WEBVTT 00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:10.720 My dream job, I think, would be to be a weatherman in Wisconsin, especially in Green Bay. 00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:13.359 Because I want you to think about it for just a minute. 00:00:13.599 --> 00:00:21.920 How hard would it be to be a weatherman in Green Bay in January, February, March, and even April? 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:24.000 I think the weather would be pretty predictable. 00:00:24.079 --> 00:00:36.960 Your job every day would be to go in, point to a map, show where the snow's going to come from, and your prediction for weather would be partly cloudy with a chance of precipitation, and it's going to be cold. 00:00:37.119 --> 00:00:48.240 So you could end every single broadcast, every single news channel update for the weather by saying, make sure you bundle up, and that would be as creative as you need it to be. 00:00:48.479 --> 00:00:50.799 Now, here's the thing with the weather. 00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:54.719 The weatherman gets up and tells you the weather that's coming. 00:00:54.880 --> 00:00:59.439 But the weatherman is not the one who creates the weather. 00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:11.280 The person telling you the weather isn't the one out there creating the hurricanes, creating the snowstorms, creating the rain, or even the beautiful sunshine that we get to enjoy. 00:01:11.519 --> 00:01:13.439 The weatherman has one job. 00:01:13.680 --> 00:01:18.000 And that weather person's job is to tell you the weather that's coming. 00:01:18.159 --> 00:01:21.680 They give you a report on what they see coming. 00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:31.200 As a pastor at Spring Lake Church, as leadership, which I'll talk about in a moment, at Spring Lake Church, our job isn't to create the move. 00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:31.840 We don't. 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:33.680 That is in the hands of God. 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:43.920 Our job is to see what the Lord is doing and prepare the church for what he wants to do now and what he wants to do next. 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:51.920 Hello everyone, and welcome to Spring Lake Church. 00:01:52.079 --> 00:02:01.519 Whether you're with us on a weekend service or you're watching from home today, maybe you're in the family room with the Littles at either Bellevue or Lawrence or downtown. 00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:02.879 We're glad you're with us. 00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:09.759 We've just finished our uncomfortable series, and next week we're going to launch into a new series, which you'll hear about in a little bit. 00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:18.319 But today I want to take a moment and kind of step off the path of our typical series protocol and talk a little bit to Spring Lake. 00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:20.960 Some of you are new coming into Spring Lake. 00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:23.439 You come in, you understand our weekend services. 00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:27.520 Maybe you've even got children involved in kids ministry and in student ministry. 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:37.039 But when it comes to the bigger picture of Spring Lake, like who we are and how we got to where we are, and even where we're going, right now you're still kind of operating a little bit blindly. 00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:40.240 You're going by what you're seeing in the moment and on the weekend. 00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:43.280 This message, why this message and why now? 00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:50.240 This message is to help us have clarity, both on where we've been, establish the past, which is scriptural. 00:02:50.639 --> 00:02:56.639 We'll cover that in a moment, but also to see where we are and why, and then where we go next. 00:02:56.800 --> 00:03:04.479 I don't know if you've ever watched a movie where you see the beginning of the movie and it goes on, but then somewhere in the movie they lose the plot. 00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:06.159 They lose the storyline. 00:03:06.240 --> 00:03:13.199 And maybe it's because they didn't give you enough introduction, or maybe because they get too distracted in the story and too much is going on. 00:03:13.360 --> 00:03:16.000 But by the end, you're like, what were they doing? 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:17.520 Like what just happened? 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:25.120 Our goal as a church is for us not to lose the plot, for the path to be clear and the direction to be clear. 00:03:25.280 --> 00:03:27.039 Proverbs chapter 22. 00:03:27.599 --> 00:03:32.319 It says, where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained. 00:03:32.560 --> 00:03:35.280 But happy is the one who keeps the law. 00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:38.639 When you don't know where you're going, people are unrestrained. 00:03:38.719 --> 00:03:39.680 And why wouldn't they be? 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:41.039 Because why would they care? 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:42.639 We don't know where we're going. 00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:54.000 But if we know the law, if we know the boundaries, if we know the calling, if we know who God has called us to be, it gives us uh boundaries, it gives us clarity, like riverbanks for a river. 00:03:54.479 --> 00:03:55.919 Also, this keeps us on track. 00:03:56.080 --> 00:03:59.759 Habakkuk chapter 2, beginning at verse 2. 