Along the Road

Momentum

2012-01-17T06:43:00.000-08:00

As 2012 continues, we have an exciting opportunity to capitalize on the momentum created by renewed commitments and resolutions to be more involved in church. Services at Rock Bridge Chatsworth have been incredible and we've already seen exciting growth for this young year. Here are some things that are contributing to and will help continue the momentum:

Praying. This is everything, apart from Jesus, we are doing nothing.
Inviting. People are inviting their friends and it is paying off. I have met several people already this year that were at Rock Bridge Chatsworth because of friends inviting them.
Loving. We are doing an amazing job of taking care of each other. I have several examples of how we are 'being the church' to the people around us.
Welcoming. We are doing a great job of making people feel welcomed in our services, may we never lose sight of the significance of this!
Reaching. Upcoming Church activities include Staff-appreciation day at Bagley Middle School on January 23rd. Foster Family Appreciation Day on February 25th [details pending] and a special Easter event to be announced soon!

Thank you for what you are doing to build on this momentum, let's continue to pray, invite, welcome, love and reach out to people so we can share God's love with our community.

Victory!

2011-12-31T08:26:00.000-08:00

As we launch into this new year I want to share Psalm 100 with you.

1 Shout triumphantly to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness;
come before Him with joyful songs.
3 Acknowledge that Yahweh is God.
He made us, and we are His[a] —
His people, the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving
and His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
5 For Yahweh is good, and His love is eternal;
His faithfulness endures through all generations.

Note the following words/phrases:

Shout triumphantly
Serve with gladness
Come before Him with joyful songs
Yaweh [The Lord] is God
He Made us
We are His
Thanksgiving
Praise
Yaweh is good... and His love is eternal
His faithfulness endures...

I say all this to remind us all that we can move forward shouting triumphantly... serving gladly with joyful songs... knowing He is God... that He made us and we are His. That we can, and should, enter His gates with thanksgiving and praise, giving Him thanks and praise for He is Good, His love is FOREVER.

Let's enter His courts this new year without fear or worry. God is still good and we are still His and our goal remains strong - to lead people to Jesus.

State of the church...

2011-12-07T17:18:00.000-08:00

In 2009, we began the process of launching the Chatsworth campus of Rock Bridge Community Church. Based on what we read and learned through the wisdom of churches that pioneered multi-site church ministry we set a goal of being financially 'self-sustaining' at our two year anniversary and began the work of finding a location, purchasing equipment and hiring staff.

As our first staff hire, Matt Goss has served as our worship leader at a level above and beyond what we could ever have believed and his influence has touched everyone in our church. He's laughed with us, done setup and breakdown a zillion times and led us to the throne of God on Sunday mornings. He's visited hospitals, funeral homes and prayed with us. He even took time out of his crazy life as a pilot to visit my mom in New York during the last days of her life. His title is worship leader, but his role cannot be summed up in a title.

Later, as we made our way along the road of Rock Bridge Chatsworth, we hired Daniel Kiser to lead our Student Ministry. Daniel has done an amazing job, his leadership team has grown, he has developed strong relationships with the adult leaders and students while leading them toward a deeper walk with Jesus. He too has served beyond his 'job description'.

Now, as our two year anniversary approaches we see that God has blessed our efforts with strong attendance, salvations, baptisms and small groups. Friendships have forged that will likely last throughout our whole lives, giving support and love as we go. We have not however been able to reach our goal of being financially self-sufficient and our church leadership has spent endless hours praying and seeking God's help to know what to do next. Should we forgo the wisdom to be financially stable and continue needing the financial support of our Dalton campus or should we make changes to reach that goal?

After much prayer, we feel led to make changes to get our campus on a more solid financial foundation. We then began conversations on how to do that and after exhaustive discussion and even more prayer we've made the difficult decision to eliminate both Daniel's role as student minister and Matt's role as worship leader. I cannot overstate that these decisions did not include any kind of moral or ethical or performance failure, they were a sad product of where our financial world is today.

This raises many emotions and questions so this Sunday, after we finish our church service, we will provide a lunch and Matt Evans will be joining us at Bagley for lunch and a time for questions and answers but I do want to address a few things here.

Is this the end of Rock Bridge Chatsworth? No. This is a challenge, but we feel very strongly that God has us here to stay and our commitment is strong, so strong that we will make hard decisions to make sure we can continue for the long haul.
Will we have quality worship or student ministry without staff to lead it? Yes. Student ministry will continue the A.B.S. groups we have and we pray for God to grow this effort. As for worship, our band will continue to play and Lori Beth Edgeman, along with our Dalton worship staff will carry this load. Long term solutions are wide open and can be further discussed on Sunday but it is safe to say that many great ministries are led by volunteers.
If we are 'one church in many locations', why don't we forgo being self-sufficient and use the tithe's from the people in Dalton to meet our needs? There is much to talk about here, and Matt Evans will be able to do that, but a key point is our desire to be a good example of Biblical stewardship.
Were we over-staffed for a church our size, and if so, why? Yes. As a church of 150, the typical staff would be 1 to 1.5. We 'staffed for growth' based on faith and models we saw at the time.
Will this move allow us to do community outreach? Yes. Our budget includes funds to do 3-5 major outreach events.
Why were these positions eliminated instead of others or something else altogether? We considered endless options. In these cases we discovered that we can continue ministry through either current staff or volunteers and more importantly, we believe that this is the way God would have us go.
Gus, how do you feel about this? My heart is broken. Matt and Daniel are friends and this has been hard but I am certain that even through our pain, our obedience here will lead to amazing things in our future - for all of us.
Will we refill these positions when our funds change? Our future staffing decisions will be based on our needs at the time. As a volunteer driven church we want to model the Ephesians 4 plan for each of us to do what we are gifted to do.

This is a lot to take in so if you have questions or concerns, please join us for lunch and Q & A after church at Bagley on Sunday and ask whatever questions you may have.

Excelling in Giving [From Matt Evans]

2011-09-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

Some exciting stuff from Matt Evans blog:

Last year our church approved a faith-based budget of $3.2 million dollars. This budget was born out of prayer and a vigorous pursuit of wisdom. We doubled the amount of money we invested in local and international missions. We sought to wisely and adequately fund our own ministries for worship, children, students, discipleship, and day-to-day operations.

Even with the troubles in our local economy, we have seen our weekly giving increase this year! However, we are still falling short of our budget by around $2000 per month. Because we have some reserve funds and some built-in margin, we are not in a crisis. We can easily adjust our spending to handle this shortfall, but that means cutting back on some investments to which we believe God has called us.

We believe this is an opportunity for us to “excel in the grace of giving” as Paul encourages churches to do in 2 Corinthians 8:7. So rather than back down and reduce our budget for the remainder of the year, our Elders believe we can rise up and exceed our budget by finishing strong in this last quarter of 2011! Here’s how:

The $10-$50 Plan

Our church currently has about 1400 giving units (a giving unit could be one person or an entire family). If each of those giving units increased their monthly giving by $10 to $50 we would easily meet and even begin to exceed our budget goals!

So we are asking anyone with an income to prayerfully seek to raise your current monthly giving by between $10 to $50.
Think about it this way: over 30 days that represents about 3-5 gallons of gas, 3 Starbucks’ coffee drinks, or 1 movie ticket!!

If you have never given consistently to God’s church, then would you prayerfully consider starting to give around $10-$50 per month? This is a simple way for you to begin giving regularly and begin to experience God’s leadership over your finances.

Remember: it is simple and easy to set-up online giving directly from your checking account (called “E-Give”). You can sign-up directly from our web site by clicking here.

If we as a church take this step together, a few things will happen:

1-We will meet and could even exceed our 2011 budget!!

2-We will be more like Jesus by becoming more generous (2 Corinthians 8:9).

3-We will resist the pull of complacency, instead experiencing the thrill and joy of being open to God’s direction and leadership in our lives (2 Corinthians 2:14).

4-God will be more glorified as we invest in His Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and kingdom work locally and globally.

Thank you for being a part of what God is doing at Rock Bridge! We know God is moving and we know that He is providing through the generous hearts of His people!

**If you have no income, are unemployed or under-employed and need assistance, please allow your church family to help. Financial counseling and/or assistance with groceries or other basic needs are available and part of our budget to minister to those in our church family who are experiencing tough times.

Update on Beth Evans - from Matt's Blog

2011-07-20T06:06:00.001-07:00

From Mattevans.cc:

Been great to be back home and at Rock Bridge!! I love our church! Yet my heart is so with Beth in NYC, and as y’all have again shown me, your prayers are with her and our family in a “big” way. Thank you so much!!

Beth just finished “Skype-ing” with our boys and she is looking great and feeling stronger. She has had several good days in a row both in how she feels and what the doctors are observing. The mucus problem in her throat (which is making eating difficult) seems to be a result of a fungus that took root in the dead Epstein-Barr virus tissues (that thing causes problems even after it dies!). Thankfully, some infectious-disease specialists were able to pinpoint this likely culprit. So with some changes in her medicines, we are hopeful this latest challenge will be overcome soon. While we wait, the G-Tube is doing its job so Beth is getting nutrition and feeling better.

So we are cautiously optimistic that she is turning a corner. Her counts are very strong and there are new signs (from her latest labs) that her immune system is maturing and getting closer to full capacity. However, we are not there yet, we must remain careful and vigilant … but we are very thankful for where we are today.

Update from New York

2011-05-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been indescribable. They are wrapped around two weeks containing several 'anniversaries' related to the last month of my mom's life... It was a year ago last week, after learning mom was sick, that Gail and I spent a week with Mom and Dad and my brothers and sisters. It was a year ago Sunday, the day after we returned home to Georgia, that mom went into the hospital for what ended up being the last month of her life and it was a year ago today that Gail and I returned to NY to spend our last days with her. On that day we met Dad and brothers/sisters at a local diner and the last few weeks have had me reflecting a lot on losing mom but also reflecting on her amazing life and my amazing family. I remember so clearly sitting in that diner, so scared and yet finding peace with this amazing group.

