By John Cassidy
Pastor – Hope Community Church
Antelope, California
I am thrilled to share the incredible journey God has been orchestrating for our church, paving the way for a permanent facility that seemed beyond our reach. It’s a story of faith, prayer, and unexpected miracles.
For years, I would drive by a massive, unoccupied box store in our community, envisioning it as an ideal place for a church building. The size, a staggering 54,000 square feet, and the quoted price, $8 million, initially seemed impossible. However, around two years ago, I prayed specifically about this building—asking God to open doors for Hope Community Church to make it our home or reveal another suitable space.
Fast forward to May 2023 when a conversation with a businessman from our church took an unexpected turn. Almost impulsively, I asked if he’d consider purchasing the $8 million building and subleasing a part of it to our church at a reasonable rate. To my surprise, he responded, “Let me pray about it.” I immediately enlisted two others to pray specifically for this opportunity.
I literally gasped in shock the next time I talked to him . . .
The newest Missional Initiatives newsletter features content from Karen Wilk, member of the Missional Initiatives Team. Check out an excerpt from a chapter Karen wrote for Kingdom and Country, edited by Angie Ward, as well as resources to help you discern the Kingdom of God come near in your neighbourhood and how you can participate in it more fully.
As a conference, the NAB has consistently sought to lean into God’s desire for us as a church to be witnesses to our neighbors about who he is. This has been our vision, which we have described as being a sign, servant, and foretaste of the Kingdom of God. For over a decade now, the NAB has intentionally developed and delivered spaces for training, discussion, and spiritual growth to this end. Our strategy has included Blue Ocean, Discovery, and Ethos, each of which involve training leaders and members of NAB churches, helping them to live into this vision for their communities.
In a desire to continue to extend this vision into and through our churches, members of the NAB Executive Team are planning a cohort uniquely designed to reach emerging leaders, those twenty- and thirty-something women and men who are active leaders of our churches and who will continue to serve NAB churches for the decades to come.
We are planning three, three-month modules, each reflecting the three modules in Blue Ocean. The goal of this experience is to develop and enrich the relationships of our emerging leaders, to provide instruction and conversation about the movement of God in the world and how we participate, and to deepen the preparation of our emerging leaders for the future of the NAB.
If you are interested in this new cohort, or know of someone who would be a great candidate, we are currently accepting applications through May 31, 2024.
Triennial 2024 is coming up fast. Taking place in St. Paul, Minnesota, July 11–14, 2024, there are only 11 weeks until we all together together at the Saint Paul RiverCentre, located in downtown on the banks of the Mississippi.
Don’t delay; register today!