Sunday Night Review 08
I really can’t believe that we have one more Sunday left to experience The Chapel at Elmwood at the Regal Theater. It seems like we were just getting ready to have our first preview, scrambling around trying to cover all the bases hoping that somebody would show up. That was just 2 years ago, no thought ever entered my mind that our time as The Chapel at Elmwood would be brief but wow has it been a powerful time.
A little history for those who were not around back then.
Spring of 06 I talk with Jennifer Adema and Earl Leatherland to see if they would join the Elmwood Staff – to my surprise and great benefit they said yes!
(No formal announcement is made publicly until the fall)
We begin the behind the scenes activity needed to launch a new community of Faith. Earl for a time helps oversee Kings World at both Crosspoint and getting us ready at Elmwood.
We have a meeting with about 10 couples at Alex and Jennifer’s house to see if anybody wanted to go with us as we launched a “church” in a theater in early September of 06.
On Sep 10, 06 Pastor Jerry announces that The Chapel was going to help launch a new congregation called The Chapel at Elmwood and asked if anybody was interested in joining the Launch Team to talk with us.
We spent that Fall interviewing, training our Launch Team. We said early on Launch Team is spelled WORK! This was not going to be easy. We would have to set up and break down every Sunday come rain, snow or sleet. God pulled together an incredible group of people.
On January 7, 07 we all met at 6:00 am at the Regal. We set everything up to see if it would work, we put all the stuff together, we prayed through all of the Auditoriums so that we could do a “private” preview just for friends and family the next week because we really had NO clue in what we were doing.
As we were walking out Daryl Largis (Executive Pastor at CP) showed me the article in the Buffalo News that said “New Church in a Theater” starting NEXT WEEK! I could not believe it. Luckily they did not have any times or how to get any additional info like phone numbers… If people wanted to come they would have to work for it!
January 14 we had our first “un-official” preview. We actually had people show up from reading the article in the News (and they never left – right Carlos and Mady!)
We met as a launch team back at Crosspoint on Sunday mornings in the James Andrews Memorial Chapel – praying – planning – praying – dreaming – praying…
Feb 4 we had our first official Preview. This was a chance for our Launch Team to set up, serve, break it all down. A chance for the community of North Buffalo to come and see what we were going to be all about. We had about 170 show up and we were blown away by the experience.
We tweaked a few things trying to get it all a little better over the month of February.
March 4 we had our 2nd Preview – people actually came back… with friends we had about 185 show up! We were figuring it all out and getting ready for our Launch date.
March 18 we had or final Preview
April 8, 2007 we officially launched The Chapel at Elmwood!
We had 305 show up on that day. Many from Crosspoint came over to support us and to celebrate with us. Not to Us was the first song we sang because it really is not to us but to HIM. The following weeks we saw people come back and we were able to stabilize around 220 people over the next few months. I will post the rest of the story later.
What people must realize is that without the leadership of Pastor Jerry and the incredible generosity of the people who called Crosspoint home we would not have had the resources to make all of this happen in such a short time, financial resources (hundreds of thousands of dollars committed to Elmwood) human resources – some 75 people formed the Launch Team and another 30 people joined the Support Team – Leadership and Special Help resources – the staff at Crosspoint have helped us and continue to help us in more ways than can ever be counted. THANK YOU!
Now we are 21 months into this journey and we are at another mile marker. I have many emotions, feelings, words that are going through my heart and mind during this time…
Grateful – is the word that keeps bubbling up from my soul though. Grateful for all that God has done all around me. I have seen lives, marriages, young people, old people, round people… you get what I am saying – lives broken and now being healed. Grateful for God’s provision and help in so many ways (that will be another post for another day)
I am also grateful that I am not the same man that started this journey. God has exposed my heart at different times, it has not always been a pretty sight – looking into your soul and seeing what really is going to drive you, motivate you, inspire you… I pray that God will continue to do His will and work in my heart so that I can be the man, the husband, the dad, He created me to be… that is also my prayer for each of you – to join God and let Him lead us where He will!
