Out O Pocket - DWELLing

Heading out for a POWER-Packed trip to NY for one of the best conference lineups I have ever seen (I know its a sin, but if I were you, ENVY would be what I was repenting of about now)! Where we are meeting only holds about 320 people, that should make for quite an intimate gathering. I am looking forward to hearing some of the strongest missional speakers IN THE WORLD and hanging out with some Acts 29 brothers. No computer this trip, so I'll catch up when I get back!

HEY!! Don't forget this Friday is FIRST FRIDAY at the 567. Plan on hanging with us from 6PM - 10PM and listening to the tunes of Anny Stanley and Jim Cable.

Capricorn Center - with and for our city

Great news for downtown Macon - from macon.com and the Macon Telegraph:
Jenna Findlan/The Telegraph

A $29 million downtown project involving the reuse of the old Capricorn Recording Studios and Macon Rescue Mission will be the largest single private investment ever in downtown Macon, a NewTown Macon official said Monday. "The project, located on 4.2-acres between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Fifth Street between Poplar and Pine streets, will include a 30-unit town home, a five-story residential, retail and commercial building and an 85-room boutique hotel, as well as a new recording studio.
"Our original development concept was basically to create what we would call a centrally located, kind of cool, urban area," said Ronald Conners, the managing member of Capricorn Centre LLC.
The Capricorn Centre project is hoped to be a tipping point for downtown development, said Ford of NewTown.
"It's beginning to accelerate," he said. "The renovation downtown is really going to be stronger each year as we go forward."
Some downtown projects are just gaining steam while others are nearing completion. NewTown is negotiating the sale of three buildings adjacent to the Market City Cafe on Cherry Street, Ford said. A new recording studio, which is not owned by NewTown, on Second Street across from the Cox Capitol Theatre is nearly complete, he said.
Other development projects taking form include the historic Park Hotel and Dannenburg Building on Poplar Street.
Demolition has been completed on both buildings, and developers are working on the plans, said Tony Long, a downtown developer involved in the projects.
He said he hopes Quantum Dynamics, a company that manages government contracts, will be able to move in to the Park Hotel around January or February.
Fifty-six lofts, apartments and luxury condos are planned for the Dannenburg Building, which is expected to rent its first apartment about a year from now, he said.

OK, so they left out NCCd, still great things going on that we get to be a part of.
The full story.
A separate story on adding 1,000 downtown residents over the next 5 years.

Meet Russ Johnston

Russ & Miranda Johnston
Toby Johnston and Chase Johnston
Acts 29 Church Planters in Monmouth, OR
New City Church downtown will be a church planting church. We aren't ready to jump out there with a new plant (we are a new plant!), but that doesn't mean that we cannot be a church planting church! It is a great joy to partner with like-minded brothers (and their families) who love Jesus and His people and who are planting new churches. Russ is pastoring a growing congregation of 60+ adults who meet in a school gym. God is bringing in new families and that has led to a problem. They need some sound equipment! Russ said their small PA was great when there were only 20 people, but not so great now. So, we are going to help. God has blessed us these first months. Here's what I think:
6... he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; ... 10Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; (II Corinthians 9)

Now helping plant churches in Saskatoon, Canada and Monmouth, OR

Pray for Russ and his family as well as their new church. If you get a chance - and you should - send him an e-mail and let him know you are praying for him and pulling for them! westvalleyfellowship@gmail.com

