Tuesday, April 24, 2007

The Journey Begins...

Dear Friends, Family, and Allies in the Journey...

We are writing to give you, our friends and family, an update on our ministry endeavors and newest developments in the life of our family. Would you take just a few minutes to read and pray about partnering with us in an endeavor to “set hearts free”?

The Call
As many of you know, we have been helping with 2 new churches in Clermont, FL over the last 2 years. This has been an exciting work of reaching out and making disciples in a highly unchurched area. In recent months, though, Melody and I sensed that God was preparing us for something new. After several months of seeking and wrestling with God, He revealed the following: "God has invited us to partner with Him in a full-time endeavor to set hearts free." That is, word for word, the call that He placed on us and revealed through a series of conversations, prayers, scripture, and friends. It was clear that God was calling us to leave the safety of Clermont, FL in preparation for a new season in our journey.

The Assignment
God's call is birthed out of our purpose, experiences, and brokenness. The assignments that He gives to us are ways to express the overall calling of our lives. With our calling clearly revealed to us, God then issued the assignment to move to Birmingham, AL to partner in developing Encounter Ministries. Encounter was started by Chris and Jennifer Roe 3 years ago. I worked closely with Chris while on staff at the Church at Brook Hills. Through some conversations and much prayer, God made it clear that our new assignment would involve a full-time partnership with Encounter as a way to express our overall calling to set hearts free.

Encounter
So what is Encounter? The ministry exists to set hearts free. How does that happen? There are 3 primary avenues that we will be partnering in and helping to develop. MEN's ENCOUNTER. ENCOUNTER HUMANITY. MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER. The very raw aspects of each are: Men's Encounter helps men discover their true hearts through life coaching, boot camps, and retreats. Encounter Humanity influences people groups around the globe through caring for orphans, feeding those in poverty, and sharing the good news of life in Christ. Marriage Encounter is an intentional effort to save and sustain healthy marriages through retreats, life coaching, and resourcing. Melody and I will be able to explore our gifts and calling through all of these areas as they grow and develop.
Our primary focus, though, will be in developing Marriage Encounter.

Timeline
This transition is happening very quickly for us. God sold our house in Clermont, FL and we are currently in various "temporary housing" arrangements until we settle on something more permanent in Birmingham. Our initial weeks are being spent in adjusting, raising support, writing, planning, and strategizing. We have already sensed that the need for help with marriages is tremendous and pressing.

Involvement

Your partnership with us in this endeavor is crucial. There are several ways that you can be a part of the ministry...

1. Pray. That is not just a "well we have to say that, so pray." We are entering front-line ministry in doing battle for people's hearts and marriages. The enemy will strongly come against us with tactics to take us out. Your prayers are not just "nice to have". They are vital to our lives and survival...PLEASE PRAY.

2. Host. One of the key ministries we will be providing is called "Living Room Marriage Encounters." Basically, you and a few couple-friends would set aside some time at a home/living room and allow Melody and I to facilitate discussion and growth surrounding aspects of married life. We are also talking with a few churches about providing “new ways” of doing Marriage Retreats/Conferences. These “living-room type experiences” will be intimate settings and places for honesty, guts, and growth. This won't be "5 steps to a better marriage"...it will be more like going into battle for your marriage.

3. Support. We are raising our total support to pursue this calling. Encounter is a non-profit organization (all contributions are tax deductible). We clearly know that the call is to give full-time efforts to this critical ministry of restoring hearts and marriages. So, we need one-time and monthly supporters to make this happen. If you feel led to partner with us in a financial way, please contact us.


Thanks for choosing to hear our hearts. As we enter this new chapter, thank you for taking up the pen with us and joining God in scripting some new memories for all of us. You are vital to our hearts and to our marriage... We will be using this blog as a way to keep people updated as our ministry progresses and as we have new things to share!

Grateful for your love and support,

Randy and Melody

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