, you know, but a small group of people, where you have the space, you have the capability of doing that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, in this comes, we want to do things differently.
[SPEAKER_01]: years past we just kind of said okay we have this group this group this group you know pick and choose and go type thing right and that's kind of like pretty much how we handled it well this year we we're going to go this year we're going to start this thing completely different and as you can see in the second bullet point it's going to be interest based okay so what that means is like the bottom the bottom one the bottom
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you are a young adult, maybe you are that college to, you know, 30s-ish, okay, age group, and you want to, that is maybe a group for you.
[SPEAKER_01]: I believe that we have enough people in this room and even outside of this room right now, that fit into that category for like young adults specifically.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, we want to have a space for that, that would be an interest for somebody.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, maybe it's something different, okay, but we're going to go based off interest and so what you will see happening this year is that we're going to send out Something to you and what you're going to get is you're going to get you're going to get a form and you're going to fill out what you would be interested in.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, and we will take that and based upon your interest, we will help put you in the right group.
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe you're in the 50 plus, and you say, I would love to be in a group with 50 plus people.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't want to be in a group with a 20-year-old, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like everybody has different interests in what they're looking for in a group.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so what we're going to do as this develops over time is we're going to be able to put everybody together in the right groups that fit for them.
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, I want to do want to let you know this.
[SPEAKER_01]: I want to make this very clear, though.
[SPEAKER_01]: This one right here, we're not looking at starting this month.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're not looking at starting it next month.
[SPEAKER_01]: It could be six months.
[SPEAKER_01]: It could be nine months down the road before we launch groups.
[SPEAKER_01]: We have to have enough people and we have to have enough interest.
[SPEAKER_01]: We will do it.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just God's timing, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, the sooner it would be better, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: We would love to say, hey, next month, we're starting it, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: But we gotta make sure that we have everything in place and that we have enough people and we have, you know, everything lined up, we gotta have enough host homes, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: If we don't, if we only have like one host home or two host homes, it's probably not gonna work.
[SPEAKER_01]: Right?
[SPEAKER_01]: So everything has to begin to line up and everything has to begin to match.
[SPEAKER_01]: If you look at that and you say, I would love to be a host home or I would love to be a group leader, come talk to us.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because that's what we're looking for.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're looking for people that will step up and say, I want to be a part of this.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because otherwise, we can't do it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because, you know, Melissa and I aren't going to just open up our home and say, we have one big group, everybody come.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not going to work that way, all right?
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just not.
[SPEAKER_01]: So we're looking for people that will say, yeah, I'll open up my space or I'll be a group leader and I'd love to be a part of that.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so we're excited about that.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's going to be really, really good.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, you excited about groups?
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so groups, thank you.
[SPEAKER_01]: Groups are a great way to get
[SPEAKER_01]: people involved in the church, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: It's so easy way, some people might not feel comfortable going to a church or walking into a church building or going to a church for a first time, but if they meet people and get connected to a group of people that are a part of a church it becomes much easier for them.
[SPEAKER_01]: because now they have the relationships there and they don't feel like they're alone walking into a church, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: So groups are a great way to get your family, come in, to get friends, come in, to start inviting people.
[SPEAKER_01]: When we have groups going, I much rather encourage you to invite people to your group than even invite people to church.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because we've heard it say this way and I'm a firm believer of this that life doesn't happen in rows, life happens in circles.
[SPEAKER_01]: So people just want to experience life together.
[SPEAKER_01]: They just want to do life together.
[SPEAKER_01]: They're just looking for a group of people that they can have fun with, that they can grow with, that they can eat with, you know, all those things.
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's what group does.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, all right, you ready for the third one?
[SPEAKER_01]: I said, are you ready for the third one?
[UNKNOWN]: All right.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, say awake with me all.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, number three is this a big one, but we are going to relaunch our city youth.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, come on somebody we're relaunching city youth.
