Record-setting, maybe

It might have been a record-setting Sunday in terms of attendance. Somewhere around 80. I’m excited that we had about 75 in Sunday School. Apparently we’re in one of those “upswings” that the Lord brings. Upswings, downswings – He’s wise and faithful and does all things well. We just seek to be faithful to Him regardless.
We were also able to cover a lot of ground on GOnight – maybe 1400 homes.
I spent a long time talking to a new family that visited for the first time today. For two and a half years they drove about 80 miles to John MacArthur’s church each Sunday. We’ve got another new family driving 50 miles to our church.
I think we’ve finished Genesis now – I preached an unusual sermon this morning that touched on some major themes in Genesis 45-47 and 50. There have been lots of interludes – including an expositional series through I Peter – but it’s still interesting to note that we started Genesis on November 7, 2004, when the church was one year old. I have an idea about what we will do next, but I also have plenty of time: with some missionary speakers and our World Religions series, I won’t begin the new expositional series until early October.
Praise the Lord for all the unmerited blessings. Thank you for your prayers.

Menifee Makes the L.A. Times

Read it here

Eric & Alicia True: About Us

BACKGROUND:
We were married in 2002 and have two boys Brandon (4) and Jonathan (2).
Pictures: Eric and Alicia | Brandon and Jonathan | Family

Eric’s testimony of salvation
Eric was born and raised in CA (16 years in SoCal [Palm Springs area], 9 years in NoCal [Chico area]). I (Eric) grew up attending church with my parents and two sisters who are all believers. I knew the truth of Scripture and even memorized many verses, but when I was 16, my sinful heart and rebellious attitudes were exposed. I confessed my sin, was brought to repentance, and cried out for God’s saving grace in Christ. I truly believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and confessed with my mouth that He is Lord on June 26, 1989. He continues to transform me by His Spirit working through His Word.

Eric’s ministerial calling and training
From age 18-22, I participated in ministry to families near my home in No.Cal. and around the country. God burdened my heart for the local church and pastoral ministry during those years, and He has continued to grow and confirm the desire and direction to be a local church pastor. In January of 1998 at the age of 24, I began attending Bob Jones University and graduated undergrad in 2000, M.A. in 2001, and M.Div. in May 2007.

Alicia’s testimony of salvation
In 2000, I met my wife-to-be, Alicia. She was born in Provo, Utah to Mormon parents and then spent her first eight years in San Jose, CA. When she was five years old, her parents divorced, and three years later, her mom re-married a newly saved, Christian man. They moved to Virginia where her mother was saved and they all began attending a Bible-believing church. At age nine, Alicia accepted Christ as her personal Savior.

Alicia’s family and training
The family grew spiritually and numerically making Alicia the oldest of 7 children. They moved a number of times for her Dad’s job spending a few years in San Diego, CA in addition to Virginia, Michigan, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin. Alicia attended 10 different public schools before going to her first Christian school—Bob Jones University. She received her B.S. in Elementary Education in 2001. After graduating, she was a Christian school teacher for a year during which time we were engaged.

 

A special trial
During our engagement, Alicia’s youngest (six years old) brother, Michael, had his neuroblastoma cancer return. From October of 2001-March 30, 2002, Michael grew progressively worse until the Lord took Him home to heaven. It was a difficult time in which the Lord strengthened Alicia and my relationship.

Our boys
Brandon and Jonathan are very active and enthusiastic children. They bring us much joy and also present us with constant reminders of inherited sin and the need for God’s salvation through Christ.

Eric and Alicia’s work
Eric owns a dental lab (learned in his Dad’s dental office) and works from home for several dentists to provide for our family. This has been a flexible albeit challenging occupation that has the potential of providing an income anywhere we move (if necessary). Alicia has been a full-time wife, mother, and home-maker.

Burden:
We are burdened for healthy local churches in Southern California.
Based on our background, Alicia and I understand the need in CA for more healthy local churches. This need has burdened our hearts and shaped our desires. Our burden is for churches that will glorify God by making faithful followers of Jesus Christ on the basis of and by means of the Bible.

Through much contact and several visits with Tim and Kristalyn Lovegrove and Grace Bible Church, our desire is to participate with them in local church ministry for the glory of God and the good of His people. We believe that their philosophy of Church ministry and their burden for a movement of indigenous church planting effectively promotes the commission of Christ and fits with our own philosophy of ministry.

We believe in the idea of “team ministry.”
The Lovegroves are endeavoring to implement the team concept in CA church planting. We believe that if we are to be faithful with the Great Commission, there must be some planning for the spread of the gospel beginning with our “Jerusalem;” some joining up of “Paul and Barnabus and Luke and Silas and Timothy;” some calling, training, and sending out co-workers for ministry; some collecting and use of funds for the kingdom; some reporting, accountability, and encouragement among ministers in a given area; some appointing of elders; and some boldness in preaching the gospel and establishing churches for the glory of God.

There are certainly dangers with the team concept as there may be failures with coworkers like John Mark, divisions like Paul and Barnabas, changes of direction like Paul going to Macedonia, temporary separations like Paul in Athens and prison, and much more. But the dangers shouldn’t keep us from pursuing the Biblical idea dependent upon the grace of God for His glory and kingdom advance.

