Want to see pictures (taken by Krista Jefferson) of a recent worship gathering at The Freeway? Click here.

Labels: friends, photos, the freeway

Other posts in this series:

• Missional Church? Be Prepared To Lose
• Missional Church? Be Prepared To Get Dirty
  

Local churches that are networked locally and regionally have the best possible chance to incarnate the gospel in a neighbourhood. Whether a denominational church or an independent church, whether a house church or an established church, local Jesus-communities need to help each other, inspire each other, resource each other, and "work together for the good of the city" [that's TrueCity's tagline - TrueCity is one of the networks The Freeway is involved in].

Gone are the days when, like an island unto themselves, local churches could hoard their resources, build their own kingdom, run all their in-house programs, and maintain "their" thing alone, etc. Well, maybe those days are not gone... but they should be.

What we need to continue to do is re-imagine ways to work together. We need to ask the question together, "What is God up to in this place?" and then find out how we can collaborate in order to join him.

How has that played out at The Freeway over the years? Or what networks are we a part of?

Resonate - www.resonate.ca
A few years ago a group of friends and I decided to start a Canadian network "of people seeking out Jesus Christ in a world and country that is transitioning from the modern to the postmodern era. [Resonate] is a group of people who are looking at new ways of living out the faith in holistic ways."

Through Resonate we have started regional Echos [a series of conversations hosted by Resonate on theology, worship, church and Christianity in today’s rapidly changing culture], a national e-mail discussion list, and local Greenhouses [which are basically organic networks for church planters and those interested in creating new forms of church. We get together about every six weeks all across Canada, we tell stories, we inspire one another].

Cultivate Gathering - www.cultivategathering.com
A couple years ago, tired of the "same old, same old" conferences and big name speakers spouting off what they wrote in their latest book, and realizing that networking and conversation was the way we wanted to learn, we started a learning party to gather folks and create conversations, tell stories, and inspire one another.

Cultivate has allowed us the opportunity to hob knob with very cool people who are doing new and exciting and innovative things in the church in a distinctly Canadian context. Most of these folks "fly under the radar" of traditional networks/conferences/etc.

TrueCity Network - www.truecity.ca
TrueCity is a local Hamilton network of "churches working together for the good of the city." They host a conference once a year, They have neighbourhood networks of leaders and people from various geographic regions in Hamilton. They help and inspire each other.

We are still really finding our way in TrueCity [and they are continuing to find their way as well] as we have only recently gotten involved, but the friendships we and partnerships we are making so far have been invaluable to us. On Thursday this week I will be attending an all-day meeting with the TrueCity to help figure out the next steps for the network.

Allelon - www.allelon.org
We, at The Freeway, have been learning from Alan Roxburgh and others at Allelon for just over a year now. Him and I have really hit it off on a personal level as well.

This spring we are launching an Allelon Training Centre [the first one in Canada] which aims to "provide practical, affordable and flexible training for all church leaders. Delivered by men and women with hands-on experience of mission in the United States and Canada, the program aims to enable leaders and potential leaders to transform their thinking, their lives, and their ways of being church." You should go and read all about it, and consider registering for our Summer Institute.

Labels: church planting, leadership, the freeway, training centre, writing

His name is Mike, and every day he sets out to a new public venue (restaurants, churches, offices, City Hall, etc.) in Hamilton and surrounding area, sets up his video camera, dances by himself and posts his video on YouTube. He has been doing this for nearly a year now... every single day.

365 days. 365 songs. 365 spots in Hamilton.

I love this guy. He is quirky and very cool.

I wanted to share two of his videos below. The first video is of Mike dancing at The Freeway (near the beginning of his year-long dancing journey), and the second is of him dancing at the tattoo shop where I get tattooed, while I am being tattooed (watch closely at the beginning and you will see me).

Labels: tattoos, the freeway, videos

I am heading out today with my family and our church community for a spiritual retreat weekend. We will be studying the book of Haggai, preparing our minds and hearts for Easter by doing stations of the cross, and having a great time together in community.

Labels: the freeway

The Freeway is starting a collaborative gardening project this spring. Basically we will harvest and share vegetables together, learn from one another about gardening properly, and work together on a project that makes a difference... and tastes delicious.

We created a community blog to publish our journey, offer tips and advice, and tell the story of a community learning how to share in an amazing project together: http://afewlittlegreenspots.blogspot.com

If you want to be part of the action, drop us a line.

Labels: community, friends, the freeway

The old blog hasn't been too cheery as of late. Sorry about that. It's not because there aren't good things happening in our family or our community... it's just been a rough go, that's all.

How about "the bright side" for a change:

• The Freeway has a new church planting intern, Jason Dockeray, who I am excited to be coaching. Jason and his wife Kristen will be planting a church community in the northeast end of downtown Hamilton a year or so from now. Very cool. I am sure I will update you as things progress.
• [CML] was granted some more support by The Salvation Army, allowing us to reduce the cost of registration [at least for the first year]. If you are still considering joining us for six months of mission training in an urban community, you should jump on. If you don't know anything about [CML] check this out. This will prove to be a fantastic experience.
  
• Cultivate Gathering - our learning party - is coming up on November 17, and it is almost sold-out. If you are considering going, drop me a line asap so I can save you a spot.
• I am away for the next two weeks: Next week from Monday to Thursday I am in Vancouver for a leadership retreat with the other "35 under 35" finalists. The week after I am in Ottawa at Imagine - the national church planting congress - with Jason Dockeray & Jordan Donald from The Freeway and some other friends from all over.
• Our family is coming through the darkness of the past few weeks and are beginning to breathe and see light and function "normal" again. I am thankful to God for his healing in our lives and for the wonderful community of friends and spiritual family he has surrounded us by. We are very fortunate people.

