Times of Refreshing

This has been one of the most interesting Novembers that I can remember experiencing. And, it certainly has been one of the busiest months full of Atlanta-visits, meetings, retreats and special moments with family and friends. In the midst of it all, it’s been a special time of refreshing.

To begin, I was privileged to attend a leadership summit sponsored by the strategic partners of North Point Ministries. The summit was held at Winshape Retreat Center, which is on the largest college campus in the world. Seriously!!!
Berry College is located just north of Atlanta and the campus covers…get this, 28,000 acres. That’s right, 28K of acres for one college campus (feel free to check it out at www.berry.edu). It is also houses Winshape, which is one of the many kingdom-building designs of Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-Fil-A. North Point holds it’s annual strategic partner leader’s meetings there and I can’t begin to enumerate how beneficial it was for me to meet the guys who are already on the journey we’re embarking. (Winshape pictures above & below)

On the same day I was heading home from Winshape, Sam & Tina Dula were boarding a plane to meet Angie and I for a weekend in Little Rock. We had a blast! It was the first time Angie and Tina actually met, while also being a welcomed opportunity for Sam and I to discuss plans for the remainder of the year. Even the kids got a chance to meet their son, Myles and together, they ran themselves silly at Chuck-E-Cheese.

Five short days later, I boarded the plane for my final Atlanta visit of the year. Although I’ll actually be bringing in the New Year in “the A” this trip was my last opportunity to meet people and personally invite them to our vision-cast in January (more info about this event coming real soon). So, for four days, Amisho, Sam and I averaged anywhere between three or four meetings a day (I actually had FIVE on Friday…I know, CRAZY)! My good friend and mentor, Nolin Egbert also joined us in Atlanta that weekend.

Frankly, these were some of the most insightful and strategic meetings I’ve been in during this building phase. Some of the meetings were reconnects while the majority were brand new contacts (I didn’t know them & they didn’t know me)! Still, the Lord was truly with us and I’m sure several of our brand new contacts will become life-long friends. There’s no way I could put a price tag on the wisdom we received from these connections and I can’t wait to get settled in Atlanta to continue growing these relationships.

This was one of those months that in the midst of busy-ness, the Lord carved out moments of refreshing. As the holidays approach, let’s make time to connect with family and friends and be refreshing agents for them. There’s no way I could’ve predicted the encouragement I’d receive from the meetings we had in Atlanta. I’m pretty confident that most of our contacts didn’t realize how much they encouraged me. And, that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Being an encouraging agent without the title and certainly without expecting anything in return. These are true times of refreshing, and believe me when I say, there’s nothing like it.

A Little Something for the Wives

The Retreat That Changed Me...

Well, we are here in Little Rock getting settled and transitioning from small town Denton to medium-size town Little Rock, and preparing to move to big-city Atlanta. It has been great for our family. We are all transitioning well, but we wanted to share a little about our journey with Trinity. Dhati and I made the decision to send Trinity to public school. At first, I was very weary. The first week of school, Trinity came home tracing letters that she has known for a couple of years, BUT she was loving every minute of it! Such a social bug. About 2 weeks into her being in school, we were given the opportunity to go to an academy for FREE, (a true blessing). This place had a higher academic record and more bells and whistles, but neither of us felt peace about sending her there. We felt God urging us to keep her at her current school. Now, I think we know why. She is really loving school, has a genuine love for learning and for her peers. She has shared Christ with one little girl whom we are praying for! According to Trinity's teacher, she has really been a light and has exemplified a godly example! What a blessing that we do not know we would have been able to recreate at home. She has excelled in school and has gained the confidence she needed to move to the next step. She is reading now, and writing her own thoughts on paper in her 'diary.' She comes home telling us of how she had to forgive the way Christ forgives, that she choose to respond with kind words when someone hurt her feelings. She is really getting to put her faith into action--at 5 years old. We are thrilled for her and cannot be more excited about the little girl that God is developing her into. One thing we have learned in regard to new city with school-age kids--it is best to register your children in January with the school district in order to get into certain schools. (There are waiting lists and overcrowded schools) Something to keep in mind if you don't want to drive further than necessary to get your little ones to school. Please continue to pray for Trinity and for our parenting of her as we cannot be dependent on our own wisdom. More to follow on the other Lewis'.