That said, I must return to my initial statement: "The last few days have been indescribable." In part because of the memories of last year, but sadly, it is made worse because of what happened THIS weekend. As I was walking into church for our 9:15 service, I happened to check my cell phone, which I rarely do any time after 8:00am, and I saw that one of my sisters had called. The timing scared me as I knew she'd not likely call at that time unless something was wrong. I tried to check the message and due to the limited service in the building, the message was cut off. I was out of time so I headed to the stage to make some announcements and then ran outside to check the message. "Dad has had a major heart attack" was the message.

I got my sister on the phone, got some details and informed her that I did not know how to respond, so I'll go ahead and freak out. I informed Gail and eventually the church and soon Gail and I were on the road, again rushing to NY to visit a parent in trouble. I began to wonder which of my brothers/sisters was having this nightmare and why did I have to be included in their terror, reliving the worst moments of our lives. I even pinched one of my brothers to try and wake him up to end this horror.

It did not work.

So here I am, sitting in a hospital waiting room with many emotions and realize I've left a bunch of amazing friends in Georgia with little information so here is where we are:

Dad is very strong and fighting a good fight.
He is in an induced coma to help him rest while on a ventilator
There is an infection that NEEDS to go away
His Blood pressure is good without medicine - a BIG DEAL!

A few prayer needs:

His oxygen levels to rise
His infection and fever to be ELIMINATED
His blood sugar to get where it needs to be
For him to get free of medications that are affecting his kidneys
For me and the brothers/sisters to have strength and wisdom

I'm out for now.

Is love blind?

2011-02-14T13:50:00.000-08:00

Today is valentines day and this morning my daughter asked the following question on Facebook: "If love is blind, then why do so many people buy lingerie?" I sarcastically commented that 'lust has 20/20 vision'. Well, Valerie's question wasn't as sarcastic as my answer which got me wondering... is love really blind?

The idea behind 'love is blind' is that love doesn't see our faults, that it ignores them and sees only good in us. But that isn't love, it's positive thinking. I think of my wife Gail. We've been married since September of 1993 and are more in love than ever - but not blindly. She knows where I'm weak, what scares me, what makes me sad and what angers me. She knows I'm a picky eater, she knows I need to lose weight, that I don't brush my hair and that I NEVER tuck in my always wrinkled shirts.

She knows all this - and more - and she loves me anyway. She'd probably like it if I had a more imaginative appetite and kept my hair a little neater and even lost some weight but she isn't in love with those things, she's in love with who I am, with my character and as it happens, sometimes that isn't easy and it is not blind.

So if love isn't blind, what is it? I've seen/heard lots of comparisons; higher than a mountain, deeper than the ocean, like a rose etc... but check out these thoughts:

"Love is patient." Not talking about easy patience here, like the patience of a parent as their child falls while learning to walk - but difficult patience. Patience when it is not deserved, but given anyway.
"Love is kind." Wash the dishes, vacuum, mow the lawn, write a poem, laugh together, share a hug for no reason.
"Love is not proud." Admit you're wrong, admit you have needs, don't gloat when you're right, meet the needs of the other person even when it's outside of you own comfort zone.

There's more to it but this is a good sample of how the Bible defines love, and an important part of this list is that everything requires conscious effort, a choice to do them... and that is love. Like I said, Gail loves me in spite of my failures, and I her. Our love is passionate, it's strong, filled with joy and that's not because our love is blind, no, our love has perfect vision. We have pain, we fight, we hurt but our love endures through it. By choice and smart behavior.

Maybe you're not a Bible reader, but the rest of the definition is amazing, go check it out, you can find it in First Corinthians chapter 13. It's easy to find in a Bible or online at this link:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2013:%204-7&version=NIV

So is a 'sexy nightie' an appropriate gift? That's for you and yours to discover for yourselves, but what is sure is that true love sees beauty wrapped up in that outfit no matter what anyone else sees... because love has perfect vision.

Latest on Beth Evans from Matt...

2011-01-17T08:11:00.000-08:00

The Following is an update on Beth, from Matt:

We just spoke with Dr. Boulad today ... another good report. They continue to wean her off the IV meds and replace them with pills. She should be completely off morphine early tomorrow (they have to wean you off morphine b/c of its addictive effects). They give you a special drug to stimulate your white blood count. Beth is no longer taking that so her counts are leveling off. Her new marrow is now making red blood cells and platelets. She is still getting an occasional platelet transfusion during this transition as the new blood cells keep up and then build up. She has not had a red cell transfusion in quite some time.

So ... counts are looking good and getting better, organs look good, pain is under control and almost gone, and all IV meds are being either eliminated or replaced by pills. The dangers remain infections and Graft Versus Host Disease but the doctors are very vigilant and proactive in prevention.

As of now, Beth should be released from the hospital sometime late tomorrow (Tuesday). She will then be in outpatient status for quite some time (and would be readmitted in the event of a fever, signs of infection, or any sign of Graft versus Host Disease).

Please keep praying for Beth to regain strength, for her counts to continue to strengthen, and for protection against infection & Graft vs. Host Disease.

Thanks so much!!

Matt

24 Hours of Prayer

2010-11-29T07:06:00.000-08:00

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says simply: Pray continually - and that is exactly what we're going to do as a church this Wednesday from 6pm Wednesday to 6pm Thursday at Stage 123 in Dalton. Here is more information from Matt's blog:

How we need what only God can provide!! How Satan quakes at united, corporate prayer! How God longs to hear His children call out to Him! Let’s give God no rest for 24 hours …

One of the most important prayers we can pray right now is: Lord, make us hungry to pray! And then as we pray …

We will know His power
Unbelievers will be converted
Sinful habits will be broken
Families and marriages will be restored
Boldness for Christ will increase
Hardened hearts will become tender and sensitive to God
Prodigals will return home
Giving will be joyful and generous
The sick will be healed
Worship will be intense and passionate
AND, CHRIST WILL BE GLORIFIED!!!

Live worship is scheduled to go on the whole time and Rock Bridge Staff are signed up to be on hand for the entire time - I look forward to seeing you there as we "Pray Continually".

UPDATE ON BETH FROM MATT EVANS

2010-11-16T18:53:00.000-08:00

This is from Matt's Blog @ Mattevans.cc

Update from NYC

First of all we want to thank you so much for your prayers, love, and support. They have lifted us up and increased our confidence in our awesome God.

Today we met with Dr. Boulad, a pediatric oncologist who also specializes in adults with Fanconi Anemia. He confirmed Beth’s diagnosis of MDS. He outlined our treatment plan:

We fly home tomorrow
Because of the risk of infection (Beth’s white count is very low), she must remain at home and relatively isolated.
Beth has another bone marrow biopsy in 2-3 weeks to determine the rate of MDS progression.
We are moving to have a bone marrow transplant in 6-8 weeks.
1. The donor search starts now.
2. Once Beth is matched with a donor, the transplant process will begin.
3. This process will require Beth to be in the hospital here in NYC for 2 months and remain in the New York area for 4-6 additional months to be closely monitored.

Prayer Requests:

For God to be glorified in ALL of this!!
For miraculous healing!! That the biopsy in 2 weeks comes back NORMAL!!!
For Beth to stay free from infections.
For Edwin who is an FA patient who started the transplant process today … pray for his healing.
For John, another FA patient fighting mouth & throat cancer … for healing & recovery.
- We were blessed to meet both John & Edwin today and pray with them and their families.
For the donor match process to go quickly and smoothly.
- We can only be matched with someone already on the registry.
- Many people have asked about being a bone marrow donor for Beth. While this is not possible, you can still become a donor and help save someone else’s life. Go to BetheMatch.org to find out more information.

Pray... Go... Give

2010-10-18T16:20:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting on an old wooden rocking chair, on a porch facing west as the sun sets beyond some tall pines that reach high into the cool night sky. The chair is not particularly comfortable and the approaching darkness brings with it some blood sucking bugs so my time on this porch is limited but for the moment I'll hang out here and watch the setting sun create a soothing orange sky. The only thing that could make this better would be my wife sitting next to me.

I just finished reading one of my favorite Bible stories as it appears in the Bible, in the book of Mark. It isn't a new story to me, I've read it a lot and taught from it several times and its message always inspires me. Tonight however, as I read under the tangerine sky something caught my attention. Not new, it's been there every time I've read it, but tonight it strikes me fresh.

A quick look at the story shows us Jesus teaching along a shoreline and as the crowd grows, He gets pushed closer and closer the waters edge. Eventually he ends up on the boat of a fisherman named Simon - a man that is later called Peter and becomes a pretty important player in Christianity, but here, at this point, Simon is a fisherman.

He has spent the night fishing and caught nothing but as Jesus' teaching time ends, He instructs Simon to go into deep water - to catch fish. It's all wrong really; Simon is the fisherman and Jesus is the preacher but Simon recognizes Jesus as a man of some significance so he does as Jesus said - and because of it he catches fish. Lots of fish. So many that he needs help to get them in the boat. At the end of the story we see the following:

Then Jesus said to Simon "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed Him.

There's a lot in this story; faith, trust, obedience to God and Simon leaving behind his career, but what struck me was that Simon was a fisherman that has just had what was likely the best day in his career and that's the day he leaves it all behind - and that's what struck me. Would I have left a successful career to come work in the church? Would you? I remember the 'biggest sale of my career'... would I have left it all behind that day to come work in the church?

We were challenged in church yesterday to: "Pray. Go. Give." To ask God if there's more we can do to help this enormous and diverse world. Should we deliver God's love to a place where there is no fresh water and help build a well? Should we go to a place where AIDS kills at an alarming rate and give care? Go build a septic system for a city where the streets currently serve as the channel for the local sewage? Should we give money selflessly to help others do it?

