vision anabaino issue 2
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Mission Anabaino (I am ascending) is mission greater
things relative to the incredible expectations that Christ
promised for his ascension ministry today through church
planting (John 14:12). Such expectations inspired
Augustine in the 5th century to talk about Total Christ
Christianity. One important ramification of a Total
Christ Christianity is the way we seek to avoid the either-or
dichotomies that are so prevalent in modernist-facing
Christendom in order to experience the fullness of him
who fills all in all in/with/through the gospel-centered
church (Eph 1:22-23). Modernist-facing Christianity
tended to be fundamentalist such as to reduce
Christianity to nothing but this or that emphasis, often in
political reaction to another emphasis. We envision
greater things!
For instance:
ATotal Christeffort will avoid the EITHER old school
church focused Christianity OR new schoolgospel-
centered and missionalfocused Christianity (what for me
during my early Christian years translated to an either
institutional-church OR a spirit-filled para-church
dichotomy). However, we seekTotal Christin being a both
a gospel-centered and church movementor the church
that by her very nature, when built upon the carefully
designed foundation of the apostles, IS THE very
missional, gospel- centered presence of Christ as fleshed
out in every cultural context. This is what Christ
envisioned as the greater things when he explained that
it was better for him to ascend into heaven and to send
the Holy Spirit wherein his temple presence could be
mediated in every Christ-centered and apostolic founded
temple-church now in many places at the same time
around the globe!
And again, a Total Christeffort will want to avoid a
Christianity that is EITHER didactic/declarative
(prophetic) OR contemplative/sacramental (priestly) OR
life-on-life-/communal (kingly). Rather, we seekTotal
Christ wherein we participate in Christ as our Prophet,
Priest AND King, ALL, by participating in the life of
Christ vis--vis the Spirit-filled church. Rather than a
reactive philosophy of ministry we seek a balanced and
Total Christ experience of Christs presence in our lives.
And, to our focus in this volume of Vision Anabaino, a
Total Christeffort will avoid an either-or relation between
spiritual/evangelistic and inward focused ministry in
relation to gospel-centered transformation OR a social/
material outward focused ministry in relation to
economic, vocational and medical empowerment. That is to
say, we want to avoid any idea of humanity that is not
concerned for the whole person, both inward and
outward as related to a more holistic conception of
persons who are being fully restored in the image of God.
Such is the picture we get in the early church when in
Acts 2, after describing a holistic participation in Christs
mediated ministry of apostolic word, sacrament and
spiritual shepherding and government, we read: And all
who believed were together and had all things in common. And they
were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the
proceeds to all, as any had need. (Acts 2:44-45). And hereagain, we encounter the greater things envisioned by
Christ, the result being exactly as Jesus anticipated it
would be wherein day by day, attending the temple together and
breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and
generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people.
And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being
saved (Acts 2:46-47).
Concerning then a holistic transformationalAND
empowermentfocused mission and ministry, did you know
that it is our commitment in Mission Anabaino that in
every church we plant, we include a church-based andgospel-centered empowerment initiative? And to be clear
the outer person that is being targeted can be economic
poverty, but it can also be mental and psychological
poverty in relation to mental health, it can be a poverty of
leadership confidence as related to taking responsibility
for church leadership, and on and on it goesits any
area of a persons life wherein they feel powerless to
become self-sustaining and God-reliant.
Total Christ Christianitythrough Gospel Centered EmpowermentBy Rev. Preston D. Graham, Jr.
