Now Serving "Satanic Coffee"

A year ago Starbucks Coffee introduced their "the way I See It" campaign. The campaign put various quotes on their cups from a wide range of people. Here are a couple of the quotes:

"Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imaginations for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure."

Heaven is totally overrated. It seems boring. Clouds, listening to people play the harp. It should be somewhere you can?t wait to go, like a luxury hotel. Maybe blue skies and soft music were enough to keep people in line in the 17th century, but Heaven has to step it up a bit. They're basically getting by because they only have to be better than Hell. -- Joel Stein, columnist for the Los Angeles Times.

The Christian community was in an uproar over such quotes! Starbucks was boycotted and they were the talk of Christian radio and print as well. Starbucks is also known to support all sorts of non-Christian organizations - like GLAAD (The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation).

And here we are, New City Church inviting Starbucks to sell their coffee - in the minds of some - SATANIC COFFEE - from our new space - New City cafe. Keith, what are you thinking?!?!?
I am thinking that this will allow us to have great conversations with people we otherwise would never talk to!
I am thinking that most gay and lesbians would never enter the doors of our traditional churches, but maybe over a good cup of coffee we will have an opportunity for conversations and new relationships.
I am thinking - I hope they still have some of those cups! What a great way to start up a conversation!
I am thinking that Starbucks will be selling their coffee, the rest is up to us!
And I am incredibly excited about the opportunities to come!

National Resurgence Conference: LIVE FEED

Live Streaming Video

Matt Chandler, Mark Driscoll, John Piper, Jim Gilmore

Here's the schedule, all times are PST

Tuesday, February 26, 2008
9:00 am Session 4 – Jim Gilmore – Context: Fear and Trembling in the Experience Economy

10:45 am Session 5 – Matt Chandler - Text & Context: Preaching the Gospel in the Center of the Evangelical World
1:00 pm Session 6 – John Piper - Text & Context: How My Pastoral Ministry Shapes my Pulpit Ministry
2:45 pm Session 7 – Mark Driscoll - The Ox: Qualifications of a Church Planter (Acts 29 Session)4:15 pm Session 8 – Matt Chandler - Vision of a Church Planter (Acts 29 Session)
7:00 pm Session 9 – John Piper - Text: How Do I Distinguish Between Gospel and False Gospel?9:00 pm Q & A with John Piper

Wednesday, February 27, 2008
10:00 am Session 10 – Jim Gilmore – Context: Decoding the Future, the Phoniness, and the Shifting Sands

11:20 am Q& A with Jim Gilmore1:00 pm Session 11 – Mark Driscoll – Text & Context: Preaching Jesus Christ To Pagan Culture

2:15 pm Q & A with Mark Driscoll

Coffee Conversations

One of the desires that we have for our new space is that it be used as a community meeting place - not as church space where we seek to "attract" people from the community and once attracted we secretly slip them a well hidden gospel pill and woo them over to the light by our fun and entertaining cool hip groovy modern post-modern set up... sorry I digress.
Our hope is to have a space that contributes to the good of our city, that serves as a meeting place for our culture, and a place where new relationships can begin.
Today we were granted another H U G E step in that direction. Starbucks has agreed to work with New City Church downtown at the New City Cafe. Starbucks will come in on First Fridays, during the upcoming Cherry Blossom festival, Brag Jam and other events, set up in the New City Cafe and sell their coffee. Our folks will work side by side with the Starbucks folks in taking orders, taking money, and all of the other stuff that goes along with a coffee shop! A portion of the proceeds will come back to the New City Cafe. Starbucks is also saying that they would be more than willing to do more events.
So - we will contribute to the good of our city by bring Starbucks downtown and bringing more people downtown as well as by providing an alternative to bars. We will set up like a coffee shop, providing a place for our community to meet, and for us to serve and meet our community - forming new relationships. Within these new relationships and new coffee conversations, I believe that we will also have many opportunities for Gospel Conversation!