Seeing God in the Lives of Our Children

Well, we are here in Little Rock getting settled and transitioning from small town Denton to medium-size town Little Rock, and preparing to move to big-city Atlanta. It has been great for our family. We are all transitioning well, but we wanted to share a little about our journey with Trinity. Dhati and I made the decision to send Trinity to public school. At first, I was very weary. The first week of school, Trinity came home tracing letters that she has known for a couple of years, BUT she was loving every minute of it! Such a social bug. About 2 weeks into her being in school, we were given the opportunity to go to an academy for FREE, (a true blessing). This place had a higher academic record and more bells and whistles, but neither of us felt peace about sending her there. We felt God urging us to keep her at her current school. Now, I think we know why. She is really loving school, has a genuine love for learning and for her peers. She has shared Christ with one little girl whom we are praying for! According to Trinity's teacher, she has really been a light and has exemplified a godly example! What a blessing that we do not know we would have been able to recreate at home. She has excelled in school and has gained the confidence she needed to move to the next step. She is reading now, and writing her own thoughts on paper in her 'diary.' She comes home telling us of how she had to forgive the way Christ forgives, that she choose to respond with kind words when someone hurt her feelings. She is really getting to put her faith into action--at 5 years old. We are thrilled for her and cannot be more excited about the little girl that God is developing her into. One thing we have learned in regard to new city with school-age kids--it is best to register your children in January with the school district in order to get into certain schools. (There are waiting lists and overcrowded schools) Something to keep in mind if you don't want to drive further than necessary to get your little ones to school. Please continue to pray for Trinity and for our parenting of her as we cannot be dependent on our own wisdom. More to follow on the other Lewis'.

Opening Ceremonies

On Monday, August 11th, myself and 3 others officially began the Fellowship Associates Residency (www.fellowshipassociates.com). The residency is a 10 month commitment, where we will discuss everything from church planting to team based ministry to support raising. It is called a residency rather than an internship because we do not have any responsibilities concerning the day to day operations of Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock. I am joined in the program with a very gifted and diverse team literally from all over the western hemisphere. Between Cliff Jordan, Daniel Bran, and Will Chenault, we will be planting new churches in Guatamala city, Birmingham Alabama, and Richmond Virginia.

I will be updating this blog two to three times a week, to let everyone know the day to day life of a preparing for a church plant. Please leave any comments or questions so I can write more specifically to types of things you would like to here about.

Support Raising

I just finished hearing a sermon on the Greatness of God. It came from Isaiah 40:12-31 and to be honest it rocked me—hard. Ha-ha, it’s amazing to think that The Lord Our God is as BIG as He is. So many times in my life things get in the way of my view of God. Rather, I put so many things in my way that I can’t see my compass. I forget, at times, why I breathe. Why I am here. I get so caught up in learning and “growing” and doing that I don’t stop and do what verse 26 in the text says to do: “Lift up your eyes on high and see.”

How BIG is our God! Our God, God of the Universe, is the Creator of all things. The Liberator of our souls. He measures the waters in the hollow of His hand and marks off the heavens with a span (the distance from your thumb to your index finger). He needs no parliament, no congress, and no cabinet. He needs no consult or counsel. He sits high and looks down at the very people and things He made by His might. How BIG is our God! Think on this: that there are 15 million species on this earth. There are 50-100 trillion atoms comprising your body. The sun could hold 50 million earths. A star called, Betelgeuse, could hold 500 million suns. The number of stars in the universe? 70 trillion, that’s the number seventy with twenty zeros behind it. And the crazy part about all of this is that God created ALL of this. Is that crazy to anyone else?

As we continue to prepare for planting ourselves in a completely new city with an entirely new culture and people with new fears and worries and anxieties we can rest assure that our God is so much BIGGER than all of that. Sometimes I catch myself asking God, “Where are you?” And every time, in some way or another, He whispers right back, “right here”. Isaiah used these words to comfort the nation of Israel that God had not left them, but was right there in the mist of it all.

So, whether you are dealing with something that’s financial, medical, relational, or spiritual, stop and lift up your eyes. Trust in the Lord God that has so precisely hand-carved this universe that if the earth was one percent closer to Mars we would freeze to death. Know that we can rest on His word and know that He’s got it. Let’s put our complete confidence in Christ. Let’s not forget that we are daily seeking to share this BIG God with those who think He’s so small, but He’s not. He’s BIG. So BIG that the word BIG is actually pretty tiny.

BIG?