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, this is another one that's not going to happen overnight.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not something that's going to happen immediately either, but it is going to happen in 2026.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, and we're believing very firmly in that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because, you know, like we have our son that, you know, in 2026, we'll be 13 years old, and he ain't going to be back there no more, you know, it's like, okay, if you got a 13 year old or if you have a very mature 12 year old, in some cases, then you're looking for a youth ministry, but then also you have individuals that are a little bit older than that, and a youth group typically comes down to a 13 to 18 year olds, all right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And you have a space for 13 to 18 year olds to be able to come together and fellowship with one another and have a space to be able to do life together.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's much like the groups that we just talked about, but it's specific for the youth age.
[SPEAKER_01]: And
[SPEAKER_01]: And some, you know, there have been a lot of people, a lot, we talked about this, Robert mentioned it again this past week is that, you know, there have been people that have come to the church that have had teenagers and they've said, well, do you have anything to offer my teenager and we've said, unfortunately right now we don't.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, we're going to get to change that.
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's going to get, that's going to be in to look different.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we're going to be able to say, yeah, we have something for your kids, we have something for you, and we have something for your teenagers.
[SPEAKER_01]: Amen.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because that's important piece.
[SPEAKER_01]: And when it comes to young people, the teenage years, the middle school high school year specifically, like, that's the make it or break it years for people.
[SPEAKER_01]: it really is.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's when they discover who they really are.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's when they begin to talk about their future, what they want to do next.
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's when you really can instill the things of the Lord into them, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's so important because they're getting all of the garbage and crap outside.
[SPEAKER_01]: They're getting it.
[SPEAKER_01]: They're getting in their schools.
[SPEAKER_01]: They're getting it on electronics, they're getting it on YouTube.
[SPEAKER_01]: They're getting all this kind of stuff.
[SPEAKER_01]: They're getting bombarded
[SPEAKER_01]: and young people are hurting.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we have a big heart for teenagers.
[SPEAKER_01]: We were youth pastors for like 10 years, almost.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we love youth ministry.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we want to be able to have a space for youth to be able to come together.
[SPEAKER_01]: They say, well, who's going to be in charge of youth?
[SPEAKER_01]: Great question.
[SPEAKER_01]: But the Lord is going to raise up leaders.
[SPEAKER_01]: Amen?
[SPEAKER_01]: Come on, somebody.
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, Melissa and I aren't doing it.
[SPEAKER_01]: We've done dinner share with that.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're not doing it.
[SPEAKER_01]: The Lord called us to pass to this church.
[SPEAKER_01]: He didn't call us to pass to the church, be the group leaders, be the youth pastors, be the kids, and we're not doing all that.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, but the Lord will raise up.
[SPEAKER_01]: People that will say, you know what?
[SPEAKER_01]: God has called me to raise up young people and to invest into young people and to sow into young people.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's a specific calling, it's special, it really is.
[SPEAKER_01]: But I believe that the Lord will do exactly what He needs to do to make sure that this thing is established and is done right.
[SPEAKER_01]: We don't want to start something and say, ah, that it and work will try again later.
[SPEAKER_01]: No, when we want to start it, we're going to make sure we finish it, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's what we're real big on.
[SPEAKER_01]: So are you excited about city youth?
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
[SPEAKER_01]: Number four is this and we've been kind of alluding to it this whole time.
[SPEAKER_01]: to grow all of our served teams.
[SPEAKER_01]: They say, well, why is that, like, part of the vision?
[SPEAKER_01]: Because it's absolutely needed.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's needed now more than ever.
[SPEAKER_01]: We have a small group of people that are doing everything every single Sunday.
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's not me, that's not me bashing anybody or, you know,
[SPEAKER_01]: downplaying any of it, it's just a call to action.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just saying, hey, what will you do this year to begin to serve the house of the Lord?
[SPEAKER_01]: Where what is an area that you would like to serve in?
[SPEAKER_01]: And specifically, we have three main areas.
[SPEAKER_01]: We have a force that will come later, but we have three main areas that we really, really are believing that God is gonna bless us in this area and we need the help, the worship team,
[SPEAKER_01]: like, I love our worship team, but I'd love to have more people a part of it.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, the worship team, let me tell you, Josh, would love to have more people a part of the worship team, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: There's nothing wrong with the way that we do it now.
[SPEAKER_01]: They do a phenomenal job, do they not?
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, it's powerful, it's awesome.
