First Gathering

Last night was our first gathering at Barnabas Church! Our time was full of encouragement and fellowship as we studied the scripture together, prayed together, and brainstormed how to share the gospel within our spheres of influence. We started with a grill out and then moved into our time of encouragement. In all, there were 7 of us there, including two people who are not part of the core group. We were happy with that!

The more we refine the vision of Barnabas (AKA get into Kevin's head and figure out what he really wants to do and feels God is leading him to do), the more we realize that this will always be a small group. The point is intentional discipleship and encouragement focused on developing leaders who will take the mission to their own neighborhood and begin more discipleship groups. For this reason, we felt it necessary to revise our mission statement; now, the 'official' mission of Barnabas is "to impact lostness in Cleveland by empowering disciples to develop and train other disciples."

The last person didn't leave until 9:45 last night-that's four hours and 45 minutes after we began! Such was the fellowship and love even at this first meeting. It was encouraging and motivating, and already we are looking forward to what God is going to do through these brothers and sisters in Christ.

Also, we passed out nearly 100 'Good News For You' evangelistic Bible study guides at a parade on Saturday. This parade was an interesting experience. The theme was "emoji," the Swahili word for 'unity.' There were many diverse groups represented: many Muslims, several African spiritual religions, and vendors who were connected to various African worship systems. Because of our table and our offer of a free book, we were able to engage in several good conversations. We even connected with some people from a game of Frisbee!

Next week, pray for us as we continue to search for persons of peace. The task is difficult given the amount of people in Cleveland, but we trust the results to God as we simply try to be faithful to the Mission.

Today's Prayer Place: Playhouse Square, Cleveland, OH. This is a public square in downtown where we will set up a prayer table tomorrow and simply try to engage people in conversation.