C3

New C3 website

2009-10-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks for visiting the C3 blog-with-an-identity-crisis!

We've been pretty busy at Convergence since I last signed in here to invite people to our launch. Now, I am posting again to invite you over to our website, which launched on October 6th. As fond as I am of this little not-a-blog, I have to say that the website that Tin Monkey Studios did for us is just a bit better- if you'd consider a 99% improvement a bit better. MAJOR thanks, Dorothea!

I hope you'll come over and take a look at the new site. If you do, send me a note and let me know what you think about it! www.loveliveserve.org

Thanks!

Jeff

This is It!

2009-04-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

C3's official launch is this weekend- April 12th!

If you are thinking of trying church again (or for the very first time) on Easter Sunday, we would love to have you come by and let us get to know you!

Convergence Christian Church meets at Memorial Parkway Junior High, located at the corner of Highland Knolls and Westgreen in Katy.

Our worship gathering will begin at 10:00 a.m., but feel free to come a little early and grab some coffee and donuts.

The great folks in our Kids Crossing ministry will be happy to get to know your 1st-5th grader, and have something special planned for them during the service.

After the worship gathering, everyone is invited to join us outside for an egg hunt- all the kids are welcome to look! The hunt will begin about 11:45, and will likely last for about 15-20 minutes, but you can hang around and chat as long as you like!

I hope to see you there,

Jeff

Confession: This is not a real blog

2009-01-07T06:43:00.000-08:00

The blog you are currently reading was originally created for one reason: I needed space to lay out some

foundational thoughts for the possible core team of a church plant. I didn't have a grand plan here; I just

wanted to make sure people had a place to go to see our basic timeline, our point and process (some people

might prefer to think of this as our mission or vision or purpose), and what we believe about some

important Scriptural stuff.

But, as can sometimes happen, I decided to "add" a thing or two. The introduction of Zeke seemed to fit

into things I'd want curious folks to know. Then, when we redesigned him, it seemed that I should share

that as well. It was all very innocent. But as soon as I shared Zeke's new look and our new logo, I made

this a "real" blog. You know, the kind that someone might expect actually gets updated with new posts.

So I've decided to come clean with you and just say up front that this isn't a real blog. What you read

below is certainly important if your wondering about C3 and what we're about, but overall, the content here is

pretty static. If you're looking for a blog with everyday (or week) updates about the church plant, the best

place to go is to our prayer partners blog, which you can get to by clicking here. And if for some reason

you are curious about me and my random thoughts, you are welcome to click on this link.

But if you decide to become a regular visitor at one of our other blogs, don't feel sorry for the

not-quite-a-blog-with-an-identity-crisis that you're currently reading. You see, we have plans for all this

stuff, too. Currently we're working on finishing up our website, and when it goes online all the info you see

here will have a new home.

In the meantime, thanks for visiting here- no matter what we call it, I'm glad you stopped by for a look!

Jeff

The Big Reveal!

2008-07-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

Here they are: Our new logo and "Zeke" are ready!

I'm pretty stoked about how they turned out. A HUGE thank you to Michael G. for the original Zeke, and Dorothea Y. for our new version, as well as the new logo and symbol. (Did you notice that his head was made by inverting the symbol in the logo?) Now that he's ready, you'll be seeing our buddy Zeke popping up in a variety of places.

Our next project in this arena is the completion of our website. Until we finalize though, please feel free to check out this and either of the other Convergence blogs as well to gather info, and check out our new community. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to leave a comment. Or send me an email at jeffh@loveliveserve.org . I'd love to chat with you!

In Him We Live,

Jeff

New Logo and "Zeke"!

2008-06-10T11:40:00.000-07:00

I get to hang out with some really groovy and talented people at Convergence; many who are already using their gifts to love, live, and serve.

One of our groovy and talented peeps is currently finishing a logo for the church, as well as a new version of our buddy, Zeke. As soon as she finishes, I'll be sure to share them with you. In the meantime, I just wanted to give you an update, and let you know that some very cool changes are on the way for our "ambassador of the point and process," as well as how you will see the church's name in print. I can't wait!

Who is "Zeke?"

2008-05-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

I think the metaphor of “the body” is one of my favorite descriptions of the Church.

The Church is a living, dynamic organism and the example that the apostle Paul gives of how ludicrous it would be to hear various parts of the human body lamenting their design or position paints a vivid picture of how much we need each other. It was that description that kept coming back into my mind as I thought about how we could explain some of the most important ways in which Convergence will Love, Live, and Serve. After scribbling a pretty horrible first draft down on paper, I knew I was going to need some serious help. So, I called my friend Michael and asked him to help bring my idea to life. What he came up with was "Zeke." The picture you see at the top left of this blog is just the first draft, and will likely have to change in appearance before he can be official (it seems that he might resemble the spokes character for a particular clothing line a little too much). But this drawing gives you an idea of what he represents.