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Now as it concerns empowerment ministry, we need to
begin with a good dose of honestly. Whereas the
"compassion industry" is almost universally accepted as a
virtuous and constructive enterprise, its outcomes are
often questionable, especially in so far as distinguishing
empowerment vs. entitlement which then leads to
enablement and powerlessness. This powerlessness is a
very dangerous thing in that it puts people into a
dependent relation with many of the potential idols of
our own destruction that prevent a sustained
dependence upon God. And so the question all this raises
is: what exactly does gospel-centered empowerment
entail? Very briefly, it consists of at least three very
important concepts:
Concept #1: Gospel-centered empowerment
distinguishes crisis- from chronic-related mercy and seeks totarget the later for the sake of true empowerment. That
is, true empowerment is not merely to rescue someone
from a crisis, but to set a person free from the spiritual,
mental and physical bondage to crisis. It is to target
human self-reliance in relation to the fear and oppression
concerning the things of this world, albeit in dependence
upon God. This, of course, involves a whole range of
transformative activity as related to spirit, mind, and
body. In a simple way Paul states the goal of
empowerment, however much it can be applied to all
sorts of vocations and callings, as being enabled to work
with [our] own hands so that [we] may be dependent onno one (1 Thess. 4:11-12). Pauls vision is not against
charity, just charity that would put another person into a
dependent relation with respect to his/her being
empowered to be all that they are called to be in Christ.
The key then to empowerment is to proactively target
whatever spiritual, mental, social, and physical issues that
inhibit self-sustaining and systemic changes. Our
commitment then is to an asset-based community
development (ABCD). Strategically that means:
Never doing for the needy what they can be
empowered to do for themselves Limiting one-way help to emergencies and seeking
for mutual two-way one-anothering instead With respect to financial empowerment, seeking to
empower the needy through employment, micro-
lending, micro-enterprise development, and
training, using grants sparingly to reinforce
achievements Focusing on leadership development with an
intentional strategy for training and steps of
transfer as needed Targeting long term and sustainable solutions over
quick fixes
Concept #2: Gospel-centered empowerment is church-
based empowerment. As per our Total Christ
understanding of Christs ascension ministry today, webelieve the church IS an essential element of the gospel.
It takes spiritual- cognitive/social/moral transformation
for a person to truly flourish even as being worked out
holistically in both the inward and outward person. As
an empowerment concept, a church-based strategy is a
glass-half-full strategy that focuses on a church
community's strengths more than its needs. Its to play
with a full deck, as it were, in human restoration and
empowerment. It takes seriously the gifts and talents that
exist within a given communal context so as to provide a
system of social reinforcement and accountability as
carefully designed in the apostolic church. It results in acommunity-oriented empowerment with one another
approach rather thanforone another approach, thus
protecting people's dignity leading to sustainable self-
reliance. Strategically, this means:
The target group of gospel-centered
empowerment are members in good standing of
a local, gospel believing and practicing church
The power of gospel-centered empowerment
should require participation in all the means of
Gods grace in Word, worship, and communalone-anothering and shepherding.
Each participant is helped not only to be served
but to serve, recognizing that while each of us
have gifts that differ, they are all important assets
in a holistic ministry of Christ through the local
church.
Concept #3: Gospel-centered empowerment recognizes
the close inter-dependent relation of the gospel as applied
Total Christ Christianity cont.
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to both the inward and outward person. For instance,
spiritual depression as spiritually treated (inward) is
often linked to psychological depression as medically
treated (outward). Therefore, in addition to gospel-
centered Christian counseling with communal
reinforcement (inward) one may need medical treatment
(outward). Economic poverty is often related to issues in
identity making it such as to require both micro-
enterprise (outward) and instruction in Christ-centered
identity reformation which is related to our adoption and
justification in Christ, as again lived out within a
communal context of reinforcement (inward). As thesetwo examples illustrate, the outward aspects of a holistic
empowerment-based ministry might involve a range of
micro-enterprises such as to include all sorts of
cooperatives like housing and mortgage cooperatives,
general store cooperatives, medical cooperatives, job
training, church leadership development and training,
etc. Such initiatives, in so far as they dont come
under the spiritual jurisdiction and instruction of the
church directly, might require the establishment of
church-based subsidiary organizations that are
specifically designed to serve the interest of holistic
church-based ministry, but that involve non-churchkinds of activities that are not directly related to word,
sacrament and spiritual shepherding, both as to
protect the church acting as church and the para-church
acting as mortgage lenders, vocational school, medical
clinics, etc. and all the related secular and civil
interactions that this will require.
