Springtime in (and out of) Vegas

CWR - Paradise's first Easter service at the Alumni Amphitheater at UNLV

It's Spring in Las Vegas! For locals that means tolerably comfortable warm weather and the beginning of the busy tourist season. For me the past few weeks have meant new faces, scared faces, and going places.

NEW FACES:

At our outdoor Easter service and picnic our church saw a number of new faces, including (after months of invitations) the manager of my DJ company. Apparently it was different than what she expected ... in a good way. She wants to keep coming back as her work schedule allows (a very common obstacle in Vegas). After seeing where we were coming from she welcomed the offer to read a short booklet explaining what's behind the sermon message she so connected with. We'll be discussing it together soon.

Our location has brought us visitors as diverse as college students, the homeless, and tourists wanting to worship somewhere close to their hotel on The Strip. The majority of our first time visitors have come from ethnic minorities, reflecting the true diversity of this community. Last week I met a Hip Hop Drummer / Computer Engineering student across the street from campus who wants to check out our church. His band opens for a big name act in 2 weeks and he's offered me tickets to come see them. I just love seeing the variety of faces God is bringing together in Paradise.

We're trusting God to show us more new faces as our Missional Community prepares to launch "Surviving the Economy." This series of events open to the public will focus on practical tools for those feeling the burden of Las Vegas' high unemployment and foreclosure rates. The first event will be hosted by a friend of the church who's volunteering his time and his auto repair shop to teach people how to affordably maintain and service their own vehicles without risking missing a mortgage payment or cutting into grocery money. Many in Las Vegas who could benefit from this live near our Paradise worship site. Please pray that God uses these events to help bring relief to many while also introducing us to the community we seek to serve.

SCARED FACES:

One of the scariest things you can hear in Las Vegas is "I'm a pastor." Seriously. There is no shortage of folks who have had a bad experience with something resembling religion (usually what would be considered spiritual counterfeits) who naturally assume you're something like the one who split up their family, made them afraid to drink carbonated beverages, or is preaching the message that's the primary cause of suffering in the world. Many others are burdened with shame and guilt over choices they've made years ago and don't want to face someone associated with a church. Maybe it's the part of me that wanted to be a doctor that draws me to people with these fears - fears often rooted in deep hurts or serious misunderstandings of what it means to follow Jesus. Even folks I meet at church are hesitant to get involved, become members, etc. because of what happened some other time at some other place. As one who has done my share over the years to contribute to some of these fears and misunderstandings I can understand them feeling gun-shy around "religious people." Please pray that they would discover something so radically different from what they've previously seen that they have to reconsider the relevance of Jesus in their life, and that God would allow us as a church to be agents of healing to a hurting city.

GOING PLACES:

A great way to get over a fear of flying is to just do it ... a lot. To be better equipped for what I'm doing in Las Vegas I  traveled to Chicago, IL and Boca Raton, FL for conferences focusing on leading and planting churches motivated by the finished work of Jesus on our behalf (a.k.a. Grace). While in Florida I got word that my grandfather had passed away. Ten hours after getting back from Florida I was back in the airport to fly home to be with family. Preaching my grandfather's funeral was more emotional than I expected, but I'm glad I got to be a part of it. Shortly after retuning to Las Vegas I made the decision to join a short-term missions team doing medical relief work in Haiti this July. I'll be preaching through an interpreter on Sunday, then working the rest of the week in makeshift medical clinics at orphanages supported by our church. While there I'm hoping to meet Jm Laurent Renaud (age 9), one of the orphans we sponsor, whose picture hangs on my living room wall. Please pray for my own preparation, health while I'm there, and for God to supply the funds to make it happen.