[SPEAKER_01]: I love our team.
[SPEAKER_01]: Josh is an amazing leader.
[SPEAKER_01]: He does such a good job, leading us in worship every single week, but I would love
[SPEAKER_01]: more singers and it helps.
[SPEAKER_01]: It helps them.
[SPEAKER_01]: It really does.
[SPEAKER_01]: I've been a part of worship teams for many, many years.
[SPEAKER_01]: I played on many worship teams for many years and I know it's like to play with a small band and I know it's like to play with a big band and let me tell you when you play with a big band, it's a whole lot better.
[SPEAKER_01]: It makes your individual job so much easier.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we want to help the worship team but we want to help us as a church as well so we need to
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, specifically like for for audio, for example, we only have like three people that are on full rotation for that for audio, love to have more people start serving in that area.
[SPEAKER_01]: Some of you have a started express interest, some of you have been getting to train and all that, that's great.
[SPEAKER_01]: But we need, we need help in all of the media, okay, because that's a really big thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, we have a, we have like a audacious goal of basically like, you know, detaching the cameras and actually manning a camera again.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, that requires quite a bit of people's help, it just does.
[SPEAKER_01]: But we could do things like that if we have more help.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then the city kids team, this is probably the biggest one.
[SPEAKER_01]: It is the biggest one.
[SPEAKER_01]: It should have been in big letters.
[SPEAKER_01]: But we need help in the area of kids.
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, this is another area that we have three people that every single week, that's what they do.
[SPEAKER_01]: And this is not, again, not putting anybody down.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not bashing our church.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a call to action.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's saying, well, you rise up and maybe once a month, or maybe once every six weeks, would you serve in the area of kids?
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's not hard.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, there's a curriculum that we have.
[SPEAKER_01]: They do their own worship.
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a whole thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not like you go in it blind, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: You'd be fully trained, fully equipped to be able to handle it, but we need more help in that area, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: We love Jen to pieces.
[SPEAKER_01]: She does a phenomenal job in leading this, amen?
[SPEAKER_01]: And she's in there right now, and she's doing a great job, but Jen serves back there more than she gets to sit in here.
[SPEAKER_01]: And thank you.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's where for us as a church, it's hard for me as a pastor to look at Jen and say, Jen, I'm sorry, we just don't have any more help.
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's so great for someone like Jen to say, if nobody else will do it, I'll do it.
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's the kind of attitude that we're looking for.
[SPEAKER_01]: If nobody else will step up to the plate, I'll be there.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so Jen and Nicole and others, they need the help, they need the help.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we want to better equip our kids back there, but we also want to help one another that we're not driving each other into the ground, but that we're able to partner with one another and say, I will serve and I will help.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so this is why this is a goal for us this year.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because it's been, I'm be honest with you
[SPEAKER_01]: It's been a struggle.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's been pulling hair, trying to get these positions filled and trying to get people to help, but I don't want it to be like that anymore.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I know you don't want that to be that way either.
[SPEAKER_01]: I want us to be flourishing in all of our serve groups, amen, and all of our served teams.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so I want to encourage you, like, find a place and maybe you've been serve in multiple, you know, look at Nicole and Nicole serves and kids, she also serves in media.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, she serves in multiple areas.
[SPEAKER_01]: There's nothing wrong with that.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, serve in every area if you want, you know?
[SPEAKER_01]: But we want you to be a part of, we want you to be a part of what God is doing here.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I know, like, if it was me, of course, I'd much rather be sitting right there every single Sunday.
[SPEAKER_01]: I want to be a part of what's happening in the service.
[SPEAKER_01]: But you know what, you can be fed, leading the kids just as much as being in here.
[SPEAKER_01]: Come on, say amen, because that's true.
[SPEAKER_01]: There's nothing more fulfilling than being able to teach a young person, the Word of God, and to be able to help them in their walk, and be able to pray for those little kids, and encourage them, and all that kind of stuff.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's so needed.
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, it goes back to what we talked about with the youth.
[SPEAKER_01]: These kids and their schools, they're hearing all kinds of stuff every day.
[SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes the only chance they have to be instructed in the Word of God and to get some sort of encouragement in their life is right in that room.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so what better joy would it be to be a part of that and be able to serve in that area, amen?
[SPEAKER_01]: So we need help.
[SPEAKER_01]: And all of those areas, we will eventually need help with the youth in that area as well, but we want to grow all of our served teams, amen?
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, are you ready for the fifth one?
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, number five is this, is greater community impact.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, greater community impact.
[SPEAKER_01]: We did a great job in 2025.
[SPEAKER_01]: I want to applaud us as a church, everybody.
[SPEAKER_01]: Clap for the wonderful things that we did in our community in 2025.
[SPEAKER_01]: Great things.
[SPEAKER_01]: God really blessed us.
[SPEAKER_01]: We were able to do some amazing stuff.
[SPEAKER_01]: Our Easter event.
[SPEAKER_01]: Back at the Logan, when we did that Easter event, was amazing.
[SPEAKER_01]: A lot of people came and we blessed families and we had a great time.
[SPEAKER_01]: It was wonderful, it was fun.
[SPEAKER_01]: It was such a good time.
[SPEAKER_01]: Our Christmas event and our kind of our Easter event and then we had to redo it after the, or the blue bash you see as me, not our Easter event, but the blue bash,
[SPEAKER_01]: uh... you know got stormed out but that was okay then we just decided you know what we're gonna open up our parking lots of the community and we did and and that was successful enough in the way that it was designed to be in it was last minute but god blessed it right and we were able to bless families um... so we've done some amazing things in twenty twenty five and we've reached quite a bit of people uh... and we've blessed quite a bit of people but we want to do more
[SPEAKER_01]: We want to do more.
[SPEAKER_01]: We, you know, the Lord has called us to be the hands and feet.
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's exactly what the church should do.
[SPEAKER_01]: The church should not stay within the four walls.
[SPEAKER_01]: But the church is called to go out, to go out, to minister to people, to win the loss, to love on the widows and the orphans.
[SPEAKER_01]: And all of those kind of things, like we want to be fully participating in what God has called the church to do.
[SPEAKER_01]: So therefore that means that in this great momentum, this year of great momentum, he's calling us to greater and he's calling us to greater in the area of reaching our community.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're not sure to the city because it's a cute name.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're a church of the city because he's called us to the city.
[SPEAKER_01]: That means he's called us to people.
[SPEAKER_01]: And if we don't go out and get in people's spaces, then we're really not doing what God's called us to do, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: So we want to take everything that we do on a yearly basis and we want to multiply it.
[SPEAKER_01]: We want to do more, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: Which means that we're going to do more outreach events.
[SPEAKER_01]: We already know of several things that are extra that we know what we normally do, but we know of several things extra that we're going to do already.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we're excited about it, and it's going to be amazing.
[SPEAKER_01]: One of the things is the community cleanup day that you see.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, this happens in every city across the country, and it happens in April.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's a great opportunity for churches to link arms with the city and to clean up the city.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a one-day event to clean up the city.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, he was on a Saturday and you just go and they assign the church or they assign a group of people or whatever to go do specific things throughout the city and you go and do it.
[SPEAKER_01]: We want to be involved in that.
[SPEAKER_01]: We want to reach this community in that way.
[SPEAKER_01]: We want to go to the police station and clean up the police station.
[SPEAKER_01]: We want to go to people's homes that are in desperate need of help or renovation or clean up or whatever and go and serve them in that way.
[SPEAKER_01]: Amen, those things are really important and it's important that we be the church in that in that way and so we're excited about this because I think that this is going to be really great for us I think that's going to be a big blessing to us and you know all of our events that we've had this year like they've been fun.
[SPEAKER_01]: They've been, they've been a great time.
[SPEAKER_01]: They require a lot of work, don't get me wrong.
[SPEAKER_01]: But they've been, they've been great.
[SPEAKER_01]: And just the connections that we've been able to make with people and just the wonderful times and all that being able to bless people.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, when people space is light up and we give them something or they win a gift card or, you know, we bless them with all kind.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, it's just, it's so rewarding to see that stuff.