I will be posting whenever I can in the next couple weeks and will hopefully be back to giving you a little more than depressing thoughts and drivel.

Labels: church planting, leadership, personal, the freeway

This past weekend some Freewayers went to Pioneer Camp in Port Sydney, Ontario for a spiritual retreat. Good times.

On Sunday we went hiking [and a few of us even went swimming... yes, it's October... yes, the water was freezing].

Here is a link to some photos of the weekend taken by The Mirandom.

Labels: photos, the freeway

This was our third miscarriage in a year and a half. We are devastated. We have three young children. Having kids is not a romantic notion for us. These were very real children we lost. Though we didn't really know them yet, we loved them immensely and would give anything to hold them in our arms.

Even if we try to pray, our prayers often crumble in our souls, our dreams dissolve in our hearts. Despair seeps in the doors, taps at the windows, and threatens to clog all our passages of hope. How can I speak softly to God when I see, yet again, the fruitless stain of my wife's blood; when she feels the lifeless mass slipping from her womb; or when we hold a beautiful, perfect but still child in our hearts? For us, no amount of explanation—medical or theological—can soothe.

We know these precious babies are with God. We just wish they were with us, you know?

This has been very tough for us as a family to deal with. Very tough. We are still in the thick of grieving and questioning and feeling a profound sense of loss.

Our community of friends and family has been incredibly supportive and amazing. Thank you to those of you who have offered prayer and support, commented on my blog, e-mailed us, called us on the phone, dropped by, made meals for us, filled in the holes in my absence around The Freeway, cried with us, sent cards and flowers, etc. We really could not get through this time without those who love us carrying us.

This past weekend, some of us we went away on a spiritual retreat with The Freeway and it was great to be in community with people we love. To be able to get away, smell fresh air and see God's artistic work in nature was absolutely incredible. Our study and discussions of 1 Peter was also an incredible experience for me... and I think for all of us. There are so many folks in our community who I absolutely love dearly. They too experienced loss and are grieving. We are in this together.

I am sad that I couldn't be with my buddies on the documentary film tour, but by the looks of things they had a great time and were inspired by what God is doing in the places in this Nation they got to visit. I can't wait to see the footage of the road trip and be inspired by the stories of incredible journey-mates as well.

Another friend, Phil Prendergast and his wife, Stephanie, also experienced a miscarriage recently. And I know many others who have in the past as well. I offer this prayer:

"Seeing our days are determined, the number of our months are with You, You set limits that we cannot pass. "
--– After Job 14:5

God, we are weary and grieved. We were anticipating the birth of a child, but the promise of life was ended too soon. Our arms yearned to cradle new life, our mouths to sing soft lullabies. Our hearts ache from the emptiness and the silence. We are saddened and we are angry. We weep and we mourn. Weep with us, God, Creator of Life, for the life that could not be.

Source of healing, help us to find healing among those who care for us and those for whom we care. Shelter us under wings of love and help us to stand up again for life even as we mourn our loss.

Amen.

Labels: documentary, personal, the freeway

Cultivate Missional Living [CML] is a six month training course for people who want to learn how to engage in mission in an urban community.

[CML] takes place in the Beasley neighbourhood in downtown Hamilton, Ontario - one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Canada - and is hosted by The Freeway.

[CML] is supported by Allelon, Resonate, and The Salvation Army.

For more information about [CML] or to receive an application form, please contact the [CML] director, Jordan Donald, by e-mail [jordan@frwy.ca] or by phone: 905-929-0890.

Labels: church planting, leadership, the freeway, the salvation army

Other posts in this series:

• Missional Church? Be Prepared To Lose
• Missional Church? Be Prepared To Work Together
  

One of the lessons we are learning at The Freeway in the past few years as we attempt to be a living Kingdom community in our neck of the woods in downtown Hamilton, is that it is impossible to be an active Jesus community in a neighbourhood without being... well... ah... active. That is, unless we were willing to get our hands dirty and be involved in our neighbourhood, it would be impossible for us to incarnate the gospel in this place.

We live in a diverse community with many:

• impoverished people
• street kids
  
• single moms
• retired folks
• new Canadians
• folks with physical and developmental disabilities
  
• artists and musicians
• young professionals
  
• folks with mental health issues
  
• etc.

Ours is not a "one-size-fits-all" neighbourhood [or church community]. On a daily basis we encounter folks who face all sorts of challenges in their lives: financial, emotional, physical, mental, spiritual, etc. Being part of The Freeway means that you are faced, first-hand, with what it means to live with and minister to people [and receive ministry from people] who:

• Crap their pants during church. Smell terrible. And haven't the sense to excuse themselves and go clean up.
• Have job interviews and come in looking for you because they need a pair of pants, because they don't have unsoiled pants to wear at the job interview you've helped them prepare for.
• Think that sex is the only way they can validate who they are, or make a living, or find love, or stay in the country. So they exploit others or are themselves exploited.
• Have to choose between baby formula and their next fix. They really don't know which would be the better choice for their family.
• Have been rejected by their family, friends and community because of their sexual orientation, or loss of work, or religious confusion, or a decision they made when they were a kid.
• Are desperate for God. But have been rejected by the church, or can't make their way through the religious mumbo jumbo, or don't know where to begin, or feel unworthy.
• Just need to eat a meal, or get a hug, or talk with another human being.
  

And on and on it goes. Everyone has a story, it seems. And in our community we are involved in those stories, and many more, on a daily basis. It's not romantic, or heroic, or adventurous, it's just the life we've chosen to live. This is the place we believe God has placed us. The often abandoned place. The place where Jesus is present in those we give some groceries to... we meet him there. The place where Jesus is present in those we embrace with a hug or a conversation... we meet him there. The place where Jesus is present in those we welcome into our homes and share a meal with... we meet him there.