Local Art @ New City cafe

It looks like we have our first local artist lined up to display work in our new space - Glenn Grossman. Glenn is a photographer in Macon and has done a lot of great work for New City through Mail South. Many of the photos on our web page are Glenn's work (he took oer 400 shots of our 1st service at no charge!).
I can't wait to see it all come together!

Gospel Talk

One of the signs that a message is being heard/processed/ assimilated is that the message becomes a regular part of conversation. I don't mean the message itelf, but that conversations begin to be shaped by the content of the message. Over this last week - from last Sunday through today I have have had a number of conversations with different people involved at different levels with New City and time and time again the conversations centered on some aspect of the Gospel. From a thanks for the difference that the Gospel has made in the life of a "religious" person, and a 1 hour (or more) conversation with a guy who is just beginning to explore salvation by grace through faith, to conversations with three different long time Christians who each shared a life of religious legalism apart from a relationship of grace and mercy and love. Just today two people shared how glad they were to be able to listen to messages on-line, one a first time visitor to New City, the other sharing that even after hearing last weeks message on Sunday, he listened twice more during the week (a reflection of God's good work, not my own). Exciting. I am hearing a change in talk. I believe that reflects the start of a change in thought.

Thanks for Mr. Wendell and Mrs. Peggy

I am thankful for all of the great people God has placed in my path and the path of my family. Wendell and Peggy Price are a couple of those people (that's me and Wendell at New City). Wendell was a particularly strong influence in my life. As a 20 something new believer I had much to learn - Mr. Wendell was willing to teach!
Amy and I left the class we were expected to attend at our church and joined Mr. Wendell's Sunday School class - we learned a lot and grew under Wendell and Peggy's teaching.
Through the years Wendell has continued to be a part of our lives and his teaching and love of Jesus continue to influence us. Today I am particularly thankful for Wendell and Peggy.

Vintage Jesus - Waiting for My Copy

Mark Driscoll's new book Vintage Jesus should soon arrive. Should be a good read. Here's the write up from the web site:
Chapter 1 Is Jesus the Only God?
Chapter 2 How Human Was Jesus?
Chapter 3 How Did People Know Jesus Was Coming?
Chapter 4 Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?
Chapter 5 Why Did Jesus' Mom Need to Be a Virgin?
Chapter 6 What Did Jesus Accomplish on the Cross?
Chapter 7 Did Jesus Rise from Death?
Chapter 8 Where Is Jesus Today?
Chapter 9 Why Should We Worship Jesus?
Chapter 10 What Makes Jesus Superior to Other Saviors?
Chapter 11 What Difference Has Jesus Made in History?
Chapter 12 What Will Jesus Do upon His Return?
These questions are answered with insights from people such as Jesus himself, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Luther King Jr., Hugh Hefner, Jack Bauer, Fidel Castro, Oprah, Kanye West, Gandhi, Homer Simpson, Mike Tyson, Gil Grissom, and Madonna, along with some demons and a porn star. There have been seventeen thousand books written about Jesus, but none is like Vintage Jesus.

For those not familiar with Driscoll's humor - LOOK OUT!

New City Store Front

Here's a few shots of the store front we are working toward.

I took a letter to New Town Macon today outlining our desire for the property as well as our uses and budget for additional space. The official address is 571 Cherry Street (though the building shows different #s). The space above is the new location for the 11th Hour.

Becoming A Missional Community

I love to hear the stories of God's Gospel work in our midst.
I love seeing our New City Community begin to take shape as people begin to grasp the Gospel call of Christ to His followers to be missionaries in their context and culture.
Check out how a family can be missional together - HERE.
Think about the impact this will have on 2 little boys as they grow!

