What We See: Current View
One of the things we loved about Cincinnati from the beginning of this journey was the differences between the culture here and the culture in Southern California. This did not stop us from having unrealistic expectations about our transition. We needed to slow down and “get our wheels under us” when I expected to simply hit the ground running.
I reveal this to you all because that is how it often works with Vision – we are required to stop and take in the current POV and adjust in order to ensure we are heading in the proper direction. Consistent re-direction is a necessary part of the process.
In order to move towards the big picture vision faithfully we are currently focusing on a few objectives. The first is to continue developing a rhythm of service in our community, both regular (smaller projects; i.e. playground litter cleanups) and one-time (i.e. entire playground remodel). This is hand-in-hand with another: continue developing a core community of believers from which we can launch a community driven, multiplying church.
We have a couple of particular projects in the community we are working on currently. We are starting an informal, weekly “meet at the park” for families where kids can play and the parents will clean up the playground area and build relationships. This makes for an easy entry for non-believers. We are also working on an entire playground remodel by the community. This requires partnership with corporate donors as well as recruiting volunteers. We have also been working with a local elementary school to create a program that helps families in walking distance get their children to school on time safely, even when parent’s work schedules make that difficult. We have other opportunies in the pipeline, so stay tuned.
We are also working on building a core team to launch worship gatherings. Church isn’t a location or a service, as you likely know. It is the gathering together of believers. So, while church gatherings have technically taken place, we are still working towards establishing what is required to launch regular worship services. More details on that to come!
If you have any questions or would like more details on any of this, please reach out! You can email me directly at jeff@hopeuccincinnati.com.