Are we concerned about salvation? Of course we are. We talk about Jesus - The Way - at every possible turn. We live for Jesus and act like Jesus as much as we can. We fail. We fall short. We struggle to see people like he does. We struggle to love people like he does. But we want to. And more than that we are really trying to. We get discouraged, and frustrated, and think maybe we made a mistake in coming here, but we can't escape the feeling that Jesus is with us. And he wants us here.

We proclaim the gospel. But it happens relationally more than anything else. People here don't need us to shout answers at them to questions they aren't asking. They need us to love them. They need to see Jesus, in an approachable, authentic, living example as much as they need to hear about him.

If we are serious about creating a mission-shaped church, then we need to understand that "sharing the gospel" means sharing our very lives, rolling up our sleeves, getting dirty, sharing in people's story, and sharing God's most amazing story as well.

Please don't get the wrong idea, it isn't just in huge moments and huge crises all the time. Most of the time, it's in the hum drum day-to-day-ness of simply living, listening for the Spirit, thinking consciously and intentionally about how we "spend ourselves", and responding to our neighbours the best that we can.

Labels: church planting, leadership, the freeway, writing

Blue Like Jazz // Live at The Freeway coffee house this week. It's a solo theatrical production by actor, Jason Hildebrand happening September 11, 12, 13 at 7:00 pm with Scott Orr opening. Tickets are $15 at the door.

I wrote about the show here.

Click here to see the Blue Like Jazz // Live trailer.

Labels: the freeway

I am lucky to have the friends that I have. I have really been blessed to be surrounded by people who care about me, inspire me, and help me in tremendous ways.

• In the past few weeks I have re-connected with quite a few friends that I haven't seen/hung out with for a while, and have really been inspired while eating, laughing, and dreaming with them.
• I am involved in a few new[ish] initiatives and have met with friends to plan and dream about them. I am so excited about the projects I am currently involved with, and the ones I soon will be involved with.
  
• I have had some good quality time with people I deeply love in the past few weeks. After a summer of mostly dis-connection, that has been absolutely refreshing.
• Today I spent a whole day with the cohort from The Freeway, planning, dreaming, training, laughing. Good times. We recently added three new members and today was our first meeting all together. There is already tons of synergy and connection. It is going to be a fantastic year together, I think.

Labels: friends, leadership, the freeway

As I sit in our coffee house today in downtown Hamilton taking advantage of the free wireless internet access, while enjoying the best cup of fair trade coffee on the planet, I can't help but notice the diversity of the crowd who has gathered here today [not untypical of other days], and wonder if we are not "on to something" in our effort to be part of Christ's Kingdom on earth in this little corner of The Hammer.

There are a few developmentally challenged adults [a couple of whom are employed at the coffee house], a discussion group of twelve individuals with various mental health issues, four university students using the wireless internet - likely enjoying the remaining days before classes start up again, two retired widows enjoying coffee and cookies together, an elderly lady in a wheelchair, a guy who is clearly on some narcotic which has altered his thinking quite significantly, a young rock star wannabe who has performed on our stage in the past but today is simply enjoying conversation with an elderly gentleman who happens to be a retired University professor from McMaster, two kids playing in our children's area while their mom interacts with adults and takes a break while enjoying a "frosty coffee".

The barista today is my wife, Margie, who works for children's aid society, is a mom to our three young children, has adopted many of the folks from our church community and befriends them by offering an open house and meals whenever they want... and they often do... yet still finds the time to serve coffee and hang out with those who frequent this third place in our neighbourhood.

There is hustle and bustle and yet a great sense of calm, peace and home here today. I guess I am just taken aback once again with how significant what we are doing is.

Similar stories I have shared:
Coffee House As Community Commons, Music & Art Space, Funky Cafe
Coffee House Barista Duty, & A Home Away From Home

Labels: community, the freeway, writing

A solo theatrical production by actor, Jason Hildebrand is happening at The Freeway coffee house this September [3 nights only: September 11, 12, 13] at 7:00 pm.

Blue Like Jazz // Live is a solo theatrical multimedia performance based on author, Donald Miller's book. It is a personal, raw and humorous reflection on spirituality, God, and community. It is an honest and unexpected journey - a scrapbook of one man's life.

The performance incorporates the use of video and motion graphics projected onto a 12'x7' video screen backdrop. It also features an original jazz music soundscape.

The purpose of Blue Like Jazz // Live, besides being an amazing theatrical experience, is to be a catalyst for drawing people into a deeper exploration of the soul and to foster community.

Click here to see the Blue Like Jazz // Live trailer.

You can purchase tickets in advance at our coffee house for $10.00 each or by e-mailing us at info@frwy.ca. You can also purchase tickets at the door on the night of each performance [if there are any left] for $15.00 each.

Labels: the freeway

Tonight at The Freeway we say goodbye to a great guy who has been a key part of our community. Kevin has been with us for almost two years now while he studied at Tyndale Seminary. He has been a barista at our coffee house, a worship leader, a Manny to our kids [Manny = male nanny], and a friend and support to many of us.

Shortly he will be moving down to Austin, Texas [he is from Detroit originally] to work for another new church called Vox Veniae. We are totally excited for him... but very sad that his time in our midst is coming to an end.

Kevin: "you are win." We will miss you a lot, buddy.

