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Hope Community

... staying connected

Thursday, August 28, 2003

We're Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaackkk ....

Our site is now back on line ...

We should have our "under construction page" off over the weekend, but you can there by clicking above.

We will be adding some more graphics, some logos for our churches and some more interviews with leaders very soon ...

Peace

contributed by ... greg 12:25 AM

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Thursday, August 21, 2003

I am very much looking forward to meeting you all. It won't be long now...in fact we are feeling a bit rushed!!

See you soon

Tim, Melissa, Leo and Cole

contributed by ... Tim 10:47 PM

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This was from Cheryl.

AWESOME! Notice how the 4 out of the 5 core values (mercy, scripture, hospitality, worship and missional living) of Hope Community Simple Churches are in this?

What a co-inky-dink ...

Twelve Indicators of a Missional Church
The Missional church:

1- Faithfully proclaims the gospel

2- Is a community where growth in discipleship is expected of all.

3- Reads the Bible together to learn what it can learn nowhere else.

4 - Consciously seeks to conform itself to Christ instead of to the principalities and powers of this world.

5 - Makes its "mission" a priority among its members and in its community.

6 - Is known for how Christians love and care for one another.

7 - Practices reconciliation and moves beyond homogeneity.

8 - Holds people accountable to one another in love.

9 - Practices radical hospitality.

10 - Keeps worship is at the heart of the church's celebration of God's presence and God's promised future.

12 - Makes an impact on the transformation of society and human relationships.

13 - Knows that the church itself is an incomplete expression of the reign of God.

Guess what denomination came up with this?

Thoughts?

contributed by ... greg 12:42 PM

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Saturday, August 09, 2003

Hey all - glad to see people hopping back on this blog. in response to greg's inquiry - yes, people are absolutely necessary for us as we follow Jesus. We've been blinded by the last 100 years of culture becoming more and more about MY personal this or that...personal cell phones, personal computers, personal space, personal rights....personal relationship with Jesus. It's not to say that we don't have a personal relationship with Jesus, but I believe that our relationship with Him as a community is equally important, maybe more important.

On a totally non-spiritual sidenote...Banks. We are switching banks now because our current bank (M &T Bank, formerly Allfirst) doesn't have any branches down there. I am looking at Bank of America, Wachovia, and SunTrust as I know they are both here and there. If anyone has any insight into which bank is more reliable, more available, or better in some way, could you e-mail me? mrtimwheeler@yahoo.com

contributed by ... Tim 11:31 AM

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Friday, August 08, 2003

Here's a question for everyone:

Do you think that people are necessary for you in your following of Christ? Why/Why not? And outside of your family ... how do you live out what you believe about the necessity of others?

contributed by ... greg 9:28 AM

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Thursday, July 31, 2003

I wanted to post this. This is from a blog of an Allelon-friend of mine.

His wife is 27 years old.

"I thought I would post an update on Jennifer and the journey that we have been on for a few months now. We were in Cincy two weekends ago, worshiping and sharing life with friends from around the region. Jennifer had a really wonderful time; she was strong and was encouraged by all the prayers and love we received while there. When we returned on Monday, she became very tired, and then started to experience nausea on Thursday. The nausea became so severe on Sunday that I took her to the emergency room, and we spent the night in the hospital.

While there, she began to have waste drain from the tube in her stomach. Her doctor told me that this indicated that the stomach and the bowels had fused, and that waste was passing freely into her abdomen. This was what was causing the nausea. He encouraged us to bring her home, so that she could be comfortable for her last days here on earth. While at the hospital, we also made the most difficult decision I have ever been faced with, to stop her nutrition. It was only feeding the tumors and making her more sick. So as of Saturday evening, Jennifer is no longer receiving any nutrition for her body to live.

We came home Monday evening, and have been controlling the nausea with around the clock injections of medicine. Jennifer is sometimes aware, and sometimes not. This morning we spent a few hours together in the gardens behind the house, talking of the future, the past, and how unimaginably wonderful it will be when she meets God.

I also told her that I still believed God could heal her, and renewed my promise to pray for that until the end. I would encourage you to join me in that prayer, asking God to bring His healing in a miraculous way. I know that if Jennifer had the strength to write, she would say the same thing.

She would also say to be encouraged. Do not lose heart. The Kingdom is present.

All glory to Jesus."

May God give us all the proper perspective on our own lives.

contributed by ... greg 6:35 PM

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Friday, July 11, 2003

This is outstanding:

Problem of Individualism
Maybe a major problem with the desire of churches to form community, is that we are born into a culture of indvidualism. When we gather as the church, we gather as a group of individuals, primarily concerned with my needs and wants, and not to serve a communanl mission and purpose.

There is a popular move to dismantle/abolish/abdandon congregations, i.e sunday services, with many seeing them as axiomatic to modernity and consumerism.

The danger is they can be replaced by other gatherings that are just as individual focused, to keep meeting my new post modern sociological needs. i.e I''m fed up with preaching, I''m fed up with sunday services, therefore I''ll form church around my new needs, of avoiding things I''m burned out on.

I think we need a well thought through theology of community, that informs our way of doing church. Otherwise, alot of people beleiving moving away from congregations is going to generate community, are going to be very dissapointed.

So as we try to form community, we are trying to ask, how much of our re-structuring is due to continued individualism, and how much is because of thoughtful theological reflection, and motivation for our mission and purpose as a church/community.

contributed by ... greg 3:54 PM

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Thursday, July 10, 2003

After a very hard day we welcomed Cole Timothy Wheeler into the world at 8:19 pm. Mother and baby are resting comfortably.
8 lbs 3 oz.
20 1/2 in.
cute as a button.

contributed by ... Tim 3:05 AM

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Hope Community

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