City on a Hill Connection

MARCH 2009 COAH GATHERING

Several Times a year, the churches that form the City on a Hill Connection or COAH (COE-ah) as we call it gather together for a time of food, fellowship, and worship.

Last Saturday, we had one of these gatherings in Arlington. This last gathering was the largest ever for our little organic churches and we had a blast. Part of the reason for the size was that folks from the Refuge, another local simple church joined us for the gathering as well and we loved worshipping with them and getting to know them. As I looked around at all these people I started to think about how God was using this little group.

Probably between our groups we have 50-60 family members and quite a few who are coming into the family as they are being discipled and will probably be parts of new gatherings.

Saturday night we prayed for two of our leaders, Travis and Willie who at this moment are in a refugee camp in Africa. They are at a decision point as to the next stage of their lives and ministries. They are there to pray, to listen to needs, and to find out from the Lord if they are to move there with their families as a team to reach this specific unreached people group. We are praying for them and that the Lord will provide the direction they need.

I got an update last night from Travis’ wife Beth, she and Willie’s wife Emily spent last night storying the bible with some Bhutanese refugees. Speaking of Bhutanese refugees, one of them Govin (I probably butchered the spelling of his name) joined us at the network gathering on Saturday. God seems to be opening up doors among Bhutanese refugees in Fort Worth.

At another table we had Juan, and another gentleman. Then close by was Matai and her husband Juan and their children. These are all Cuban refugees and wonderful people that people from the Way and the Crossing ( Willie’s and Travis’ churches) are reaching out to and discipling at the same time. Our network has been involved in reaching out to Cuban refugees in Fort Worth for a year and a half now. Our first disciple from the Cuban refugees was Juan. We baptised him a year ago. I had the pleasure of participating in the discussions (through interpreters) that led Juan into his prayer to received the Lord’s forgiveness. He has been on the fast track since. Juan is in his 70s and spent over thirty years as a political prisoner in Castro’s prisons.

Travis and Beth just sold their house and while they wait for an answer from God about whether they will be moving to Africa have decided to move into the same apartment complex where many of these refugees live.

Awakening church has adopted the Jorai people in Dallas, TX (they are from mountain tribes in Vietnam). This really isn’t missional in the traditional sense as these people are already believers. But they are brothers and sisters in Christ who have come to the United States with nothing but the clothes on their back. We were hooked up with them at Christmas by a refugee support agency. We didn’t know at the time they were Christians, we just asked to help some refugees that needed help. When our members saw the poverty of these beautiful people, that was all it took to move the church towards them. Since then Awakening has provided beds, bedding, pots, pans, towels - whatever needs their pastor has made known. Several Awakening members attended one of the Jorai’s Sunday morning services (frankly we Westerners need to stop telling people from other parts of the world how to do church… while I love the people - their service was way too Western - let the Jorai be Jorai). Awakening’s next step is to try to find a way to do an ESL class for them.

Several of COAH’s folks including yours truly are involved in trying to reach a poor community in Fort Worth around Lake Como. It’s been difficult since none of the original group, Adam, Diana, Lou, Kelly and myself live there. Yet God was working, opening doors. We prayed and felt sure that is where he was calling us to work. We’ve tried to help people in the community that we’ve met with needs that we could help with. We had a Christmas event that we kicked off with. Two believers from the community have joined us. So we are believing God for the lost.

My friend Ben lives in Arlington and he’s started visiting a nursing home nears his home where he’s befriending an elderly man and hopes to befriend more.

Joseph Cartwright, who leads Awakening, was prompted - well more like pushed by the Lord to work with people with HIV and AIDS. It required some heart surgery and considering for quite a while. Nearly a year ago he went to a local interfaith AIDS group. He went just as a volunteer. Eventually they asked him to help with their speakers bureau, but as they came to know him and trust him, they asked him to lead what they now refer to as EGG (experiencing God group). He was happy but met with them so they knew exactly where the common ground was. He was happy to facilitate such a group and people would be safe to share there perspectives and views, but he would not squelch his own beliefs in doing so. He is a Jesus follower first and foremost. They trusted him. Now he has several men and women who have been or are homosexuals or drug users or both that meet with him every week. They have started calling this their church. They trust Joseph and experience God’s love for them through him on a regular basis. Some are truly becoming disciples of Jesus Christ as a result.

