'During the night, Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!"
After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.' Acts 16:9-10
In 2009, brothers and sisters in Fort Wayne, Indiana are calling, “Come over to Fort Wayne and help us.” That’s right, come help us.
Fort Wayne, Indiana, isn’t exactly what you’d call Macedonia, yet the call is the same. Envision a small group of 22 disciples and 28 kids (only two of whom are teens). Those numbers are a good base, but not quite the momentum/strength needed to really turn the corner.
Maybe it’s time for a change, a challenge and/or a chance… “Get out of the boat”. When was the last time you really stepped out in faith for the Kingdom of God, cast away your security and routine for a bold move of faith? Maybe you’ve never really done that. You’ve been thinking about it for a while, but just didn’t know what to do or how to do it? You need to conclude what God has called you to do!
Fort Wayne is no third world mission, but it remains a mission field none the less. You can read all about the details of Fort Wayne, including potential employers, in Wikipedia. Suffice it to say, Fort Wayne is the 72d largest metro area in the US, with a population of 500,000 including surrounding areas. Nicknamed the “city of churches”, it presents a great opportunity to reach out to the religious world with BOTH the message and the call of the whole gospel of Christ. Despite FW’s Judeo-Christian roots and heritage, there also remain many who have never heard the word of God. Fort Wayne is one of the largest US locations for Burmese refugees. We are identifying ways to help.
Fort Wayne was planted over 10 years ago by the Indianapolis church. A strong connection with the brothers and sisters there, as well as the Midwest fellowship of churches, remains and is growing. (Chicago is just a 3 hour drive).
We are putting the call out to disciples to move to Fort Wayne and help in three ways:
1-Share in the call to make disciples
2-Help in the role of maturing the body
3-Solidify our young family based fellowship
While we can’t offer financial assistance in getting or staying here, we can offer immediate open arms, love, immediate family and acclamation assistance; not to mention help with the unloading and unpacking. There would even be some temporary housing if need be.
I am convinced that within our fellowship of churches exist brothers and sisters who have been entrenched in the same routines year after year; perhaps even decade after decade. Maybe, you are one of them, and you are battling a burning within your heart to do something different. Perhaps, you struggle because you know the security that you find in your job, your home, your income, your role in your congregation and the stability that you may bring to it; yet, you feel the Spirit's calling to do something new, different or even risky for the Kingdom of God
Speaking for my wife and me, I quit a very solid corporate job of 23 years in February of 2007 because I didn’t want to be 55 or 60 someday saying… ‘shoulda’, ‘woulda’, ‘coulda’. There were dozens of spiritual ways to rationalize my staying put with what I was doing, but I would have been denying God’s call. I don’t regret that decision at all.
What about you? Do you feel the Spirit calling you to new territory? To new opportunities? Then Fort Wayne, Indiana might just be the spot to get it going. I know it sounds a little strange, but consider Fort Wayne the “evangelical” Mars Hill (Acts 17) of the religious Midwest… ripe for challenges, personal growth and an opportunity to help move people to God.
Interested families and individuals should call Tim and Wendy Sherrill at 260-435-1418 (h). This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
In Christ,
The disciples who meet in Fort Wayne
posted by Jerry Maday