With and For Our City - New Space

I posted earlier that we were looking for more space downtown. I have been looking for some time but had stepped up efforts in the last couple of weeks. The search has not been real encouraging.
The difficult part has been finding adequate space, for below market rent, that doesn't need MAJOR work, and is really really close to the theater.
We want space that we can use, but more than church use, we want property that is smack in the middle of downtown life, a space that we could use as a "coffee shop" on First Fridays and during events like the Cherry Blossom Festival and Bragg Jam. We wanted a place that could also be used for things like exhibiting the works of local artist, and that could even hold some small music events. We want a building that serves the community and helps us build new relationships in the city.
We need a lot, but we can only pay a little! (See why the search wasn't very encouraging)
I have talked with a couple of real estate agents and New Town Macon - and nothing - until Friday. Friday afternoon I received an e-mail from New Town Macon asking if I could meet with one of their guys and a downtown developer. Today we met. The developer saw our plans for use and talked with his partners - they all agreed that they would be willing to "break even" and not make a profit in order to get us into the space. As we were talking about how much New City could pay, the guy from New Town spoke up and said, "We want you in that building as well. So we are going to pay the owners what you can't. And we may have some money available to help you get set up in the building."
Get this - the building fronts on Cherry street - it is in the heart of the night life and event life downtown. Its back door is less than 75 feet from the Theater's back door. The building is not quite finished from a complete remodel - everything is new! We will pick out paint, flooring, and fixtures. We will not have any work to do to get it ready and it pretty much meets every requirement we have had!
How awesome is all that! Once more God does far more than I could have imagined!
So we take another step toward truly being WITH and for our city!

Darrin Patrick on the mission

“Jesus of Nazareth came on a mission. He was not looking for the well, the found, or the righteous. His mission was not about starting a ministry that would produce programs to be consumed by nice, attractive, middle-class, white, suburban, couples with 2.5 kids. It wasn’t a country club with nice, painted, iron gates that Jesus inaugurated. It was a church that Jesus founded with its calling to storm the gates of hell. The church he founded was not a place for people to get fed and fat, but a place to be equipped and sent. Church is not a building or destination, but a people who are on mission: to join the Savior in seeking and saving those who are lost.”

quote from Scott Thomas - here

Darrin Patrick is pastor at the Journey in St Louis

"missional vs seeker churches" by Mark Driscoll

Part 1:



Part 2:

streaming video

Big Thanks to our friends at SPARK. SPARK designed and takes care of our web site. Lindsey worked a little harder for us and posted a streaming video of our baptism service! Some of our music made the cut as well. So - if you want to visit New City but aren't sure what to expect or maybe you just can't join us on Sunday - now you can, sort of!
Thanks Scott and Lindsey.

"missional vs. seeker churches" by Tim Keller

More Baptism pics

This is our "baptismal pool." Jessica started our new tradition of having the pool signed by everyone who gets baptized. (Thanks for the great idea papi)

After the baptism shot - thats Jessica's sister, me, Jessica, and her mom. The band just felt like they HAD to be a part of the shot!

Gospel Joy @ NCCd

What A Day!

Great music from the band

Anny's Gospel Story

Jessica's Gospel Story

Melissa's testimony of Jessica's Gospel transformation

New City's first Baptism (which included Incredibly loud cheering from everyone present!)

More great music

Volunteers serving

Thanks God for letting me be a part of it!

Knowing and Preaching the Authoritative Scripture

Matt Chandler, the Village Church

Dwell - 4/29-4/30

Dwell Conference

I am registered and plane ticket purchased!!! Check out the lineup below - WOW

"This is shaping up to look like nothing we have ever done before. We are making it more experiential and transformational, rather than informational. In other words, you can't get it all by downloading sessions. We have been consulting with both conference experts and with PhD's in adult learning styles." Scott Thomas

The schedule is below. dwell – urban church planting conference New York City - April 29-30, 2008 160 Central Park West New York, NY 10023

SCHEDULE

April 29

9:00-9:20 Emcee welcome Emcee crowd interview Worship (3 songs) led by Tim Smith

9:20-9:50 - CJ Mahaney: Dwelling in the Cross

9:50-10:05 - Table Talk based on CJ's talk 10:05-10:15 - CJ gets table responses and wraps up 10:15-10:30 Break

10:30-10:45 Emcee dialogue component

10:45-11:15 Ed Stetzer: Dwelling in the Kingdom

11:15-11:40 Table talk 11:40-11:45 Emcee collects questions

11:45-12:10 Ed responds

12:10-1:10 Lunch and Acts 29 Workshop

1:10-1:25 Emcee dialogue component* Worship (2 songs)