Andrea was working at a Wal Mart several years ago when COAH first started. She was one of the network’s (actually it was only one group then) first disciples. She still works at that Wal Mart and she is reaching out to her co-workers trying to love them into the Kingdom of God. She knows their names, their stories. I had the opportunity to join her and another friend of ours last week to prayer walk around Wal-Mart. I am impressed with her heart for the people she works with.

Carol Cartwright is the Spiritual mom of our group. She is a gifted women of God and a true elder. (yea I know- a lot of folks don’t think a woman can be an elder - no one gave her that title, but that’s the way she lives in giving and serving others) God has used her powerfully to help people get set free from things that have held them captive as well as deep wounds in their lives. God has used her and her late husband to plant over twenty churches and just a shy past seventy - she’s still involved in church planting. Right now she is working with a new church in Canada that is now running about twenty-seven people and almost all of them are new disciples not transfers from other churches.

I looked around at this group and I am so glad God has put them in my life. It’s a group that is quick to confess sins. It’s a group where it’s safe to put your stuff out front and where you won’t be judged -but will be helped and prayed for. It’s a group of people that tends to ooze the love of Jesus, but can be firm when firmness is needed. It is a Christ centered group that puts Jesus above denominations or niche theologies. We have baptists and charismatics. We have calvinists and arminians. We have pre trib, mid trib and post trib. But we have Jesus above all and love him, we love each other, and the lost.

I’ve been a part of several churches in the past. Never have I had the experience that I have had with these brothers and sisters. I’ve been a part of two mega churches and neither of them had the missional heart of this group of people.

All I can think is how grateful I am to be sharing life and mission with them.

John Lunt

LAKE COMO SIMPLE CHURCH STARTING
New Simple Church Starting - In a Building

The City on a Hill Connection believes in looking for the activity of God and joining him. Recently, God seemed to be inviting us to work in the West Fort Worth community around Lake Como. He provided a facility we could use (initially) for gatherings and outreaches. There are a number of things that came together - along with prayer convinced us that the Lord was taking us in this direction.

It's very strange since we are simple church folks that don't really desire to deal with buildings. But the evidence that God was leading us this way was overwhelming. We will still focus on making disciples. We believe in the Organic Church DNA - Divine Truth - Nurturing Relationships - and Apostlic Mission..

If you are interested in participating with COAH on this, perhaps you live in the area, feel free to contact John Lunt at [email protected]

AWAKENING- A KINGDOM COMMUNITY
Meeting 9-6-2008 - Baptisms - The Lord's Supper and Baby Dedications

Find more videos like this on SimpleChurch.com Awakening Baptisms

Awakening Lord's Supper

Awakening Baby Dedicatons

In addition to the Lord's supper, we baptized four people and dedicated seven babies.

Awakening meets in Red Oak, Texas - south of Dallas. For more information go here.

KELLY PATEK AND MERCY SHIPS

Kelly is on the Left

Kelly, who was part of the Dallas Street Church and continues to be a vital member of The Way in Fort Worth is currently serving a two month mission trip on a Mercy ship in Liberia. Kelly is an intensive care unit RN. Kelly has proven to be a person of amazing compassion and full of the love of Jesus. She continues to request prayer as she serves the least of these.

Mercy Ship operates the largest non-government hospital ship in the world.
For more information go here.

Please pray for Kelly. She will be in Liberia until near the end of October.

CUBAN OUTREACH

COAH has been involved in outreach to the cuban community in Fort Worth for nearly a year. Willie Butler, leader of The Way has been spearheading this effort. It started with Cuba vs US baseball games. The Cubans beat us every time....

The first fruit of those outreaches were Juan and Lou. Juan was one of the Cubans. Lou was a Jewish American who just came out to play baseball, but ended up coming to know Jesus.

These are from their baptisms.

Juan

Lou

Both men are being discipled. Juan is now hosting a spanish bible study in his apartment and Willie Butler and Adam Clay are leading it. They went through the parable of the sower recently and Juan realized it's his job to try to reach others with the good news of Jesus Christ. He wanted to start in his own apartment complex, by inviting those who speak Spanish to the weekly bible study.

Several people in the COAH leadership team went over to his apartment complex last Saturday to start going door to door to reach out to those who speak Spanish. At the same time, they took the time to pray for those who don't speak Spanish to bless them as well.

It's amazing to see Jesus at work in the lives of these new believers.

If you are interested in more information on the Cuban/Spanish Speaking bible study or outreach, go to the COAH website listed above, go here.