Zeke’s head and heart represent our love for God. His hat and the front of his shirt are a reminder that prayer and worship are essential components to developing our love for God. His legs represent what it means to live in community. Discipleship and equipping are written on each pant leg as a visible reminder that these are the components that provide support as we grow in community with one another. Zeke’s arms represent our need to serve the world. His sleeves show people that we extend ourselves in service when we practice evangelism, missions and outreach.

2008-05-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

The Point and the Process

Many churches have mission, vision, or purpose statements. Typically, this statement explains “the point” of everything they do, and goals and objectives explain “the process” of how it can be accomplished.

At Convergence, the “point” of everything can be summed up in three words: “Love. Live. Serve.” We want to love God and love people. We want to live in authentic community. We want to grow servant leaders who serve the world.

Interestingly, the “process” for accomplishing this can be summed up in exactly the same way.

Based on Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:18-20, the greatest responsibility of everyone who is a follower of Christ is to “make disciples.” That is, to help people discover what it means to follow Jesus and to be like Him. Convergence is a simple, straightforward, New Testament Christian Church. From our beginning, we will be fiercely committed to maintaining a process for making disciples that is clear and concise. Everything we do will reflect this common mission and will contribute to the process of developing mature disciples of Jesus Christ.

Convergence will be intentional about cultivating our love for God through worship. Worship together. Worship privately. Worship as a lifestyle.
(Matthew 22:36-38; Romans 12:1-2)

Convergence will be intentional about cultivating opportunities to build and live in authentic community, and to “love one another.” Come as you are and learn, laugh, grow, and share. It is “life together.”
(Matthew 22:39; Ecclesiastes 4:8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27)

Convergence will be intentional about cultivating servant-leaders who want to serve the world. From day one, we will seek to live out the amazing love of God in practical and tangible ways- in the community; in the region; in the world.
(Matthew 20:25-28; James 1:26-27; Acts 1:8)

Serving represents a culmination of the process and typically leads
to a greater love for God and the desire to introduce others to Him.
In this way, the process becomes a cycle.

2008-05-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

What We Believe:

(I want to make it clear from the beginning that, although they accurately represent the beliefs of Convergence Christian Church, the words you are about to read did not originate with me. I'm not sure who actually penned them- no source was given when I first came across them. Aside from a little "tweaking," they remain as I found them. Many thanks to the individual(s) to whom this citation is owed. We are of common mind.)

About God-
God is an uncreated spirit who is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has always existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.

(Genesis 1:1,26,27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; II Corinthians 13:14)

About the Lord Jesus Christ-
Jesus Christ is the Son of God and co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He became alive again after being dead three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He is the Head of the church and the one and only way to God and eternal life. He went to heaven and now "sits at the right hand of God" and will return to earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

(Matthew 1:22,23; John 1;1-5, 14:6-30; Hebrews 4:14,15; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; Romans 1:3,4; Acts 1:9-11; I Timothy 6:14,15)

About the Holy Spirit-
The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live daily under His control.

(II Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16,17; Acts 1:8; I Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:1)

About Communication from God-
The Bible is God's message to all people. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. The original documents did not contain any errors. God has provided an avalanche of evidence to support what he claims in the Bible. We believe God also communicates through the Holy Spirit, prayer, circumstances and His church, but these will never conflict with the truth he's already communicated in the Bible.

(II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20,21; II Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5)

About Salvation-
Salvation is being right with God. It means having your sins forgiven rather than punished. It means that God's Spirit lives within you and helps you become a real person. It means you will enjoy living with God forever in heaven after you die. Salvation is God's free gift to everyone who puts his or her faith in Jesus.

(Mt. 5:3-11; Romans 5:1; 6:23; Titus 3:5; John 14:1-2)

About Becoming a Christian-
Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or doing good deeds. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin's penalty, which is death. Therefore to become a follower of Christ, one needs to admit to God that he is a sinner in need of God's grace and forgiveness. He needs to pledge in faith that he wants to stop sinning and start living like Christ. Through faith he must accept that Jesus paid the penalty for his sin by dying on the cross and that he is being saved because Jesus came back from the dead. And just like the Bible says, he must be "buried with Christ in baptism" and raised to live a new life as a Christian. (In the Bible, every time a person accepted Christ, he was baptized, which means to submerge under water, as soon as possible. Since the Bible is our guide manual, we follow the same practice.)

(Acts 2:38; 8:34f; 22:16; Romans 5:1-2; 6:1-7; Ephesians 2:8,9; Colossians 2:12; John 14:6; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26-27)