LISTEN to Blueprint 2012
DOWNLOAD the Blueprint 2011 Annual Report

Our mission at Ethos Church is simple. We exist to Love God, Love People, and Awaken a Movement. 

Our mission is the filter by which we organize our time, our energy, and our finances. Everything we do at Ethos Church is for the purpose of fulfilling the mission that God has set before us. Our yearly Blueprint serves as one tangible way for us to fulfill our mission.

In the year ahead we prayerfully plan to share the gospel, plant new churches, feed the poor, care for orphans, invest in impoverished communities, and fight the war on sex trafficking. 

Blueprint 2012 will serve as a catalyst for helping us Love God, Love People, and Awaken a Movement locally and globally.

Our Blueprint 2012 consist of 5 Major Focuses.

1. GOSPEL  Church Planting, Training, & Resources

2. BASIC NEEDS  Food, Water, & Shelter

3. COMMUNITIES  Kids, Family, & Education

4. MEDICAL  Supplies & Relief

5. MERCY  Orphans, Widows, Human Trafficking, Poverty, & Addiction

Within each of these 5 Focuses, there are many tangible goals & projects we will be tackling in 2012. To get a sense of where we are headed in 2012, please download the Blueprint 2012 Packet at the top of this page.

In Conclusion.
One of my favorite stories in all of Scripture is the story of Nehemiah. After seeing the plight of God’s people, in faith,  Nehemiah set out to make a difference. With a broken heart, a little faith, and a courageous Spirit, one man put together a BLUEPRINT for rebuilding the walls, and restoring the faith of God’s people.

Most people have great ideas, but few people see those ideas through to completion.

As a church family, there are many injustices in our world, our country, and our city that break our hearts. Yet we believe that much like Nehemiah, with broken hearts, a little faith, and a courageous Spirit we too can put together a BLUEPRINT for rebuilding the walls, and restoring the faith of the people in Nashville and beyond.

I pray you will have the faith to ACT courageously and GIVE generously as we seek to Love God, Love People, and Awaken a Movement.

Dave Clayton, Leader of Vision & Teaching

Hello.

2011 was an amazing year at Ethos Church.

On January 16, 2011, I stood up in front of our church family and presented our 2011 Blueprint (our plan for how we would fulfill our mission in the year ahead). It was an amazing day as we dreamed together about what it was that God might choose to do through us in 2011.

Together we dreamed about sharing the gospel, planting new churches, feeding the poor, caring for orphans, investing in impoverished communities, fighting the war on sex trafficking and so much more.

As I look back on 2011, I am blown away by God’s faithfulness and grace. With God’s help, we were able to meet or exceed every major goal we set. Together we saw more people meet Jesus, more churches started, more people served, and more money given in the past year than any other year in our church’s short history (3 years).

Although it would be impossible to share every number or tell every story, I think it is important for us to take a few minutes to reflect on some of the tangible ways that God was at work among us. Here are a few numbers and stories to give you a broader look at God’s work among us in 2011. Enjoy.

Love,

Dave Clayton Leader | Vision & Teaching at Ethos Church

It was just a few short years ago, that 12 people gathered in a living room off of Shackleford Drive to pray and dream about a new church family in the heart of downtown Nashville. It wasn’t long before that little living room could no longer hold our church and so we moved — first to a coffee shop, then to a park, and then finally to the Cannery.

As we approach our 3rd Birthday, it is hard to believe all of the things we have seen God do. The group of 12 has now become more than 1500 strong. One little house church has become more than 60 house churches scattered all across our city, and in April of 2011 we planted two churches and a school in India.

We’ve seen God heal people physically and spiritually, marriages reconciled, friends and neighbors baptized, parents and spouses return to Jesus, babies born, life celebrated, and so much more. It has been an incredible 3 years, and I can’t wait to see what the next 3 years will hold.