In short, a gospel empowerment vision for Total
Christ Christianity is a vision wherein the church, just
being the church, is a transformational presence of
holistic restoration in the world, though not of the world,
but for the world. In all of this, Im reminded of a book
titled The Politics of Jesus (1972) by John Howard Yoder
that re-examined the slogan of the 1948 Amsterdam
Assembly let the church be the church. Yoder was
arguing for the centrality of the church as a socialstrategy. According to Yoder, to the degree that the
church becomes a restored society, it does sofor the sake
of an authentic witness in the greater society. He notes:
The church must be a sample of the kind of
humanity which, for example, economic and
racial differences are surmounted. Only then wil
it have anything to say to the society that
surrounds it about how those difference must be
dealt with. 1
I hope you will enjoy reading in this current edition of
Vision Anabaino about the empowerment initiatives that
are going on through Mission Anabaino already. They
involve such micro-enterprise ventures as chicken farming
in Haiti, a general store and housing cooperative in the
Hill community of New Haven, and the communal one-
anothering targeted home restorations and youth camps
during Loving New Haven Impact Week.
_____________________________________________
1 Yoder, John Howard, The Politics of Jesus, 2nd Edition(Eerdmans: Grand Rabids, Michigan, (1972), p. 150-152.
Total Christ Christianity cont.
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Leadership Training asthe Key to Life-GivingEmpowerment in MinistryBy Rev. Kevin Nelson
How a church empowers its leaders is something that can
either invigorate or drain those called to leadership positions.
What does it look like to have an empowered leader in
church? An empowered leader is one who values the
purpose and goals of that ministry and is less concerned
about meeting expectations or maintaining a program. An
empowered leader is ministering in freedom and confidence
while working in orchestration with the larger body. Because
of this, an empowered leader is one who brings passion and
energy to ministry.
Are you there? Do you feel freedom and energy when you
lead? Do you have that confidence to be creative within the
overall vision? What are the obstacles standing in the way?
One of the biggest obstacles to empowerment is a lack of
training. Training not only gives you the skills and
theological content to make you a competent leader, it also
helps you catch the DNA and vision of the church. In
attending a training event like the Intro to Spiritual
Leadership Conference, you begin to see the broader
ministry of the church; you see what the whole body has
valued and how it relates to the individual ministries.
When leaders are not trained they tend to feel like outsiders,
even in ministries they lead. The temptation here is to feel
like you are entering into someone elses ministry. This will
stifle creativity and cause you to constantly defer to those on
staff. Quickly you can become resentful and feel like an
unpaid intern. Nothing is more draining than the feeling
like you are trying to manage someone elses program.
If you feel this temptation, watch out. This is a real spiritual
battle that can blind us to the work of ministry. It robs us of
a sense of ownership and responsibility that comes with
being called. We are less likely to bring the type of concern
for detail and care for souls that you would bring if you were
working independently.
We need to remember that when Christ calls us to be leadershe is the one to whom we owe our service. He is calling us
to shepherd His flock, His sheep, and not someone elses.
Yet, he is not calling us to lead independent of his body, but
to work within the entire mission of the local congregation.
Leadership development at CPC is comprised of two
training events and an assessment by the session. The class
on confessional theology is a robust study of our theology
using the Westminster Confession of Faith. Taking
Theology I will not only help you to see the whole system of
theology that we are operating under, but it constantly brings
up relevant topics that have very practical ministry
applications.
Participating in the Introduction to Spiritual Leadership
Conference exposes members to important leadership
categories like lay counseling and small group leadership. It
also provides resources in interpreting the Bible, ministering
through mercy, and discipleship. Those taking this class will
better understand why our church does what it does.
In this way, CPC prides itself on being a training church.
When one goes through these two classes and the assessment
of our elders, he or she can feel well equipped to serve as a
biblical leader with confidence. This, of course, is not just a
ministry for CPC. Trained leaders have left our
congregation feeling equipped to serve as teachers and elders
many other places. It is our prayer that God continues to
use our congregation to train and develop empowered
leaders wherever He may lead them.