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's what we want to continue to do.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we want to continue to bless people.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we just want to be the church that God has called us to be
[SPEAKER_01]: So in 2025, we successfully had four community outreach events.
[SPEAKER_01]: In 2020, six, we want to do more.
[SPEAKER_01]: We want to do things both away and here.
[SPEAKER_01]: The Lord's Bless us with this space.
[SPEAKER_01]: We want to be able to use this space appropriately.
[SPEAKER_01]: But we also want to do things away from here as we always do.
[SPEAKER_01]: We will do the Community Cleanup Day in April, OK?
[SPEAKER_01]: And of course, as time gets closer, because we're pretty far out from there, we'll hear more about that and what that looks like.
[SPEAKER_01]: But we're excited about that and other things that we're going to be a part of that we've already discovered and that we've already learned about.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's going to be, it's going to be a great opportunity for us.
[SPEAKER_01]: Amen.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, y'all excited about that.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, there's nothing better than just loving on people, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just a wonderful thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, and last number six, number six is this is what I want to spend some time on, because I want everybody to really understand this, is that we have a goal of raising $25,000 in miracle offering, okay, in a miracle offering.
[SPEAKER_01]: And you say, what is a miracle offering?
[SPEAKER_01]: Don't worry, I'm going to get to it.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to explain to it, because we've never done this before, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: As you write that down, I'll give you some time.
[SPEAKER_01]: to write that down, but this is a big goal for us.
[SPEAKER_01]: In the years past, we've been able to raise money, and we've been able to do things that we need to do.
[SPEAKER_01]: Years ago, we needed to raise $50,000 to get a building to renovate it, to do all kinds of stuff that was during COVID, and it happened in less than a month.
[SPEAKER_01]: and people from all over, not the church, like the church did, but people from outside the church were just blessing, church of the city, and saying, we see what you're doing for people, like, here you go, and we're giving donating money towards the church, and it was a beautiful thing to see that come to pass, all right?
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, we are in a very interesting situation, it's not a bad situation, but we're in a very interesting situation.
[SPEAKER_01]: We are halfway through our lease in this building.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, which is, come and gone really quickly.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, we signed a three year lease here, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: We are a year and a half through our lease, all right?
[SPEAKER_01]: Which means we have a year and a half more.
[SPEAKER_01]: Which means basically you need a knockoff half a year because we need to decide what we're gonna do.
[SPEAKER_01]: In a year's time, one year from now, we need to know what is the next step for church of the city, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: And we want to be prepared in that way.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, we could say we will just resign another lease here, and we would be OK with that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, if we outgrow the space, then that's a little bit different.
[SPEAKER_01]: We are OK with saying we will renew a lease here, whether it's for three years again or whatever it may be.
[SPEAKER_01]: We are OK with saying, hey, if you guys next door want to move out
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, with that, like we have enough faith to believe that God can do something with the whole space, okay, that would be awesome, okay.
[SPEAKER_01]: Then you kind of come into some challenges like parking and stuff like that.
[SPEAKER_01]: So then you look at the big picture and you kind of realize, well, is that the best move because.
[SPEAKER_01]: of some of the, you know, physical layout of the property, then you're kind of like, I don't know if that makes sense, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: So you kind of begin to weigh all of these options and try to figure out what are we going to do, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And we're already in that planning and preparing mode of what's the next step?
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, this isn't a burden that is put upon you as the church, but you need to know that as your leaders, like, we're already thinking about this, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: Because we don't want to leave this church empty handed and we don't want to leave this church in a position where it puts us in a bind for space or money or any of that kind of stuff, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: And so,
[SPEAKER_01]: We will either renew our lease in the summer of 2027, or we will find a new location.
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, the goal would be, the ideal goal would be is that we actually find a new, bigger permanent location that we are actually able to purchase.
[SPEAKER_01]: OK?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, that would be amazing if we could purchase a building.
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, maybe we're not in a financial space at that time to be able to do that.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not speaking negatively.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm just giving you the business side of things here, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: Just like it would be for your home or your lease on your apartment or whatever.
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe like you come to a point where you have to make a decision.
[SPEAKER_01]: And you have to do what's best for the interest of everybody involved, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: So we can't do what just Austin and Melissa want to do.