As we approach our 3rd Birthday there are two main ways that we are going to celebrate Jesus and the last 3 years as we gather:

ONE : BAPTISM SUNDAY
We can’t think of any better way to celebrate our 3rd birthday than by giving you the opportunity to take the next step in your relationship with Jesus publicly through baptism. On October 23rd, you will be able to be baptized at all of our Sunday Worship Gatherings. If you would like to be baptized or would like to find out more about baptism (…more)

TWO : CLEAN WATER
Last year we celebrated our birthday in a big way by giving our birthday away to provide clean water in 4 villages through Charity Water. Last October, on one Sunday, you gave more than $20,000 to celebrate Ethos Church turning 2. This year, we are praying we can give even more. On October 23rd, 100% of our offering will go to dig clean water wells through Charity Water, who just celebrated their 5th birthday by kicking off the campaign featured in the video below.

There are 3 ways we are asking every person in our church to participate in this celebration :

ONE : PRAY
Spend time praying about what God would have you give towards our clean water project. Our goal is that every man, woman, and child in our church will spend the next 3 weeks asking the Lord what he desires for us to GIVE.

TWO : SHARE
Share the story of  Clean Water. Tell people about what we are praying God will do through us on October 23rd. Tell everyone you know (i.e. Friends, Co-workers, Parents, etc) and invite them to help us. On October 4th, we will relaunch www.AwakenaMovement.com, a site designed to help you share this part of our mission with people outside of the Ethos family.

THREE : GIVE
Give Generously. Give Sacrificially. Give Joyfully. 100% of the funds given to our Awaken a Movement Fund, and 100% of every donation given on October 23rd will go to provide clean water. You can give online HERE.

What a great 3 years it has been. I can’t wait to celebrate on October 23rd. I love our church, and I truly believe the best is yet to come.

Love you guys,

Dave Clayton
Vision and Teaching | Ethos Church

One of Mercy Ministries biggest annual fundraisers is on October 22nd, 2011 in Maryland Farms – the Run for Mercy 5K. We have created a Team Ethos to participate in the race to help support this awesome ministry. The cost is $20 per person, and you will be guaranteed a t-shirt if you register before the end of September.

How to Sign Up

Go to www.runformercy.org/Nashville5K2011 to register, and be sure to join Team Ethos.

Follow the instructions on the website and feel free to contact Brooke Akin at bakin27@gmail.com or 476-3358 (cell) if you have any problems or questions. The race is family-friendly and so much fun. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to support an incredible cause!

About Mercy Ministries

Mercy Ministries is a Christian residential program for girls ages 13-28 who are struggling with life controlling issues such as eating disorders, depression, self-harm, alcohol addictions, and unplanned pregnancy. The girls apply on a voluntary basis and live in the home for an average of six months. While living there they receive Biblically-based counseling, life skills training, and transitional services free of charge. Mercy Ministries raises all of their own money and does not take any from the government in order to be able to teach the girls about the healing power and freedom found in Jesus Christ.

We will  be having sign-ups again in the lobby this Sunday for all who are still interested in joining a House Church.  We will be available then to answer your questions and help you in any way we can.

Sign up online

You can also sign up to be a part of a House Church online.  Simply look through the packet House-Church-Handout-2011, and email your top three choices to brandon@ethoslove.com. Even though we ask you to send us three choices,  you are only committing to be in one of those House Churches.  We ask you to send your top three choices in case the first two are already full.

For more information on House Churches, go to www.ethoslove.com.

HOUSE CHURCH SIGN UPS
This Sunday, you will have the opportunity to sign up for a House Church. Ethos started as one house church of 12 people nearly 3 years ago, and I still believe the greatest way to get connected to the work of God and the people of Ethos Church is by connecting in a house church. This Sunday, you can sign up for a house church before or after all four of our worship gatherings. Simply stop by the orange tent in front of the Cannery, and one of our House Church volunteers will help you sign up. For more info on house churches, go to ethoslove.com/connect/house-churches

SPACE ISSUES
Many of you have been asking what we are planning to do in regards to space. This past Sunday, we had nearly 1400 people gather to worship God across our 4 worship gatherings. It was incredible, but this meant that many of you were standing, or sitting on the floor during our 10:45AM, 5PM, and 7PM Worship Gatherings (our 9:15AM still has a little breathing room). As we continue to pray through what is next, we have come up with a couple of solutions that will allow us to stay on mission with Jesus and within the fire codes at the Cannery as we seek God’s wisdom on what’s next. Here are a few ways you can help.