The Mercy Fund andMission AnabainoBy Shi Jen Cheng
The Mercy Fund Committee has been privileged to witness
firsthand the freedom that can come to our brothers and
sisters in Christ when they are released from even some of
their economic burdens. Praise God! Though the essence of
our role is simply to provide financial support for a single
emergency, we have often seen this relief lead to further
opportunities for the recipient to become more self-
sustaining. For example, the Fund was able to pay both the
back taxes owed and repairs needed for an individuals car.This has allowed the individual to drive to work and that
flexibility has now made them more employable, which
allows them to provide for the cars future payments.
Mission Anabaino then takes the Mercy Fund emergency
aid aspect and greatly expands and transforms it. Instead of
feeling merely like the receiver of financial help, Mission
Anabaino with its noble (and Nobel) ideas, will be able to
help the individual develop skills and fiscal responsibilities to
be more self-sustaining. Beyond that, the hope will be that
the individual will feel a sense of self-worth and a two way
connection to the body of Christ in the form of being
empowered in new life and able now to reach out to others
in need.
The Mercy Fund Committee will continue to provide for
those who do need a short term financial burden relief. We
hope that there will be Mercy Fund coordinators for each
site to review applications and provide budgeted funds from
both their own sites givings and also from other sites,
perhaps as a combined fund from all sites. Through Mission
Anabaino, that fullness of him who fills all in all in/with/
through the gospel-centered church will persevere.
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The Church is often spoken of as a body with many parts --
parts that need each other and should not despise being so (I
Cor 12, Rom 12). Loving New Haven Impact Week is about
coming together to experience that sense of wholeness as we
use our gifts. This is why we have many different projects;
they are many different ways of expressing our love. We
have a soccer camp for those who are athletic, art camp for
those who are artistic. We have Wild Ride and Theology
Camp for those in different stages of life. We have
opportunities to teach, to use technical skills, and to learn
new skills. And there is room for more -- if you see a need
we can meet or a gift we can use, speak up about it. We cant
execute every idea, but they will be considered because this is
yourweek. Loving New Haven Impact Week provides a
venue for the use of your skills among the church body and
the greater New Haven community. You have things to share
and you have things to learn and when we are together we
can do so. To be clear, this week is for you like the sabbath is
for you -- it is for your good, but it is not about you. You will
be blessed as you serve others, you will be blessed as you are
served, and you will grow in your love for one another in your service to one another. But heres the kicker, they [the world] will
know us [Gods representatives on earth] by our love for one another (Jn 13:34-35). Gods love is seen when we love and thats
what this is all about. This love is expressed in meeting a physical need - a place to sleep, a meal, a weeded garden, a paintedhouse, time your kids are taken care of -- or an educational need --
knowledge of financial planning, of our city, of nutrition, of soccer,
of art, of theology, of scripture -- or a spiritual need -- of prayer an
encouragement. We need each other to express this and we want to
do it in front of our whole city. We can each have a part knowing
that we are working for Christs kingdom. While some of us are
called to plant the seed of the gospel and others to water, He
produces the growth (1 Cor 3:6-8). None of us are called to do it all
to be it all, no one is a hand, eye, and foot in the body of Christ! W
are but stewards of the resources given to us and empowered to use
them for Gods glory. This week isnt so different from the rest of th
year, it is just concentrated -- a time for us to join together to
accomplish what we cant do alone and to encourage one another infaith and love. Being empowered doesnt mean standing alone, it
means standing -- and we do that best together.
There are pictures scattered throughout this publication of the good
work that God was doing among and through us that week in early
July. All three congregations were working together on quite a few
projects. We were joined by teams from two other churches as well,
who have taken the vision of a small church doing mighty things
back home with them.