I don't know where you are or what God may be doing in your life but I know that He has called those that claim to be followers of His son, Jesus Christ to go into all the world with His amazing love.. So...

Pray... Ask what you should do - and do it - even if it happens on the 'best day of your career'
Go... Go where it is you should go and share God's love. Africa? Haiti? South America? Your school? Your Work? Your own home?
Give... Do everything you can to give. Less restaurants? Movies? Cheaper car? Smaller house?

Rock Bridge Outdoors

2010-08-21T04:58:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday, August 21st, 2010 and I suspect this day will be remembered as a pivotal point in not only Rock Bridge Community Church, Chatsworth, but Murray County in general.

"Why?" you ask, because Rock Bridge Outdoors Chatsworth, is launching today! Rock Bridge Outdoors connects the disconnected by creating outdoor environments that engage people in activities they are passionate about and here in Chatsworth it is going to be AMAZING.

This group provides ways for not only great community, but also ways for us to serve our community through all kinds of projects. The group will grow into everything from hiking/camping to target shooting to river rafting, picking up trash, serving schools and much more.

Russell Richards and Andrew Touchstone have done a great job getting ready for this celebration. It starts with diner at 6:00pm at the Touchstone home and you can get directions to the Touchstone home by calling Russell at 706-270-3606.

Also, for reminder sake... Church tomorrow at Bagley Middle at 9:15 & 11:00am - one more "lie of the devil" exposed and you don't want to miss this!

Family History

2010-08-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

"Family History"

It was barely more than three months ago that family medical history rocked my world when mom told me about her colon cancer... and too soon after that, she lost her battle with the nasty beast called cancer.

So, filled with sorrow from her passing, and with joy remembering her amazing life, it was time to get busy dealing with family history. I made an appointment to have my annual[ish] physical and seek a referral for the dreaded colonoscopy. My physical was overall fine; a few numbers I need to lower but no med's needed. Then the awesome Dr. Brown asked me where I wanted to go for the 'procedure'. I'm a Murray County guy and I've heard that we are in danger of losing our hospital so I opted for Dr. Rodriguez at Murray Medical Center - and I am so glad I did! Here are a few reasons why:

Dr. Rodriguez was quick to get me scheduled and even quicker to ease my worry by letting me know that family history is a concern, but certainly no guarantee to get cancer
I was able to get an appointment quickly
At check-in I was warmly greeted and checked-in fast.
I waited in a comfortable waiting room and found a magazine I found interesting, but I had no time to read it since within minutes I was escorted to my room.
Nowhere did the hospital have an unpleasant odor - I CANNOT overstate the importance of this for me!
The nurses were AMAZING. They made me feel so at ease and comfortable, even while wearing that stupid dignity-killing gown.
I had my first "I.V." installed and the nurse got it done in one, practically pain-free[ish] try.
While waiting my turn for the operating room, I was visited by the hospital administrator - who took time from his crazy schedule to hang out and pray with me
A short wait later it was my turn - I acted quite brave but was pretty nervous. I was wheeled into the room, given a shot in my I.V. and that was it, I was painlessly out in a matter of seconds.
The next thing I know Gail was waking me up to go home - nearly an hour ahead of schedule!
Three minutes after climbing into our car, Gail had me in our bed for a very peaceful afternoon nap!
And most importantly - I am all-clear!

Most people that had been where I was going told me that the worst part of the colonoscopy was the prep work the day before. I didn't much like not eating for a whole day but the drinking and pill-taking was truthfully a breeze - and the 'food-fast and prep-work' helped lower one of those numbers I mentioned earlier - I lost seven pounds! I have since found most of them.

All this to say two things:

If it's your time, whether by age or family history, get the colonoscopy. It really is no problem and it could be life saving.
If you're a Murray County person, my experience confirms that you can feel great about using Murray Medical Center

"If I'm asleep when you get home..."

2010-06-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

As a teenager and into my young adulthood, I lived in a small town outside of New York City. It was a magnificent town with woods and views across the mighty Hudson River and some wonderful people. Aside from the New York weather, and maybe the 'pace-of-life' I long-struggled to adjust to, it was practically perfect. Before that, before living in New York I was a young teen living in Southern California where I went to the beach, saw movie stars and hung out by the pool with family and friends. It too was practically perfect. In fact, my whole childhood was practically perfect.

The 'practically perfect' part was influenced by the cool locations, but the truth is we could have lived in Fargo [though I'm thankful we didn't] and my childhood would still have been practically perfect because my amazing Mom and Dad [and my 2 brothers and 3 sisters] made it that way. They of course are not perfect people, nobody is, but their love and support shapes who I am every day. I consider myself an amazing husband - because I saw in my father, what one looks like. I'm a good care-giver because of the great care I always got from Mom.

At the dinner table Mom and Dad always made sure there was plenty, in fact it became somewhat of a joke as the years have gone by. "Do you want more sauce?" Mom would ask on spaghetti nights. "Would you like some hot gravy?" Was her constant question when turkey was on the table. As we aged, we learned that the answer should always be yes, because she so loved to take care of us that she wouldn't eat her own dinner until she knew we were satisfied.

As a young high-schooler, when I started 'going out' at night she'd stay awake to make sure I got home safely. I'd find her sitting in the kitchen reading, or cleaning as if she wasn't waiting up for me, but I always knew, and I always liked it. Later, when I started driving, she'd remind me to 'drive carefully' and yup, even though I'd be out later... she'd be up, making sure I got home safely.

Then, as a less-young teen, I was out later and later and eventually I could stay out beyond when she could stay up but she could not rest until she knew I was home safely. So a new rule was created and enforced. "If I'm asleep when you get home, wake me up so I know you got home safely". A simple rule you'd think, but Mom is a heavy sleeper. So, being the great son I've always been, I'd go into their bedroom and in a loud-whisper I'd begin. "Mom, I'm home."

No response so I'd get a little louder... and then louder and eventually I'd practically shout. Finally, she'd awaken, but not with a gentle smile, acknowledging my presence, nope, she'd pry her eyes open, see a strange man standing in her bedroom and begin screaming, not a whispered dream-scream, but a full-on terrified, blood curdling scream. Seems funny now, but it was horrifying. It was horrifying every time I got home. For years. And it continued all the way through my younger brothers and sisters.

Now, these many years later, it seems Mom's time to care for us is coming to an end. No more can she freshen our sauces and gravy, no more safety tips, and no more waking her up when I get home.

So, dear sweet mother, I say one more time that yes... I really, really want some more of your wonderful spaghetti sauce, I will drive carefully and most importantly, if you are asleep when I get there, I will wake you up to let you know... that I'm safely home.

Some thoughts on our move to Bagley

2010-06-17T18:34:00.000-07:00

After an awesome season at North Murray High School, Rock Bridge Chatsworth has moved to Bagley Middle School. Our service times remain the same at 9:15am and 11:00am.

The move has raised some questions - so here are some answers:

Question: Was Rock Bridge Chatsworth 'thrown out' of North Murray?

No. Our relationship with the folks at North Murray is excellent. Our plan has always been to leave that location when North Murray moved out. We had hoped to move to the new facility with North Murray but construction is not finished on the areas we'll use.

Question: Then why leave the original site now?

The new folks in our original building need a LOT of space and we will soon be in their way. The school system has worked hard and found us a solution that limits our 'portability' through the summer and even into the school year.

Question: Are we 'settling' at Bagley?

No. Bagley is an excellent facility with amazing staff that offers us many things that were not available at NMHS. Parking, lobby, volunteer headquarters, worship center and kids space are AMAZING!

Question: Will we still move to NMHS when the construction is finished?

The easy answer is "yes... but". NMHS will have an excellent theater that makes it VERY interesting but the truth is we will have to evaluate when the time comes. We will follow God's leading.

Question: Why don't we simply buy, rent or build a permanent location?

Finding a site that is a good location, has enough space and a potential 'cool factor' has not been hard to do. Finding a space that is LEGAL to use is another story. To have church there are specific laws and rules that must be followed. There must be certain numbers of parking spaces based on the size of the building, there must be sprinklers and proper exits not to mention air-conditioning and the needed technology. All this says that finding a site that meets the needs is hard. If a great site that meets our needs becomes available at a price we can afford we will certainly take a prayerful look at it.

Question: Why don't we just buy the Chevy building?

I can give you three-point-four-million reasons. Rock Bridge Chatsworth is a small, locally funded church and even churchwide we feel the impact of the economic crisis just like anyone. Purchasing such a site is totally out of the question at this time. [Yes, a lease would be considered if the owners were interested... they are not]

Last Question [For Now]: Doesn't moving kill the church?

No. I can site several examples of churches that have moved and the moves actually created a cool buzz and led to growth. A certain church that started in the 80's with just a few, moved several times in their history - they even had a somewhat private slogan "We're a great church if you can find us". They didn't build for YEARS and now run over fifteen thousand people.

Please spread the word about our move - the school is looking amazing and Sunday is going to be awesome!

Stinky food

2010-06-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

So the last two months or so have been a little crazy in my world; okay, a lot crazy. Two trips to visit sick family in New York, then a rush trip back to Georgia for a funeral and this week the church is moving from the now former North Murray to Bagley Middle School.

On Monday night of this week, a few of us were working up at Bagley and my amazing wife delivered dinner to the work team. We were all hungry and ready to eat when Gail walked in and we knew in an instant what we were about to eat. It was the smell that gave it away, it was strong, and spicy and wonderful and the hungry crew ate some serious food!