I just finished hearing a sermon on the Greatness of God. It came from Isaiah 40:12-31 and to be honest it rocked me—hard. Ha-ha, it’s amazing to think that The Lord Our God is as BIG as He is. So many times in my life things get in the way of my view of God. Rather, I put so many things in my way that I can’t see my compass. I forget, at times, why I breathe. Why I am here. I get so caught up in learning and “growing” and doing that I don’t stop and do what verse 26 in the text says to do: “Lift up your eyes on high and see.”

How BIG is our God! Our God, God of the Universe, is the Creator of all things. The Liberator of our souls. He measures the waters in the hollow of His hand and marks off the heavens with a span (the distance from your thumb to your index finger). He needs no parliament, no congress, and no cabinet. He needs no consult or counsel. He sits high and looks down at the very people and things He made by His might. How BIG is our God! Think on this: that there are 15 million species on this earth. There are 50-100 trillion atoms comprising your body. The sun could hold 50 million earths. A star called, Betelgeuse, could hold 500 million suns. The number of stars in the universe? 70 trillion, that’s the number seventy with twenty zeros behind it. And the crazy part about all of this is that God created ALL of this. Is that crazy to anyone else?

As we continue to prepare for planting ourselves in a completely new city with an entirely new culture and people with new fears and worries and anxieties we can rest assure that our God is so much BIGGER than all of that. Sometimes I catch myself asking God, “Where are you?” And every time, in some way or another, He whispers right back, “right here”. Isaiah used these words to comfort the nation of Israel that God had not left them, but was right there in the mist of it all.

So, whether you are dealing with something that’s financial, medical, relational, or spiritual, stop and lift up your eyes. Trust in the Lord God that has so precisely hand-carved this universe that if the earth was one percent closer to Mars we would freeze to death. Know that we can rest on His word and know that He’s got it. Let’s put our complete confidence in Christ. Let’s not forget that we are daily seeking to share this BIG God with those who think He’s so small, but He’s not. He’s BIG. So BIG that the word BIG is actually pretty tiny.

Hot Potatoe!

Before I could write another blog, I had to write this one. This has been on my mind for a while.
The fact of the matter is this: I hadn’t taken any type of ownership towards Issachar Fellowship, the church plant, at all. It hadn’t really concerned me all that much until I really thought about it:
Issachar Fellowship is actually going to be a real church, in a real city, dealing with the lives of real people! Now, you may be thinking like, “Duh Damon, we know that.” But, do we really? I know I hadn’t. Truly I hadn’t. Yes, I’m excited about going to Atlanta, and being ‘salt’ and being used by God, but the reality of it hadn’t gripped me by the throat, threw me on the ground and made me shout ‘uncle”-- until now. I had no ownership of Issachar. It was some awesome plan in the distant future that was going to happen sooner or later and I would become more involved later. Besides, I still have another year in school and a wedding to plan...
However, the time is now. This isn’t a game of hot potato, where I can continue to pass the potato around to others because I don’t want to deal with the consequences and obligations of it being in my hand. No, everything matters now. From the planning, to the prayers, to the advertising, to the blogging, to the whatever, EVERYTHING matters NOW. Issachar Fellowship is my church now. And it’s time I started acting like it. So, on one hand I want to apologize to everyone involved because I haven’t given my all. I haven’t put all my effort and time into this church plant. On the other hand, I challenge myself and everyone, who is as pumped about this opportunity as I am, to not be idly thinking “in due time”. Rather, to be diligent now...constantly going before the Lord asking for His hand, continually investing into “our” church financially and collectively encouraging and spurring on one another to strive in excellence in all that we do to prepare ourselves for the chance to be used by God. Therefore, I guess the question now isn’t how am I going to get this hot potato quickly out of my lap, but how am I going to effectively use this potato for the sake of Christ?

From "Me to We"

We live in a culture that has been built around independence. The country was started by the Declaration of Independence. This declaration has continued to be the driving motivation for us as a country and as individuals. Where success is measured by the amount you can live your life financially and socially independent. When we can truly say we don’t need anyone. This idea of success has caused Americans to be in an unhealthy state of anxiety, trying to return to a place in which God has not intended us to be. The only man that was alone with God was Adam and “...the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

This brings me to the point of this blog, I want to make a bold assertion. It is not enough for me to manifest the person and work of Christ. While this is a great goal, I must recognize that this is an incomplete and impossible goal. Colossians 1:19 states, “For in Him (Christ) all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell...” meaning in Christ we have both Man’s Ideal God and God’s ideal Man. While Christ is able to embody all the holy attributes of God, I can not. While the fullness of the Spirits gifting is manifested in Christ, It is not fully manifested in any one man. Therefore if we are to get a true and full picture of the person and work of Christ in our day, we must go to the community of God where the Spirit abides and has chosen to sprinkle His gifting amongst the entire community (1 Cor. 12:4-7).