In addition to the VBS soccer camp, mercy projects, and Theology
Camp for high school students, there were several new projects this
year. Simultaneous with Theology Camp, we had a camp for junior
high students called Wild Ride which focused on finding identity in
Christ. In order to reach more kids, we added an art side to the VB
so that kids had the option of soccer or art. We also added in
community workshops, which are evening classes taught by church
members. And we ended every day together with dinner brought by
a community group and devotions. The new projects brought fresh
energy to the week, more occasions for leadership, and a better
spread of opportunities to use our gifts. It was a week of hard work
and great joy, of new friendships made and old ones renewed, of
service and, most of all, a week of shared love.
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As described by Senior Pastor, Preston Graham, in
the beginning of this issue, CPC defines empowerment as
the creation of customized, income generating activitiesthat are visibly and operationally linked to each church
plant. These micro businesses and service providers are
established for the benefit of church members to
encourage individual economic
independence and self reliance. By
persistently and intentionally
fostering a church planting and
empowerment culture, Mission
Anabaino (MA) cultivates and
allocates financial and other
resources derived from its to-be
established non-profit status to
research and acquire prospective
church plant sites and identify
empowerment micro-enterprise and
micro-finance opportunities.
Empowerment Examples
Haiti
In June of 2012 CPC entered into an agreement with
two other entities for MA to help fund a 5,800 sq. ft.church, New Hope Presbyterian (NHP), and create a
micro-loan to establish a church owned and operated
chicken farm empowerment project near the town of
Mirebalais, 40 miles northeast of Haitis capital city, Port
Au Prince. By creating jobs, income and a valuable
source of much needed protein, this new Haitian poultry
venture visibly links NHP to the tangible encouragement
of individual economic independence and self-reliance of
church members. One of the many gratifying elements
in church planting and empowerment activities for those
of us involved is the privilege to witness first hand the
positive responsiveness and renewal of hope in the eyes o
the recipients as they begin to believe there is no limit to
what can happen through Gods grace when we work
together.
We will be eager to share other Haitian church
empowerment projects currently under consideration as
they take shape as well as give you progress reports on the
chicken farm project as it
evolves.
The Hill
Under Pastor Tolivar Wills
enthusiastic guidance and
encouragement, MA hasbeen introduced to an
exciting opportunity to help
establish self-reliance and
sustainable income for
members of CPC in the Hill
in New Haven. The concept calls for a micro
empowerment seed loan from MA to a group of selected
Hill church members to create and operate a self-
sustaining merchandise co-op servicing residents of the
Hill community.
Not only would the co-op provide jobs for church
members and affordable products and services for Hill
residents but the particular Hill site under evaluation
would carry the additional benefit of providing two low
income residences on the floor above the co-op. The
preliminary project discussions with church members
have already begun to kindle an energized spirit of
volunteerism and the desire to participate
within the congregation which can become
remarkably alluring for those seekerswatching from the sidelines.
Just two examples of CPCs holistic
approach to church planting; not just
establishing new centers of worship but
through CPCs empowerment vision,
helping to provide economic stability and
self-reliance within the church family in
particular, and the surrounding community
in general.
Mission AnabainoFall ReviewBy Charlie Olcott
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In several of His epistles, Paul uses
various metaphors or images to
describe the empowering and
interdependent nature of Christs
Church. Whether in I Corinthians
12-14, Ephesians 4, or in Romans
12, one cannot miss the recurring
theme of encouraging each member
of the Church of Jesus Christ to use
their gifts to maintain the unity,
health, and mediated glory of Jesus
through the Church. In summary,
Pauls description of the
empowerment of the members of thebody of Christ is not only inherent to
the Christian life, but crucial to the
manifestation of Jesus in the world
and to the further setting up of His
kingdom in the lives of His people.
Therefore, the Mission Anabaino
movement seeks to provide the
training and opportunities for the
members of Christs church to be
equipped to serve it.
Despite this seemingly simple
prescriptive picture, there are various
obstacles to empowering everyone in
the church. The more obvious
hindrance is individual selfishness;
simply not being willing to offer ones
gifts for the good of others. But more
often than not, the obstacles are more
subtle and debilitating, though still
governed by self. For instance, there
are various forms of power, such as
levels of education, wealth and
affluence, place of vocational
employment, and certain personality
types, which can serve as road blocks
to empowerment for many believers.
