Archive for August, 2011

Summer Sports Outreach in the D

Posted: August 26, 2011 by cletebontrager in Restore Church, Uncategorized
1

I wanted to give an update on our Saturday summer sports outreach.

For those of you who don’t know what we did every Saturday at noon let me explain.

We played soccer on an outside tennis court.  We called it indoor soccer outdoors.  Hey, I know, “that don’t make no sense”, but really we did play with indoor soccer type rules outside.

The teen/adults would play a game or two and also the elementary kids would play.  It was a great time.  Since not many kids in our area have ever played soccer (really futbol) it was a really a level playing field.  Fun was had by all.  Every Saturday we would go through 10 gallons of water.  So you know we all played hard.

We would have 20 to 50 folks out.

We also went through The Story of God every Saturday.  As Mike and I went through this with the kids we saw our hearts turned more to Christ.  It was great to see the eyes of understanding open up for some kids when they heard stories they knew, but actually saw in light of how great our God really is.

We learned a lot this summer, and have already thought of what needs to be done for next summer.

Here are a few pics of this summer.

I also want to thank Ruth and Susan for helping and nourishing the kids with treats and water.  Thanks also to those from Restore who came out and helped.

How do you pursue Jesus?

Posted: August 24, 2011 by mikehanafee in Colossians, Restore Church
0

Sunday morning we began a series in one of my favorite books of the Bible, Colossians. Those early believers in Colossae were being told that while Jesus was great they needed something more. No doubt the struggles of life were validating this false teaching. They are not alone. Every time we think “IF ONLY I had a better job, he listened to me, I was healed, I found a wife, was accepted by the popular kids, made the team, had a child, etc, etc etc THEN I’d be happy” we fall prey to the same delusion that Jesus is not enough. So Paul writes a letter that basically says Jesus + Nothing = Everything. That the One we need for all our needs is Jesus. [period!]

In the opening section, by sharing how he has been praying for the Colossian believers (& actually breaking into prayer for them), Paul both encourages and exhorts in the gospel. Then out of 1:1-14 this principle emerges – we pursue growth by pursuing Jesus. We pursue growth by pursing Jesus. So how do we pursue Jesus?

1. Immerse yourself in Scripture. Say whatever you want, if you are not getting into the word you are not pursuing Jesus.

2. Commune with God in prayer. Jesus did it. It was the lifeblood of the early church.

While we certainly do both of these personally we must also do both corporately. So…

3. Commit your self to Community. Pursuing Christ is not a solo journey, it is a community adventure. If our view of the Christian life is Jesus is that it’s basically just about me & Him, that church & community are helpful but not indispensable, we are deceived. Check out Hebrews 3:12 & 13. “Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters.* Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.”  We help each-other get closer to Christ and thus we help each-other grow. Proud hearts hate this dependence & think, that person can’t help me…they don’t know as much as me, they got real issues. Humble hearts embrace this gift of community—with all of it’s mess & brokenness, because it brings us closer together to the One who is heals/changes/grows us.

4. Get on Mission. The more you seek to show & tell Jesus the more your own idols — which can hide pretty well in the average Christian life — are exposed and the more you see you need Jesus let alone anyone else. The more you seek to proclaim Jesus the more you see need Jesus. So it becomes again & again all about Jesus. And He is the place where growth occurs.

Here’s the sermon if you want to watch.


A peek into a few weeks at Restore

Posted: August 18, 2011 by mikehanafee in Uncategorized
2

Pretty much weekly I send out an email or two covering what’s going down in connection to Restore. Here’s one I sent out yesterday. Let me know if you would like to get on our email list.