Catching My Breath

This blog started out as an opportunity to journal stuff on the process and events of starting New City... so that's what this post is about - just a catch up on the process.
Things have been ROCKING!
The pace is much faster than I imagined it would be.
Sundays come very quickly.
We entered the 567 right on target - I had figured months ago that Feb would be the time to start looking.
Getting into the 567 has been exhausting. I never really thought about having to meet painters, electricians, plumbers, carpet picker outers, and color picker outers.
I also didn't consider the amount of time it would take to locate and purchase affordable tables, chairs, counters, cabinets, and appliances.
let alone get them to the space, set up, cleaned up and installed.
And then there was the coordinating with Starbucks and getting all of the coffee stuff from Starbucks to the 567.
And meeting with 3 different artists about artwork
and getting our current sound equipment
and meeting with sound people about what we have and what we need
And then there was a few trips to the Macon P&Z office and the meeting with the health dept guy.
Other normal weekly things include - putting our bulletin together, picking them up from our Mabel White friends (thanks Carley and MW), stuffing bulletins with Info Cards, sermon preparation, planning our few outside events like Movie Night, getting coffee from Starbucks, updating new info card stuff, arriving 8:30 Sundays to begin set-up (usually leaving about 1:00ish after tear down)...
Did I mention I have a great wife and 3 incredible children - 2 playing baseball (games twice a week) and 1 riding a horse and having her 1st show soon?

So - I am catching my breath - exhausted - literally exhausted.

And soon we move into our next phase - putting structures in place and intentional leadership development.

Art - Help on the Way!

Got a great call this week from Carol Griffin. Carol is a local artist and in the local art know. Paul Evans, one of our New City folks sent her my way. Carol stopped by the 567 and we talked about our vision for connecting with the art community through the walls of the 567. Carol was really excited about the vision and is also a follower of Christ. She is coming back Tuesday with a friend or 2 to hang some artwork!!! But even better, Carol is going to help with a June (?) art showing at the 567 and with future theme showings. She has offered us her help, her artwork, her connections, and even free invitations to be sent out for our June show.
So - once more God is providing and we take yet another step forward in seeing our vision become a reality.
Oh yeah, the picture is entitled "Knitting" and is one Carol's works. You can visit her site for more of her work.

Wanted: Young Men In The Church

I read an interesting article from Christianity Today entitled, Wanted: Young Men In The Church. Perhaps the article answers some of the questions that my previous post asked regarding the unusual PRESENCE of men at NCCd. I thank God for the men, INCLUDING Young Men that NCCd has. Even more amazing than just having men and young men is that many, if not most of our men are plugged in and serving somewhere. We have men who show up early to set up. Men who hang out after the service to tear down, Men who are greeters, Men who help out with our little ones, Men who sing and play in the band, Half of our Gospel Christianity class participants are - Men.
Consider this post a great praise! I am thankful to God for what He is doing - I am amazed!
We have young men - 3 years old helping set up and tear down with dad!!! We have high schoolers, college students, young dads, middle aged dads, old dads, singles, marrieds - We got em! Incredible.
In the mix we have some older strong leaders, AND some young emerging leaders. We have future church planters, worship leaders and potential worship leaders, teachers, and potential teachers. WOW! I have been vocationally in 3 churches, and VERY actively involved in 4 others - I have not seen anything like this! God is good. And what He is doing is WAY beyond me!
just happy to be a part

An Interesting and Refreshing Change - Men

I have noticed (as have some others) that New City is experiencing something refreshingly different - a lot of men! I have read articles and seen some of the church numbers and they all point to an absence in the area of men. In David Murrow's book, Why Men Hate Going To Church, it is said that 48 million women attend church every week while only 35 million men do. That's a gender imbalance of 13 million people. WOW!

The writing and blogging worlds offer many reasons why the gender gap exists and offers many ways to correct the problems. Whatever the source of a male absence in most churches, I am thankful that NCCd seems to be enjoying an abundance of men - at least, we seem to be 50/50!

Any of you NCCders care to suggest what you think we are doing right here?

Great Night @ the Theater

Just a quick thanks to those who came out for the New City Movie night at the Capitol Theater. It looked like we had just over 30 present for National Treasure: Book of Secrets. As usual the atmosphere was great, the movie and sound top notch, and the food delicious! I cannot say enough about how far our support goes toward the theater's support of us. Where some churches meeting in theaters and other places get little support, because we impact the theater and the city (thru events like tonight), our church is well received at the theater and in the city (many of the city leaders are actively involved in the Capitol Theater). Blessing the theater is a blessing to us. So thanks - THANKS for making an impact on the theater by enjoying a good movie and great food!

