2819 Club -- Categorized Results

We took three months (and one Sunday) to pray and seek the Lord's will through The 2819 Club, shared the raw data results of the responses, and now those results have been subsequently been categorized. The results are in a PDF file with it's link below (and also through the title of this post).

Our next step is taking these leadings and focusing on the concretes of what we are to do and how we will go about achieving those goals.

God bless,
Pastor Scott

http://stmarkhouston.org/documents/20080908--2918_Club_Response_Data--Categorized.pdf

2819 Club -- Raw Data Results

From May through July several people met for 19 minutes on Sunday morning to ask what the Lord wanted the people of St. Mark to do to touch people with the love of Jesus Christ.

That question was also asked in worship at both services on Sunday, July 27.

The following links to a rather large document which contains the raw answers that basic question. The only editing that has taken place is for style, mistypes, and spelling, and other minor aspects. The responses themselves remain unchanged.

From here, we will go through these results in more detail, categorizing and summarizing them into like areas and fields. Following that, we will prioritizes the goals and the means by which we will reach them by God's grace.

In His service and yours,
Pastor Scott

http://stmarkhouston.org/documents/20080728--2819_Club--RESPONSES--COMPLETED.pdf

2918 Club -- Leadings

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

About a year and a half ago my mind was opened to many outreach opportunities that I had not previously considered. Many of these came as a part of my classes with the Pastoral Leadership Institute and others through the Texas District, itself. I have always been a proponent of letting others know of “The Way, the Truth, and the Life,” by whom all are saved; but these new ways of thinking about growing the Kingdom of God “clicked” in my mind. I had known many of the truths, but they had not been presented in a way that changed my thinking.

We are living in a country and with a whole generation of people who are biblically illiterate and far from God and, hence, salvation. We, at St. Mark, have been abundantly blessed by God with resources many congregations could only dream of. But more importantly, we have enormous harvest fields all around us. People for whom we are to share Christ with through the use these resources.

When Pastor Woolsey of CrossPoint Community Church, Pastor Steve Simon of Christ Memorial Lutheran Church, and I originally met about a mission plant in West Houston, I was excited (and still am)! There are so many people who are meeting with the Gospel at St. Mark; but there are so many, many more people all around us who are not going to step through our doors to hear about Him. It is, therefore, our privilege and responsibility to “send” us out and “seek” them; as our mission statement declares.

There are many places within 10-15 miles of St. Mark where a “more traditional” church plant could go and do well. (One being in the neighborhood I live in.) But my mind keeps going back to another vision. This has been resonating more and more as I have been with so many others praying to the Lord, “Lord, what do You want Your people at St. Mark to do to touch people with the love of Christ?” during the 2819 Club prayer time each Sunday morning.

Before I share my heart here, let me share this:

• The “target group,” in my mind, would be primarily the “busters” generation. Of course it would touch many others, but this is a generation of “post-moderns” who, by and large, do not know Christ and are completely biblically illiterate. Most of them did not grow up in church and have a very pluralistic and mystic mindset of “god.” They are very tolerant of others, but question everything.
• A meeting place needs to be where the people are, as they have no inclination of going to a traditional sanctuary or church campus. (It’s not really that they are opposed to this; it just doesn’t cross their minds.)

With those, and other factors in mind, I started thinking about a place that has countless people passing by and browsing every day – seven days a week, 365 days a year. People of all ages, races, and backgrounds meet there and interact on a regular basis. It is a place that is minimally affected by fluctuations in rain or heat.

Have you guessed it? It’s a mall. More specifically, I have been thinking of Memorial City Mall.

The opportunities boggle my mind!

This is where I am feeling led when I have been talking with the Lord about the opportunities He has in mind for us at St. Mark for the people of Houston, Texas.

What is He saying to you?

In His Plan with you,
Pastor Scott Heitshusen

2819 Club -- Leadings

Greetings Pastor Scott,

Here are several thoughts that I have had in response in praying, “Lord what do you want your people at St Mark to do at this time and in this place to touch people with the love of Jesus Christ?” Here are several things that I feel that the Lord is saying to me as I have been praying and listening…

1. Be in the Word…pray the Word of God…Call upon the Lord by praying the Word…seek the Lord by reading the verses that tell me to seek the Lord…ask the Lord to give me that Hunger and thirst for the sweetness of His Word…Meditate on those verses…then ask the Lord to tell me what He wants me to hear…really get quiet and listen…
   
2. I felt the Lord leading me to ask Barry [Leitko] to come to our Friday, 6:00 a.m. prayer time at the altar and to inform other men about this so that they have a chance to join us in a great time of prayer.
   
3. I felt the Lord leading me to attend the presentation on “Men at the Cross”…to share it with Pastor Scott and Pastor Schultz…with the elders…with or Wednesday morning Bible Study…and with personal friends. I feel that the Lord is calling me to go to the August 22-23 Men at the Cross week end at the Toyota Center…to become a mentor of a man for the next 6 months…to encourage men to go with me in to the August week end…to ask the Lord to show me who He wants me to mentor for 6 months…to pray that the Lord touches hearts of men that I have talked to with a desire to go to the August week end and to feel a call from the Lord to mentor another man. This all happened just at the time we decided to focus on prayer and start the 2819 team.

Blessings and Joy
Fred Tonn
Elder

The 2819 Club

We are excited to share with you information on the “2819 Club.” (So called because it references Matthew 28:19.)

St. Mark’s congregational outreach prayer remains:

"Lord God, give us direction in how we may service our community, proclaiming Christ as Lord of all."

The St. Mark community may join the 28:19 Club in praying:

"Lord, what do you want your people at St. Mark to do to touch people with the love of Jesus Christ? We know that the Lord will show us the center of his will if we pray and listen for his plan for us."

The following website, stmarkhouston.blogspot.com, provides information about this and other St. Mark efforts and events. (Select the “2819_Club” label along the left-hand side of the blog.)

In addition, you may submit items from your prayer and meditation with the Lord on that blog for others so that they, too, may be edified by what the Lord is saying to you. (Go to that same website, stmarkhouston.blogspot.com, and select the “Help” label on the left for instructions.)

Every Sunday between Bible study and second service at least 28 people will be gathering together for 19 minutes to seek the Lord’s guidance and direction answering the question:

What do you want your people at St. Mark to do to touch people with the love of Jesus Christ?

Please join the 28:19 Club for time of prayer and listening from 10:50–11:09 each Sunday in the Music Room upstairs (Room 220) starting May 4th. Our time together will be facilitated by either Fred Tonn, Frank Radtke, or Ed Hardin.

And if you cannot join the 28:19 Club each week, please pray individually or with friends that the Lord will guide you and our congregation towards a service that proclaims “Jesus Christ is Lord of all!”