Update:
My nine year old daughter, Samantha, made a video for Kevin:

Labels: friends, the freeway, videos

I did a little work on re-designing and developing The Freeway | Church website this week. I still have a few more features to add, etc., but feel free to have a look around: www.frwy.ca/church

And hey, if you appreciate the work we do in downtown Hamilton, please click the "donate" button at the top of the page and send us some of your hard-earned cash. We will use it for our after-school program for impoverished children in our neighbourhood. A program which offers a healthy meal, mentoring/role-modeling, and art/DJing/music/drama lessons.

We will also use the money to provide the following for kids at our local elementary school: a backpack and supplies for kids in need, food for a breakfast program, and to keep a supply of groceries in the pantry at our coffee house for families and individuals in desperate need.

You'll get a tax receipt by e-mail following your donation... not to mention that you'll probably feel great as you're partnering with a great community with tons of potential in a great community with tons of potential. And hey, we really appreciate your support of the work we do in one of Canada's poorest neighbourhoods.

Speaking of our work, if you're between 18 and 30 you should seriously consider living in our "community house" and working with us for a year or so while being trained and equipped as an apprentice of Jesus, in an initiative we call [CML]. If you do, you'll never be the same again. And if you're considering planting a church/community... that goes double for you.

Labels: blogging, design, the freeway

On Sunday, July 1st we explored Luke 4 at our worship gathering at The Freeway. We don't usually re-cap our worship gathering experiences online because they are unique, contextual, live experiences with our community that don't fully translate elsewhere, but people asked specifically for this one, so here you go:

We had a station set up at the front with the sound board, a laptop, a monitor, an iPod, Two TVs and a projector on it. Three of us who were leading sat behind the table and led from there.

We opened with prayer. We asked Jesus to transform our thinking, but more importantly our living as it relates to the gospel being incarnated amongst marginalized people.

Then we watched this video by Canadian rockers, Nickleback as a "teaser":



Following the video, we read the scripture passage aloud in the groups we were sitting in. We read short sections of the passage and then paused, taking time to reflect in between.

We sang together, corporately Blessed Be Your Name by Matt Redman and then You're Everything by David Crowder led by two acoustic guitars and a djembe.

Then we watched this video of footage of a worship moment in a U2 concert followed by part of Bono's speech at the National Prayer Breakfast:



Then we reflected with a digital segment on Bono's words as part of his speech at the NAACP awards:

“God has a special place for the poor. The poor are where God lives. God is in the slums… in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is where the opportunity is lost and lives are shattered. God is with the mother who has infected her child with a virus that will take both their lives. God is under the rubble in the cries we hear during war time. God, my friends, is with the poor. And God is with us if we are with them. This is not a burden, this is an adventure.”

Then three women from our community led us in a litany of lamentation, which was made up of excerpts from a peace prayer vigil:

Voice 1: "There is no peace because there are no peacemakers. There are no makers of peace because the making of peace is at least as costly as the making of war - at least as exigent, at least as disruptive, at least as liable to bring disgrace and prison and death in its wake."
-- Father Daniel Berrigan

Voice 2: "True peace is not merely the absence of tension, but the presence of justice and brotherhood."
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Voice 3: "Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up, but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed with all the tension its exposure creates to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured."
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

(Pause)

Voice 1: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? Oh my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest.
(Psalm 22:1-2)

Voice 2: Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you."
(Psalm 16:1-2)

Voice 3: Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.
(Psalm 17:1)

(Pause)

Voice 3: Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house… Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly.
(Isaiah 58:6-8)

Voice 2: Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
(Psalm 34:14)

Voice 1: The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18) “Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help me… I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.
(Psalm 22:11, 14-15)

(Pause)

Voice 2: Cry aloud to the Lord! …let tears stream down like a torrent, day and night! Give yourself no rest, your eyes no respite! Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord! Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint for hunger at the head of every street.
(Lamentations 2:18-19)

(Pause)

Voice 1: For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. They have treated the wound of my people carelessly, saying "Peace, peace," when there is no peace.
(Jeremiah 6:13-14)

Voice 3: The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.
(Psalm 34:18)

(Pause)

Voice 3: But you, O Lord, do not be far away! O my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword!... I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters. In the midst of the congregation, I will praise you… For God did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted. God did not hide from me, but heard when I cried. From you comes my praise in the great congregation… The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
(Psalm 22:19-28)

Voice 2: …until a spirit from on high is poured out on us, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.
(Isaiah 32:15-16)

Voice 1: My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.
(Isaiah 32:18)

Voice 3: God shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
(Isaiah 2:4)

(Pause)

ALL: Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And we said, "Here we are: send us!"
(Isaiah 6:8)

Following the litany of lamentation, we sang God Of Justice by Tim Hughes.

I offered some brief thoughts on the passage from Luke 4. I spoke of the significance of what Jesus said: "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favour has come."

I told everyone that we (the church) are to carry on bringing the Good News to the poor as Jesus' representatives in the world. I then told them stories of people from our community at The Freeway who - in the past twelve months - have made significant moves toward Jesus and helping those who are marginalized, oppressed, poor, overlooked. I could have told more people's stories, but I chose eight. I hoped that they would inspire us all to be more Jesus-y and to be about the Good News. I showed pictures of each of the people I spoke about as a visual reminder of the significant stories represented.

After telling their stories we talked about how many of us want to give ourselves fully to Jesus and to give ourselves for the sake of the world, but that it is hard because we have so much fear about what that really means. It is very difficult as we often struggle with consumerism, self-centredness, fear, and insecurity. But we recognize that Jesus wants us as we are, to join him in his mission to redeem everything.

To end the "formal" part of the gathering we watched this:



...We offer ourselves for the sake of the world...