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, if we do what just Austin wanted to do, I'd say, let's break the lease right now.
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's go find something bigger.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, let's, you know, we've got crazy, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And Melissa have to say, slow down, stop, you know?
[SPEAKER_01]: That's just me like I see the I see I see bigger than what it is, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And I just want to just want to run after that.
[SPEAKER_01]: I just want to go for it, but also I then I have to be reminded like, don't be foolish, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: You've heard me say it before.
[SPEAKER_01]: I say it again.
[SPEAKER_01]: My grandpa used to say it all the time.
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a fine line between faith and fullness.
[SPEAKER_01]: You can't be foolish, all right, but you got to have faith, but you can't be foolish.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
[SPEAKER_01]: So that means that we've got some big decisions to make.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, and I would love for us to outgrow this space and move into something bigger and better.
[SPEAKER_01]: I really would.
[SPEAKER_01]: There is nothing wrong with this here.
[SPEAKER_01]: You may say, Pastor, don't even fill up all the seats and there's plenty of space.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we don't even fill up the parking lot.
[SPEAKER_01]: I get all that.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm in full agreement with you.
[SPEAKER_01]: But wouldn't it be so much better to not walk right into the sanctuary?
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, come on, like, I mean, I'm not being negative at all, but have you ever been to a church where you open the front door and you're in the sanctuary?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, whoa, how did this?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, wow, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, there's not even a space really for us to really interact with one another and a lobby and all that kind of stuff.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not saying we have to have that.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm saying, like, there could be much better options out there, much better spaces available to us.
[SPEAKER_01]: We just don't know yet.
[SPEAKER_01]: But we need to begin to look.
[SPEAKER_01]: We need to begin to search.
[SPEAKER_01]: We need to begin to do our due diligence and make sure that we're, you know, doing the right things.
[SPEAKER_01]: When we came in here, there was none of this was here.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we had to raise the money and put these classrooms here and all that, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: It was just one big empty room.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we came in here and we tried to figure out the layout.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, me and Robert, we went back and forth and text message of drawings of this building, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, and finally we're just like, forget it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, this will be the sanctuary.
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll just make it work, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And we have, and it's wonderful.
[SPEAKER_01]: I am so grateful for this space.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't want you to think that I'm ungrateful.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't want you to think that I'm being negative at all.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm just saying, when God gives you something, you do with it, what you can.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then if he calls you to something bigger, or greater, or better, or whatever, then you go with it.
[SPEAKER_01]: If not, you continue to stew it well, but he's blessed you with.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we have stewed it this place well, and we will continue to stew it well until it's no longer ours.
[SPEAKER_01]: Whether that's at the end of the year and a half, or even further down the road than that.
[SPEAKER_01]: but we will stew it well what he's given us.
[SPEAKER_01]: But with that being said, with that being said, we have the goal of raising $25,000 and what we're calling a miracle offering.
[SPEAKER_01]: A miracle offering.
[SPEAKER_01]: And what that means is that every penny of the $25,000 that is raised will go towards whatever the next phase of this church is.
[SPEAKER_01]: So if that means that we have to re-sign the least, let me tell you, it's common sense, common knowledge.
[SPEAKER_01]: If you've had a sign of least before and you renew it, what happens?
[SPEAKER_01]: It goes up.
[SPEAKER_01]: So we are already looking at that.
[SPEAKER_01]: If we re-sign here, it's going to be more than what it already is.
[SPEAKER_01]: We need to be prepared for that.
[SPEAKER_01]: If we go elsewhere and we go to a bigger space, it's going to be more than what it is.
[SPEAKER_01]: No matter which direction we go church, please come to the understanding, it's going to cost us more.
[SPEAKER_01]: So what we want to do is we don't want to put ourselves in a financial
[SPEAKER_01]: despair what we want to do is be financially prepared okay and so that means that we want to we want to have the $25,000 ready to wear if that's a part of a down payment on a building that we purchase or that goes towards a lease or that goes towards renewing this lease that we have the money at the right time amen but we want to do that we want to do that
[SPEAKER_01]: And so we are having what we're calling, we've never done this before, I've seen pretty much every church on the face of the planet does it these days, but we are having what it's called Miracle Offering Sunday.