On another note of THANKS - I stopped by and saw Jered today at the Forsyth Road Starbucks. I had to come by twice just to see Jered because he was so busy. Cool because that is what we prayed for Jered's Starbucks last Sunday! Jered also mentioned that some of our folks stopped by and saw him after last week's First Friday! Way to go New City folks - keep it up. Jered was also filled with compliments for all of our volunteers who helped at the 567 Cafe. He had a great time with us - told all of his Starbucks employees how much fun it was - and he can't wait until the next event!

Praying for Murray... join me

One of the joys of my heart right now is our association with Acts 29. I am constantly encouraged, fed, led, and humbled by God's work in this network of sold out church planters (I'm not sure I deserve such company). Today I was humbled to receive an e-mail from a fellow planter - Murray McLellan. Murray and his wife Cheryl are planting in Saskatoon, Canada and went through Acts 29 Bootcamp and assessment with Amy and me. Murray and Cheryl are in one of the hardest cities in the world - unchurched and happy to be so. Below is Murray's e-mail response after hearing that NCCd would be one of 12 churches sending $400 to help meet some monthly needs for the church plant:

Hi Keith!
Thank you so much for your prayers and the gift! We are just in the process of moving from a small apartment to a small house. Our new address is:
Murray and Cheryl McLellan
730 Lamarsh Lane
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
S7W 1B6

I have attached a brochure in pdf that we have put together if you would like to share that with the saints there. Please thank them for us.

We have had 3 young couples move out of the city just in the past week. They are still planning to drive in on Sundays, but this really hampers their ability to build
relationships in the city. This is a bit of a blow, but the Lord knows what He is doing.

I had a wonderful opportunity to meet with a self-proclaimed humanist at McDonald’s last night. We dug through the Scriptures for a couple of hours, and I tried to proclaim Jesus and how the gospel is distinct from religion. He really seemed to take it in, and saw that only such a gospel with such a Savior could provide any real hope for a sinner such as he views himself to be. He is intending to come on Sundays and continue to learn from the words of God. Please pray that the seeds sown would be watered by the Word and the Spirit to bring forth fruit to the glory of God.

The Lord has also been doing an incredible work in my wife’s sister and her husband. They have moved to Saskatoon recently. Garry (my brother-in-law) was a God-hating, church-hating rough and gruff truck driver. Cheryl and I made a point of connecting with them, and the Lord prepared the hearts and opened a door to speak of Jesus. The transformation has been remarkable. (I love to watch the Lord speak life to dead hearts!) To see this man weep now as he hears the word of grace to sinners through Jesus’ perfect work on the cross brings tears to my eyes even as I type this! Both Garry and Susan (my wife’s sister) have been faithfully gathering with us each Sunday – growing week by week. We have also been meeting with them and another two couples every other week to study the Word and encourage them in the Way.

Until Garry and Susan, my wife and I were the only “brands plucked from the fire” in either of our respective families. Now my wife, Cheryl, has a “sister-sister”!

I am still waiting to hear regarding my employment for the next school term beginning this fall. I am driving the 70 miles (one way) to Leask Monday through Friday, where I teach High School Math in the mornings. I can usually be home by around 2:00 p.m. I am really hoping to be able to teach full days – every second day (which would keep me at half time – but would save me gas money and travel time – by only teaching every second day. For this to happen, I would need another teacher to volunteer to teach half time – to “team teach” with. It doesn’t seem likely, but God is certainly able to work things out. If I need to continue the daily drive – we will remain content and strive to do what we are able with the time we have.

Probably my biggest prayer request would be to pray for a leadership team. There is a young man whom I have been discipling from a distance (online using skype). He is planning on living in Saskatoon this May and entering into an internship relationship. I desire to gather and train more men, as my heart’s desire is not simply to plant one church, but to see a church planting movement in western Canada – where there seems to be a real famine for the Word of God.