We want to be a part of the work that God is doing in Southern California.
Southern California is a great mission field – 24 million people – that needs a vibrant church-planting movement. Occasional church plants from the outside are helpful, but Southern California really needs a church planting movement from the inside: local churches in Southern California that are working together to grow and reproduce churches. That is the vision the Lovegroves had when they started the church in Menifee. The Lord has allowed that to become a self-supporting church, and they have been praying and seeking the Lord about the next step toward “indigenous” church planting. The Lord has allowed us to really catch that same vision and burden that they have.

The Lovegroves would like to see Grace Bible Church in Menifee reproduce itself by starting another church in a nearby area of Southern California. But they don’t yet have all the resources they need to do that. Therefore we are asking that churches or individuals consider helping to make that happen.

We are asking individuals and churches to consider helping for three or four years.
Beginning in 2008, we plan to spend two years serving as an assistant pastor at GBC in Menifee, helping to strengthen that ministry and prepare that church to start another church. Then sometime in early 2010 – GBC would send out a team to a nearby area to start another church. I would be the pastor of that church plant. As needed, we would seek support from Church planting organizations like GFA Missions to help get that church going. As that church was able to begin paying us (and with help from GBC in Menifee), we would not need the outside support anymore.

This next (second) church plant would be “partially indigenous,” and Lord willing the third church plant will be “totally indigenous.”

 

Eric & Alicia True: The Plans

The basic plan is very simple: Eric & Alicia are planning to come serve in Menifee for about 2 years, with Eric as an assistant pastor at GBC. After about 2 years the church will seek to reach out into a nearby community and plant another church which Eric will pastor. Here’s a more detailed explanation:

STAGE 1 (late 2007) PREPARATION: The Trues will be in Greenville, raising support, communicating the vision and philosophy, and finalizing the details to move to Menifee.

STAGE 2 (early 2008) TRANSITION: The Trues will move to Menifee and spend 6-9 months getting settled, establishing the lab business, and beginning to minister as an assistant pastor at GBC.

STAGE 3 (fall 2008-late 2009 or early 2010) MINISTRY IN MENIFEE: The Trues will spend 18-24 months serving at GBC Menifee, seeking to strengthen that church, reach out into the community, and prepare GBC for starting another church.

STAGE 4 (early 2010-mid 2010) CHURCH PLANTING: Grace Bible Church will reach out into a nearby community and begin holding services for a new church. The Trues will lead this church planting team.

STAGE 5(late 2010): The Trues will be transitioned completely out of ministry at GBC and into the ministry of the new church.

STAGE 6(?): Lord willing the second church will become self-supporting, and GBC and church #2 would maintain a close connection and partnership, with the goal of working together to start other churches.

Eric & Alicia are seeking to raise 3-4 years of church planting support, to begin in the fall of 2008 and continue through the fall of 2011. Here’s an explanation of what this would mean for their support situation:

STAGE 1 (late 2007) PREPARATION: supported fully by their lab business.
STAGE 2 (early 2008) TRANSITION: supported primarily by the lab business, with some help from GBC Menifee and outside supporters.
STAGE 3 (fall 2008-late 2009 or early 2010) MINISTRY IN MENIFEE: Outside support begins along with increasing support from GBC, minimizing the need for the lab business
STAGE 4 (early 2010-mid 2010) CHURCH PLANTING: Outside support and GBC support continue; new church begins to be able to pay them some
STAGE 5(late 2010): As outside support ends, Lord-willing GBC and church #2 will be able to fully support the Trues.
STAGE 6(?): fully supported by church #2

We pursue these plans joyfully recognizing that You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow … you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that!

A Country Masquerading as a State

New numbers released by the state of California this week give a clear picture of what California’s future could look like (see the LA Times report  here ). Some highlights:

• Our county (Riverside) will triple in population and surpass its bigger neighbors to become the second most populous county after Los Angeles
• California will near the 60 million mark by 2050.
• Latinos will become the dominant ethnic group, eclipsing all others combined.

The article specifically mentioned the Menifee area (though not by name): “Growth will be most dramatic around communities such as Palm Springs, Perris, and Hemet … expect a lot of new development in Riverside County to go up along the 215 Freeway between Perris and Murrieta.” Between Perris and Murrieta = Menifee.

The article also focuses on the Latino demographic: “Latinos [will] become the majority of California’s population [by] 2042…. 68% of the growth this decade will be Latino, 75% next, and 80% after that… the future of the state is Latino growth.”

7/8/07 updates

Praise the Lord for new members in our church family. We had 10 people join this morning.
One of the families that visited last week returned. I spent a couple hours with them at lunch, and they seem excited about our church.
I think we were over 60 again today, which I’m thankful for in the middle of the summer.
The spirit of the church family seems very good.
Tonight we finished up our evangelism training series. Over the next three months we’ll be talking a little bit about apologetics; talking a lot about world religions; and having several church planters or missionaries with us. It will be kind of hectic and unsettled, but I am really excited about these things.

AM & GOnight blessings

A lot of blessings today. At 9:30 we had an evangelistic prayer meeting. It was neat to see the energizing effect that had on the people, and how God used that. Then for the 10:30 service we had two visiting couples – it was the first visitors we’ve had in several weeks. Then we had GOnight, and we didn’t expect much because lots of people are gone, with family, etc. But in addition to some of the regulars, a couple families came to help that have never come before (and it was probably 100 degrees today!). Then we had everyone to our house for dinner afterwards. It was a great time. So praise the Lord for a lot of blessings on a holiday weekend.