When our dinner first arrived it smelled wonderful. In fact, it smelled wonderful all night long, and even into the next morning as it wafted through the still air inside the school. But later, the smell turned bad, real bad and today the smell was so horrible we wanted it gone, we wanted it as far away as possible as soon as possible. It took only a few minutes to track down the source of the rotten smell, it was the garbage can that we used to throw away the leftover food from Monday night, the food had gone stale and then gone rotten. I immediately took the bag and can out to the trash, rinsed out the can and within a few minutes, the smell was gone ans we were back to work.

Consider the life of some Christ-followers:

In the beginning of our faith-walk, our arrival is welcomed because within our excitement we bring the nourishment God offers
Our positive impact may be felt even after we've left the area
But we can go stale, possibly becoming rotten to those that encounter us
Those that once welcomed us may then want us to go away
If we become 'stale' in our Christian life, we may even become an annoyance that is removed from the lives of those we were hoping to nourish.

Don't bring rotten Christianity to the people around you. Stay fresh with time in God's word, with prayer and time with others that are trying to remain fresh. Then, go bring the nourishing love and amazing life that comes from Jesus Christ.

Rock Bridge Job Opening

2010-05-13T16:18:00.000-07:00

This is a post from Matt Evans about our Children's minister job search for Rock Bridge Dalton:

Recently, our current Children’s Minister (Amanda Welch) at Rock Bridge Community Church announced her resignation effective on July 31st. Her husband has received an amazing job opportunity so they will be leaving our area. Amanda’s service to children, our church, and God’s kingdom have been tremendous!

We are now ready to start looking for our next Children’s Minister. This person would have direct responsibilities at our Dalton campus but leads and coordinates children’s ministry efforts (birth through 5th grade) at all our campuses (Dalton, Calhoun, and Chatsworth). Specifically, we are looking for someone who …

Is passionate about Jesus Christ and children with a calling to serve in the local church.
Can recruit, develop, and shepherd staff and volunteers in a growing church.
Can build, develop, and work through teams of people to accomplish goals and pursue our Church’s vision and mission.
Knows how to create intentional environments and experiences for children that help them fall in love with Jesus, the Bible, and the church.
Can multi-task by leading people and managing various details so that Rock Bridge Children’s Ministry is aligned with the church’s vision, executed with excellence, and glorifies Christ.

If you or someone you know (or know of) is interested, email a cover letter and a resume with references to our Operations Pastor, Alfred Turley.

Student minister search

2010-05-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

Rock Bridge Chatsworth is in the midst of searching for the person that will lead our student ministry. The student ministry here is already growing and the opportunities are ripe for the future!

If you would like more information, please email me at gus@rockbridge.cc.

On my heart to pray for:

2010-04-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

My amazing wife
My kids and five grandsons
Church this weekend - all over the world
A family that lost loved ones in a recent car accident locally
Those still fighting after that same accident
The U.S. Military
A police officer clinging to life after a car accident in my home town in NY
Rock Bridge Chatsworth setup this Friday and the amazing people that help
Filling the part-time student ministry job at Rock Bridge Chatsworth
The volunteers that make Rock Bridge Chatsworth so great
A friend in prison...
...His wife
...Their daughter
My small group
My family up north
The people I'm blessed to know at Rock Bridge Chatsworth
Our president
My very brave friends returning from Haiti tonight
To become the person I should be
People I know that are in broken or hurting relationships
People I don't know that are in hurting or broken relationships
The 9:15am and 11:00am services this Sunday at Rock Bridge Chatsworth

Praying.

Music and Memories

2010-04-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I had the chance to perform a wedding for some friends and while I do not usually get to stay for receptions after weddings, Gail and I were able to hang for most of this one. The food, the company and the music made for a lovely, though cold and snowy North Georgia evening.

As the night progressed the DJ played a variety of music and as a child of the 70's and 80's I was only sometimes impressed with the musical selections of the twenty-something DJ playing music for a twenty-something bride and groom.

Then while chatting with the father of the bride as he grieved the loss of his daughter; I mean celebrated the arrival of his new son-in-law, the sound of Michael Jackson's "Beat it" came through the speakers and the place went crazy. Young and old alike, excluding me and Daddy, ran to the dance floor. We both got quiet and watched the carnage of the rhythm-less post-adolescents as they did the best they could with both left-feet.

As I stood there however, listening to the old song, I was quickly transported to another time and place. I was at Studio 54 in New York City, May of 1983 and it was prom night. My best friends, their dates, and my date and I were having a great night and although I was never a Michael Jackson fan... Studio 54 was and they played 'Beat it' and 'Thriller' all night - in fact, I believe the 'long version' of the thriller video actually premiered at '54 that night - it was a BIG deal and it left an impact that was was resurrected at a wedding nearly thirty years later.

So after the wedding I spent a little time listening to some of my favorite music; returning to some long-forgotten memories. I heard 'Life in the fast lane' by the Eagles and I was on a bus with Andy, headed for Malibu's Zuma beach in the summer of '78. I heard some music from Neil Diamond's 'Hot August Night' and I was in the back seat of the family car and we're headed to San Diego for vacation - you get the point.

So as I trod my way along memory lane I smiled at all the amazing memories of my life, but felt especially 'warm' [cheesy, but it's the right word] as I considered my incredible childhood. I grew up with amazing parents, three very cool sisters, two awesome brothers and a long list of animals to punctuate the life in question.

The music led me to remember the KISS concert I so wanted to attend in '78, but I was too young to go alone so my older sister that HATED KISS, volunteered to take me and Andy. I think about the times in Newport Beach California where I developed my love for the beach. I even think about the years in New York and smile at the incredible stuff I experienced there that I could not have experienced anywhere else with any other family.

I shared some of my journey with Gail that night after the wedding and she reminded me that some of the music that makes me smile, that takes me to some of the best memories of my life, takes her to a whole different place, a dark and unpleasant place, confirming again, that music is tied to memories... one way or another.

Her interpretation of the music that so made me smile was a reminder that not everyone is making good memories at home. Not everyone looks back at childhood and lets out a peaceful sigh. Some have lived, or are living a hard childhood and adolescence.

All that to say... we can make a difference. We can be part of helping kids have great memories - even if they don't get them at home. We can help families learn to make great memories and we can do it wherever we are. Rock Bridge Chatsworth is a platform I use to make a difference in others lives, but there are options wherever you are. You can serve in your local church, or Young Life, or Boys and Girls clubs, or your neighborhood or apartment building... It's easy really, no matter where you are, to make a difference, a good start is to do is do like my family did... play some music and love each other.

Easter Weekend

2010-03-31T08:48:00.000-07:00

Easter is a favorite holiday of mine:

It brings back memories of my amazing childhood. Egg-hunts always seemed to include finding at least one egg from the year before - and yes, they were REAL eggs!
Springtime ROCKS!
Summer is coming!
And most of all... It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ

Rock Bridge Chatsworth is celebrating in grand fashion this year. We have three service options:

Saturday at 5:00pm - with a cookout to follow
Sunday at 9:15am and 11:00am

Join us for whichever service works best for you and celebrate this amazing holiday.

Too Young To Die

2010-03-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

I was trolling along Facebook yesterday when the cryptic post of an old friend from High School caught my eye. It was filled with gloom and doom about someone in her life and the name she mentioned was unique in nature, I've known of only a few people that carried it and it made me wonder if it was someone from our graduating class.

Then this morning I had a voice-mail from what can best be described as 'one of the best friends I've ever had'. John had left the message last night while I was in small-group so I didn't even know it was there until this am and sadly, the unique name mentioned in a cryptic post was indeed that of a classmate from the class of 1983. He had come down with bacterial meningitis a few days ago and last night his much too young body lost this terrible battle and he passed away.

For history sake... I began my career in that school system as a ninth grader and a significant number of the kids had been together since kindergarten so it was hard for me to fit in; a fact that was made worse by my less than pleasant attitude about moving to Irvington New York from Southern California.

That said, I didn't know this man very well. We walked in different circles in our small school and if I'm totally honest, we didn't like each other. In fact, we haven't spoken since graduating and I doubt we spoke that day. Recently we had a few pleasant Facebook moments but 850 miles and 27 years were no match for the four years we spent living in different worlds in the same place.

Stupid.

Even amid all that honesty however, I find my world reeling a little. He was too young to die and I feel enormous sorrow for his wife and three young kids and for his close friends. I spoke with another 'best friend I've ever had' this morning and he was really hurting. He was at the hospital for the final moments and he shuddered as he shared what he saw. I ache for his pain.

With so many years and so much mileage between me and this situation I can only pray for those involved that they find the now elusive peace... and that is exactly what I am doing.

Thoughts about 'Portable Church'

2010-03-12T18:53:00.000-08:00

I get a lot of questions about portable church and I want to take some time to answer a few:

What is portable church?

For us, being a portable church means that we rent a facility, in our case North Murray High School and transform that space from its 'everyday' use to a church for the weekend.

Is being portable a Biblical concept?

There is more to talk about here than I can answer in one blog but the short answer is yes. Consider the Gospels and where Jesus preached. The Temple courts; the sermon on the mount; by the lake. The church was not a building then and it is not now.

How do you feel about Rock Bridge Chatsworth being portable?

This one is asked a lot, and almost always by someone presuming that I hate it so my answer almost always raises eyebrows... I like it. It's true, I like it, in some ways I LOVE it.
I like that we get to partner with a local school - giving the school money helps our community and that works for me.
I like that we take a building that sits vacant on weekends and put it to use. It saves money and natural resources.
I like the location - easy to find, center of the community, good parking and it has a cool local history. I regularly hear folks talk about great, life shaping memories at the school. That tradition continues.
I LOVE that I get to spend incredible time with amazing people every week to set it up and break it down.
I freely acknowledge that it is work; hard work, but it is good work and it's work that unites us in a way that simply cannot be matched in a 'permanent' site.
I like it because, to quote a church leader at a portable church of 4000+ in a school in Charlotte, 'it gives us an edge'. The energy that portability generates is unmatched. We walk the halls of NMHS before we start and the end result is absolutely amazing. It is very satisfying and I always have fun.