Hey all, here’s a bunch of upcoming stuff for Restore.
First, this Sunday (Aug 21) at 10:30 AM at 1247 Chicago (Bontrager home) we will gather for worship. After a delay I am now really pumped to start our series in Colossians – Jesus. [period!] If you get a chance spend some time looking at Col 1:1-14. And I am really thankful to report that Susan’s back, while not nearly 100%, is doing much better – thanks for the prayers! Also, feel free to invite family & friends to our Sunday worship.
Friday of Labor Day weekend (Sept 2) we will hold our last cookout. Details coming.
The second Sunday of September (Sept 11) we will hold a Free Garage Sale as our neighborhood service project. Please let Ruth, Clete, Susan, or me know if you have any items to contribute. Details coming.
***our West Lodge Missional Community will canvass the area for both the cookout & garage sale on Wednesday Aug 31. Let us know if you would like to participate.
I’ve been asked to help lead & coordinate the Boston-Edison Neighborhood wide (36 blocks, 900+ homes) picnic & party for Sunday afternoon Sept 25 at Voigt Park.. This is a gravy opportunity to connect with & serve our community! Specifically, I will be leading the communication push & kid’s activities. Additionally, Clete is taking ownership of organizing transportation for seniors. The West Lodge Missional Community will be helping with the kids activities. Please let me know if you’d like to serve with us.
Last weekend, for the second time, we joined an alley cleanup for a Boston-Edison block club that is on the other side of the Lodge Freeway than we are. The fact that we do not live in that section of our community really caused residents to take note of the fact that we love and want to serve our community at large. The cleanup organizer said, “I knew if I called you a bunch of others would come as well. We are really thankful for your guys!” Pray with us that this would lead to multiple gospel opportunities.
Today I posted a new article at our blogsite. http://resdetroit.org/2011/08/17/update-25-7-but-jesus-is-alive/ Feel free to post to your public media accounts.
Tomorrow at 10 AM, in conjunction with The Detroit Works Project & Project 14, there will a “spade in the ground ceremony” at 1626 Boston Blvd (just 2 streets from us) as work is begun on this beautiful home in need of restoration.  Attendes will include Mayor Bing, Police Chief Godbee, and Chase Bank President Sarah McClelland. There will be the announced a significant contribution by Chase Bank to lead the initiative to revitalize the NorthEnd community. Stop by if you can.
Friday morning I will look at potential meeting spaces in our community with a long term, well connected, & highly respected resident who runs a local non-profit organization. Please be in prayer about a future building for Restore. Also, as I seek to learn more about our context, I will have lunch Friday afternoon with a pastor of a church 8 blocks south of us.
Finally, to give a taste of what our Missional Community gatherings are about let me share a bit of what we do. We enjoy a meal, spend time together hanging out and sharing what God is doing in our lives, study the bible with a view to being reminded of our identity and purpose, pray, learn more about our context, do some training, & strategize. OK, so we don’t do all of that every time. Last Wednesday, for example, we gave an update on opportunities that are emerging in our neighborhood, discussed our fall schedule, and opened up the book of Genesis to see how God chooses, uses, & changes screwed up people – that as He advances His kingdom through us He advances His kingdom in us! This Wednesday we are going to look at a few passages that deal with the kind of unity that glorifies God in a church and, time allowing, began training on how to connect the stories of those around us (and ours!) with the ultimate story of creation/fall/redemption/restoration. And as always we’ll chow. Let us know if you’d like to check out any of our MC gatherings on Wednesday nights.

Update: 25 & 7…but Jesus is alive!

Posted: August 17, 2011 by mikehanafee in Detroit Info, Uncategorized
4

I am updating this post as a friend just informed me that in several different incidents in Detroit last weekend 25 people (not 16) were shot and 7 were killed. Sounds like a report out of Iraq or Afghanistan. Sounds like something from post fall Genesis. Sobering. Last month a 5 year old girl who lives a few streets away from our neighborhood was abducted at 3AM in a family dispute, strangled, and her body dumped in a house set ablaze in a failed attempt to cover her murder. Appalling. Just this afternoon a pastor of a church that meets 8 blocks south of us told me that he has buried 6 young men this summer who have been murdered. It’s real.

While we do not feel immediately threatened as many – but not all – of these crimes are associated with drug activity, we are viscerally reminded that Detroit, with all it’s rich beauty, is a broken place. So would you commit to fervently pray that the gospel would powerfully move in the hearts of many here? Pray for safety, empowerment by the Spirit, redemption, restoration, & community transformation.

Man, I am so thankful that Jesus suffered the just wrath of God for our sins in our place on the cross; rose from the dead on the third day conquering death, hell, sin, & Satan; and right now is making all things new through the power of His risen life! That’s why we can have hope in the midst of brokenness. That’s why we know God can use us in His purpose of restoring all things to Himself. That’s why we can live with a holy abandon to the cause of the great commission, knowing that God reigns over every last atom of the universe and that death is only the gateway to His immediate presence. (As I write this blogpost a friend just texted me, “Live for the end.” Yes!) That’s why we know your prayers – yes, your prayers – for Detroit are heard and answered!