00:03:59.840 --> 00:04:09.520 It says, Then the Lord answered me and said, Write down the vision and inscribe it clearly on tablets, so the one who reads it may run with it. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:12.879 For the vision is yet for an appointed time. 00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:16.319 It hurries toward the goal and it will not fail. 00:04:16.560 --> 00:04:23.040 Though it delays, wait for it, for it certainly, it will certainly come, it will not delay. 00:04:23.279 --> 00:04:26.879 Write the vision, make it plain so that those who read it can run with it. 00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:30.720 If we don't know the direction we're running, we have chaos. 00:04:31.360 --> 00:04:39.279 And this message is one of those which we usually do two times a year, where we hopefully bring clarity and erase the chaos. 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:49.120 The Bible tells us clearly to consider the cost before taking on any project, because it's an investment in what we do and how we do it. 00:04:49.279 --> 00:04:52.240 Luke chapter 14, beginning at verse 28. 00:04:52.879 --> 00:05:01.279 It says, For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it. 00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:08.879 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who are watching it will begin to ridicule him. 00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:13.680 Saying, This person began to build and was not able to finish. 00:05:13.920 --> 00:05:27.600 Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with 10,000 men to face the one coming against him with 20,000. 00:05:28.240 --> 00:05:34.480 Otherwise, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and requests terms of peace. 00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:40.800 So that none of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his possessions. 00:05:41.279 --> 00:05:42.319 The passage is clear. 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:46.800 Consider the cost before building the tower before we move forward. 00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:53.120 And we have to understand, too, that with this plan and with this path comes our marching orders from scriptures. 00:05:53.279 --> 00:05:56.000 Matthew 28, beginning at verse 18. 00:05:56.319 --> 00:06:03.680 Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:15.360 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you. 00:06:15.439 --> 00:06:20.319 And behold, I am with you always to the ends of the age. 00:06:21.279 --> 00:06:29.680 When you look at Spring Lake and where we've been, especially over these last three years, it has been an incredible season of activity. 00:06:30.160 --> 00:06:34.480 And that was necessary to prepare us for what's to come. 00:06:34.639 --> 00:06:47.839 And you cannot go to any of the three campuses where you may be watching this right now and not see where things have been moved, up even upended, rebuilt to prepare for what's to come. 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:57.199 And but here's what I would say also if all you see is buildings, you miss what God has done in life change that's gone on in this same window. 00:06:57.600 --> 00:07:08.000 It came at a cost, both of time, effort, by some key staff and volunteers, and financial resources of our church as a whole. 00:07:08.160 --> 00:07:17.360 It'd be easy to see the gym, to see the expanded downtown facilities, to see the new campus at Lawrence, and high-five ourselves and say, we did it. 00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:19.199 Look at all that we built. 00:07:19.600 --> 00:07:21.040 Way to go, people. 00:07:21.839 --> 00:07:31.360 But these accomplishments, accomplishments, were much-needed tools for what we believe that God has called us to as a church. 00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:45.199 After a great amount of prayer, our elder board, which is our leadership team here at the church, we had a retreat in May, which we do pretty much every May, where we had the conversations and planning around where do we go from here? 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:51.759 And this can be a tricky question because of the activity of the last three years and especially the last 24 months. 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:56.480 It would be easy to take that question and say, what do we build next? 00:07:56.720 --> 00:07:58.639 What's the next building project? 00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:01.680 What brick and mortar needs to go in place? 00:08:03.439 --> 00:08:09.279 But the goal as we begin to talk is to remember our calling is to build peoples, not just steeples. 00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:12.319 Build people and not just buildings. 00:08:12.639 --> 00:08:22.720 We've put the tools in place for a season with the facilities, and now let's look at the business of building the church at God's people. 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:26.319 The people, once again, and not just the steeples. 00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:38.159 So today, what I want to do is I want to look at Spring Lake, past, present, and then touch on the future, and how did we get where we are, and where do we go from here? 00:08:38.480 --> 00:08:45.919 As we look at the past, you can go through, especially in the Old Testament, and you see where God challenges people to put down markers. 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:48.320 Don't forget what I've done. 00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:55.759 You see it in Genesis chapter 35 and verse 14 when he talks about memorial stones as a memorial for what I've done. 00:08:55.919 --> 00:08:58.960 Joshua chapter 4, verses 6 and 7. 