April at a Glance

It seems like this year has flown by. April is going to be a big month for Vertical Church ATL and for me, personally. We have been working like crazy people at several community service opportunities. Building gardens, loving on homeless teens, community meetings, etc have been the norm for our small church family. This is quite normal for a spiritual family that believes in making an impact in the world around them.

We are taking more leadership in the 16th Annual Easter Egg Hunt that feeds close to a thousand people and supplies entertainment for hundreds of children in the “statistically worst” community (we believe that its best days are still to come). To prepare for that, we are working on projects that will prepare the grounds for the hunt as well as cleaning the campus and church where we meet. Visit our website if you want to serve alongside us – www.verticalatl.com

Add to that we are meeting 3 times for worship this month. We have a regular rhythm of twice a moth to force perspective that we (the people) are the church…instead of the common misconception that the church building is the church. This will be our first time having 3 consecutive worship gatherings (13th, 20th, & 27th), as we desire to meet on Easter, which is on the 3rd Sunday.

GREAT NEWS… I am speaking at the Exponential Church Planting Conference! It is held in Orlando, FL from April 28th-May 1st. This is the premiere conference for those starting churches. There are maybe 5 conferences that gain the attention of key Christian leaders from around the world. This is one! I have known for a while that I would be speaking there, but if I am honest, I couldn’t believe it. I was waiting for them to tell me that they change their minds, Ha-ha! I am humbled and amazed that they thought what we were doing in Atlanta was worth acknowledging and elevating.

I will be talking about the work we are doing and my experience as a church planter. This is national exposure for our church and the work we are doing. This is how I have been raising funds for the work we are doing. Because we reach college students and the urban poor, we need to raise support continually. I also gain a national audience as a preacher and communicator of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This allows me to fulfill my call and supplement my income. This is huge!

I am so in awe of the thought that God would want to use me in this way. Some of my favorite speakers are going to be sharing the stage, people like, Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, and Matt Chandler (if you don’t know who these guys are, look them up, they are amazing). If you are interested in listening to my session or some of the others you can visit https://www.exponential.org/2014east/ for the dates. I am speaking on the morning of April 30th. So awesome! So grateful! So humbled! Please keep both Vertical Church ATL and me in your prayers as we follow God into the glorious future.