As an addendum to the first addition of this post let me share some thoughts on two wrong, and extreme, views of Detroit. One such view is that Detroit is nothing but death and destruction. Simply put, that is a massively ignorant and woefully inaccurate characterization of Detroit. This view is popularized by the national media…or by people who only drive in for a ballgame and don’t actually visit the city itself. Come hang with us for an afternoon in our neighborhood and you’ll fall in love with this community! The other off-base view is that there really is nothing wrong with Detroit – that it’s all about revitalization, new businesses, and cool urban farms;) Sometimes this viewpoint can be embraced by those who see the error of the other extreme. The reality is this – Detroit is both broken and beautiful! And God is at work here.

Now one more thought for those who would let these statistics keep them &/or friends and family away from living in Detroit. Is that kind of thinking rooted in faith in God or unbelief? Are not the exact number of our days, according to Psalm 139, already numbered? Has not God already declared the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10)? Does not God call us to count our lives as nothing so that we may fulfill our mission of testifying to the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24, Rev 12:11)? And isn’t absence from the body, whether at a young age or old, presence with the Lord (2 Cor 5)? Certainly not everyone is called to live in a place like Detroit. But your response to the idea of living in such a place may reveal who you are trusting for safety & security. I am thankful that in my fears the gospel reminds me “that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

16 shot, 7 dead

Posted: August 17, 2011 by mikehanafee in Detroit Info, Uncategorized
0

In several different incidents in Detroit last weekend 16 people were shot and 7 were killed. Sounds like a report out of Iraq or Afghanistan. Sounds like something from post fall Genesis. Sobering. Last month a 5 year old girl who lives a few streets away from our neighborhood was abducted at 3AM in a family dispute, strangled, and her body dumped in a house set ablaze in a failed attempt to cover her murder. Appalling.

While we do not feel immediately threatened as many – but not all – of these crimes are associated with drug activity, we are viscerally reminded that Detroit, with all it’s rich beauty, is a broken place. So would you commit to fervently pray that the gospel would powerfully move in the hearts of many here? Pray for safety, empowerment by the Spirit, redemption, restoration, & community transformation.

Man, I am so thankful that Jesus suffered the just wrath of God for our sins in our place on the cross; rose from the dead on the third day conquering death, hell, sin, & Satan; and right now is making all things new through the power of His risen life! That’s why we can have hope in the midst of brokenness. That’s why we know God can use us in His purpose of restoring all things to Himself. That’s why we can live with a holy abandon to the cause of the great commission, knowing that God reigns over every last atom of the universe and that death is only the gateway to His immediate presence. (As I write this blogpost a friend just texted me, “Live for the end.” Yes!) That’s why we know your prayers – yes, your prayers – for Detroit are heard and answered!

“What’s a white dude the wrong side of 40 doing planting a church in Detroit?”

Posted: August 4, 2011 by mikehanafee in Detroit Info, Friends, Restore Church, Vision
0

A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Jim Essian, lead pastor of Paradox Church in Fort Worth, TX. (If his name sounds familiar it’s because his father, Jim Essian, was born in Detroit & played 12 years in the MLB before coaching the Chicago Cubs in 1991. Jim (Jr), raised in the Detroit area, also played 8 years of professional baseball.)

It was great to spend a Saturday morning showing Jim our neighborhood, eating breakfast at the HP Grill, and talking about church planting in Fort Worth & Detroit. Jim is a humble guy (he didn’t tell me he went deep 14 times for the Fort Worth Cats in 2004!) who has a real passion for Jesus and the mission of making Him known. As you can see in this video we had a little bit of fun together.

Like a logging train

Posted: August 2, 2011 by mikehanafee in Family, Restore Church
2

Two Sunday’s ago I preached at Gospel Life Church in Madison Heights, MI on the unstoppability of the gospel advance. Drawing on an illustration from my Oregon days I shared how the gospel is like a logging train – nothing can stand it it’s way! From Acts 15 & 16 we saw how the gospel advance overcomes the obstacles of relational difficulties, human planning, closed hearts, demonic powers, persecution, and personal attack. When we realize the Gospel advances on God’s commitment to it, not ours, it motivates us to commit to it’s advance all the more!

We are really thankful for our growing friendship with Gospel life Church. And I think it’s cool how they chose the old Irish way of spelling my name;)