00:08:59.120 --> 00:09:07.600 It says, This shall be a sign among you when your children ask later, saying, What do these stones mean to you? 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:16.240 Then you shall say to them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord when it crossed the Jordan. 00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:24.080 The waters of the Jordan were cut off, so the stone shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever. 00:09:24.240 --> 00:09:34.399 We see these same types of stories in 1 Samuel chapter 7 and Jeremiah chapter 31, all through the Old Testament, God says, Don't forget what I've done. 00:09:34.639 --> 00:09:37.679 Don't forget where you've come from. 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:41.759 For Spring Lake, Bellevue Campus. 00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:44.240 It started in 1987. 00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:50.559 There was a Bible study going on by a retired EFCA pastor, which actually started in 1986. 00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:55.679 And 1987 is when they called the first pastor to the pastorate. 00:09:57.840 --> 00:10:02.960 March 5th of 1989 was the official charter for the church. 00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:07.039 So Spring Lake is about 37 years old. 00:10:07.279 --> 00:10:09.679 Bellevue was actually a house. 00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:17.360 And if you look at the blueprint, you'll see that it's a house that's been added on to and added onto and added on to and added on to. 00:10:17.679 --> 00:10:19.759 But that's the humble beginnings. 00:10:19.840 --> 00:10:23.840 And the Bible says very clearly do not despise humble beginnings. 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:28.240 Don't look down on things that may have started small. 00:10:28.399 --> 00:10:32.399 There was a lot of great ministry in the early years of Spring Lake. 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:47.519 And as a matter of fact, many of you watching this right now are the fruit of ministry that went on in those early years of Spring Lake, in the 90s and the early 2000s, as the church grew and we saw life change happen. 00:10:47.600 --> 00:10:51.120 They saw life change happen in that window. 00:10:51.679 --> 00:10:53.919 The church had a tumultuous season. 00:10:54.159 --> 00:10:57.519 A time, honestly, of cleaning house. 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:07.840 Out of that window came a season of healing and restoration, and an interim pastor who all of us should be grateful for because he brought so much healing to Spring Lake. 00:11:07.919 --> 00:11:10.399 An interim by the name of Gene Heacock. 00:11:10.879 --> 00:11:17.120 Gene came in and established and provided a stability to the church when it was greatly needed. 00:11:17.279 --> 00:11:23.440 So now you've got this church that's coming out of a mess in several different ways. 00:11:23.679 --> 00:11:28.639 You have an interim who people love and really don't want to leave. 00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:36.559 So who in the world is gonna want to come to a church that's coming out of a tumultuous season and yet had someone come in and do so well? 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:41.519 And now you got to fill those shoes and make sure you don't go backwards to what just happened. 00:11:41.759 --> 00:11:43.360 That's where I come in. 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:50.960 I was introduced to Spring Lake by actually three other churches in Wisconsin that had called me to talk. 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:54.720 I had never set foot in Wisconsin a day in my life before that. 00:11:54.960 --> 00:11:59.519 And a friend of a friend of a friend apparently passed my name on to the church. 00:11:59.840 --> 00:12:04.720 My installation service was March 23rd, 2014. 00:12:05.440 --> 00:12:10.720 And coming from Florida in March, I had plenty of shorts and t-shirts. 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:14.399 Didn't realize that was not going to be enough. 00:12:15.279 --> 00:12:16.799 Quickly learned. 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:24.559 We did a baptism service. 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:34.399 The quick backstory is we actually had the baptism set up in this room in Bellevue, and it sprung a leak a couple of days before the baptism. 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:41.039 So a group of us is here after midnight, drying the floors, drying the walls, because the water was seeping up in the walls. 00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:50.559 And we went and got a new bapt bapticuzi, a jacuzzi that we could use outside, and we set it up what was once a hill, which is now where the gym is. 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:55.039 And I came out to speak that Sunday in shorts, no socks and no shoes on. 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:56.639 Caught some people by surprise. 00:12:56.799 --> 00:12:58.799 My thinking is it's a baptism service. 00:12:58.879 --> 00:13:07.200 We went out, we had a few people that we had planned on baptizing, and people, both at the 9 o'clock and 10:30 service, just kept coming off of the hill. 00:13:07.360 --> 00:13:08.639 I want to be baptized. 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:10.000 I want to be baptized. 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:11.919 I want to dedicate my life to the Lord. 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:13.840 I want this to be a new start. 00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:20.960 None of it planned, all inspired by how the Holy Spirit was changing people's hearts and minds. 00:13:21.200 --> 00:13:23.120 It was an incredible moment. 