We have chosen as our theme EAST POINTE ON MISSION: EXPANDING THE JOURNEY, and our focus is very specific: We are targeting specific Church Planting efforts here in the United States and abroad.

Planting new churches is.....by far.....the most strategic and effective means of community evangelism in the world today. 

East Pointe itself was a church plant some 19 years ago. We became a true " Mother Church", and we are facilitating multiple church plants. We enthusiastically embrace our Missions Vision and direction.

You can also experience this new thing that God is doing here at East Pointe by buying into EAST POINTE ON MISSION: EXPANDING THE JOURNEY! 

 

 

Scott Hofert(L) & Matt O'Neil(R)

We have identified 5 areas in the city where we are asking God to provide us with opportunities for relationships.

·  Area 1: Community Recreation "God provide our team with pockets of influence and relationships within places of recreation and play in the Dilworth Uptown area. Help us to utilize our resources, time and energy effectively in this area.

·  Area 2: Governmental and Developmental agencies "God we desire to know areas of the city that are experiencing specific growth. Help us to know the type of people moving into the center city so that your expression of Watershed will reach out to the masses.

·  Area 3: Corporate Entities "God there is an enormous corporate presence here. We pray for pockets of relationships within the work force that for the first time, experience Jesus and connect to the people of God."

·  Area 4: Serving Hubs "God, provide us with ministry partners in Charlotte and abroad so that through our serving, we can express our love for you.

·  Area 5: Relational Networks "Provide us with pockets of friendships from personal references from our friends and family that live outside of the Charlotte city and North Carolina region.

watershedcharlotte.com   Matt O'Neil

 

 

Matt & Tracy Penland

Ekklesia - Experiencing and Expressing Christ
Individually and in Community

How all this started2000 years ago Jesus said "I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it." The people of Ekklesia consider this the starting point.

People in the Mid-West are inundated with smug, pious, lifeless, religion and for some time now it has been our desire to model a Christian lifestyle that accurately reflects Jesus. The Spirit of God has been moving in the hearts and minds of Christ-followers in Lincoln for several years, calling them to restore the purposes of God individually and as a community. From that God has assembled a small group of people whose desire is to express the heart of God. A movement of people living like Jesus.

We who make up Ekklesia are convinced that if we can spend enough time with the Lord to overcome our fears and inhibitions and if we can somehow find release from the shackles of concern about what others think of us, then perhaps God will enable us to impact an emerging culture with the life transforming message of Grace.

Ekklesia has an explorer/pioneering spirit with a desire to expand the Kingdom of God. And before we can even begin to discover how the church can really exist, we must first be willing to die. We must be willing to give up our conveniences and our traditions, and our preferences - everything that places us above others.

At Ekklesia we're not just going to change a little bit so that we don't die as a church. We're going to reinvent ourselves by the Spirit of God so that we can speak into the culture the most effective way possible. As the Body of Christ, what's the most we can do to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ in a way that is unavoidable and irresistible?

Why Nebraska?
Relationships! No kidding, Relationships! I can still remember standing outside of study hall at the University of Nebraska trying to explain to Kevin who God really was. Kevin had grown up in church but his idea of who God was and how God operated was far from the truth. It was at that point in time when I realized that I had been entrusted with the truth and it was my responsibility to share that truth with others. Luke 12:48 expressed my feelings: Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given. I knew at that point I had been given much more. As I continued my journey through life, the more I came into contact with people who were foreigners to the truth of the Bible. Like Kevin, they had a genuine hunger and desire to know God, but didn't know where to start. It was during my time at the University that I discovered a love for the people of Nebraska and an increasing desire to help people with the truth of God's Word.

ekklesialink.net   Matt & Tracy Penland

 

Thangkholal Haokip

 
India Church PlanterDegree: Masters of Divinity, Hindustan Bible College, India. Age 29

I was born into a Christian family but due to poverty, was raised in Emmanuel Children Home. I have seven sisters and three brothers. I accepted Christ at the age of 13 and I have a call to serve the Lord in North India, probably in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh where thousands of people are dying everyday without Christ. My vision for this ministry includes: Church planting, training for new pastors, a seminary, orphanage and Christian school.

Personal Mission Statement: To reach Nothern Indians and train them to reach their own community with the Gospel of Christ. Email: 

 

 

Suresh Sawant

 
India Church PlanterMasters of Divinity in Hindustan Bible Institute, South India. 26 years old.

