DETAILS:
1. New Things: Having brought the Dombach's into the role of Co-Pastor, you can imagine the shifts and changes that have been taking place. It is a true labor of love. The labor and the love are both very real! LOL! No worries, the challenges are FAR outweighed by the blessings. Eric and I are very complimentary and God is using the best of us individually to bring out the best of Rivergate corporately. We have had a series of strategic planning meetings with our leaders (about 30 of those consistently in attendance) and we have truly honed our vision, mission and framework of goals. This has resulted in some great excitement and enthusiastic movement. We are truly sensing, experiencing, and operating in a stronger level of authority this year. There is some evidence of this as well...our local network of churches is getting stronger; more leaders are rising up; marriages and families are strengthening; we have seen a few added to the Kingdom (believing more to come); pre-service prayer has increased, with nearly 20 attending; and we are getting requests from the community to bring ministry into typically "secular" places.
2. Corporate Focus: We are continuing to learn more about what it means to grow as an Apostolic Center and we are still using the Book of Acts to develop that. Ministry endeavors have been fruitful. Stuart and I had a great time of ministry in Lindale and hope to bring that same fruit into our own region. The plans for the cooperative church plant with the A/G are moving forward; and the RGC body has raised now over $22,000 toward the $55,000 pledge. We are continuing to make progress on governmental structure changes, as well. Our new Constitution and Bylaws are about halfway finished with an August target date. Those will be voted on September 25th. I will be sure to share those documents when things are complete. Other than that, our summer schedule kicks back a little, with a VBS as our only main event. Alex, the kids, and I are going on vacation in mid-July and the Dombach's will do the same later in the summer.
DISPATCH:
Please pray for our continued progress. Pray for energy and continued grace and wisdom for change. Pray for an increase of God's presence and power. Pray for peace, understanding, and fearless acceptance of our new Constitution and Bylaws. Continue to pray for abundant finances as we still have three GOD sized goals/commitments that require big cash. 1. The church plant with the A/G. 2. Our Spanish ministry launch church of 2013. We would love to surprise them with a big offering. 3. We are considering a church plant in Mexico. Also, there are some stirrings about a local interest purchasing our property. I think it would be GREAT for us! Until next time....
Grateful for your leadership,
Chris Liotta
Rivergate Church
Chris@WeAreRivergate.com
© 2016 Chris Liotta