00:13:23.440 --> 00:13:27.200 And I believe it was a benchmark of what God wanted to do. 00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:30.559 In 2016, we did one of our first worship nights. 00:13:30.720 --> 00:13:36.559 And we knew the Spirit was moving, and it was a shift in the way that we had worshiped as a church. 00:13:36.960 --> 00:13:38.240 Growth began to happen. 00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:39.840 We grew to four services. 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:42.720 We were locked ourselves in a room as an elder board. 00:13:42.799 --> 00:13:44.399 We were like, we can't keep going like this. 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:45.840 We're gonna burn out staff. 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:48.399 We were killing the facilities as well. 00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:52.240 We locked ourselves in a room and said, we're not coming out until we have an answer. 00:13:52.480 --> 00:14:01.759 We went in many different directions, many different paths, and hours later, we left with clarity that downtown was our next step. 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:13.360 It has established an incredible community right in the heart of our community. 00:14:13.679 --> 00:14:24.480 Downtown has provided us an opportunity to love our city with things like community Christmas, right in the heart, once again, of where this city functions. 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:26.639 We've had partnerships with the St. 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:34.080 John Shelter and with Young Life and with other groups downtown that have been able to bless our city where it was needed. 00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:43.600 During COVID, we were able to open our doors and use it as a safe facility for those who didn't have COVID from some of the other shelters. 00:14:43.840 --> 00:14:49.279 Our student ministries have been able to house there as we do serve our city events. 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:53.759 They sleep right there in the auditorium or in the sanctuary. 00:14:54.080 --> 00:15:01.759 You go down there now, eight years later, and that community is established and they love each other. 00:15:02.080 --> 00:15:04.480 It's exciting to see what's going on. 00:15:04.559 --> 00:15:12.240 We follow that up with COVID, and people are wondering are we ever gonna be back in buildings or are people just gonna live in their houses and their basements? 00:15:12.559 --> 00:15:14.159 Bellevue had filled back up. 00:15:14.240 --> 00:15:17.279 Downtown was very stuck, solid, and steady. 00:15:17.679 --> 00:15:28.399 So we put a hold on any other planning, and little by little, going into 2022, we started seeing that we needed to take that next step of expansion. 00:15:28.559 --> 00:15:30.320 And Lawrence was birthed. 00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:37.679 Little did we know as we were voting as a church to agree to move forward to look for a campus. 00:15:37.759 --> 00:15:42.639 We didn't know where, we didn't know if it would be a build-out or property or a storefront. 00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:54.000 We didn't know how much we had an idea, we voted on that as a congregation, but there was a pastor in town praying, and he called us and said, We have this piece of property. 00:15:54.480 --> 00:16:00.320 And as he was praying with what to do with it, he said, The Lord laid on his call, heart to call Spring Lake. 00:16:00.559 --> 00:16:02.879 That's where our Lord's campus is now. 00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:05.840 God was at work behind the scenes. 00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:07.840 Only God could do this stuff. 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:10.879 No pastor could manipulate this scene. 00:16:11.039 --> 00:16:18.879 No businessman, there is no plan that's going to capture all that God is already preparing to do now. 00:16:19.200 --> 00:16:31.360 The Lord's provision and work over the last decade, both in services and in outreaches, to the broader community, has been astounding and once again something that can only be by his hand. 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:38.559 With this addition and the folks and staff that have been added, there are some things that can't change. 00:16:38.799 --> 00:16:46.399 Through all of this, we've worked to stay the same church with the same heart for Jesus, both locally and globally. 00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:52.480 Now, I want to make the jump now to where we are at the current day. 00:16:52.639 --> 00:17:03.840 And you have to understand, everything I talk about in current day has been built on the hearts and the minds and the labors of an amazing staff and incredible volunteers. 00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:10.319 This church's lifeblood is in the amazing volunteers that make this church go. 00:17:10.480 --> 00:17:14.079 People who feel called to serve and do what they do. 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:26.720 And whether that's worship teams or kids or students' ministry, kids' camps, serving teams, life group leaders, greeting, ushers, coffee teams, set up and teardown teams for events, just to name a few. 00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:31.599 These are the hands and feet of Jesus in a practical way to these ministries. 00:17:31.759 --> 00:17:34.319 Our prayer teams, which cover all of this. 00:17:34.799 --> 00:17:39.519 And once again, prayer is not preparation for the battle, prayer is the battle. 00:17:40.079 --> 00:17:43.759 So if that got us to where we are, where are we? 00:17:44.880 --> 00:17:48.960 And as I said before, as we look to now, let's not lose the plot. 00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:50.799 What are we called to do? 00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:52.640 What are we called to be? 00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:54.319 And it's not just about building. 