In fact, it is this reality that has
shaped Mission Anabainos
commitment to planting churches
that reflect the flesh of the specific
communities; that they sound, look,
feel, and taste like the communities
that they worship in. The reason for
such an approach is to remove as
many potential intimidations to
empowering participation.
For failing to take into consideration
the various fleshes of communities
runs the risk of communicating, both
unintentionally and indirectly, that
not everyones gifts are needed; or
worse yet, that a persons gifts or
input are not good enough or
wanted. I am reminded of theexperience of one of the Hill
parishioners, who originally was a
member at CPC Whitney, before
helping with the launch in the Hill.
Upon serving and participating in the
life of the Hill church, he stated to
me, you know Tolivar, I never could
have done any of this over at
Whitney. With all the highly
educated, wealthy, and strongpersonalities, they didnt need me and
what I had to offer. Now, of course,
no one at Whitney had ever
communicated or did anything that
would convey such a sad
interpretation of his place at CPC
Whitney; sadly, it was not so much
about what the Whitney folks did, but
more about his own poor self-image
of himself in comparison to some of
the folks at Whitney; a self-image that
was informed not by his identity in
Christ, but by the norms of our fallen
culture. It is these types of
misinterpretations that create
disempowering experiences for folks
all across this country, which the
Mission Anabaino movement seeks to
eliminate via the gospel and the
leadership development of all of
Gods people.
CPC in the Hill has been privileged
to begin to implement this
empowering philosophy of ministry
beyond CPC Whitney over these pastyears. What began as a simple Bible
study, has turned into an ever-
growing community of believers, who
are learning to embrace their self-
worth in Jesus and to participate in
every facet of its ministry. This
sanctifying process has created
leaders in every dimension of the
ministry: teachers, small group
leaders, outreach coordinators,transportation facilitators, deacon
and elder candidates, mercy
facilitators, prayer leaders, and
various other roles related to our Co-
Op store in the Hill. As a result of
this sanctifying work of the gospel,
less time is spent comparing ourselves
to others, and more time focused on
how we can glorify Christ by blessing
our brothers and sisters.
What began as a simple
Bible study, has turned into
an ever-growing
community of believers,
who are learning to
embrace their self-worth in
Jesus and to participate in
every facet of its ministry.
Empowermentin the Hill
By Rev. Tolivar Wills
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One man had been encountering serious family issues,
and having grown up in a nominal Catholic setting,
always had a certain interest in "religion", but was forced
a few months ago to really pursue something more than
what the world can provide. As he started to come to
Goatville and meet with me, he discovered new passions
and interests that God was creating in his heart. Yes, the
intellectual message of the gospel - especially the unique
insights into our motivations that come from justification
- made him thirst for more of true faith that he had neverheard explained well; but God was also giving him an
internal sense that he has a mission on this earth, and it's
bigger than just getting a good job, becoming
"somebody" in the world, or even pursuing happiness.
One great example was a Sunday that he missed
Goatville to join a friend at the US Open in NYC. This
friend's girlfriend was actually playing in the finals, so he
got a unique look into one example of the world's success
or idols. However, he was left with a feeling of emptiness -
"why did I go to this event, when I knew I really wanted
to be at church? it felt very superficial even though it was
very admirable or sexy in the world's eyes." Now, of
course, we love tennis and believe in glorifying God in all
parts of the world, but this example showed me just how
much God was reaching him and transforming his desires
for the gospel and the community of fellowship that can
only come when it is centered on Jesus Christ. Although
still relatively new to the gospel, God was clearly opening
his heart to see the implications of grace throughout his
life. He is clearly jumping into the new life, wherein
Christ empowers us to live free from the oppression of
sin.The second example I want to share is of a man who had
a solid faith background, had primarily attended
Presbyterian churches, and had recently moved to New
Haven for work. He is the type of quiet, humble servant
that every church needs and every successful church has
in spades, working hard behind the scenes. He has been
consistent ever since he showed up, has often shared with
me how he loves the solid preaching and is glad that he
was able to find a community where he could worship in
a biblical way that is also his flesh. He is often the one
setting up and cleaning for worship, and although he may
not have a flashy personality, he makes me praise God for
using Goatville because it is one encouraging fruit of the
gospel that He blesses the meek and humble and patient.