Is Rock Bridge Chatsworth looking for a more permanent site?

This one is asked most often of all. It's asked by folks helping set up, it's asked by people breaking it down, by guests and it's asked by friends from other churches.
Another short answer... no. [but keep reading]
It's not that we don't want a permanent site; we looked at a ton of available spaces around town but found nothing that worked. Too much space... not enough... bad parking... too expensive to make safe and usable for church... you get the point. We looked and looked and simply found ONE open door and North Murray is it.
I pray that we will end up in a debt-free [or at least a short term debt-free plan] permanent site. My top prayer however, is to simply follow as God leads and He has led us here and therefore... I like it.

Rock Bridge Week 2

2010-03-04T16:49:00.001-08:00

We're setting up the church this Friday and Saturday.

Friday: 4:00pm - 8:00pm
Saturday: 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Please join us and be part of this!

Rock Bridge Chatsworth services this Sunday at 9:15 & 11:00am

The launch - Complete Rundown

2010-03-02T12:21:00.001-08:00

The Rock Bridge Chatsworth launch was amazing and I am, for one of the VERY few times in my life... speechless[ish]. So here are a few thoughts:

The setup team made the space look AMAZING
The breakfast team absolutely SPOILS us - incredible food for our volunteers
The Dalton team that came to help was inspiring!
Our guests represented Murray County like champions!
The tech team ROCKED! It was like we were in a million-dollar theater!
The band was INCREDIBLE
The Message about not running from God ROCKED me to consider the big fish a place of grace!
The Kids team was THE BEST! I heard kids AND volunteers RAVING about how awesome it was!
The Break-down team BLEW my mind! Only our second time and it was faster, easier and still fun to be part of! And most of the crew was doing it for the first time!

I am having too much fun, can't wait for the weekend!

Setup for this week is the same as last week:

Saturday 9am - 12pm
Saturday 2pm - 6pm

2 Days... and the first food drive for Rock Bridge Chatsworth

2010-02-26T17:56:00.000-08:00

We're getting ready for the launch of Rock Bridge Chatsworth in 2 days - and our first food drive! Here are some details:

Saturday has two setup teams: 9am-12pm & 2pm-6pm If you are not already signed up and would like to help we still have open spots - email me @ gus@rockbridge.cc
Sunday: 2 Services; 9:15am and 11:00am at North Murray High School [Across from Murray County High School]
Sunday: After the 11:00am service we'll restore the space to North Murray High School. Feel free to hang around and help if you can.

Our First Food Drive:

During both Sunday morning services on February 28th and March 8th we will collect non-perishable food items to support people of Murray County

CAN'T WAIT!

Launch Weekend Schedule

2010-02-24T17:33:00.000-08:00

When I was 14 my family moved from suburban Los Angeles to suburban New York [moment of silence please] and soon after that I began my high school career. This period of my life is filled with wonderful, interesting and sometimes slightly exaggerated stories that I love to share.

That said, I remember reading the yearbooks at the end of my freshman year and was amazed at how many of the graduating seniors quoted an already aged song. The seniors were each given a half-page to insert pictures, draw, write and generally do pretty much whatever they wanted to celebrate the end of their high school career. And with all that freedom, the overwhelming favorite quote was "what a long strange trip it's been". I thought it was pretty silly; but now, a 'few' years later I find myself quoting that same line as I think about the journey to this weekend's launch of Rock Bridge Chatsworth.

Here is a quick look back at the "long strange trip" to Rock Bridge Chatsworth:

In July of '09 I began my career as Campus Pastor of Rock Bridge Chatsworth
That same month we began praying for an opportunity to lease the former Harris-Sutton Chevy building
Soon after that, we were talking to the folks at Appalachian Bank and it looked like like a deal was in our future!
Then it was clear no deal was to be had that could serve both the church and the bank. No hard feelings - keep looking!
We looked at endless spaces and simply put - nothing seemed right.
Then Dr. Bradley from North Murray High School called and offered a tour of the NMHS facility.
It was just right!
A few of us visited seven other churches around the southeast and developed a vision for how to transform the school to a church for Sunday mornings.
Last week that vision came to life and we are ready for launch!

So... to the point of the email; the schedule for setup for launch weekend:

Saturday 9:00am - 12:00pm Setup teams at NMHS - PLEASE EMAIL ME IF YOU CAN HELP
Saturday 2pm - 6pm More setup teams at NMHS Same work, more areas. PLEASE EMAIL ME IF YOU CAN HELP
Sunday LAUNCH DAY! 9:15am & 11:00am Church Services
Sunday after church - Break-down time!

Our team is excited and we can use some more help. If you can join either of our setup times please email me at gus@rockbridge.cc.

Thanks for being part of this wonderful, long, strange trip.

Rock Bridge Chatsworth Schedule

2010-02-18T08:08:00.000-08:00

Rock Bridge Chatsworth is celebrating our last preview service this Sunday at 9:30am with some pretty special stuff. Please join us for what will be a great day and if you can plan to stay after to help break-down that would be great!

Next Sunday, February 28th is our grand opening! Please invite your un-churched friends and neighbors. As of the 28th our service times will be 9:15am and 11:00am.

See you Sunday!

'Almost' Final Preparations

2010-02-15T16:21:00.000-08:00

This coming Sunday, February 21st, at 9:30am, we'll have our final 'preview service' for Rock Bridge Chatsworth. We meet at North Murray High and we do have full children's ministry available for that service. If you can come and help we'll have our first full break-down and could use some extra folks on hand to make light work of recreating North Murray High school.

On February 28th we'll celebrate our grand-opening with our regular service times of 9:15am and 11:00am with full children's ministry available at both services. As I consider the journey we've been on I am amazed at how much work has been done by a committed group of people that are excited to see this church get launched. North Murray High is off this week and we are in the midst of our 'almost' final preparations [there will be some actual final details next week].

If you have some daytime hours available this week and can come and help - we've still got work going on - here are some details:

Gail and I and a few others are working at the school Tues - Wed from 9am - 5pm to get ready for Sunday - and yes, we'd LOVE some more help. Please email me at gus@rockbridge.cc if you can give some time to get us started!
The remaining work is mostly light but there's lots of it
The transformation from school-to-church is incredible!
We have already seen fruit of our labor - Sunday morning was absolutely incredible.
This week's final preview service is going to be very special - don't miss it.

If you can help this week please email me at gus@rockbridge.cc

Gus

Rock Bridge Chatsworth - Valentine's Weekend Schedule

2010-02-11T16:06:00.000-08:00

Here is the schedule for Rock Bridge Chatsworth this weekend:

Saturday February 13th:

9:00am - 11:00am Set-up in the Cafeteria
2:00pm - 5:00pm Technical, classroom and hall set-up

Sunday February 14th:

7:00am Tech team and band arrive
8:00am Host and kids teams arrive
9:00am Everyone ready for guests
9:30am AMAZING CHURCH SERVICE BEGINS!
After Church: Minor-Breakdown - School is out next week and they have given us permission to leave our set-up in place!

Please e-mail me at gus@rockbridge.cc to get signed up to join the fun!

Grand Opening Is Set!

2010-02-10T10:52:00.000-08:00

It is official! Rock Bridge Chatsworth has a grand opening set for February 28th.

We continue doing pre-services at 9:30am on Sundays until then. Email me at gus@rockbridge.cc to get involved with this amazing move of God!

More to follow!

Review of the preview

2010-02-03T18:32:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, January 31st, we held our first Rock Bridge Chatsworth 'preview service' and to sum it up... it was GREAT! Here's a look at what happened:

A team of amazing volunteers, including several from our Dalton campus met on Saturday to begin transforming North Murray High school into a church.
We moved thirty+ tables
Rolled out over thirty-five hundred square feet of carpet
We assembled and placed 100 chairs
Hung over three-thousand square feet of drapes
EVERYONE was amazed at how great the room looked!
Ran hundreds of feet of cables
Set up a full worship band including 2 guitars, bass player, keyboards and drummer
We held a full[ish] service on Sunday morning
The band - that had played together a grand total of about an hour together... was AMAZING!
Matt's message was terrific - great for us to answer the question "Who did we do all this work for?"
The clean-up/break-down went great. We were out by noon.
WE GET TO DO IT ALL AGAIN THIS WEEKEND!

I am so proud of the folks that made all this happen. So much work is being put into Rock Bridge Chatsworth and all so we can make a difference in the lives of people in our own community.

I humbly honor these volunteers with words of gratitude, prayers of His grace and thanks from my heart.

We have lots to do and would love for you to join us for another weekend at North Murray High School. We'll be setting up from 2pm - 6pm on Saturday, having church at 9:30am on Sunday and doing the breakdown right after the service.

Answering three Questions

2010-01-30T17:59:00.000-08:00

We got 'phase-one' of the North Murray/Rock Bridge Chatsworth transformation completed today! The space looks and sounds AMAZING and I am so impressed by the amazing people God is putting together to make Rock Bridge Chatsworth happen! I am so proud of this growing team.

That said... Considering the weather I've decided that I should answer THREE important questions:

QUESTION: "There is a Rock Bridge Chatsworth Preview Service scheduled for Sunday at North Murray High School at 9:30am... is it still on?"

ANSWER: Yes. BUT... If you in are in any way uncomfortable driving, or in a dangerous-road area, feel free to stay home. There is no reason to take unnecessary risks. Come after church to help clean up if you can!

QUESTION: "It is very cold outside, will there be heat in the school?"

ANSWER: Yes. The school has arranged to have heat in all the areas where we will be working - they are AWESOME!

QUESTION: "Do you need help breaking-down after church tomorrwo?"

ANSWER: YES - More people = faster breakdown.

