Prayer E-Mail #2 October 08

Dear Family and Friends,
Before I share with you a brief update in regards to church planting, I want to thank you for the strong support we received from our first e-mail. (If you did not receive it, you can see a copy of it on my blog at www.stoppedwatch.blogspot.com). The kind remarks and offers of help are a tremendous blessing to us. We serve an amazing God, and having family and friends like you is just further evidence of this reality.
As we prepare ourselves to plant a church in Virginia Beach, there is a great sense of excitement, fear, and sadness. We're excited about this adventure God has laid before us, because we see a tremendous need that God wants to fulfill by using us. We're a little bit scared as we have never planted a church before and there are a lot of unknowns, many of which we are asking for prayer. Also, we're a little bit sad, because we will be leaving people we have come to know and love over the last four years. Having said all that, we know God is calling us to this great task, therefore, we are trusting Him to accomplish it. The following is an updated prayer list for us:

Affirmation of God's Call
God is still affirming us in this decision and we praise Him for that.
SBCV Approval Process
We are still in the application process with the SBCV. We had hoped to be approved during their meeting in October, but there were several other applications being considered before us. Now we will have to wait for their next meeting in December. At first I was disappointed with this development, but LuAnn helped me to see that we should rejoice there are other people applying to be church planters in Virginia. Therefore, pray for us (i.e. me) to have patience as we wait for this approval.
Location of Church Plant & Person of Peace
At the present time we are feeling drawn to the general area south of NAS Oceana. We plan to make a scouting trip to this area in November. We will be praying as we drive and walk through neighborhoods, asking God to begin moving in the hearts of people. We also hope to meet that "person of peace" spoken of in Matt. 10 & Luke 10, who will be able to open doors for us in the community. Pray God will give us the vision to see as He sees.
Networking
I've been amazed at how God works in this area of concern. Since I last wrote I have learned of a young man who is leading a Bible study on the USS Norfolk, and they are looking for a church to attend. A friend has shared that he has friends who might want to help us. A lady in our church has the name of someone who might want to help as well. This type of personal networking is invaluable to us, for I believe that God will use our personal relationships to advance His Kingdom. Whether anything comes of these connections or not is way too early to say, but I am encouraged nonetheless.
Therefore, do you know someone in the Tidewater area that would like to help with this church start? Do you know someone there who needs to know the Lord? Either way, if you feel comfortable about it, let us have their name and we will follow up with them in the appropriate manner.

Sell of Our House
We currently have our house on the market, and it is MLS # 737577. If you go to www.realtor.com you can get a good look at it. Please pray for this to sell quickly. I remember when we sold our house in Virginia Beach in order to go to seminary, that we closed on the first day of orientation, so I know the Lord is always right on time.
Clear Vision
There is a great deal of personal planning on my part which must be accomplished before I can ever hope to recruit other people to come join us. Therefore, I'm praying for the specific vision that God has already placed within me, to be clearly articulated to others. I believe it is essential for this vision to be crystal clear in my mind and heart, otherwise, if it is a mist in my brain, then it will be a fog in everyone else's. I will be sharing more of this in future e-mails, but for now please pray that God will give me wisdom in communicating this vision to others. (As a note, you are on the ground floor with us in this process, so any questions you have about what we are doing are greatly appreciated. I'm convinced that your questions will help us refine and communicate what God wants to do in us and through us.)
Church Leadership Team
I have heard that there may be the possibility of a church in Virginia Beach that wants to send out a core group of people to start another church in Virginia Beach. Pray the Lord will give us wisdom as to whether we are to partner with this group, and for God to raise up a committed Leadership Team.
Funding
As it stands right now we do not know the amount of funding we will receive from the SBCV. The range could be anywhere from $0 to full funding. Our current church will sponsor us at a rate that has yet to be determined. Whatever these two funding amounts will be, they will be staggered to decrease over the next 2-3 years. This is normal for funding a new work, because the goal is for the new work to be fully self-sufficient within that time frame. As we get closer to the time, I will have a clearer picture of what our expenses and funding will be. Therefore, I’m asking you to pray for God to raise up other churches and individuals who would want to support us financially.

LuAnn's New Business
Pray for LuAnn's new business. She is a Designer for Home and Garden Party. I can see how this new business will help us in many ways. Not only will it provide us with income, but I believe God will use it lead us to new prospects. After all, whatever job we have, we are to see ourselves as missionaries first in our place of employment. We need to realize that our Christian duty requires us to be a witness in the work place. I'm convinced that LuAnn will be used by God as she will have opportunity to share our story as she encounters people with this new venture. (If you want to book a party, just let her know!)
Thanks again for all your prayers and may God bless you richly this day!
His by Grace,
Bert, LuAnn, Taylor, Jonathan, & Emily
PS - If you do not wish to receive future updates, just let me know.