I grew up in a small farming community in Northern India. My parents were very poor and so I was sent to Emmanuel Orphanage to live in 1988. In that same year my Father passed away because of the effect of black magic done by one of our neighbor's.

I was also affected by the magic and was on the death bed for three months vomiting blood. There was no hope to live and study in the school. Staff and the little kids in the orphanage prayed for me and I was miraculously saved from the danger. I have since then completed my studies of High School and three years of Bible College at Emmanuel Bible Institute in Kota, India. In April I will graduate with a Masters of Divinity from Hindustan Bible Institute in South India

My vision is to reach the people of Aurangabad in Maharastra. There are 1.8 Million people living there. It is composed of 60% Hindus, 30% Muslims, 8% other and 2% Christian. Every day people in this place enter into eternity without ever hearing the name of Jesus. This city and state needs the Gospel.

My primary ministry focus is to (1)develop the native leaders and native missionaries, (2)to start the church planting movement, (3)to raise the native workers to provide motherly care for the down trodden, orphans and destitute, and (4)to provide education for tribal communities. Email:

 

 

Jeff & Ethel Thomas 

February 2007 ushered in with new programs! We are taking a break from building projects so that we can focus on spiritual and numeric growth. This month we are increasing attendance through a program called Casting the Net. It involves several levels of fishing: 1. In Stocked Ponds, 2. Freshwater (river ways and lakes, and 3. Deep Sea Fishing. Having finished another stage of remodeling we can turn our eyes toward outreach as we let the power tools charge and the paint brushes dry. Having grown up on a farm in Central Florida , I know a little bit about fishing for catfish in a stocked pond. All you have to do is bait your hook with floating catfish food while the ladies make the hush puppies and grits. Soon you will have your catch. Now well fed fish are fat and lazy. I compare them to the members in my church. We are studying the epistle of Romans. This week we enter chapter 13. With over 500 pages of notes handed out to date, the flock is fat. It has been a good series, but a large part of the focus of Romans is about action, particularly evangelism. Casting the Net encourages the people to: 1) Be punctual and regular in attendance, 2) Participate in all of the ministries 3) Bring others into the fold. 

I also grew up fishing the Floridian water ways. I was fortunate enough to troll every lake in Central Florida before aquatic plants choked out oxygen and access. It is a lot more fun to fish like this, because you learn to expect anything and the anticipation of the unknown is the key part of the sport. I compare this to local outreach. This month we are firing up new dimensions of our youth ministry. We are renting a small sport center equipped for Volleyball, Court Soccer, Basketball and cook outs. It is adjacent to our property so it works out real well in regards to directing the neighborhood youth to our church. We will start the event in our building to make that initial contact.

Can you believe that I lived in a port city for sixteen years and never went fishing there? From Golfito the boats reached blue waters in 20 minutes (by the way that church just had 3 saved and practiced baptisms). I did enjoy all of the fresh sea food. One of the best fish was Congrio. It is a strange looking animal, but then again the deeper the waters, the more unusual the fish. The depths, the lack of light and the pressure make some pretty monstrous creatures. This past Thursday the founder of a drug rehabilitation center spoke for us. Thirty women and men from his program came with him. We heard a testimony of how Jesus Christ our Lord broke the chains of 30 years of bondage. One man told us how he lived in the streets for 5 years without a hair cut and 2 years without bathing. With wounds from fire arms and knives in his body and the loss of an eye, he stood before us and quoted several verses from Isaiah. He was one among many trophies of grace. The founder gave us a chat on prevention and the signs of addition in young people. He also showed us how to deal with the people who show up at our church asking for help. Most importantly he has agreed to help us start an outreach program. “Go out a little further Peter!” What we find in the depths is not always pleasant to the eye, but we can not ignore the call and God´s arm is long enough to reach them all.

It has been quoted that the real danger for the local New Testament Church is not from the outside, but from taking on water. Our church is committed to staying with our Baptist Heritage. I am working on my doctorate with Louisiana Baptist University and I assure you that I am encouraged by the conservative position of this university and the truth that emanates from them. I want to set up a program with them to train nationals. I will serve as a proctor. As far as the vessel, we have a great building thanks to many of you. I want to make special thanks to Liberty Baptist Church who sent a group down in February. They came to see a floor they paid for. Friend, if you sent money for something, then you can come down and sit in it, walk on it or see it. God has been good to us and we know He has called us to be faithful administrators. 

Thank you for your generous support!,

Jeff, Ethel, Grant and Ashleigh Thomas