Ned Berube
As I mentioned last month, I’ll be utilizing the next few months of vision letters to introduce and highlight some of the other leaders in the ARC.
I met Andy & Breena Holt at last year’s ARC Annual Conference inToledo. Andy came with a bit of fanfare from some of the Toledo leaders; he won the preaching award at Gordon Conwell Seminary in Boston, and so I was eager to meet this young buck and his wife. They were also in preparations for the planting of the newest ARC Church in Columbus, OH. It’s called Ember Church. I’ve attended Ember and was deeply impressed by the substantial quality of their worship. I didn’t get to hear Andy preach, because that particular Sunday he was in the nursery. That was also impressive to me. Read more »
Posted on 14 Jan 2012
I’d like to take a fresh path with these ARC monthly updates and introduce and highlight some of the other leaders in the ARC.
I recently read Mike Sares’ newsletter for December and he brought up the church calendar, Advent in particular.
I like his reference to Isaiah and festival keeping and it’s one of the things I like about the church calendar. It presses us to focus on the things that truly shape our worship—–like the Incarnation, and the Resurrection, and the outpouring of the Spirit as the new covenant community is launched on its mission. Read more »
Posted on 20 Dec 2011
Dear friends,
Rick Widener just informed me that I have spent 30 of the past 60 days in Ohio. And though I appreciate many things about the great state of Ohio, I am very glad to be home in Minnesota.
Much of my time in Ohiowas spent with Grace Fellowship Church in Mansfield, which is sorting through a tough season of leadership change. A year ago, GFC had 3 new elders and a new pastor/presiding elder. It would be both improper and impossible to go through all the details here, Read more »
Posted on 18 Nov 2011
Over the past few weeks, I have led the first 3 seminars related to the ARC 20/20 Vision that was conceived last April just before the annual conference. It sounds a bit ambitious, I know, but it has energized me and the call I’ve been given to help lead our churches into good pasture. Over a 10 years period, beginning this year and ending in 2020, we will focus on 5 major elements of what constitutes the making of a disciple. Read more »
Posted on 19 Oct 2011
Dear friends,
On the day of Pentecost, 10 days after the ascension of Jesus, God Almighty poured out the third Person of the Trinity on 120 praying believers. The new covenant realities were now in full motion. God was now indwelling those who had put their faith in Jesus. One of the immediate results of this divine impartation was the almost comical scene of 120 largely uneducated Jews preaching the gospel in languages they had never studied. Read more »
Posted on 21 Aug 2011
When we were together last April at the ARC conference, we believe we heard from the Spirit regarding the direction of the ARC for the next 10 years. We’re certainly open to adjustment as the years pass, but this will be the focus that will move us forward. We are going to engage 5 main areas that are central to healthy church mission and disciple-making. Read more »
Posted on 23 Jul 2011
During our last ARC conference in April, we met as the MMC (Missions and Ministry Council) and came to this sense of the direction of the Holy Spirit – to take a long view of the next ten years and intentionally focus on the deposit we believe that we have been given from the Lord. There are 5 central areas that we believe we must reiterate and recapture so that we can be faithful to pass on this deposit to the coming generation. Read more »
Posted on 15 Jun 2011
THE GREAT COMMISSION–Go and make disciples everywhere. And do it this way:
- baptize new believers in the Trinity
- remember that Jesus has full authority everywhere
- remember that Jesus will be with us on that mission of disciple making until always
- teach all the commandments and teachings of Jesus
- everywhere means everywhere, every nation and tribe and language
So how is the mission going in your neck of the woods? Any challenges? Read more »
Posted on 16 May 2011
Dear friends,
I was deeply satisfied with our past conference on “How People Change” and I have heard sincere and grateful responses from many. The workshops were well received and the 3 that I attended were more than helpful. I thought Scott Pursley did excellent work in the 4 plenary talks he delivered. Thanks to all who gave and attended.
However, I would like to address the one critique that was offered during the weekend and do it with humility. Read more »
Posted on 21 Apr 2011
Recently I returned from a trip to the Scums of the Earth. Yes, there are plural Scums! Denver is led by the founder, Mike Sares, and Seattle is led by Zach McCauley. I was impacted again by the heart desire of these men to connect with the needs of the next generation while not ignoring the cries of any generation that comes their way. These two outposts of the grace of God are some of the best displays of God’s heart for inter-generational unity.
Whenever I go to Denver, I stay with Jim & Amy Croft, Read more »
Posted on 23 Mar 2011