Happy Thanksgiving To The Students & Families Of Holmes Elementary School

After 6 weeks of planning, prayer and God's provision, our Thanksgiving Outreach at Holmes Elementary School was a wonderful success. By the end of the day we had fed over 600 people and were able to feed an additional 150 people at our Monday night outreach and make a generous food donation to the Union Gospel Mission. This Thanksgiving Outreach represented a team effort. Above is our team photo taken on the day of the event. On the bottom row left is Principal Steve Barnes of Holmes Elementary and next to him is Maurice Smith of The Parousia Network. To the right of Maurice is Jan Foland and next to her is Jeff Kuntz. On the top row left is Larry Whiston and next to Larry is Maurice's wife, Gale. Larry, Maurice, Jan and Jeff make up the "core" leadership team of the Off Broadway Family Outreach (a house church). To the right of Gale are Lori Stotts (who organized the volunteers and much more) Misty, Kitty & Garold Shipley, Mike Warnecke, George Stewart and Rene from the School District Food Services office who was an absolute "God-send" and showed us how to use their excellent kitchen! The sign sort of sums up the fact that this event was a team effort. God raised up many people who contributed time, labor, material and money to make Thanksgiving at Holmes Elementary a reality. Our thanks to all of them! We were also blessed with wonderful crews of volunteers from many churches and ministries who came and helped out with everything from serving to clean-up. But most of all we were blessed by the people who came and shared our table. After all, they are the ones whom God loves and whom He calls us to love and to serve. These are the people and families we want to reach out to, not on our terms, but on theirs. And in the world where they live, sometimes the Kingdom of God really does taste like Turkey & Dressing. When I first approached Principal Barnes (seen here on the right with me) about doing this Thanksgiving Dinner he expressed concern that he had been "burned" in the past by Christian groups who promised to "behave" themselves but ended up preaching sermons, offending his families and generally embarrassing everyone involved. I made Steve a promise at the outset: "I promise that we will not embarrass you." Throughout the days & weeks leading up to this event we worked to earn Steve's trust. He and the school literally became our partners in bringing the event together. Needless to say, not only was Steve not embarrassed, but we have even had discussions about next year!

Those of you who have been in touch with our ministry over the past couple of years (via our weekly e-letters, etc.) know my (Maurice's) heart for revival. Over the past several weeks intercessors in our fellowship have had a strong sense of the Holy Spirit saying that the coming revival will manifest first "outside the box" of traditional, institutional Christianity. I believe God is telling those who will listen that He doesn't want "bigger and better boxes." He wants to begin bringing His Kingdom power and presence into our homes, our market places and our neighborhoods. Spiritually transformed homes will be God's instruments for spiritually transformed neighborhoods, and spiritually transformed neighborhoods are the building blocks for spiritually transformed communities. And house churches, led by men and women of peace, are going to become God's powerful instrument of spiritual transformation and revival. Isn't it time for the River of God's Spirit to flow through your home and into your neighborhood?