7/14/22
Family and Friends of Redemption City Church,
On Sunday June 9, 2019, RCC opened its door with the launch of our DNA Series with about 70 people in attendance. Woo hoo, it was an amazing day!
With nothing more than a few thousand dollars behind our name, we have embarked on an incredible journey of salvations, baby dedications, baptisms, and so much more. Starting with five core families we’ve had the pleasurable opportunity to minister to over 215 people who have come through our ministry and at least another couple hundred that have partnered with us online. So, if I were to describe our ministry with one word it would be: BLESSED.
And to this day, I have been so blessed to lead and serve the Beaverton, Hillsboro area with the hopes that many would come to see:
- the Bible as trustworthy
- God as a good Father
-the local church as central to holy and joyful living.
In September of 2021, Redemption City Church temporarily closed its public expression of church due to strains on our ministry from the
global pandemic. We were 1 of every 5 churches that suffered greatly from this season of shutdown.
And because of the health risks it posed for me and other high-risk leaders and members within our community, we launched our church-bubbling initiative for families who could satisfy our bubble precautions. And so those within our bubble were able to attend our full services once again! And for the other families who had job or life circumstances that would not allow, we worked tirelessly to create an online experience for them to not only join us, but to still THRIVE with as much immersion as possible. From weekly home deliveries of resource materials and occasional communion, we worked hard to ensure every person connected to our ministry had what they needed.
And God has been so kind to us in that we’ve been able to extend our ministry to a few dozen more across multiple state lines. Every month these families have joined us for our church services as well! So if I were to describe our ministry up to this point with one word it would be: FAITHFUL.
As we head deeper into this summer, the one word that best describes what our church needs as we move forward and discern our next steps is REST.
All throughout Scripture, we see God working through people and nations across seasons. And in Ecclesiastes, we learned that there is a season and time for everything.
As the pastor of this local body, I have a burning desire to see Redemption City Church become a shining light within a community that is “ready” with good soil to plant our next public expression in. But before moving into buildings, creating budgets, and making decisions, “soil-assessment” is needed.
Let’s step into an agricultural metaphor for a moment. If you keep planting seeds that produce no fruit, you’ve either got bad seeds or bad soil, right? OK so I think with me. In Romans 1:16 God makes it clear that gospel seeds are never lacking in power to save. So, what does that mean?
The problem must always be the soil…every time…
As I have prayerfully explored the “soil” around us, the one word that best comes to mind is CULTIVATION.
Simply put, cultivation must always come before sowing seed. And the soil in this area isn’t ready nor available right now for RCC to launch its next plant in a way that would bear great fruit to what we believe God has called us to do. And so the cultivation of the soil must become more of our aim and priority. And cultivation is the one thing our ministry is prepared to place our main energy and focus towards.
So what does the season of cultivating truly look like experientially?
It looks like a season of:
Over the next 12 months, we will prayerfully put our efforts towards our home church to pray and respond to these objects. We won’t do anything big or flashy. Just faithful cultivating of the soil of our own lives and the hopeful expectation of the many lives we will come into contact with. I’m at peace and thankful to have a clear vision of where to lead us next. And I’m excited to journey alongside those whom God provides.
With All My Heart,
Pastor Brandon
Family and Friends of Redemption City Church,
On Sunday June 9, 2019, RCC opened its door with the launch of our DNA Series with about 70 people in attendance. Woo hoo, it was an amazing day!
With nothing more than a few thousand dollars behind our name, we have embarked on an incredible journey of salvations, baby dedications, baptisms, and so much more. Starting with five core families we’ve had the pleasurable opportunity to minister to over 215 people who have come through our ministry and at least another couple hundred that have partnered with us online. So, if I were to describe our ministry with one word it would be: BLESSED.
And to this day, I have been so blessed to lead and serve the Beaverton, Hillsboro area with the hopes that many would come to see:
- the Bible as trustworthy
- God as a good Father
-the local church as central to holy and joyful living.
In September of 2021, Redemption City Church temporarily closed its public expression of church due to strains on our ministry from the
global pandemic. We were 1 of every 5 churches that suffered greatly from this season of shutdown.
And because of the health risks it posed for me and other high-risk leaders and members within our community, we launched our church-bubbling initiative for families who could satisfy our bubble precautions. And so those within our bubble were able to attend our full services once again! And for the other families who had job or life circumstances that would not allow, we worked tirelessly to create an online experience for them to not only join us, but to still THRIVE with as much immersion as possible. From weekly home deliveries of resource materials and occasional communion, we worked hard to ensure every person connected to our ministry had what they needed.
And God has been so kind to us in that we’ve been able to extend our ministry to a few dozen more across multiple state lines. Every month these families have joined us for our church services as well! So if I were to describe our ministry up to this point with one word it would be: FAITHFUL.
As we head deeper into this summer, the one word that best describes what our church needs as we move forward and discern our next steps is REST.
All throughout Scripture, we see God working through people and nations across seasons. And in Ecclesiastes, we learned that there is a season and time for everything.
As the pastor of this local body, I have a burning desire to see Redemption City Church become a shining light within a community that is “ready” with good soil to plant our next public expression in. But before moving into buildings, creating budgets, and making decisions, “soil-assessment” is needed.
Let’s step into an agricultural metaphor for a moment. If you keep planting seeds that produce no fruit, you’ve either got bad seeds or bad soil, right? OK so I think with me. In Romans 1:16 God makes it clear that gospel seeds are never lacking in power to save. So, what does that mean?
The problem must always be the soil…every time…
As I have prayerfully explored the “soil” around us, the one word that best comes to mind is CULTIVATION.
Simply put, cultivation must always come before sowing seed. And the soil in this area isn’t ready nor available right now for RCC to launch its next plant in a way that would bear great fruit to what we believe God has called us to do. And so the cultivation of the soil must become more of our aim and priority. And cultivation is the one thing our ministry is prepared to place our main energy and focus towards.
So what does the season of cultivating truly look like experientially?
It looks like a season of:
- High investment into friendships and family; aimed at building high degrees of trust.
- Learning our communities and churches in the area better and making relationships and partnerships with people.
- Figuring out all the unnecessary offenses we can bring to an area so we can avoid doing so as we prepare to bring unnecessary offense of a very challenging gospel to a culture far from God.
- Guiding people not always directly to Christ; but rather, helping to remove their man-made thorns that keep them from trusting him in the first place.
- Praying for a community to be called to into building a deep and palpable heart and affection for them.
- Learning how to create a financial model that is not dependent on the people we are trying to reach.
- Developing the energy that every encounter we have with someone matters and to not waste our opportunities.
- Developing a community of people that are committed for the long haul; not short-term projects.
- Working hard to restore Christianity ‘s reputation in the first place.
- Creating an organism that feels less like an organization.
Over the next 12 months, we will prayerfully put our efforts towards our home church to pray and respond to these objects. We won’t do anything big or flashy. Just faithful cultivating of the soil of our own lives and the hopeful expectation of the many lives we will come into contact with. I’m at peace and thankful to have a clear vision of where to lead us next. And I’m excited to journey alongside those whom God provides.
With All My Heart,
Pastor Brandon