00:17:54.400 --> 00:18:00.720 Yes, the last 24 months were needed for buildings, but then how do we move to building people? 00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:04.640 And it's by establishing and preparing. 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:10.799 We are preparing to re-establish, here's how I would say it, who we are, our DNA. 00:18:10.960 --> 00:18:13.440 We want to re-establish our mission. 00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:22.160 Our mission, a practical definition of mission is it's what we do and for whom we do it and how we do it every day. 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:24.000 The present actions. 00:18:24.160 --> 00:18:25.119 That's our mission. 00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:28.079 And we also want to re-establish our vision. 00:18:28.319 --> 00:18:32.079 And that's what will the world look like when we succeed? 00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:35.039 What difference will we make in the big picture? 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:39.359 And the vision will outlive us in the future. 00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:44.799 Let me read our mission statement to you, and then we'll talk just a little bit about it. 00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:50.160 Our mission statement is loving God through meaningful worship and time spent in prayer. 00:18:50.400 --> 00:19:01.680 We're maturing in his character through studying the Bible, serving others using our spiritual gifts, and building meaningful relationships that lead to mutual edification and accountability. 00:19:01.920 --> 00:19:08.400 We are reaching the world through sharing the timeless message of Christ's love and forgiveness. 00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:13.039 Loving God, maturing in his character, reaching the world. 00:19:13.279 --> 00:19:18.640 Every single week, every single weekend, every single event, this is the goal. 00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:29.599 And it is not linear, it is a triangle in which we're doing each of these with every event, with every weekend, with every uh group that meets. 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:36.960 We move from that into our vision, which the mission is set to move us toward. 00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:52.240 Spring Lake Church, by the power of the Holy Spirit, will develop and equip tens of thousands of people to be Christ's followers and disciple makers, resulting in an enduring legacy of God's love in northeastern Wisconsin and the world. 00:19:52.640 --> 00:19:54.640 Once again, this outlives us. 00:19:54.880 --> 00:19:56.079 This is our legacy. 00:19:56.240 --> 00:20:14.559 Now, I don't have time to deep dive into this, but if you have gone through our lead class, which I highly recommend, or if you've gone through Starting Point, you'll get through more of the details and discussions of these two uh mission and vision and uh get the heart of who we are. 00:20:14.720 --> 00:20:15.279 Membership. 00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:19.039 For more details, you can take that step as well. 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:27.920 As a church, we've really built on four pillars that we see that God has strengthened and called us to accomplish or to do well. 00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:35.039 And that's our weekends, our groups, that's both care groups and life groups, which you hear about on a regular basis. 00:20:35.359 --> 00:20:42.000 Our family ministry, awana, kids ministry, student ministries, and our outreach. 00:20:42.400 --> 00:20:49.359 All of those we feel are a biblical calling, and once again, we go more into those in those classes I mentioned earlier. 00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:54.319 Here's the deal, though, the thread for all of that is our relationships. 00:20:55.119 --> 00:21:14.000 You can't read scripture, you can't read the words of Jesus and not see the importance of the statements that end with or include one another, loving one another, caring for one another, a level of compassion toward one another, challenging one another, iron sharpening iron with one another. 00:21:14.640 --> 00:21:20.880 All of these are great, but they're about building up people, not just accomplishing a plan. 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:25.920 We want to reestablish and prepare, remind us who we are. 00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:28.480 We prepare by recruiting, training. 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:30.799 We don't just want people to step into roles. 00:21:30.880 --> 00:21:44.480 We want to make sure you feel equipped in what you're called to do in prayer that can never become secondary to who we are as a church and resourcing the ministries we have, not just with people, but also with equipment. 00:21:44.720 --> 00:21:46.079 They're both necessary. 00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:57.119 And then in mobilizing, as Arlen likes to say, easy steps, easy on roads towards ministry, easy onroads toward being able to share our faith. 00:21:57.279 --> 00:21:59.680 And in that we'll multiply, we'll multiply teams. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:01.920 We'll see the harvest multiply. 00:22:02.079 --> 00:22:05.119 Jesus said, Lift your eyes and look to the harvest. 00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:06.640 Because it's ready. 00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:10.799 Do we have the workers who have the heart to be ready for the harvest coming in? 00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:15.920 God has blessed us in this region with an influence and an affluence. 