Echoes in Eternity

   "What we do in life, echoes in eternity." I love that line. In the movie "Gladiator", Russell Crowe's character, Maximus, makes that claim as he leads his troops into battle. The character had a different meaning but it's true none the less. One of the coolest things to me, as a Christian, is that I have an opportunity to impact eternity for others. I don't deserve it, it's not by my power or goodness, but I get to shape the eternal destiny of people every day.  The only way I do that is by striving to live for and as Jesus.
   The truth is, everyone impacts eternity. The question is, do we impact it positively or negatively? Do we push people towards hell or towards heaven? I have been blessed for many years now, to help point people to Jesus as a profession. I have struggled with the reasonings, the motives, the effectiveness, the pride struggles, the self-doubt; virtually anything you can wrestle with related to how we perform ministry and lead and train others for ministry. But I am coming to a place where I find peace in my role in the Kingdom. I savor it; I'm thankful for it. I see how God has made me to fill an important part of the Kingdom and how He's continuing to shape me to better fill that role.
   So it invigorates and humbles me to share this with you. This past Sunday, July 31st, I had the privilege to baptize Tanya into Christ! It's an honor I never tire of and each one is special. This one has another layer of significance, though.
   Tanya is the first person immersed in connection to The Knightdale Movement. That is huge. That is a sonic boom in eternity in my opinion. We hope it's the first of many more. In fact, I know it is. Not because I'm awesome or because our team is (they are awesome). It's the first of many because Jesus is Lord and His Gospel is powerful. How many "the many" are will be directly correlated to how many we get out and share the love of Jesus with. But the Gospel never loses its power.
   So pray for us, that we rely on Jesus for our power. Pray for Tanya and her husband Steven and their two boys. They are part of our launch team. It's growing and God is moving. So, no matter if it's a sonic boom or a tiny little echo, I'm glad to know the Knightdale Movement is echoing in eternity. Thanks for your part in the movement!

Tanya, fresh out of the Baptistry!

Question #3: When is your first service?

   When's the baby due?  When is a good time to ask that question of someone that you don't absolutely know is pregnant? The rule is: Never, Never, Never, Never, Never! Oh, and if you feel confident they are expecting...Never. It is however, perfectly fine to ask when the new church will begin meeting in Knightdale.  The look I get when I answer this question in person is something like this:

The answer to the question is sometime in the Fall of 2017.

    You, like others, may be wondering why it is so far in the future.  The simple reason is, there is a tremendous amount of work to do.  We are truly starting from scratch. There is no team, yet. There is no building, yet. There are very few potential attenders that we have met. But the people are there. We are already meeting some really great people that we want to share Jesus with and train them to do the same with others. The perfect space is out there for us. The team is out there and ready to go, whether they know it or not.  God knows it all and He has been revealing each part so far, as we need it. He will do the same for all the other pieces.  

    So, start praying for our launch in the Fall of 2017. God is listening!

Question #1

I'm finally getting around to my posts of questions I've come across (see here). Here's the first one. These will be in no particular order, but here goes.  

Are you leaving to work at another church?
No.

Thanks for tuning in!

I'm kidding.  I am leaving my awesome church family at Plymouth Church of Christ to plant a local church that does not exist yet. There is no building, no staff, no core group, except me and my family. We will however, be going to train for a year with LifePointe Church in Raleigh, to learn the nuts and bolts of church planting. It's quite different from serving an established church where things have been running rather smoothly for quite some time.

See, that wasn't so bad. Stay tuned for more!

Prayer Movement Tip #1:  Pray that my kids make good friends quickly to help them adjust!

What I Want for Christmas

 I don't want no stinkin' Hippopotamus nor my two front teeth. Let's get down to business. Here's my top three four things I want for Christmas.

1. Pray for us and the people of Knightdale. That we have wisdom and that they have open hearts.

2. I would like to ask you to officially follow this blog.  Seeing followers on here would be so encouraging. It helps to know that someone is paying attention.

3. I'll be really honest. Consider partnering with us financially.  I hate to ask this but it's a necessity. We need people who are willing to team up with us for a few years (statistics say it takes 3-5 years for a church to be totally self-supporting). Lord willing, we'll be 3 or less. If you can give a little for 1,2,3,4, or 5 years that would be awesome.  If you can only give a one time, gift awesome still.

4. Tell someone about us and ask them to pray!  The more people we have praying, asking God to do great things for His glory, we will truly see great things.

If you're still reading, you are pretty stinking cool.

Giving Tuesday!! FREE Gift!

Want a Free Gift?  If you can help us out on #GivingTuesday, I will personally give you a free hug, bumps or handshake. You choose!  
   

On Tuesday, December 1st, you can make a huge difference in the Kingdom of God and in my family. Tuesday is #GivingTuesday.  It's a relatively new idea designed to show thanks after all of the consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  It's a chance to give and say thanks!  I am asking you to consider giving to support my family's desire to plant a church in Knightdale, NC. Currently we are making plans and preparing to begin a training residency with LifePointe Church in Raleigh, NC in the first few months of 2016. We are raising our salary for that year.  I will study and learn the ropes of church planting as well as travel and raise support for the work in Knightdale. The training is based around three main areas. Leading Yourself, Leading Groups and Leading the Church.  I'll be posting more about our experience soon.

If you would like to give a one time gift or begin supporting us regularly you can mail checks to:
ENCCMF c/o Ken Terry, Treasurer
931 Teakwood Drive
Greenville, NC 27834

*******Please put WALLACE or KNIGHTDALE in the memo.  

Whether you are able to give or not, please pray for us in this adventure!!!  Don't let me forget that free hug you've got coming!