Answering Two Questions:

2010-01-29T19:22:00.001-08:00

Considering the weather I've decided that I should answer two important questions:

QUESTION: "There is a Rock Bridge Chatsworth work day scheduled for Saturday at North Murray High School from 2:00pm - 6:00pm... is it still on?"

ANSWER: Yes. BUT... If you in are in any way uncomfortable driving, or in a dangerous-road area, feel free to stay home. There is no reason to take unnecessary risks.

QUESTION: "It is very cold outside, will there be heat in the school?"

ANSWER: Yes. The school has arranged to have heat in all the areas where we will be working - they are AWESOME!

Reminder about Rock Bridge Chatsworth

2010-01-29T09:14:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that we are having a work day at North Murray High tomorrow and a 9:30 church service on Sunday morning!

The schedule for tomorrow is 2pm - 6pm with dinner served at 6pm.
The schedule for Sunday includes service at 9:30am followed by a break-down of our stuff right after service.
We are having home-made chili and can still use some help with the meal - please email alisha.webb[@]shawinc.com if you can help.

Schedule for this weekend at Rock Bridge Chatsworth

2010-01-26T14:28:00.001-08:00

Things are happening fast and I'm pumped to announce that we are ready for our first full, or nearly full, set-up and run-thru at Rock Bridge Chatsworth and we can use your help!

Here are the details for this weekend:

Saturday: 2:oopm - 6:00pm to set-up everything for the first time!
Saturday: 6:00pm Chili-dinner to celebrate together
Sunday: 9:00am Arrive for our first 9:30 service together. We will have worship and watch Matt's message. Childcare is provided
Sunday: After church We'll break it all down and put it all away!

How can you help on Saturday?

Help all or some of the day - there's something for everyone to do!
Provide fixin's for dinner: A crock-pot of chili; nachos; cheese; disposable bowls; drinks; jalapeno peppers; Texas Pete; etc...
Help with childcare

How can you help on Sunday?

Come to Church!
Help with Childcare
Help break it all down!

Please email me to let me know how you plan to help at gus[@]rockbridge.cc

Ready to start!

2010-01-21T07:52:00.001-08:00

Our materials are ordered and things are moving at an incredible clip! That said... the work continues this Sunday morning at North Murray High School.

We'll start at 9:30 am and we'll continue prepping for curtains, organize our storage areas and do a final layout of our space.

Please join us! If you have questions you can email me at gus[@]rockbridge.cc

An honor to serve...

2010-01-16T15:45:00.001-08:00

The Rock Bridge Dalton campus-cleanup this morning was really amazing; here are some thoughts:

Gail and I got up early to get a few pre-campus-cleanup things done
We arrived about 30 minutes early to find a dozen or so folks already hard at work - so much for being early
We got our pre-stuff done and had a wonderful breakfast - prepared [and cleaned-up] by some incredible God-like volunteers
The Dalton children's staff had set aside a ton of stuff to be used by Rock Bridge Chatsworth
A team of the volunteers this morning loaded all of it AND got it delivered to North Murray High School - making us even more ready for the Rock Bridge Chatsworth information/work day on Monday!

It's an honor to serve such an amazing church that God has filled with so many amazing people.

It's Time!

2010-01-10T11:49:00.000-08:00

It's time to get to work on North Murray High School and Rock Bridge Chatsworth! We are meeting next Monday, January 18th to share more news and do some work. Here are the details:

We need everyone there - it's time to sign up for final teams - launch is imminent!
We'll meet at 6:30pm at North Murray High
Dinner and Childcare are provided
January 18th is MLK day so we have the school all day!
The first teams will begin working at 9:00am - if you can come for some time during the day, please email me at gus@rockbridge.cc
Childcare will be available starting at noon.
Dinner will be served at 6:30pm
Wear clothes to work in - we're prepping the school to be transformed on Sunday mornings - there's something for everyone to do
If you have a 6', 8' or 10' A-Frame ladder that we can use, please email me at gus@rockbridge.cc to let me know
The official launch date is still pending the arrival of all materials - but it is SOON!

More later - but please get this on you calendar and get ready to work!

Christ-Like Acceptance - SOON!

2010-01-03T17:36:00.001-08:00

One of Rock Bridge’s core values is Christ-like acceptance. It seems that some confuse this ‘unconditional acceptance’ with ‘unconditional approval’. This leads me to ask and answer an important question: Is Christ-Like acceptance the same as unconditional approval?

To find the answer I examined a story I've discussed in this blog before, Jesus' encounter with 'the woman at the well'. Here's a quick look:

• Jesus met the woman at a well
• She was not asked to dress, act or speak a certain way to encounter Him
• She in fact, had no role at all in encountering Jesus, He went to her, exactly as she was
• He spoke truth to her about her less than perfect lifestyle
• Because of her encounter with Him and the truth He spoke, her life was changed
• Because of her changed life, other lives were changed too
• There was no building involved in any of this

So the answer is no. Christ-Like acceptance is not the same as ‘unconditional approval’. Jesus accepts us where we are and speaks truth that can change our lives, that can lead us to the abundant life He promises in John 10:10. What we offer at Rock Bridge is what Jesus modeled; Christ-like acceptance that leads us to be able to share truth.

Rock Bridge Chatsworth will be starting soon, very soon. Our weekend work will begin this month as we 'practice' setting up at North Murray High School and our official services will begin soon after that. It is important to note however that Jesus didn’t need a building to love people and neither do we. Let’s all offer Christ-Like acceptance – at work, at the grocery store, at school – wherever people are that need to be accepted and hear TRUTH!

Rock Bridge Folks... Watch for more details on the launch in the coming days and be praying to determine how you will serve Him as we move forward... lots to do!

Home Again!

2009-12-13T17:14:00.000-08:00

I'm pleased to announce that I am safely home. A pleasant night of sound sleep, a great visit to church in South Carolina this morning and best of all... no gunfire. Once again we learned a lot at our visit and more than that, the worship experience was awesome.

But to the point... we learned or confirmed:

Portable church is NOT a death-sentence for the church - just ask the 1800+ folks we worshiped with this morning
Doing portable church can create an awesome energy among the people that serve
The Holy Spirit can work - no matter where the church is located
There are two "3:30's" in every day!
Waking at 3:30am to get church ready IS worth it!
But we will not likely have to start that early here

There's more... but I was awake at 3:20 this morning and it's time for bed.

Still learning... and some news

2009-12-12T12:17:00.000-08:00

Another church visit this weekend, the last of six scheduled visits to help us learn how to do portable church. Gail isn't with me this time so a bit of the fun is missing for me but an awesome crew has already made this trip great and church isn't until Sunday!

We're in Greenvile S.C. at a hotel and the room-connecting door between the room Vic and I are in and the room next door has been kicked in from the other side - the door trim is completely destroyed and I fully expect to hear gunfire before morning. I think I'll sleep under the bed.

Anyway, As I sit here crouching under the window, I am WILDLY excited about what God is already doing in and through Rock Bridge Chatsworth. We've seen so many God-things happen and we haven't even started! Our church staff is amazing and I love how we have joined together to honor God's leading in every detail.

That said, as we follow His leading we always find Him waiting for us and this week we experienced that again. No details for now but suffice it to say that He has proven that He can indeed do more than we ask or imagine.

Hold on chatsworth. This ride is going to be AMAZING!

Spread the word!

2009-11-24T09:19:00.000-08:00

Rock Bridge Chatsworth is looking for a part-time Children’s Minister! Do you…

Have a passion to see un-churched and de-churched kids meet and grow in Christ?
Want to recruit and train volunteers for an AWESOME kids ministry [6 Weeks – 5th Grade]?
Want to love, lead and support those volunteers?
Have 15 – 20 hours per week available to make children’s church happen?
Want to join an amazing group of staff and volunteers?

Then… Email gus@rockbridge.cc for a complete job description!

Learn, learn, learn

2009-11-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

There are lots of churches out there. Big, small, traditional, contemporary and somewhere in between. There are churches with stained glass and some with no glass at all. Gail and I were at a church in October that has more people than they have parking and run parking shuttles to move many of their thousands of folks from an off-site parking lot to their church building.

I was in a church once where the ceremonially robed minister did not touch a Bible, instead another ceremonially robed minister held a giant, and I mean giant Bible for the main-man to read. Some churches dance while some never do. Some churches have electric guitars and drums while others have no musical instruments at all.

It is this diversity that enables, or should enable the body of Christ to reach and serve the diverse population of God's prized creation within the communities we live.

For the last several Sundays Gail and I, along with some friends have visited a few of those diverse churches to learn. Not to learn about stained glass, robes or what kind of instruments to use but to learn how to do church in a school.

Here are some highlights of what we've learned or confirmed:

God is working in churches that meet in schools
Good use of technology can draw people into the service
Bad use of that very same technology can be a terrible distraction
Loud music can be cool
Overly-loud music can be just plain painful
Seating matters
Don't confuse visitors
Energy and passion from the church team; greeters, ushers etc... is critical
Joy from those same people is also critical
Joy flows from within the individual
Consistent energy and passion however flow from leadership and it fades as it travels
The leader with low energy and passion will have followers with even less
People are inspired to serve God when they understand the value of what they are doing
To pull off volunteer-driven church in a school, or anywhere, vision must be communicated clearly and often
God has put some AMAZING people at Rock Bridge!
Be open minded because some things that I've never thought of or think are ridiculous or even stupid... are working for God in other churches!
Learn, learn, learn!

I expect to do a few more visits over the coming weeks to keep learning, but what I'm REALLY excited about is getting started here at home. Can't wait!

Money where our mouth is

2009-11-03T11:47:00.001-08:00

I have news. The economic situation in this area is hard. I know, it's hard to believe, but it's true and to prove it, one need not go far. Most all of us can demonstrate the difficult situation by simply examining the bottom line of our own finances.