00:22:16.160 --> 00:22:17.759 And we don't take that lightly. 00:22:17.839 --> 00:22:21.680 And it is not a bragging point, it's a responsibility. 00:22:22.079 --> 00:22:23.519 We've been blessed. 00:22:23.680 --> 00:22:28.319 And as I've said before, sometimes blessed sounds better than it feels. 00:22:28.559 --> 00:22:31.920 Because this blessing requires us to be responsible with it. 00:22:32.079 --> 00:22:40.880 We'll continue to be to prepare and be ready for local and global missions and how we can bless and help equip other churches. 00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:46.079 What does it look like for us to not just be involved with things with a Spring Lake title on the door? 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:51.039 What does it look like to get behind and maybe help support other plants and other churches? 00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:54.640 There's going to be more on that to come in the future. 00:22:55.279 --> 00:22:57.039 So this is who we've been. 00:22:57.279 --> 00:23:02.880 We are preparing, we are reestablishing who we are, strengthening what's going in now. 00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:07.680 We're pulling the battleships in from uh consistently going out and building. 00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:13.519 We're cleaning the battleships up, we're preparing them for whatever God has in the next season after this one. 00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:15.759 And that leads us to the future. 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:17.519 What does the future look like? 00:23:17.680 --> 00:23:23.359 And I would say if you're looking 10 years into the future, the answer I would give you is I don't know. 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:29.119 What I've learned is that the plan is in pencil, but the direction is in ink. 00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:31.359 What does the plan look like for the future? 00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:48.400 I would ask you to be praying for us as a staff, as an elder board and church leadership, as ministry leaders, be praying that we're aware, like the weathermen, to see what the weather is that that's about to happen, see the move of God, and then be able to report it. 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:53.920 It's our prayer to stay ahead of that curve, but not ahead of God. 00:23:54.319 --> 00:23:58.960 To see where He's leading us to build bridges to the future. 00:23:59.359 --> 00:24:11.920 What I can promise you is we stay true to Scripture, we stay true to our DNA, who God has called us to be as a church, and we continue loving God and loving Green Bay. 00:24:14.160 --> 00:24:15.279 Now, so what? 00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:17.119 As I wrap this up, so what? 00:24:17.359 --> 00:24:27.599 What does this have to do with everyone in the seats or anyone who may be watching online, other than the fact that now you know kind of the plan, the history, and where we are now? 00:24:27.759 --> 00:24:34.079 I would ask the question: if you call Spring Lake home, what's your part in where we are now? 00:24:34.319 --> 00:24:41.279 What's your part in the ministries that God has opened the doors to us having within our church and within our community? 00:24:42.240 --> 00:24:44.400 Are you currently serving? 00:24:45.039 --> 00:24:47.119 If so, thank you. 00:24:47.359 --> 00:24:51.119 If not, and you call Spring Lake home, I would ask, why not? 00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:54.000 What's keeping you from serving? 00:24:54.319 --> 00:24:55.200 Are you telling? 00:24:55.359 --> 00:24:57.920 Have you invited anyone to church? 00:24:58.480 --> 00:25:00.799 Have you shared your faith story? 00:25:00.880 --> 00:25:03.440 And maybe that involves Spring Lake, maybe it doesn't. 00:25:03.680 --> 00:25:07.519 But have we shared our testimony and our stories of what God has done? 00:25:07.680 --> 00:25:10.000 Remember what we read earlier, it's the mile markers. 00:25:10.160 --> 00:25:12.960 Don't forget your story, don't forget what God has done. 00:25:13.039 --> 00:25:14.720 Don't lose the plot. 00:25:15.680 --> 00:25:17.920 Are we giving towards Spring Lake? 00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:22.160 I would ask, if you are, thank you. 00:25:22.319 --> 00:25:24.400 If you're not, is there a reason? 00:25:24.960 --> 00:25:27.680 We'd love to have that conversation and you have a question. 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:32.720 And the big one that I would end with is are you praying for your church? 00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:34.799 Are you praying for leadership? 00:25:35.119 --> 00:25:38.319 Are you praying for the different ministries that go on? 00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:51.759 Because there is everyday stuff that happens, there's battles that go on that feel very practical, but scripture tells us very clearly we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, and rulers in our places. 00:25:53.440 --> 00:25:54.960 I would ask you to be praying. 00:25:55.359 --> 00:26:04.400 And as a matter of fact, what we want to do to close this message out is I want to turn this back over to the campus pastors, and we're gonna take a moment to pray. 00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:14.559 For Bellevue, for Lawrence, for downtown, for those online who have yet to set foot in a spring lake church, and maybe you live in a different state. 00:26:14.720 --> 00:26:25.440 We have a number of people who join us that way, but can we pray that, like good weathermen, we pay attention to what God is doing now, and we be prepared for what He does next?