Hello Supporters and Friends!
We want to give you a summary of what we have been doing the past six months and our goals for the future with The Movement and the music.
Our original goals for our first six months in Mexico were to iron out the ministry plans of The Movement, begin to learn Spanish, put a band together and write songs, and to prepare for our full launch of The Movement and the band in September. We have made quality progress in all of these areas and have accomplished more than we planned for.
This time in Tepic has really been a wonderful and intense experience of learning, planning, building our team, and having a test run for the ministry. We’ve learned what The Movement needs to look like and how it should be run. We’ve also determined our needs for other staff and resources. We learned the most when we went beyond theory and into experience with some of our vision. We started having Movement ¨meet-ups¨ about a month after we arrived in Mexico. We have done social help projects that have all gone excellent and were well received by the community. We have met and built relationships with un-churched people here in the city. We started the band Into the Sea, and played our first concert in Tepic, as well as recorded three demo songs. We have also begun to learn Spanish and are to the point that we can have a simple or deep conversation with someone, depending on the topic. We also just completed a business plan for this next phase of The Movement, which will give you the most in depth information. There is a link for it under our link column to the top left. From that page scroll down to the bottom and click on the PDF file.
So…. What exactly is The Movement, and what is it all about?
The Movement is a continuation of what was started 2,000 years ago by Jesus Christ. It is a different way of doing church to be relevant in today’s culture and social paradigm. We have three main priorities - community, expression, and social help.
Community – People meet in groups to live their lives together and share their faith, encourage one another in our quest to live out our passions, and join efforts to help others in need.
There will be Movement Groups all around the world. So far groups have started in Tepic, Guadalajara, and Mexico City, Mexico. Within the groups there will be weekly meetings to be intimate with each other about life and our spirituality. There is prayer, worship, and studying the Bible. There should also be times solely for the purpose of outreach and evangelism to the community, such as parties, concerts, movie nights, or other events that pertain to the community. It is in these contexts we meet people and build relationships, they are exposed to the Movement’s culture and values, and they are invited to the spiritual meet-ups where they receive teaching, and have the experience of living the Christian faith and the opportunity to follow Christ. One thing that sets the movement apart from many modern-day churches is that we do not meet in a church building, but we meet in places where people would naturally gather, such as houses, parks, and cafes. It is a totally organic church. We strive to go out into the community and meet people where they are, physically and in their place in life. This is in contrast to the attractional-based church model, of trying to get people to come to us by holding services. It is important for groups to have leaders who have mature relationships with God and knowledge of The Bible and sound doctrine, but the success of the group depends on committed individuals who contribute with their gifts, knowledge, and skills. Therefore, a leader of a movement group does not need to make a full-time job out of it, but should be able to organize and inspire the group with the help of others. Groups and leaders will be kept accountable and be supported through the “Pastoral Coordinator” of The Movement, a staff person we are currently praying and looking for. This will also happen through a web page - www.vineage.com. It has the ability to facilitate these groups all over the world and keep people connected.
Expression - We have all been created uniquely with different talents and desires. The body of Christ, the church, functions best when we are all using our God-given gifts. By living out our individual expression, we are worshiping our creator with our whole being and also meeting new people.
Most likely Movement Groups will develop around a form of expression. For example, there could be groups based around music, soccer, cooking, surfing, etc… Our community in Tepic grew around people who were interested in music and wanted to be around the band’s practices, concerts, and members. They do not have to form this way, but it is essential for individuals’ to have opportunities to use their passions and talents within the movement groups. It can also be a great opportunity to put on events and raise money for social help projects, raise awareness for them and get the public involved also. Different ways of living out expression are up to the members of the groups and their creativity, but the whole goal of this portion of the ministry is that we are relating and reaching out to the public through our different forms of expression, creating something with other Christians, and serving God with the gifts He’s given us. Most churches are made up like minded people according to social status, race, and shared personal histories, but through valuing expression we believe the movement can be a church made up every people group. That is why The Movement is truly missional.
Social Help - there is a whole lot of despair, loneliness, and hopelessness in this world. We want to follow Jesus’ teachings and help others in need. The main thing is to focus on one person at a time in whatever way you can, big or small. The Movement needs to be something that goes beyond ourselves and our interests, although we can certainly help people by doing things we’re interested in. God has called us to love and serve others, and this is one of the ways we do that and invite others to do it with us. It is a great way to get the public involved and familiar with the Movement’s culture, because everyone, except the most depraved of humans, feels compassion for those in need and wants to do something to help. Movement groups are encouraged to facilitate a social help project once a month. These projects can also be a great way for various groups to join together to make a bigger impact and be a part of the larger Movement community.
What is the purpose of the band?
You probably received the last few updates with links to the first recorded demos of our band, Into The Sea.
The music is our way of expressing ourselves, and by doing so, reaching out to the community. It literally gives us a platform to share the love of Jesus, promote the Movement, raise money and awareness for social help projects, and simply relate to people through the music. We have come to see how music, and any form of art or expression, can be a wordless language that speaks directly to the heart and touches the spirit. While playing music in the park we met the people who with their friends make up the Movement community in Tepic. They knew they wanted to meet us and immediately trusted the kind of people we are because of the music we played. They have even told us that they were completely turned off to Christianity because of the Christians they knew, but now they are totally open to it. At concerts, we may just have the opportunity to plant a seed or meet new people, but we can also invite them to Movement activities that lead to building deeper relationships with them. As the band grows, so will our influence and platform to promote The Movement.
We do not look at our band as the main event of The Movement. It is just one group’s expression, and we hope there will be many other bands, artists, and talented individuals who come alongside us to live out their expression and impact people’s lives. What we are doing is unique for missionary work, but we believe it can impact the world and change the way people experience church.
What are some needs for the future? (Please see the business plan for more detailed information on these)
• Develop a partnership with a respected social help organization that we can funnel resources into and heighten our impact.
• Connect, organize and support groups around the world through Vineage.com.
• Develop and expand a short-term missions program.
• Recruit and train a full team of staff that will continue to develop The Movement.
• Start a record label for our band ‘Into The Sea’ and many others. Band tours worldwide.
On a final note, we will be moving to Guadalajara in September, where there will be many more opportunities to grow The Movement and continue with the music. Although Mexico living is cheaper than US living, our cost of living will go up moving to a bigger city. As missionaries we are solely provided for through individuals’ gifts and our home church. If you would like to donate to us as a couple, there is an e-giving link to the left that funnels donations through Alternative Missions and is tax-deductible. If you would like to join our support team and donate monthly, please let us know so that we can plan for our budget. The Movement also has various financial needs, which are listed on the business plan. You may donate to this also through the e-giving link. We are incredibly blessed to have you as friends, supporters, and encouragers. Your prayers and donations mean the world to us and keep us doing this ministry, which we believe whole-heartedly is what God is leading us to do. Please e-mail us if you would like to talk personally about what we are doing.