[SPEAKER_01]: Miracle Offering Sunday.
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's gonna be on Sunday, February 8th.
[SPEAKER_01]: And this is an opportunity.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're telling you this now so that you can prepare now.
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: What we're gonna do is we want to so into,
[SPEAKER_01]: We have not checked that off yet because this plays into that.
[SPEAKER_01]: When we have our miracle offering Sunday, we're going to be able to check off the last one for that board right there, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: It's a sewing into the next seven years.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, so what miracle offering Sunday does is it gives us the opportunity to sew into whatever the next step of church of the city is, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: And now, we know,
[SPEAKER_01]: that we may not get the $25,000 on February 8th.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we're okay with that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, God can completely disrupt what our thinking is and blow us out of the water and provide $25,000 on February 8th.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we rejoice and celebrate, if not more.
[SPEAKER_01]: OK?
[SPEAKER_01]: So what we're doing is this is an opportunity for us to all do that right there, so into the next seven years
[SPEAKER_01]: So into it, if this is where you call home, if this is your home base, if this is your home church, we wanna encourage you, seek the Lord over the next month.
[SPEAKER_01]: God, what is it that I can do?
[SPEAKER_01]: What is it that I can do in faith that I can step out into?
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe it's something like scary, like man, but maybe it's not, maybe you can only do a little bit and that's okay, it doesn't matter the dollar amount.
[SPEAKER_01]: The only thing that matters is your obedience.
[SPEAKER_01]: If God has called you to sew a hundred dollars into the miracle offering Sunday, and that's all you can do, and you sew a hundred dollars, let me tell you, God will bless you in your obedience.
[SPEAKER_01]: If you can sew twenty-five thousand dollars, and you do it, God will bless you in that.
[SPEAKER_01]: If God calls you to sew a hundred dollars into miracle offering Sunday, and you don't do it, that's where there's a problem, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And that's where there's a heart thing that you gotta fix with God.
[SPEAKER_01]: But God's gonna call us all into something.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know what it is.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, Melissa and I, we have no idea what we're gonna be able to do yet.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're gonna sew into this thing, but we have no idea.
[SPEAKER_01]: We have no idea, but we're gonna begin to seek the Lord.
[SPEAKER_01]: And through this fast, I promise you, he'll give you the answer.
[SPEAKER_01]: Even through the fast, you'll get the answer of what God is calling you to do for the next seven years of this church.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I believe that we can accomplish this, but that's miracle offering Sunday.
[SPEAKER_01]: But again, it's a vision goal for 2026, meaning if we don't get the $25,000 by February 8th, we have all of 2026 to make it happen.
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, by this time next year, we got to start making a decision.
[SPEAKER_01]: But by this time next year, we want to have an extra $25,000 available to help us make a decision.
[SPEAKER_01]: Does that make sense to everybody?
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just like in your own personal finances if you have a savings account.
[SPEAKER_01]: We want to be able to save appropriately, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: And so that way we have it.
[SPEAKER_01]: So really what we're doing is we're just operating in wisdom.
[SPEAKER_01]: Really?
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, we're just trying to be smart about this, okay?
[SPEAKER_01]: But we want to put that money away to be able to so into the future of this church, amen.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so let's just do a recap up here of all of the things.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, so here's our new vision board, which you will see replace that, even maybe by next week.
[SPEAKER_01]: So 2026 vision goals, 75 active members, re-launching city groups, re-launching city youth, growing all of our served teams, having greater community impact and raising the $25,000 in Miracle Offering.
[SPEAKER_01]: Amen.
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for listening to today's message.
[SPEAKER_00]: We pray you were inspired, challenged, and marked by the word you heard.
[SPEAKER_00]: If this message blessed you today, we encourage you to subscribe to the Church of the City podcast.
[SPEAKER_00]: There you can find more faith-filled messages to uplift you and help you on your journey of faith.
[SPEAKER_00]: For more information about Church of the City, head on over to www.cotcdfw.com.
[SPEAKER_00]: And until next time, remember this, the best is yet to come.