( Thoughts from a visitor to The Freeway at this gathering. )

Labels: justice, speaking, the freeway, worship resources

I always find people's first impressions of The Freeway interesting (whether negative or positive - we get both)... especially first impressions of our worship gathering on Sunday night's.

Last night, two guys, Tim and Steve, showed up and described themselves as on an "ecumenical pilgrimage". They said they are visiting various churches all through the summer, looking for what God is doing in Hamilton... looking to "see a new face of Christ".

Here's what Steve wrote in Facebook last night about the experience:

Reclined on a leather couch with fair trade coffee firmly in hand, I'm watching a video of Bono's speech at the 2006 National Prayer Breakfast. The mood is introspective and reverent, yet relaxed. The topic of the evening is “Good News for the Poor”—fitting, considering the passion and vision of this young church plant for social justice. I'm at the Freeway, a missional community aligned with the Salvation Army tribe, situated at the corner of King and Wellington streets in downtown Hamilton.

One of the Freeway's six values is authenticity. This certainly was the most up-front and obvious feature of the Sunday evening worship gathering. No suits; no pretentiousness; no voice-of-God phenomenon; no highly talented, expensive equipment-wielding band performance. Just a raw love for Jesus brewed in a deliberate commitment to Jesus-centered (and coffee-facilitated) community.

Yet I found something in this casual setting that I hadn't expected—though I should have—as a Pentecostal: a refreshing experience of the Presence of God. For the first time, I saw two beautiful expressions of Christianity coming together: love for the world's poor and intimate worship, in Tim Hughes' “God of Justice,” sung honestly by the church's pastor, Pernell Goodyear. Yet he would be quick to point out that he is not the only “leader” at the Freeway.

Pernell spoke from Luke 4 about Jesus' central message of good news for the poor. He was able to share story after story about the work members of the Freeway community were doing with and for the impoverished: a med-school student organizing missions trips to demolish houses in New Orleans and provide medical help in Africa; a six year old organizing a drive called “Pennies for the Poor”; and a twenty-something being inspired to a new church plant deliberately situated in the poorest neighbourhood of Sarnia.

So though I found neither trumpets nor uniforms, I've seen a new face of Christ, coming to light in emerging expressions of the Salvation Army. And yes, I've also found great hope (another of the Freeway's six values): hope for the inner city, hope for a lived gospel message, and maybe hope for the future of the church itself. A wonderful beginning to a pilgrimage of hope.

Labels: the freeway

I have had several heated conversations in the past couple weeks about Jesus and the poor. It has been enlightening (yet very discouraging) to hear from Christian people (all of them middle class people) who actually believe that Jesus wants to "bless us" (they read that to mean financially - meaning get more money - as they explain it). This is a weird concept for me. So is the fact that many of these same people do not believe that Jesus has a special place for the poor, but they do believe that tithing is the financial commitment that pleases Jesus and that he will bless us financially if we do so.

Is the "good news to the poor" really that they can become middle class or even rich... is that even part of the good news???

This Sunday I am organizing our worship gathering at The Freeway around this whole idea of Jesus and the poor. To those of you who I have spoken to about this as of late, you may not want to come. I have a feeling you won't like what you are going to hear and see... or maybe you will.

Labels: justice, the freeway

Other posts in this series:

• Missional Church? Be Prepared To Get Dirty
• Missional Church? Be Prepared To Work Together
  

There are several shifts which we made a few years ago in terms of measuring the missionality of our community at The Freeway. Some of these fly in the face of how the evangelical Church (at least in our circles) has generally done things in the past number of decades, particularly since the church growth movement took root.

One of those shifts was that we decided we could likely not continue to measure "success" as we always had - by attracting numbers: money, people, programs, projects, mission trips, souls saved, etc. We needed new markers, as it were, to know if we were becoming more Jesus-y. Here's what one Freewayer said a few weeks ago about this whole "numbers game":

The idea of success being measured by numbers is so ingrained in who we are that its hard to escape. How much money we make, how many friends we have on facebook... it's so difficult to measure success in any other way, and so we continually fall back on numbers. Whether its business or church, how many people attend, how many people consume your product, how many sales you can make are all key markers. In fact, I'd argue that Christian colleges are producing Christian CEO's more than pastors. And to further the point, if I really wanted to learn how to pastor a church 'succesfully' in today's culture I'd go to Western University and take business. I could learn marketing, trend analysis, leadership, dynamic communication... all things that seem to lend themselves to church growth.

As we began to question whether or not the point of church really came down to adding more people, making more money, keeping people more and more busy with more and more programs, etc. we anticipated that if we weren't going to continue to try and attract large numbers of people to our services, we could likely expect that we would look like miserable failures in many ways to many people as we instead looked to "the sending out" as a way of measuring whether or not we were a living Kingdom community.

In other words, rather than counting the number of people who come in to consume church programs, etc. we would celebrate people who left to follow to Jesus outside of the church walls. This shift meant several changes in the way we had always done things and the "results" we had always seen (some of which we would never have been able to anticipate ahead of time):

1. It meant that Sunday services could no longer be the main focus of our week. If attracting people to our top-notch services wasn't the point, and living missionally was, then we should spend less time and focus on Sundays and actually encourage people to not come unless they needed to.
   
2. It meant that rather than creating and maintaining church programs, we should set out to intentionally and organically be-friend one another and our neighbours. We should seek hospitality and justice and deep community together as we respond to the call of Jesus in each one of us.
   
