Silence before the Storm
Something strange happened three months ago. All of a sudden the persistent launch of new initiatives, events, and ideas that characterized the first six months at Downtown Church slowed down. The church was still active and each week presented another opportunity for curious and interested people to experience our life together, but we didn't start anything new. It's likely that you didn't even notice we took a break for three months. Behind the scenes though, God's been preparing us for an exciting (and super-scary) season in which we'll attempt to live out God's vision for us in strange,bold ways. There is never a better time to introduce new methods for doing old stuff than at the beginning of a new enterprise. Each day that passes, this experimental window closes a little more for our Church. Knowing this, we set out to plan and implement five new projects that will dramatically challenge "the way we've always done it." We didn't ask for this work - it came to us, by way of the Holy Spirit and the some of the most interesting friends that a church could ever have. Because these projects were uniquely different we weren't prepared for them when they emerged. So, they necessitated a little breathing room, three months worth.
You'll hear much more in the coming weeks about what's come out of our time cocooning. Be on the look out for...
- an online space for small dollar donors to connect with simple, local, and creative community service projects.
- a center for leadership coaching staffed by 7 certified coaches to serve the community and the church
- a big idea related to the yummiest coffee in the world (from Ethiopia) and hungry children
- a residency program for entrepreneurs hosted by Downtown Church
- a partnership with a group of dreamers working to put on the coolest downtown road race in America.