Please say hi to Amy from Cheryl and I

I check out your web site from time to time – as well as “catch” little bits of what is
happening for you on the forum. We will continue to pray for the advance of Christ’s kingdom and glory in and through New City Church.

Much love in the Savior,
Murray

567 Word Spreading Fast - Inspection Follows!

OK - so I mentioned that we may have already broken some Health Dept rules at the 567 - oops! Today I met with Rick, one of the Health Dept Specialists and an inspector. It seems that we should have gone through the Health Dept. before we did any serving at the 567, that's the oops. As it turns out, we are in the clear. Our set up and partnership with Starbucks works. For now we will not have to change a thing. WHEW!

On a cool note...

How did Rick find out about the 567? Someone at the Rookery, one of our tavern/restaurant neighbors was telling him on Saturday how much they liked our new place and enjoyed stopping in for coffee on First Friday. Then on Sunday he was at the Fire dept training center where one of the firemen was telling him about a new cafe open downtown! So, Rick came by, looked in, and looked us up on the web!

With and For Our Theater - Movie Night!

This Saturday afternoon is an official NCCd Movie Night. The movie - National Treasure - Book of Secrets. The book is family friendly, and enjoyable for the whole family. If you haven't seen it, it is well worth the $4 admission price.
But here's the thing - this movie night is as much FOR the theater as it is for us. We desire that NCCd be a church making a positive impact on our city. One way to do that is to be an active presence IN our city - Movie Night is a chance for just that. Being FOR our city should also be tangible - a quantifiable positive impact. Spending money - even $4 is just that. So, join the NCCd crew this Sunday afternoon at the Cox Capitol Theater as we strive to be with and for our city! The movie starts at 5:00PM. Let them know at the box office that you are with New City Church. See you there.

What A Difference A Year Makes... (Part II)

This past weekend was the final weekend of Macon's Cherry Blossom Festival. It was during the final week of last year's Cherry Blossom festival that Amy and I first entered the Capitol Theater.
So - this past weekend was - One year later.
One year later and the 567 Cafe had its first big night. We saw a steady flow of traffic, are displaying the art of 2 Macon artists, and had several musicians play the 567 stage. The 567 is a beautiful cafe (which is really my office during the week). Many of our visitors commented on how great it was to see life in the old building, vacant and boarded up for quite some time.

On a side note - One Year Later and with the 567 we have
already broken Health Dept rules and might be in trouble -

Ooooops!

One year later and we had our highest weekly attendance - 134 on Sunday (we are averaging 106).

One year later and we have a strong core group going through Tim Keller's Gospel Christianity. This week we studied sin - great discussion - great time of growing and learning together - great study in theology.
One year later and I am already having the joy of helping some other church planters think through their own plants. I have been talking with a planter in Newnan, a planter in Denver, and with a couple of young guys who are plugging into NCCd with the hopes of one day planting a church themselves.

This is really amazing! It was not until May 22 that I was even able to talk publicly about the church plant.

First Friday @ the 567 Cafe

We had a great night at the 567! A HUGE thanks to all of our New City Volunteers and especially to Jered Dey from Starbucks. Here are a few shots from the night...

What A Difference A Year Makes...

It is Cherry Blossom Festival time in Macon. Last year we had some great friends from Birmingham visit for a few days during the festival - the Dollars - hey Dollars! We were all talking about the possibility of planting a church. Nothing had been said publicly and no real commitment had been made at that point. Still, in my heart I knew it was going to happen, and I believed it would happen downtown - at the Capitol Theater.
1 Year ago was my first visit to the Capitol Theater.
1 Year ago Jason and I laughed and joked about possible church names.
1 Year ago my family and I were talking but not certain we would even do this.
1 Year ago New City Church was just a stirring.
What a difference a year makes!

the 567 logo

OK - our very own Beth Hyde has come up with some potentials for a logo for the 567. I narrowed it down to three (though they were all great, Beth). Vote for your fav.

