Part-2: Planting is not easy, but still excellent!

In my last blog post of July 27, 2014, I spoke to the myth that after the launch and the first couple years of getting established, church planting starts getting easier.  Not true.  The difficulties simply change.  After all, if you're doing real front-line ministry, training disciples that multiply and impact a city, then it's never going to be easy...but will still be excellent...as you move forward in obedience of faith!  

Over the next couple weeks, allow me to share a few stories of how I experienced first-hand some not easy, but still excellent moments of church planting.

Story-1:  Bumping into Bill
After moving to my plant site in 2003, I began looking for a space to call a "ministry center" for offices and general meeting space.  After searching for weeks, I caught a new "For Lease" sign in a window of a small strip mall.  I went in and found the owner in the midst of a clean-up.  The space had been a pet grooming store and it smelled like 70x70 wet dogs.  Still, it was the perfect size in a great location.  Trouble is, after I shared my new church vision, the owner told me I couldn't afford his space.  I left to look some more.  The very next day, however, the owner of the strip mall called me and invited me to lease his open space--- at a discount!

The Lord had led me to my "person of peace."  Bill Clifford liked me, enjoyed Jesus, and was intrigued by the vision of the new church start.  He wanted to bless me.  Eventually, Bill started worshipping at Rejoice!...so did his daughter and her family.  For the next 7-years before his death, Bill was always looking to assist me in his own unique ways.  He was an influential voice in the community and always spoke well of our church plant in such a manner that it opened up doors of influence.  My bumping into Bill was God ordained.

Indeed, searching for a worship center space was not easy, but it was still excellent...

Story-2: Hannah the not so Horrible. 
After I found a worship ministry facility, I also needed to find a Sunday morning worship site and a space in the community big enough to host 150 people for Alpha gatherings.  I approached the School District only to be given a list of 100 Do's and mostly Don'ts for rental of the 300 seat high school auditorium and connecting lunch room.  The person I had to work with was Hannah.  She was a toughie and I'm being nice.  I could tell that allowing us into the high school on Sundays was seemingly more of hassle than a benefit for Hannah.  Still, after the first 3-years of always paying our bills on time, cleaning-up after ourselves (and even better than how we found it) and treating the custodians with great respect, Hannah began to bend her own iron-rod rules.  Grace begets grace.  The next thing we know, we're getting two large closets on the theater stage to store all our worship and childcare equipment.  From then on, every time I walked into Hannah's office to book something new, the doors of welcome flew open for me.  By the time our church left the high school for our own building in our 9th year, the school had such high regard for church plants that it allowed another plant to move in right after us!

Indeed, searching for a worship space was not easy, but it was still excellent....

Next week...even more stories of miracles and turn-arounds....