It is always a temptation for pastors and churches tofollow trends, pursue "hip" and charismatic people, but
the gospel is for all people and this man's solid walk with
God gives me encouragement that we are building our
community on the solid rock of Christ.
As far as stories from our actual service, two come to
mind. One, I have heard repeatedly how many
congregants appreciate that we take the sermon text
seriously, unpack it in a mature way, and draw out its
implications. The importance of letting God speak
through His Word has historically been the benchmark by
which the Church stands or falls, so I am always
encouraged to hear feedback that listeners see that
happening and are engaged by it.
Moreover, as an essential part of our worship service is a
time of open confession of sin and absolution. One
college student who has bounced around different
churches her first two years at Yale, was struck upon
visiting Goatville that we do this - "when he was sharing
his sin of self-righteousness and wanting more of God, I
knew something real was going on." This is an amazing
testament to God's Spirit working in our hearts, to be ableto share our sins with one another because we know that
only mercy, forgiveness and new life await us in Christ! As
a pastor, I am always amazed to witness the visible relief
and joy on people's faces that accompany the
pronouncement of absolution every week, and this is a
great glimpse into that weekly privilege. Empowered to
be vulnerable and open about our sin - this is such a
countercultural and paradoxical way to show people the
true gospel!
Thank you for taking the time to read about our new
second service - Goatville - and the ways God is workingamong us. It is a privilege to embark on a new adventure
in Christ. Please pray that more and more examples of
God's grace like these would develop, and that we could
spread the good news of the gospel among people who so
desperately need it.
Yours in Christ,
Craig
Rev. Craig Luekens
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7/27/2019 Vision Anabaino Issue 2
12/1212
CPC Welcomes Charlie Olcott To The Position of
Executive Director of Mission AnabainoMission Anabaino (MA) is a central ministry of Christ Presbyterian Church New Haven
(CPC), a multi-site church and global church planting movement. MA functions as CPCs
primary body for defining and executing church planting strategy; encouraging, coaching and
supporting planters; recruiting, assessing and developing interns; fostering a church planting
culture; and cultivating and allocating financial and other resources toward church planting,
including the various not for profit subsidiary organizations deemed necessary in fulfilling the
kind of empowerment and micro-enterprise initiatives that serve the church committed to
holistic ministry.
The Executive Director of Mission Anabaino is accountable to the Sr. Pastor and CPC Session
in providing leadership and management of the day-to-day operations, working closely with
CPC Church Planters and affiliate networks to define the vision and accomplish the mission of
the MA to plan ten local and ten global churches in ten years. The position will involve
operational and administrative team-building, coaching, deal creation and negotiation, tactical & strategic planning, operation
and human resource assessments, fund raising and financial management
Charlie Olcott and his wife, Suzanne now live in Guilford, Connecticut, were married in 1970 and have three grown sons, Ch
who lives with his wife, Susan and twin 20-month old daughters in Brunswick, ME; Tommy who is single and lives and works of Milton, MA and Mike and his wife, Becca who live in Newburyport, MA. Charlie grew up in Michigan and Massachusett
Suzanne in Massachusetts and Florida.
Charlie started his career with Aetna Life and Casualty then moved on to The Pillsbury Company and Burger King Corporat
before becoming a small business planning and fundraising consultant over the past twenty-five years. Suzanne enjoys paintin
drawing, cooking, Bible studies and book clubs. Both love the salt water and long distance swimming.
CHRIST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
135 Whitney Avenue
New Haven, CT 06510
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