9:15AM WORSHIP GATHERING
We currently have space for about 150 people to join us on mission at the 9:15AM Gathering. If you are an early bird, it would help us greatly if you could help us free up some space at the other worship gatherings by joining us early. We only need 150 of you, so let us know if you are willing (questions@ethoslove.com / put 9:15AM in the subject line).

MORE CHAIRS
As of this Sunday, the room will be set up a bit differently to accommodate approximately 100 more seats per service. The room will be a little tight, but this will allow you to still invite your friends and family without worrying about them sitting on the floor in day old beer. If you or someone you know would like to help us purchase some more chairs you can do so by giving at ethoslove.com/give/give-online.

PARKING
If you are able to carpool, please do so. This will help us greatly with traffic flow. Also, just a friendly reminder, we are now being charged for using the big parking lot connected to the Cannery. If you can give an additional $1 per week in the orange GIVE boxes it will help us cover the cost. We have been falling a little short on that each week, so please remember to throw in an extra buck on your way out.

PRAYER and FASTING
I really believe God is up to something incredible within our church family, our city, and beyond. Our leadership team and staff are praying diligently that God will help us see what His plans are for Ethos as we seek to reach more people in this city. Can you please join us as we pray and fast for God’s guidance? Just pick a day, or several days each week, and just go for it. We can’t wait to see what the Lord might have in store.

INVITE EVERYONE YOU KNOW
Finally, invite everyone you know to come be a part of what God is doing at Ethos. (Not your friends on mission at other churches.) Don’t allow a crowded room to be your excuse for not sharing the love of Jesus with your friends that do not yet know him.

What a great time to be a part of God’s church here in Nashville. I believe we are only seeing the beginning of what God desires to do in us and through us for His glory … in Nashville, and far beyond.

See you Sunday!

LISTEN HERE to our Blueprint Plan

CHURCH PLANTING

As of April 30, 2011, we have planted & assisted in the planting of 17 churches.

On April 24th, 20011, we launched two new Ethos Churches in India (Basirhat and Gaborda).

As of April 2011, we have partnered with Kairos Church Planting to assist in the planting of 15 churches (13 in the US and 2 Internationally) in Oregon, Washington, Arizona, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,  Maryland, Rhode Island, Tennessee, British Columbia, and Australia.

ORPHANS

As of April 30, 2011, we have sponsored 58 children. Our goal is to sponsor 20 children every month through the end of the year.

On April 25, 2011, we launched the first Christian school in Basirhat, India that is currently blessing 50 children and their families.

FOOD RELIEF

As of April 24, 2011, we have provided 2.2 million meals for those suffering from extreme malnutrition.

MEDICAL

In the month of February, we collected and purchased more than 6,000 medical supplies to fully meet the annual needs of the clinic we are working with in Guatemala.

In July of 2011, we will be sending a team to work with the clinic in Guatemala. Currently the team is full.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

In July 2011, Ethos Church will partner with several organizations to help in the recovery and rehabilitation of women and children impacted by Sex Slavery. We will also work alongside of organizations positioned to prosecute those involved in this crime against humanity.

KIDS OF EAST PARK

In April, one of our house churches headed up an initiative at Ethos to raise money to fund a field trip for the Kids at Warner Elementary that could not afford to participate in the annual field trip.

HOMELESS FRIENDS

Each week numerous volunteers from Ethos Church serve at the Hobson House and Campus for Human Development

This spring, our church helped provide housing, jobs, counseling, transportation, and relational support to those looking to transition away from life on the streets.

Quite simply, this meant that we would see ourselves not simply as a group gathered for church services, but instead as a group of people gathered with Christ, ready to change our city and the world.

Over the last couple of years, we have seen this vision come to life as our church has served in neighborhoods all across the city, helped plant churches all across the country, and blessed thousands of people all across the world with food, clean water, medical relief, and the good news of Jesus Christ. We have seen this gathering of people grow from a handful of friends, to more than a thousand people ready to change the world as we follow Jesus together.

2 NEW CHURCHES & a SCHOOL
On Easter Sunday, Ethos Church is going global. We are moving beyond the confines of downtown Nashville as we plant two new churches (Ethos Basirhat and Ethos Gaborda) and a school in the eastern most corner of India (on the border of Bangladesh).