3. It meant that we would lose two thirds of the people who actually join us (we would lose many more "Christian tourists" who come to check things out, and many of the folks who want the church to be a "self-help" group). One third would leave disgruntled. One third would leave as Jesus called them on to new and exciting missional ventures (often they are some of our brightest and best folks). One third would stay and continue to learn to live out mission as a community.
4. It meant that we would lose money. Lots of money. Many of the people who leave are the best financial supporters.
5. It meant that our tribe would need to be very patient with us and that we would need to intentionally foster relationships with the "powers that be" because our monthly statistic forms and financial records would be terrible indicators of Kingdom activity. Much time had to be invested listening to each other and creating space for each other. (Thankfully our Kingdom-focused leaders have been a brilliant support to us.)
   
6. It meant that we would never have a good answer to the "important questions" (insert sarcasm here) like, "How many people are you guys getting now?" To which I like to respond "10 or 12"... I just like to watch the expression on their faces. Or, "What percentage of people are involved in small/cell/house groups?" To which I usually respond "about zero".

As we realize that journeying towards the cross actually costs us something, maybe we should also realize what this means for churches. It makes more sense to me that as people learn about what it means to follow Jesus then they also learn about the way it challenges how you live in every capacity. Which then means that many people, like the rich young ruler, will simply opt not to continue. I don't think church should be a place where people are able to simply drift on the fringe, consume the Sunday morning message, sing some upbeat hillsongs, and continue living in a way that is unaffected and unaltered.

If we are serious about creating a mission-shaped church, then we need to re-think church attendance, budgets, and butts in programs.

I will explore more of the shifts we have experienced, including: leadership, communication, justice, cultural interaction, etc. as we have sought to become the missional presence of God in our community in upcoming blog posts. But for now, feel free to give your two cents worth in the comments section.

Labels: church planting, leadership, the freeway, writing

Here's the deal: I am taking a blog break for the month of June. I need to. Breaks are good. June is busy: two of my kids birthdays are in June, I am putting a significant amount of time into writing my book, preparing for [CML], I have a week-long trip to Chicago to see this guy [and hit an arts festival], community barbecues every week at our house, building a front and back deck at our house, interior renovations of the de-construction nature in the basement of the coffee house, painting the exterior of the coffee house and getting proper signage up, etc. all of this in addition to the regular duties of being a husband, a dad to three young kids, a pastor, a friend, etc.


Peace.

Labels: blogging, family, friends, leadership, the freeway

• This weekend I am away speaking at a spiritual retreat for Mini-Yo-We Camp LIT's. The great part is that I get to bring my family for the weekend. Should be fun.
  
• My book writing day went absolutely stupendously. I am really excited about the project.
• I am doing a couple of weddings in the next few weeks. Both of which are for folks who are not connected with The Freeway and are people I am just getting to know.
• We have booked some of our vacation for this year. We have rented a tent-trailer and will be camping for two weeks in July. I can't wait. My kids are an absolute blast to be with on vacation. We have a lot of fun as a family.
• Me and some "old fart" friends go mountain biking every week during the warm months. Next Saturday will be our first ride together for the year [I have been riding quite a bit on my own and with the kids, we even went out on Saturday with Margie and Melissa, etc.]. It is always a good time for us buddies to ride the trails, get minor injuries, tell stories, and just enjoy some exercise in the great outdoors.
• Here are some great shots of our worship gathering from a couple weeks ago. I love The Freeway.
  

Labels: photos, speaking, the freeway

A couple months ago I told you I was being interviewed by Alan Roxburgh from Allelon for a video netcast on Alan's "What is missional church?" series. Well, since I have a "face made for radio", they decided to go with audio. Good call.

The interview is now online. You can listen to it here.

Labels: the freeway

For the past couple months, we have been re-thinking how we organize ourselves at The Freeway in terms of leadership. Tonight we had a community meeting to discuss some thoughts we have been working through in terms of who and how we lead the church community. We really wanted to bring some ideas to the community to get feedback and support and critique and more ideas. We are hoping that more conversations will come out of this process about what missional leadership looks like for us.

We need to expand our leadership community in order to: remain mission-shaped, diversify to better reflect the community, get more done, and move into the next phase as a community. Currently one team, the cohort, lead the whole kit and caboodle basically, and we are suggesting that we need to expand not only the size of the team, but the number of teams that lead.

Here's some of what we presented tonight and what we're considering in terms of structure:


There are three main identities that make up The Freeway: the church community, the coffee house, and now [CML]. In the diagram above, the blue rounded squares represent the leadership community. In this model, we are suggesting the cohort would be responsible for the church community, the coffee house manager would be responsible for the coffee house, and the [CML] director would be responsible for [CML]. The "staff team" [blue rounded squares] led by the lead pastor [currently me] would be responsible for visioning and connection/networking for all three identities.

We will add at least two new members to the cohort [which will now just lead the church community]. In addition, we will form a new worship gathering planning community and a new special events planning community [parties, events, spiritual retreats, etc.]. Twice a year we will have "dream sessions" where the whole community will come together and vision the next leg of the journey as a community, work out kinks, and inspire each other about what we're really doing.

We have asked for suggestions of people we can add to the cohort, and gave some general descriptions of what we are looking for. We don't vote, so the cohort needs advice and guidance from the community so that we can select new people for the cohort.

In this new model we are suggesting, basically every second week on Mondays during the day, the staff team would meet to vision for The Freeway in general and keep each other in the loop, and the cohort would meet every second week on Mondays during the evening to keep things rockin' with the church community.

If you are part of The Freeway and want to offer suggestions, ideas, critiques, etc. please drop me a line... or any member of the cohort through e-mail or a phone call. If you are not from The Freeway and want to add your two cents or observations or ask a question, please do so in the comments section.

Also, please pray for our community - if you are the praying type - as we go through some major transitions as a community in the next few months and attempt to follow Jesus into new territory for us in terms of our missional presence in our neighbourhood. Thank you.