1:25-2:00 Darrin Patrick: Dwelling with non-Christians

2:00-6:00 NYC Experience (participants break into 10 groups to experience a NYC venue to examine how to contextualize the gospel)

6:00-7:00 Dinner (on own)

7:00-7:15 3 Worship songs

7:15-7:30 3 reports from 3 of the City Life experiences – 3 mins / max

7:30-8:00 Mark Driscoll: dwelling in the text

8:00-8:25 Table talk: 2 Critical questions

8:25-8:30 Emcee collects questions

8:30-8:55 Mark responds

8:55-9:00 One worship song & Benediction to close.

9:05 to dawn church planters wreak havoc on the Upper West Side

April 30

9:00-9:20 Emcee welcome Emcee crowd interview Worship (3 songs)

9:20-9:50 - CJ Mahaney: Dwelling in Humility

9:50-10:05 - Table Talk

10:05-10:15 - CJ gets table responses and wraps up talk.

10:15-10:30 Break

10:30-10:50 Tim Keller: Dwelling in the Gospel

10:50-11:05 Table talk – 2 Critical questions fashioned by Tim.

11:05-11:25 Tim Keller – Part 2 of Dwelling in the Gospel

11:25-11:50 Q&A 11:50-12:00 3 reports from 3 of the City Life experiences – 3 mins / max

12:00-1:00 Lunch and Redeemer Workshop

1:00-1:20 Emcee – Dialogue component* Worship (3 songs)

1:20-1:50 Mark Driscoll: Dwelling thru the Text

1:50-2:05 Table talk or Q&A

2:05-2:15 Mark gets responses from groups and then wraps up.

2:15-2:30 Break

2:30-3:00 Tim Keller: Dwelling in the Gospel

3:00-3:25 Table talk: 1 Question given by Tim and then one question that each table generates to ask panel during Q&A.

3:25-3:30 Emcee gets reports from tables

3:30 – 4:30 Panel discussion with Mark Driscoll and Tim Keller

Looking for Some Space

NCCd is currently looking for a store front property in very close proximity to the Capitol Theater. We believe that it is a needed step in establishing a more visible presence downtown. We believe that this additional space will provide an avenue for new and expanded relationships, dialogue, and ultimately Gospel transformation.

The additional space would allow us to expand our New City Kids ministry, provide office space, additional meeting space, and a place for our band to practice.

But more than that, we would like to see a “coffee shop” set up for First Friday and Cherry Blossom events in the city, where our musicians play, coffee is enjoyed, and new relationships are developed. We would also like to offer the art community a place to display their work on a regular basis opening yet another door to new relationships and new Gospel opportunities. The possible uses are many - the desire is to create a tool whereby we see the Gospel transform everything within our reach!

To see this happen, NCCd needs your prayers, your giving, and your hearts set on seeing Gospel transformation!

click on the image for more info

House Churches Gathering on Sundays

Where are we headed? The picture to the left explains that in part. The short - a church of house churches who gather together on Sundays for worship.

Our Gospel Christianity Class (by Tim Keller) is the next step toward becoming that church. If you haven't signed up, e-mail me.

click the image to enlarge

Guess What This Is?

One of the great adventures of church planting is just figuring things out! How do we do this or what can we use for that?
You have to be creative and resourceful!
So, how do you baptize in a theater without spending thousands of dollars for a portable baptismal?
How about a 150 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank - I think the "stock" might have something to do with livestock? Just add water - This should be fun!

Feb is Bring Your Peanut Butter to Church Month

February is Bring Your Peantut Butter to Church Month!
Ok - not really YOUR peanut butter! Bring an unopened jar of peanut butter to church.
<---- That's me and my jar.

We're collecting peanut butter all month for the Macon Baptist Association's ministry center. The center helps families in need from all over middle Georgia. Peanut Butter is high in protein and is an easier/safer/less expensive source for protein than meat. So, you can help New City help others by bringing a jar or several jars of peanut butter to church this Sunday!