The first church plant located in Basirhat, India will be led by Sandip Chatterjee and his team. His associate minister Piyas Dey will be handling most of the day to day ministry as Sandip helps launch the second church. In addition to launching the church in Basirhat, we will be building and staffing a school that will teach local trades and skills (i.e. basket weaving) and assist adults in becoming more literate through reading programs. Currently Basirhat is 60% Hindu, 28% Muslim, and 2% Christian. It is going to be incredible to watch Jesus change Basirhat through our new church there.

The second church will be located in Gaborda, India, not far from the border of Bangladesh. This is a dangerous area, as human traffickers often cross the border in this area resulting in many women and children becoming victims of sex trafficking. Our new church will be working towards providing education and practical work solutions for children and women that will ultimately help protect them from becoming easy targets for human traffickers. We believe Jesus has big plans for his church in Gaborda, and we can’t wait to watch what he does there.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?
There are 3 practical ways you can help.

ONE : PRAY. You can pray for Sandip, Piyas, their families, and the two local teachers we will hire to run the school. There has never been a Christian church in either of these places and we believe the enemy will look for ways to stop them at all cost. Pray for these great folks who are joining our team here at Ethos to Awaken a Movement and advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ in India.

TWO : GIVE. As you can imagine it takes money to build a school, fund a church planter’s salary, and hire school teachers. If you would like to help with this effort we would welcome your financial support. You can GIVE online HERE.

THREE : GO. In the months and years to come, our hope is to take teams from Ethos to visit our churches in India. If you feel God calling you to go and be a part of this work, let us know by emailing us at questions@ethoslove.com. If you are interested in going on a short term trip through Ethos Church, just hang tight, we will provide info regarding that as it becomes available.

Thank you for joining us on this journey as we strive to LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE, and AWAKEN a MOVEMENT.

MEDICAL SUPPLIES (THERE)

In February, we had a goal helping out THERE in the world by partnering with Health Talents International to supply over the counter medicine, educational support, and physical aid to the people of Guatemala. Our goal was to supply finances, resources, and teams of people from our church family to assist in the efforts. So how’d it go?

* In the month of February, we collected and purchased more than 6,000 medical supplies to fully meet the annual needs of the clinic we are working with.

* In July of 2011, we will be sending a team to work with the clinic in Guatemala. (Currently the team is full.)

ORPHANS (THERE)

Ethos Church will sponsor 200 children through Compassion International and will assist families as they seek to adopt children living without parents.

* As of February 2011, we have sponsored 20 children. Our goal is to sponsor 20 children every month through the end of the year.

WHAT’S NEXT?

As with every month, in March we will provide another opportunity to sponsor children through Compassion International. Also, we will focus on church planting. Be on the look out for ways to help in these areas, as Ethos Church seeks to fulfill the mission of Loving God, Loving People, and Awakening a Movement one brick at a time.

Times: 9:15 AM, 10:45 PM, 5 pM and 7 PM.

The only time change is the 10:30 AM service, which will now meet 15 minutes later at 10:45 AM. All four gatherings will be identical in format. All gatherings are at the Cannery Ballroom (MAP IT).

To learn more about why Ethos added a fourth gathering click here.

Help-Portrait is a community of photographers, coming together across the world to use their photography skills to give back to their local community.

On December 4th, photographers around the world will be grabbing their cameras, finding people in need and taking their picture. When the prints are ready, the photographs get delivered.

While this event is open to the public, Help-Portrait has extended a special invitation to the Nashville Rescue Mission’s program women to participate. This is where the ladies of Ethos Church come in.

We need:
-50 drivers.
-Dec. 4. Sat. 9-12.
-Pick up location: 1716 Rosa L. Parks Blvd, Nashville, TN 37208 (The Hope Center)
-Drop off location – 201 Woodland St. 37213 (Limelight)
-Appointment time – Arrive 9:45AM
-Departure time – Ready to leave no later than 11:30AM

To sign up, you can do so in the lobby at church in the coming weeks.

For more info on Help-Portrait, check out their website here.

Trunk or Treat 2010 – Ethos Church from Ethos Church on Vimeo.

Ethos Church sets up Trunk or Treat for kids and families at East Park Community Center. Games, crafts, face painting, pumpkins and CANDY!