Labels: leadership, the freeway

• The search continues for more participants for our [CML] initiative... it's weird, it seems that droves of people aren't beating down our door to live in community in a poor neighbourhood in Hamilton, while being coached and trained to learn how to live missionally for Jesus. Who would of thunk it? I guess we should have gone with the "live with us for a year, and we will mess you up for forever" tag line we were thinking of. If you know anybody who really wants to live in a beautiful, messy community and figure out the Jesus thing while being supported by super-quality people who can help them process their experience, drop me a line. More details are on the site: www.frwy.ca/cml
• Tonight we are hosting a meeting at the coffee house for any and all Freewayers, about some leadership structure issues in the church community. We need to expand the leadership community in order to: remain mission-shaped, diversify to better reflect the community, get more done, move into the next phase. The cohort has been thinking, praying and jotting notes on napkins, trying to come up with a better way to do things. Tonight we will present what we've got so far, and ask for help in selecting some more folks to join the leadership community in some way.
• I am on a diet. I have been for three weeks now. It's not too hard core... I am just watching what I eat: no white bread, no pop, smaller amounts more often, more salad, less fried foods, no snacks at night, etc. And I let myself cheat without feeling guilty. I want to lose 10-20 pounds in total. I will be biking more, and I am thinking about climbing the escarpment stairs regularly... thinking about it, being the key.
• We have been looking into getting our backyard sodded. When we bought this house last year, it had river rocks and planting beds a plenty in the backyard: very pretty, very low maintenance, and terrible for kids. The costs of doing it are astronomical. So, it will have to wait for another year... we simply haven't got the cash.
• I am thoroughly disappointed with the Raptors play-off performance so far. And I completely dislike Vince Carter even more now, if that's possible.
  

Labels: the freeway

I have been doing some design/development work on some weblogs recently. Using one template that I have been using for quite a while now, I have completely sorted out The Freeway's web presence by breaking it out into three different sites that link to each other and have a very similar look and feel... hopefully it will be less confusing for people to navigate this way:







Using that same template [I guess I really like it], I have re-designed my family members blogs... sort of a spring clean-up, I suppose.











I created a new weblog for Jordan [he had a LiveJournal blog and I figured out how to transfer all his posts into Blogger... but the comments didn't come unfortunately]:



And I recently re-designed and updated The Cultivate Learning Party site [and will be updating it further soon]:



If you would like a weblog re-designed, [it will cost you next to nothing if you like this general template], drop me a line anytime: pernell AT frwy.ca

Labels: blogging, design, the freeway

As I have been preparing for the teaching portion of our worship gathering for this Sunday [my first time speaking in a number of weeks], I have realized that I have not taken many creative risks with my speaking for quite a while. I think there are a few reasons for this:

1. Time has not allowed me to be too creative or think through creative ways of taking risks with my messages. The bottom line is, there have many important projects I have been working on, many important people I have been spending a significant amount of time with, and a few speaking engagements elsewhere which have all taken more time than I care to admit. Being creative, thinking through ways of communicating differently, and taking risks takes quite a bit of time and energy... of which I have not had a lot of "extra" as of late.
2. I have been emotionally drained for a while now. The pressures of ministry, a demanding schedule, and some personal "hits" has taken a tole on my emotional energy. I find that being creative takes tons of emotional energy... as well as the fact that perhaps I have steered away from risking in communication and "played it safe" in order to not add to the emotional pressure I have been feeling [ie. "don't rock the boat"].
3. My default is to do things in a way that I know I can without too much difficulty. It is easy to get in a rut, especially when you are comfortable with the way things are going. Even though I know it isn't the best way for me or anyone else, I think I sometimes do what I do the way I do because I can get by doing it like that.
4. I often wonder what difference it makes. Does anyone really listen? Does my teaching really produce any more missionality when I prepare creative, risk-taking messages than when I don't, in the community that has gathered at The Freeway? How much time should people who want to lead mission-shaped churches really spend writing sermons anyway?
   

This Sunday, I will take some risks. I will communicate out of my love for a story I am re-learning rather than my knowledge of stories I have studied much. I will do things in a way I haven't before. The thing is, even if the whole idea bombs, the process of thinking through a passage of scripture creatively has been life-giving for me this week. The story has really come to life in a way it never has before. I have tried to think through all the ways different people learn and take them all into consideration. I am actually excited about communicating this message to the community I have grown very fond of because I know it is a safe place to risk.

See you at church.

Labels: leadership, speaking, the freeway

In the past five and a half years, we have had 10 babies born to people in our community at The Freeway. All of them have been absolutely beautiful and amazing children. Aubrey Donald [3 months old] is no exception. Look at this cutie:

Labels: the freeway, videos

I asked Nathan Colquhoun to write a short "testimonial" about his time as a church planting intern at The Freeway in 2006, in order to help promote our new intern initiative, [CML]. Here's what he had to say:

"I worked with The Freeway for a summer and it was the exact experience that I needed to prepare me for planting a church. I lived with Pernell Goodyear and his family and participated with their family in everything that a family does. I worked alongside of their leadership cohort as if I was one of them. I played and hung out with the kids as if I had been there since the beginning. I was given experiences that tested my skills and stretched me to be better at them. I was given responsibility to run great programs and participate in a new church environment through its ups and downs."

"I can't tell you how much The Freeway means to me. Through their words and actions they actually believe in the Kingdom and not just their kingdom. They poured resources and time into me knowing full well I was going to another church and wasn't going to be there in a few months, but they didn't care because they knew they were working towards something bigger than their four walls. Pernell's family accepted me and taught me so much about grace, hospitality and family. The coffee house gave me experience in how to live and be in relationship in downtown environments. Overall, my internship at The Freeway was something that challenged me to my core. It forced me to look at myself and re-evaluate why I did things and the type of person I wanted to be."

