Dear Praying Friends,
Jesus' grace. I have a few matters to update you on, and even more importantly, I'd like to call you to prayer.
1. Starting July 1, 1/4 of my salary and benefit package will come from the Trinity Greenhouse budget. This will allow me to more freely give a quarter of my time to investment in interns, seminarians, weekly pastoral leadership seminar, Theta Community, and connecting with a growing network of ministries who are beginning similar young adult discipleship in community. As Trinity Greenhouse covers this portion of my salary, it frees Trinity Church to bring on pastoral help in the area of Care and Catechism. Speaking of which...
2. Welcome Gage Thalmann who is not only staying, but is joining the staff team at Trinity. This is really good news for us. He will be responsible for two important areas of ministry: Care and Catechism. This is a part-time position. Gage is gifted at connecting kids with the life-changing message of the gospel, and will ably take over for Matt Kolden who has done a fantastic job for the last season with our 4-6th graders in Catechism instruction. Gage is also going to be the point person for pastoral care. He will be doing home visits, phone calling, and reaching out to those hurting, those at home, and those who are hungering for the comfort that the Holy Spirit gives. Gage will start mid to late July. Gage has also been accepted to begin studies (hybrid M.Div.) at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI this Fall. His plan is to pursue these part-time studies in preparation for pastoral ministry. Pray for provision of financial resources, and time management for school, work, and ministry. Also, please pray for the provision of affordable local housing for Gage, Ben, Morgan, and Kelly. We are SO blessed that these partners will be around for the next season!
3. Trinity Church finances. We are running a more significant financial deficit as we near the end of this fiscal year. Please join me in prayer as we seek to be wise and faithful stewards. Of course, I am praying that we end the year strong and in the black!
4. Increase--Decrease prayer. Here is what John Ryan wrote today:
A few weeks ago Nathan and I were standing in the alley looking at the work going on at the Alpha House and at the wall by the pool that had fallen down. We were looking from the East across the adjacent vacant lot. Nathan started talking about a dream of “what if we could buy this property and put affordable houses on it for people who would otherwise not be able to stay around here.” He said, “Let’s start praying about that.”
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| Lot adjacent to the Alpha House (from 6th Street) |
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| Lot adjacent to the Alpha House (from Alley) |
You can imagine our amazement when the owner contacted Patrick last week “out of the blue” about wanting to sell the property to us. It’s hard to ignore that. Sometimes God really gets our attention and this is one of those times. So now we are faced with a decision. It’s one that has to be made fairly quickly and without knowing everything. Psalms 37:4 says, “Delight thyself also in the Lord; And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Are we delighted in the Lord? Yes, we are. And so the Holy Spirit moved Bob to suggest praying for an increase or decrease of our desire in this matter.
Here are some of my desires. You might add your own.
Wisdom
Provision
Faith
Lord, would you guide us by the desires of our hearts? We are delighted in you; help us to delight ourselves in you more and more. We ask that you give us the desire of our hearts. Would you give us wisdom for the decision about acquiring the properties? If you guide us into a purchase, we ask that you would provide the means for acquiring it. Give us faith as we pray. We trust you in this matter. Amen.
Psalms 27:8 says, “You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’” God has our attention. We are seeking his face. He will guide us.
Together in Christ, John
5. My crazy prayer for provision. I might as well tell you that I am praying for a 3 million dollar gift (or combination of gifts). I think 3 million would purchase both the lot adjacent to the Alpha House AND the old Dahlquist Nursery Lot. I think it would be enough to also renovate the old nursery into Seminarian/Intern housing (a larger apartment plus three studio apartments and parking). This would free up seminarians to focus their time on studying and entering ministry non-indebted. It would also be the seed money for building a village of smaller affordable homes for those who are serious about rooting themselves in the Trinity neighborhood and community for the foreseeable future. I don't know anyone with 3 million dollars, but Jesus does. So it doesn't seem like it is my responsibility, but his, if he wants to make this dream a reality.
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| front of the old nursery from 7th Street |
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| Inner courtyard of the old nursery from the alley |
6. Speaking of seminary. I don't know another parish-sized church (or even huge church for that matter) that has 4 seminarians in 4 years, with more possibilities on their way! Most movements are suffering for lack of candidates for ordination. Most seminaries are suffering for lack of students. Gordon Conwell, one of the largest evangelical seminaries in the country had 1230 students in 2012 and 630 in 2021. They are forced to sell their beautiful property. Trinity Evangelical Divinity Seminary near Chicago is experiencing extreme contraction. Fuller in Pasadena closed or combined 3 campuses and tried to sell their property to downsize. General Theological Seminary (the oldest Episcopal Seminary in the country) had 80 students in 2011 and less than 10 in 2021! One of my heroes is Anglican Priest, Charles Simeon. He stayed 54 difficult, yet glorious years at one parish--Trinity in Cambridge. Sarah Pruitt went to that still-thriving congregation when she studied abroad. While most of the church of his day was in contraction, he poured himself into young adults. It is said that by the time he died in 1836, one-third of all the ministers in the Church of England had been his students. This cultivated a renewal movement that lasts to this day. What we are doing with Matt, Per, Ben, Gage, and ... is going to make a tremendous difference in the Kingdom, no matter what they all end up doing. Same goes for all the interns. Same goes for the Theta Community. Same goes for the 16 involved in Pastoral Leadership Seminar. Same goes for the similar young adult discipleship movements that are being considered or commencing this year!
So, what do we do? Keep on doing what is before us! Pray for God to increase-decrease. Pray for open doors and closed doors. I can't think of one closed door from years past, that I am not glad is closed. Open doors from God are pure mercy. Closed doors from God are pure mercy.
Jesus' peace, Nathan
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