But what God has chosen to do to bring us together as a body in order to accomplish His will has actually divided us and driven us farther apart from one another. Individuals have traded in the concept of working together for “His agenda” for an individualistic approach only aligning ourselves with those who can help me accomplish “my agenda.” (for His sake of course). This is why I bleed local church because the local church is a place where unity and diversity should be manifested. A place where ethnic (from white and black), generational (from young to old), socioeconomic (from poor to rich) educational (from not so intelligent to “the know it all’s”) diversity is to be celebrated. A place where Christ is the Chief Shepherd and we are all His under-shepherds. With Christ at the helm, we simply find our place and do all that we can to build up His body.

Paul draws the same conclusion in Colossians 1:28, when he states...“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

So, may I suggest that it is not wrong but incomplete for me alone to strive for Christ-likeness because if We are His body then we must labor to present every one complete in Christ.

So, we must begin to go from “ME” to “WE”

The Beginning

I remember when I first heard that there was a possibility of a church plant taking place in Atlanta, GA. I was like, “man please. There no way in the world that Dhati is leaving Denton!” However, I was wrong. It’s hilarious because now I’m one of the committed...ready to embark on another phase of my life and I have no idea as to how it’s going to look. Exciting right? Or petrifying? I guess it depends on how you look at it.
There’s one thing that really stuck with me after our first Atlanta interest meeting that I really chewed on and it has continued to keep me encouraged. Dhati said that “we are dumb enough to think that God can change the world through us.” I wondered if maybe that was true. Maybe God could actually use us as vessels to change the world. Ever since then I’ve felt that way. As if we could possibly be “dumb” enough to think that. Yes, I don’t know Atlanta, the lingo, what stores sell the best fried chicken, or what streets to avoid when it’s dark. I don’t know where I’m going to work, how I’m going to pay bills or any of that, but what has really been keeping me is the possibility of what God do and His capabilities to do so. How amazing would it be if we had a chance to be a part of a revolutionary movement for the sake of Christ? I wonder, sometimes, if that is enough to allow me to dive into uncertainty? I don’t know, but for now that’s all I need. No clue as to what I’m getting myself into, but that Christ is sovereign, that he is enough comfort, or it could just be that I’m dumb enough to believe it?

Damon Sumner

What Could Be...

“Visions are born in the soul of a man or woman who is consumed with the tension between what is and what could be...Unlike many passing concerns, these will stick with you. You will find yourself thinking about them in your free time.”-Andy Stanley’s book, “Visioneering”

Today I began reading this book by Andy Stanley about developing and maintaining vision. After reading the first couple of chapters, I was compelled to reflect on what burdens me and what I wish could be. There are things that I feel compelled to do so that I might do my part in this Christian mission. So I decided to share my raw thoughts about the these convictions over the years...

So Here it goes...

I desire to be apart of a close knit team of individuals committed to help people mature into fully devoted followers of Christ.
I desire to raise up African-American Male leadership (or people who resonate with the culture) through a committed discipleship intensive program
I desire to recruit these men from across the nation training them for a period of time, then sending them back to strengthen the local church in that area.
I desire to have a church that is experiencing True, Biblical, Authentic and Purposeful community.
I desire to plant a church that manifest the unity and diversity of the body of Christ. (via. gifting, socio-economically, racially, and generationally)
I desire to model to other African-American churches the importance of missions. By being proactive in church planting, supporting missionaries & pouring out sacrificially for the common good of the city.
I desire to have a strong college movement that equips the next generation of urban professionals to be able to spark a movement for Christ in whatever context God may put them in, after graduation. That if all they had was a bible and they were parachuted into a place amongst all unbelievers they would be able to spark a movement for Christ.
I desire to equip people to grow a passion to do ministry where life exist by developing a deeper grasp of the Gospel.
I desire to begin to help others think strategically about ways to create environments that are both culturally relevant and doctrinally sound.
I desire to be apart of the long-term solution in our inner-cities, that have been left to fend for themselves. And to inspire Christians to move back into these communities for the long haul, that we might be salt and light.

God's Will?

How can we determine God’s will for our life?