"Now I'm in Sarnia, planting a church called theStory and my relationships with The Freeway are still as strong as ever. If you ever get a chance to be with the people at The Freeway, do it, and if you let it, you will experience a community that truly is on a journey of what it means to follow Christ."

If you are interested in finding out more about [CML], check out the website: www.frwy.ca/cml

Labels: friends, leadership, the freeway

I have been overwhelmed by the positive comments here on the blog recently [and by e-mail as well]. Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to add your two cents. Your encouragement means a lot.

It is time to move on. Here's what's been happening for me in the past few days:

• The Meeting House's youth retreat went really well on the weekend. Great kids who really seemed to engage with what I was talking about. Fun, crazy times [to say the least] ensued all weekend long. And I even discovered something about myself... I am too out of touch to do youth ministry. It's amazing how fast you lose the youth ministry mojo.
• Sunday night I led worship at The Freeway [which I rarely do for obvious reasons, if you have ever heard me sing] and I really felt like the experience connected with the community gathered... and I had a lot of fun. It was Rachel's last "official" Sunday before moving to Sarnia to marry Nathan and join theStory. Sad, yet quite exciting really.
  
• Today I got my pain injection in my back [for those who don't know, I have had several surgeries ever since I had a tumour on my spine about 9 years ago], and I get an injection every 6 months or so to help alleviate some of the pain. I will be resting for the next 24 hours or so.
• Cultivate Gathering is coming up this Saturday and I am really excited about it. We are almost full, so if you are planning on attending you should drop me a line and let me know asap: pernell AT frwy DOT ca.
• We are currently taking applications for our [CML] initiative starting in September. If you are between 18 and 30 and are interested [or know someone who is] in spending a year in an urban community living out God's mission, while being trained and equipped as an apprentice of Jesus, drop me a line: pernell AT frwy DOT ca.
  
• We are also accepting resumes for the full-time position of "Community Pastor & [CML] Director" at The Freeway. If you are interested drop me a line: pernell AT frwy DOT ca.
• My tribe, The Salvation Army, have approached me about writing a book. I don't know how I feel about that yet. I will process the idea for a bit longer before deciding either way.

I think that's it for now.

Labels: personal, speaking, the freeway

Rob Faulkner, a reporter for The Hamilton Spectator, did a short write-up on me in the paper today [read the article here], not willing to be out-done by The Toronto Star, I suppose [blog post here | article here].

I really love that Rob featured our new [CML] initiative in the short article. The piece is more about what we're doing at The Freeway, than who I am. His wife has apparently been to the coffee house and absolutely loves it, so he thought he should feature what we're doing in his column a little bit.

In the process of being interviewed by reporters as of late, I am learning how important it is to choose my words very carefully. I have a new respect for people who are constantly in the limelight, being interviewed. It is so easy for what you say to be misconstrued sometimes. Even what is chosen to be printed among all that you say, is quite interesting. It seems that reporters often have in mind what story they are looking for, and they shape the content to make you fit. And sometimes they don't even tell the truth... imagine that. This will all be a good learning process for me, I am sure. Part of me wants to never speak to the media again, but I know that our story at The Freeway is an important one that we need to tell, so I will simply need to learn this new skill.

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Labels: personal, tattoos, the freeway

We have been doing some work to try and make The Freeway's web presence easier to navigate. Now that we have three major "wings" of The Freeway [church, coffee house, [CML], we felt the need to seperate them a little bit in terms of web addresses.

The Freeway Coffee House site is here:
http://www.frwy.ca

The Freeway Church Community site is here:
http://www.frwy.ca/church

Cultivate Missional Living [CML] is here:
http://www.frwy.ca/cml

Have a look around and e-mail me if you have any questions or comments at pernell@frwy.ca

Labels: design, the freeway

Plans for our [CML] initiative are shaping up quite well. We have some amazingly qualified people coming on board to be part of the training team. I will let you know more details as to who and what really soon. In the meantime, a bunch of us are getting together this Friday to hash out some details about the training content, schedule, etc. On the team are some of my smartest, most creative friends. I think our time together will prove to be a lot of fun and very worthwhile. Dreaming about initiatives like this is a blast.

[CML] is a 10 month urban missional living experience for those 18 to 30 years old, and should prove to be a dynamite experience for those who want to explore what it means to follow Jesus in a changing urban context. I am really excited about it.

We are searching now for our "community house" where the participants of the program [and perhaps some other assorted riff raff] will live together. Exciting. Housing in our neighbourhood is a blast to look through because most of the spaces are quite old... so much history... if only the walls could talk and tell the stories of the people who have resided there.

Applications are now available for potential participants. The cost is only $7500.00 for the ten months [which covers rent, food, travel, etc.] If you are interested in applying for [CML] drop me a line: pernell AT frwy DOT ca. And please help me spread the word if you know folks who would benefit from the experience.

Labels: the freeway

A couple days ago I gave some suggestions of things folks in our community at The Freeway could do to help the community continue to become more of a missional presence in our neck of the woods and help curb the "us and them", "in and out" dividing line in the community [cliques]. I did so in a post called, The Freeway Is Becoming Institution-y.

I would like the opportunity to elaborate further as I think some folks got the wrong impression, and also because perhaps these thoughts could benefit communities elsewhere as these issues are certainly not unique to us. Keep in mind, these are only suggestions. I do not expect everyone in our our community to do all of these... though that would be great. I think these are all really important in the shaping of things to come. That does not mean that if you don't do these you will somehow not be included in our community [of course not], bu