# 1

# 2

# 3

What if...?

I was talking with one of our guys this week about the 567 and all that could be headed our way. We are both really excited about the potential. Then came the "what if...". A few needed "what ifs."
What if someone someone comes in with an alcoholic beverage?
Well, that will almost certainly happen! During First Fridays downtown the street drinking laws are suspended. So people come and go from shop to shop and store to store drinking alcoholic beverages. Our official stand as a church is that the Bible does not prohibit drinking, but drunkenness is a sin. (see below)

OK, then. What if someone who comes to the 567 is drunk?
discussion, discussion, discussion (just keeping it short)
We didn't recall that Jesus ever ran a drunk off - not even late into the wedding celebration where he had turned water into wine - GOOD wine.
So, we concluded that as long as a person was not a danger to himself or anyone else, and as long as he was not disruptive, what we would do is - nothing. If they are disruptive or unsafe, we will simply ask them to leave or escort them out. This, by the way is the same policy that we have for Sunday mornings at the theater. (you never know who might show up for a service)

If you haven't read our official position on alcohol - here it is, adopted from the Acts 29 Network.

First, we believe that all drunkenness is a sin (Deuteronomy 21:20; Ecclesiastes 10:17; Matthew 24:29; Luke 12:45; 21:34; Romans 13:13; 1 Corinthians 5:11, 6:10; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Peter 4:3).

Secondly, we believe that many horrendous sins are affiliated with drunkenness. Therefore, getting drunk is a sin that can lead to other sins, such as incest (Genesis 19:32–35), violence (Proverbs 4:17), adultery (Revelation 17:2), mockery and brawling (Proverbs 20:1), poverty (Proverbs 21:17), late night and early morning drinking (Isaiah 5:11–12), hallucinations (Isaiah 28:7), foolish behavior (Isaiah 5:22;
Jeremiah 51:39), murder (2 Samuel 11:13), vomiting (Jeremiah 25:27; 48:26; Isaiah 19:14), staggering (Jeremiah 25:27; Psalm 107:27; Job 12:25), madness (Jeremiah 51:7), shameful nakedness (Habakkuk 2:15; Lamentations 4:21), sloth (Joel 1:5), escapism (Hosea 4:11), and depression (Luke 21:34). In summary, sin leads to death and the sin of drunkenness produces only death and misery.

Thirdly, we believe that Christian leaders are to live their lives in such a way as to set a positive example of holiness for others to emulate (Hebrews 13:7). This includes elders, the male senior leaders in the church, who are not to be drunkards (1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 1:7).

Fourthly, we do believe that all Christians must at varying times and in varying ways give up some of their Christian liberties in order to love people of weaker conscience. Christians must make every effort to not lead them into sin by exercising freedoms in their presence (Romans 14:21; 1 Corinthians 10:31–32).

From the567.org

Probably the biggest question we get as people check out the new space is, "so what is this place?" Hummmm - how do I answer that?
Well, the 567 is an office (my office - Keith Watson), a place for New City Church downtown to hold classes, but it is also much, much more!

Our hope is that The 567 becomes a WELL of sorts.
In ancient days the well served as a gathering place. It was the place where the people of the city went for refreshment and for necessity. It was the place where passersby stopped to rest on their journey. It was a place where all types, ages, and colors gathered. And when they gathered at the well, they connected with one another. We hope that the 567 becomes a gathering place for our city - a place of connecting for our community.

We also hope that The 567 becomes a place where creativity is celebrated. We live in a city of great diversity and great talent.
The 567 walls will display the creative work of artists from all over middle Georgia - drawings, paintings, sketches, photographs...
The 567 stage will host some of middle Georgia's most talented singers, musicians, and song writers - rock, folk, country, gospel, old and new...

What will it all look like? We aren't sure! But we are excited about the possibilities!