Another fruit of the current economic tree can be seen in our local school budgets. The teachers and administration are doing a great job working within tight budgets to care for and educate our kids and grand-kids and supplies sometimes run short.

It is this need that moved us to 'put our money where our mouth is'. As Rock Bridge Chatsworth continues to move toward our actual launch we have said that we want to make a difference in our community and in the lives of people so one of our members planted the seed that led to a plan to make a difference.

So last week at our Rock Bridge Chatsworth Informational meeting we put our plan in action. Here's what happened:

Over the last few weeks our middle-school Area Bible Study [ABS] kids made 200 awesome thank-you cards for teachers at Spring Place and Chatsworth Elementary Schools
On the day of our meeting we had some volunteers baking cookies at the Appalachian Community Center all day and some more made cookies at home
At our meeting everyone pitched in to put together nearly 200 packets of these home-made cookies and thank you cards [several packets were also put together by some volunteers at home later]
A print shop in Chatsworth gave us a great deal on 17 cases of copy paper
On Thursday afternoon a team of folks representing Rock Bridge Chatsworth delivered enough paper, cookies and thank you cards for every staff member at Spring Place and Chatsworth elementary schools!

The staff at both schools were incredibly gracious and thankful, it was a very cool event. As we handed a ream of paper to one of the teachers we received my favorite quote of the day, "This is worth even more than gold!"

It was our honor to serve these amazing people that love, care for and educate kids in our community and I am incredibly honored to 'put our money where our mouth is' and serve with the amazing people that God has already assembled at Rock Bridge Chatsworth.

Looking forward to doing more!

Our Next Launch Meeting - With the correct date!

2009-10-01T05:27:00.000-07:00

We are having our next Chatsworth meeting at 6:00pm on Tuesday October 27th at the Appalachian Community Center! Please feel free to invite your friends to this event as we will be sharing lots of cool stuff!

Dinner will be served
We'll announce our projected launch date and pre-launch schedule
Formally announce our location!
Prep our ‘bless the school’ event – create packets for teachers at Chatsworth and Spring Place schools – include ream of paper, hand-written thank you notes and some home-made cookies
Child-care is provided
Some surprise announcements!
PRAY

I hope you can be there and invite some un-churched friends!

Church Visits

2009-09-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

As we continue to move toward launching Rock Bridge Chatsworth I am spending some time visiting other churches around the southeast with similar dynamics and mission as our own.

Here are some thoughts on my experiences to date:

Make sure you are easy to find. "Signs, signs, everywhere signs..."
Small things make a HUGE difference
First impressions are hard to get over - good or bad
Host team is the first impression - good or bad
Technology can make things better
Technology can make things worse
There is more than one way to do church
Excellence from people makes up for mediocrity in atmosphere
I'm amazed at how much God is doing in so many places!
Saying you are a church that wants to reach the un-churched is different than actually doing it

Rock Bridge is not perfect. We have flawed people working to love Jesus and His people but I am so honored to serve HIm here with these people and I am SO happy to be home this Sunday.

Keep an eye out for some news, we are close to a decision on launch date and location!

IMPORTANT ROCK BRIDGE BAPTISM UPDATE

2009-09-20T07:12:00.000-07:00

Bridge Baptism has been moved! We'll now meet in the Wink Theatre at
5:00pm today with dinner to follow in Stage 123. We look forward to seeing
you there!

THOSE BEING BAPTIZED SHOULD ARRIVE AT THE WINK BY 4:00PM!

Favorite Small Group Moments

2009-09-10T05:57:00.000-07:00

For the last several years Gail and I have hosted a small group in our home. This last Tuesday was again wonderful which led me to reflect on how much I love this group. So here are some of my favorite small group moments and quotes - in no particular order:

"If I could go back in time and change one thing... I'd return to the fifth grade and inform my momma that it is NOT okay for a ten year old girl to have a mullett."
The previous quote led to a 'bad hair picture' contest - It was a tie between my own 6th grade picture and the girl-mullett. Pictures will NOT be posted.
"These are the best meals we eat all month."
"Awesome... ish" [a combination of some of our 'favorite words']
"...just pray for my whole family - they're ALL crazy..."
"Thank you for helping us while I was without a job."
"Thank you for loving me and caring for me through the death of my daughter."
"Thank you for your support while my husband is at war."

Do you see it? Do you see the value? Because of this group we are better, because of the love and support we all give each other we are more like Jesus.

In small group there is laughter.
In small group there is sharing.
In small group there is growing.
In small group there is healing.
In small group there is praying.
In small group there are changed lives.

Maybe you can lead a group; or host a group but whatever it takes... get in a group, it will change your life too.

Rock Bridge Chatsworth - EVER CLOSER!

2009-08-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

Rock Bridge Chatsworth is meeting this Monday night, August 24th, at 6:00pm, at the Appalachian Bank Community Center. Dinner and child-care are provided.

Here's a preview of what will happen:

Update on building search
Update on staffing our part-time student, children and worship pastor positions
Update on possible launch date options
Sunday morning service teams will begin preparations for launch
Plans for our first outreach event will begin to take shape
Prayer... Prayer... Prayer

If you are now on or would like to join the team that will launch Rock Bridge Chatsworth, please attend this meeting - it will be GREAT!

The latest on the building search

2009-08-14T20:44:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest on the Rock Bridge Chatsworth Building search:

While the Harris-Sutton Chevy building remains empty, it is still not available to us in a way that makes sense. I remain in prayer that if God wants us in there HE will make it happen.
We do have a building on our radar that holds some interest. It is not something I can say a lot about yet but we are investigating if it can be used, what it will cost to make it usable for church and if it is where God is leading us.
Some people have contacted us to discuss the idea of building a building and then leasing it to us with a possible purchase option. I have submitted some floor-plan ideas. PRAY! This would be very cool!
Both of the current options require some down time, leading to the question of ‘what to do in the meantime?’ To answer that prayer we are praying and looking into a few temporary locations.

Bottom line: We are comfortably on God’s path to finding the perfect place at the perfect time.

Weekly Prayer Meetings

2009-08-10T12:12:00.001-07:00

I recently shared here that I am praying for 250 un-churched or de-churched people to begin connecting to Jesus at the launch of Rock Bridge Chatsworth. So, at our Rock Bridge Chatsworth meeting a few weeks ago we started a list. A list of people that are disconnected from church or disconnected from God entirely. The list started with around 1oo people, has since grown to around 112 and continues expanding! This list lives on a wall in my home office, I pray for each name every day and it's AMAZING!

So amazing in fact that I want to share the experience. Thus, starting this week Gail and I will have an 'open prayer time' at our home on Thursday mornings - here are some details:

• ‘Doors open’ every Thursday morning from 6:30am – 7:30am
• At our home office [Email me at gus(at)rockbridge.cc for directions]
• Come at any time during that hour – there is no ‘program’
• Pray, get prayed for, add names to the list, add other requests.

Matthew 18:20 says: For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. If you area able, please join us to 'gather in His name' and wield this amazing weapon in the battle to see our community reached for Jesus Christ.

BHAP's

2009-07-31T21:19:00.001-07:00

The Bible says in Philippians 4:6-7 not to worry, but instead to give our requests to Him. This process, done with a thankful heart will lead to a peace beyond understanding.

So what should these requests be? Sometimes we underestimate what God can do. Ephesians 3:20 tells us that He can do more than we can ask or imagine! With that in mind I will share with you some BHAP’s – Big Hairy Audacious Prayers for Rock Bridge Chatsworth. Prayers that are laid on the foundation of seeking HIS will:

• The right location!
• The right Student minister
• The right Worship minister
• The right Children's minister
• 25 Small-group leaders trained and ready to start new groups when we launch
• 500 people at our launch services – 250 from OUTSIDE the church [it’s not about being a ‘big’ church – it’s about reaching people for HIM]
• That people will accept His offer of salvation

Please join me in praying for this list of BHAP’s!

Rock Bridge Chatsworth - Our Next Meeting

2009-07-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

Our next Rock Bridge Chatsworth meeting is coming up - here are some details:

• Wednesday July 29th
• First National Bank of Chatsworth Community Center [South of Chatsworth]
• 6:00pm - 8:pm
• Dinner will be served [Zaxby's]
• Childcare available

We’ll cover lots of exciting stuff; hope you can be there!

The song of the sea

2009-07-23T18:38:00.000-07:00

I love the beach. I first remember loving the beach when I was a kid living in Southern California but it probably started before that, living in Maine, or Boston, or San Francisco. It continued through my years in New York where I had access to one of the most beautiful beaches in the nation. [Seriously, Jones Beach State Park - amazing]

Anyway, Gail and I are at the beach right now, spending hours on the sand, listening to the song of the sea, swimming, playing in the water with my grandkids and reading; lots of glorious reading. My skin is beginning to tan, my eyes are perpetually bloodshot from the salt water, I swam with a stingray and I’m smiling most of the time.

All that to say that as I sit here in perpetual joy, getting marvelously refreshed I am ever more excited about what God is doing in Chatsworth. While we continue to seek His guidance for a building and some staffing I feel that same peace, knowing that He has it all figured out. He knows we are not about buildings; we’re about love, acceptance, teaching of God’s Word, and a desire to connect disconnected people to Jesus – something we’ll do even if we have NO building!

I thank God that He brought me to this church, His work in Chatsworth and for the amazing people He has already called to Rock Bridge Chatsworth - can't wait to get back home.

Off to read!

"Everything is fine... don't panic"

2009-07-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Some of you know that I moved here from suburban New York almost 18 years ago. On occasion my mom will call and her first words are "don't panic - everything's fine" which of course means everything is NOT fine but she doesn't want me to worry.

But... "Everything is fine... don't panic" which in this case is means everything really is fine and we have no reason to worry - in fact Phil. 4:6-7 clearly instructs against it! Here is some news:

1. As you know we have been investigating using the old Harris-Sutton Chevy building. As of now however, we cannot get Godly peace on the details of the lease as they are now and are back to seeking where it is God will place Rock Bridge Chatsworth.