This has been a question in my heart over the last couple of months? In my quest to determine whether or not I should plant another church, or which city I should plant in? And now that we have decided to plant in Atlanta, what part of the city should we plant and who should be our target audience? I know, I know I should just preach the gospel and allow God to bring the people. The problem is I’m a believer in the significance of contextualization,that God has called us to be both students of our culture as well as the scriptures. And these statements over simplify which makes being missional in the states more complicated. “Just preach Jesus” would not be the strategy if we were going on a mission trip to a foreign land, like China. Instead we would be trying to identify biblical principles and apply them to the context in the most appropriate way. Therefore, I have wrestled with this idea of God’s will specifically for me and the family of Issachar Fellowship. Because the answer to this question will shape us for the years to come.
More specifically about my journey and how I answered this question! Over these last few weeks, I continue to spy out the Land in the ATL. I began to see a tremendous need for Christ-centered families in the city of ATL. There is a huge vacuum, like most inner-cities of positive Christian examples, specifically of African-American Males leading their families. I was talking with a guy who works at a boys and girls club and I asked a simple question. “How many of these kids do you believe have both a mom and a dad at home?” His response simply was, “What’s that?” He continued to explain, although they service hundreds of kids each week, he would guess there are less than 10 kids with both parents in the home, and there are more examples of two lesbian women raising kids than the traditional mom and dad. Well, call me old fashion because this, as well as many other problems that are typical of inner cities, broke my heart.
Then I began to wonder about “my calling”, even though I don’t feel like my life is one that has prepared me for life in the inner city nor do I want to put my family in harms way. I see a huge need and I believe that Issachar Fellowship can begin to fill a small part of this neglected void that has been left by those who hold to a reformed theology.
So I go back to the question that started this rant, “How can we determine God’s will for our life?” Is NEED enough to feel the call of God in your life? because if you ask me what I rather do, or if I determined God’s will by the things that are traditionally used, such as my STRENGTHS, HEART, ABILITIES, PERSONALITY, EXPERIENCE, I will give you a much different answer. Therefore is it enough to say we are filling a void that needs to be met and we need to do all that we can to incarnate the gospel in a context that has many examples that are not of God. How do we die to ourselves begin to learn how to depend upon the strengths, heart, abilities, character and experience of God and not our own.

So I believe the answer is yes, need is enough, it’s not the only factor but if God’s wants it to be can. The real problem that I must face is how much of my personal comfort plays into God’s calling.

Pastor Dhati

Support Issachar

The Conviction:
Our primary goal of starting a church is to create an environment that is both culturally relevant and doctrinally sound to the diverse community of Atlanta. Although many of us have been doing ministry for approximately a decade, we do not plan to have a cut and paste approach to ministry. We plan to spend time learning the culture of Atlanta answering the question, “What kind of church will be true to the needs of people of Atlanta and yet still be solidly Biblical?”

The Course of Action:
Although we won’t open our doors, yet Issachar Fellowship, will begin in August 2008, as our family moves to Little Rock, Arkansas. We will spend 10 months establishing a strong foundation for the plant in Atlanta. The 10-month residency program is hosted by Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock. They will teach us everything from tax write-offs to establishing a philosophy of an elder-led leadership. During this time we will be:
Learning about church planting from established leaders
Crafting our 5 year strategic plan
Establishing our Leadership team
Continue with Ministry Partnership Development

The Call to Partnership:
Creating any church is a monumental yet remarkable undertaking, and we believe that our process can be made more seamless by maximizing our resources. We have projected $42,500.00 as start up cost for 2008-2009. This will get us through the year in Little Rock where we will be able to start our strategic phase of our plan, and then begin to project & raise the remaining amounts for the church plant.
As we continue to serve the Lord, we are praying for God to send others to partner with us financially and prayerfully over the next 3 to 5 years. Your partnership can make a difference for reaching people for Christ in Atlanta. I would like to invite you to join us in this exciting endeavor. Please take time to pray and determine if you would like to provide support and partner up with what God is doing in and through us. In the next few days I will be following up to answer any questions you may have. Thank you for your interest and prayers in this exciting endeavor!

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR SUPPORTING
If you do choose to financially support our church plant, please make checks payable to: Fellowship Bible Church (Dhati Lewis – in Memo) For the next 12 months, all donations will be processed through Fellowship Bible Church.

Send checks to:

Fellowship Associates
12115 Hinson Rd.
Little Rock, Arkansas 72212.