This past Sunday (the 6th) our Lydia was baptized. There is a neat parallel between our Lydia and the Lydia of Acts 16 - the Lydia of the Bible was the first recorded Christian convert in Europe and Lydia was our Community's first baptism. How cool is that! We had a packed house on Sunday (29 total; 15 adults and 14 children) as the picture indicates.
Some of you may be wondering what we're aiming for as a church plant. In other words, you may be thinking, "What will determine whether or not this plant is pursuing 'success'?" That is a fantastic question! For us, we have 5 goals and corresponding questions that keep us on track. They are:
- Multiplication: Ongoing multiplication at every level (disciples, leaders, Gospel Communities, etc.) Have we multiplied at every level this year?
- 80%: Genesis’ community consists of 80% new or prodigal Christians. Does 80% of the Genesis community consist of new or prodigal Christians?
- Generosity towards the Kingdom: Regular, planned support through prayers and finances toward Kingdom work outside of ourselves. Does a portion of our annual budget go towards Kingdom work outside of the work we are doing (church plants, mission organizations, etc.)?
- Generosity towards the City: Regular, planned support through prayers, finances, and service for the good of the city. Is a portion of our annual budget dedicated for community blessing? Is each Gospel Community working with a community organization for the good of the City?
- Diversity: Being a community that imitates the ethnic and socio-economic diversity of South Minneapolis. Are we a more diverse community than we were 6 months ago?
In a wide variety of ways we are pursuing each of these five goals. If you would like to pray for us or financially invest in us and our mission in South Minneapolis, follow the links below.
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