2. We have absolutely no ill feelings toward Appalachian Community Bank and are thankful to them for how hard they worked to help get us in the building.

3. Our informational meeting scheduled for July 29th will now be held at the First National Bank of Chatsworth Community Center – the site of our first informational meeting

4. We did do a clean-up day at the Harris-Sutton building we feel honored to have served our community by helping this local bank – it was a wonderful day and well worth our time

5. As always, our launch date remains awaiting God’s leading

I am TOTALLY at peace about all this and know that God is NOT wringing His hands wondering what to do now – so neither am I. "Don't panic... Everything is fine"

Love you all, see you on the 29th!

Gus

Just to clarify about Rock Bridge Chatsworth

2009-07-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned before, God is doing amazing things as we work toward launching Rock Bridge Chatsworth. We have been working with the owners of the former Harris-Sutton Chevrolet building to enter into a LEASE agreement with them.

I do want to state however that we DO NOT have a signed lease just yet. The owners have been great to work with us through this process and we feel confident that God will continue to lead us and we will soon have the final details ironed out. So much so that we have already started working to prepare the site for our impending launch and if by chance God chooses to change our direction we can feel honored to serve the current owners of the property.

I'll update as soon as the lease is signed!

Clean-up Day!

2009-07-11T17:27:00.000-07:00

Today was our first clean-up day at the former Harris-Sutton building - and it was AMAZING! I am so impressed with the people that God has already put together to begin forming what is already proving to be an incredible church.

The schedule was to meet at 8:00am with the intent to get as much done as possible before our planned quitting time at 2:00pm. With a LOT of work to be done, our focus was to clean the front [Sanctuary/auditorium], then the middle [Kids area] , then the back [future auditorium] if by some miracle, time permitted.

Well, as so often happens I am in awe of what God did through His people. [more on 'awe of God' soon] We had roughly thirty people come at various points, we attacked the building and by 11:00am - YES, ELEVEN AM... we were DONE! And when I say done, I mean done! The front, the middle, the back and even the three storage areas we didn't even consider doing were all cleaned up and ready for our next meeting on July 29th.

"But wait - there's more!"

A few tech-geniuses were able to figure out some very cool stuff AND a couple people stayed around a few hours identifying and marking circuit breakers for much of the building. WOW.

Thank you rock Bridge Chatsworth for serving Him this way on what I know to be a precious Saturday morning. You amaze me every time we are together and I thank God that I get to serve alongside you as we move along this road. While we continue to work out the details of the lease, our united front today serves to further His kingdom in Murray County.

First Work Day!

2009-07-06T17:05:00.000-07:00

It's time to get to work at Rock Bridge Chatsworth!

Saturday July 11th, 8:00am - 2:00pm is our first [of many] official work day! If possible, please notify me by email at gus[at]rockbridge[dot]cc that you will be available for this so I can have appropriate supplies on hand.

We have lots to do to prepare our new site for launch; here are a few projects:

General trash removal. There is a meaningful amount of 'muck' that needs to be trashed. There is a dumpster on site. Most anyone can help with this - it is not heavy work - just lots of it.
General clean-up. The building has been empty for awhile - it needs to be SCRUBBED!
Carpet removal. [Glued down]
There's lots more - this is a good start!

I'll begin these projects this week, if you'd like to help, email me at gus[at]rockbridge[dot]cc and we'll work out schedules!

Rock Bridge... Chevrolet!?

2009-07-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

It's not quite official until we sign the dotted line but unless something CRAZY happens; as of August 1st we will move into Rock Bridge Chatsworth located at: 2402 Highway 76, Chatsworth GA 30705 - "The old Harris-Sutton Chevy building"

So how did we get here? Here's a little history:

1. In Autumn of 2008 the church was already thinking about Rock Bridge Chatsworth.

2. In the midst of that, Gail and I drove by the building and she said "hey look, that would be a great place for Rock Bridge Chatsworth. We started praying!

3. Fast-forward to Spring 2009. Rock Bridge leadership affirmed unanimously that God was calling us to Chatsworth and I was affirmed to become the campus pastor.

4. While we are people centered, not building centered, the 'Chevy' building remained our first choice for location. After fasting, prayer and some visits to the site we made contact with Appalachian Bank to see if there was a way Rock Bridge could lease the space.

5. After much prayer and meeting time, we agreed on a lease that was meaningful to both the church and the bank!

6. I cannot say enough how thankful I am to Gary and the folks at Appalachian Bank. They have gone WAY above and beyond the call to make this possible for us, proving their commitment to our community. Please join me in praying that God will bless these folks as they have blessed us!

So there it is! I'll post info about 'work days' VERY soon!

Mistake-Makers Welcome!

2009-07-02T06:46:00.001-07:00

Like everyone, I have made mistakes and like many, I have been plagued by feelings of guilt and condemnation from those mistakes. Some argue that 'condemnation' emotions prevent us from making mistakes, but they don’t. The Bible says condemnation does NOT come from Jesus, so the question to be asked and answered is... what will help keep mistakes away?

The answer is Jesus.

I have been studying John 4, the woman at the well. This woman is a mess. An adulterous slut times six. It is probable that she is not well liked so when she meets Jesus it is an amazing encounter. He doesn't judge her, but he doesn't ignore her sin either and in the end instead of tossing her away due to her sinfulness, He helps her change and grow and she gets to work for Him.

In spite of her reputation, in spite of the at least six men that hide when she is in sight, in spite of the fact that most everyone knows what she has done… She goes and tells the people of her town about Jesus – and 'many believe because of her testimony and many more believe because they see for themselves'. [vs 39;42]

I have no idea what you go through, but you may come under attack for your mistakes. In Ephesians 6 we see the shield of faith – it is not used to stop the enemy from firing his flaming arrows at us, it is used to keep them from hitting us and it works when we use it.

At Rock Bridge we know everyone makes mistakes and we openly welcome all the mistake-makers that come our way. Like Jesus, we don't ignore the sin and we want to help people change and grow in Him and become part of HIM changing lives. So hold firm and high the shield of faith, relentlessly pursue Jesus and ‘many will believe because of your testimony and many more will believe because they see for themselves' because you invite them to come and see Jesus.

"A night of worship"

2009-06-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

Rock Bridge had our second 'night of worship' tonight - and it was amazing.

I'm so thankful to God for the people He has put on our worship teams - not only an incredible collection of talent but an amazing assortment of people in love with Him!

This just keeps getting better and better.

The next Rock Bridge Chatsworth Launch Meeting

2009-06-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

The next Rock Bridge Chatsworth launch meeting has been set. Here are some details:

1. We'll meet on Wednesday July 29th at 6pm

2. Location to be determined - Hope to be in our new location!

3. Invite some friends!

More to come

Ever Closer!

2009-06-24T07:35:00.000-07:00

On Monday we had our second Rock Bridge Chatsworth informational meeting and it was AMAZING. I am in awe of the people God is putting in our midst as we seek to help grow His kingdom in Chatsworth.

To recap some news shared on Monday:

1. The Holy Spirit is clearly leading the amazing process of getting Rock Bridge Chatsworth launched!

2. We are negotiating to lease the former Harris-Sutton Chevrolet Building. Appalachian Bank has been wonderful to work with us and we are sure God has led us to this point! More soon.

3. We originally discussed a January 2010 launch of Rock Bridge Chatsworth. With the potential to be in a building sooner than we expected we are discussing a September launch. A few key items need to be completed to make this work but God seems to be leading this way. More soon!

4. While the Holy Spirit leads us, we have a role to play. We took some time to pray and move toward action. We had lots of folks sign up in specific roles such as host team, kids team, worship, students and more! People are responding to God's call and it is amazing to be part of.

5. I announced some BHAP's [big hairy audacious prayers]; Launch with a total of 500! [250 that are currently out of church!]; 25 New Small Group Leaders ready to start groups for all those people!

God has proven that a big ask can mean a big answer [the Chevy building!] and I ask that you join me in these prayers!

The Journey Begins...

2009-06-03T06:35:00.000-07:00

Rock Bridge is coming to Murray County and on Wednesday, May 13th we held our first informational meeting in Chatsworth. We met at 6:pm for dinner and details at the First National Bank of Chatsworth Community Activities Center. It is awesome to see this first round of people as God has already started calling people to be part of this amazing move of God! So how did we get here you ask?

It's difficult to say when the journey to Rock Bridge Chatsworth began. Maybe it was in 2002 when Matt and Beth Evans were obedient to the call of God to start a new church in Dalton Georgia. More likely however, it was quite some time before that. Whenever it was, it is clear the path has been paved by God.

I can look back and see the hand of God in bringing me to this place. Saved in 1981, 10 years of volunteer ministry service with Young Life and then a move to Chatsworth to serve as the YL Area Director. My arrival to Rock Bridge in 2004 as Young Life in the Dalton area was closing marked the first time I heard Chatsworth mentioned as a place Rock Bridge felt God leading.

In 2007 while volunteering in the RBCC office I began to sense God calling me to offer myself to join the RBCC staff and by April of '07 I was part of this amazing team. I started as an interim kids director with some part time work in my eventual job as associate student minister working alongside Beth. A year later or so I was asked to consider once again splitting my time with the kids team, writing large group curriculum and after a few months it became clear that both ministries needed a full time position and after some prayer I knew it was time to dive into kids ministry full time with our childrens minister, Amanda Welch.

Now, God has opened the door for one more move. I'm working to finish well in my current role and on July first I'll officially begin my journey as the Campus Pastor in Chatsworth. I'm beyond excited, a bit nervous and sometimes scared... just enough to move me to an amazing level of dependence on Jesus.

A great place to be.