(Video created by David Lavender and Tyler Evans)

To celebrate, we are giving away our birthday to Charity: Water.

Generosity is a core commitment of our church. We believe God is a generous God. In fact, deep within the DNA of Ethos Church is an understanding that all good things are from God, and our purpose is found not in the consumption of those good things, but in the sharing of those good things.

Charity: Water provides a great way for our church to get involved with global missions in a really effective way.

To learn all about the Charity: Water and participate in our birthday celebration, check out the Charity: Water site, read research and watch videos. It’s all HERE.

Also, this Sunday, Ethos will be taking up a special offering for our water project campaign. We have a goal to raise $20,000 for water projects in four villages. For only $20, you can supply clean drinking water to one person. How many people can you be a hero for?

Since we are gathering in East Park, there will be NO WORSHIP GATHERINGS at the Cannery that day, but we need everyone to commit to serving as a volunteer as we take a Sunday to simply be the Church in our community.

Here are a few details:
when : Sunday, October 31st / 2-4 pm
where : East Park Community Center (700 Woodland St, Nashville, TN 37206)
who : Ethos Church and Families w/ kids in the East Park Neighborhood

Volunteer Opportunities.
We have many ways for you to volunteer and get involved! Follow the links below to find out how you can help.

SPECIFIC VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
GENERAL VOLUNTEER INFO

This is a great way for our church to love people by providing a safe Halloween environment for kids. Thanks for partnering with us!

ABOUT US : Greetings to all of our brothers and  sisters in Christ at Ethos!  David (or Dave as I think you  all call him) is always sharing with me about the  wonderful things that God is doing among you there in  Nashville.  Amy and I are thrilled to know that you are  thinking of us and partnering with us in prayer in our  church planting work here in Vancouver, British  Columbia.  So let me share with you some about who we  are, and what we’re up to in Canada.

Amy grew up in the opposite corner of North America in  Port Charlotte, a town on the gulf coast of southern  Florida.  I was a Navy brat, and my family moved  wherever the Navy sent my dad.  My last two years of  high school landed me in Summerville, South Carolina  (where I met this nerdy little 9^th grader named David Clayton).  Amy and I met at Harding University where Amy was working towards a degree in education and I a Bible degree.  We started dating while I was working on a Master’s degree in Marriage & Family Therapy, and we got married the day after I graduated in 2005.  Amy also earned a Master’s in Education from Harding.

Our relationship began as each of us was meeting with a group that had a dream of planting a church in the Pacific Northwest.  Before we knew it, we fell in love, and we’ve been on an adventure together ever since.  After we married we lived in Searcy, Arkansas for a couple of years where Amy worked as a teacher and I worked as a therapist, and our walk with God was nurtured in our life with the Downtown Church of Christ.

In July of 2007 we quit our jobs, packed up our lives and moved to Eugene, Oregon.  Our plan was to live there for around 6 months while we waded through the process of getting our visas for Canada.  We ended up being in Eugene for 18 months!  While living there we worked in campus ministry at the University of Oregon and with a homeless drop in shelter for youth. These experiences were not only life changing but were also good training grounds for our work here in Canada.  During this phase of our marriage our faith was continually strengthened as we watched God provide for us month after month.

Finally, on December 15, 2008 we made the move across the border and started our new lives in Vancouver.  Since then we have been working with our partnering couple, Paul & Julie McMullen, at planting a new church; Amy obtained a degree from Vancouver Community College for teaching ESL; I’ve been working at starting a part time therapy private practice; and we had our first son, Elijah Hawk Etheridge.

About The Vine : The vision for The Vine, a church of Christ, started over 6 years ago amongst of group of Harding University students and graduates.  That group of students was whittled down eventually to two couples (us [the Etheridges] and Paul & Julie McMullen) with a vision for planting a multiplication based network of simple and organic churches in Vancouver, British Columbia.  We envision a large network of weekly intimate house church gatherings that all come together once per month for a time of celebration.  In February, 2009, the four of us gathered together and asked God for that to be the last time that it was just us four.  To this date, He has granted that request.

For the first half of 2009 we met together with another new church plant with a similar vision, LifeHouse Christian Church.  In August of 2009 we experienced our first multiplication and LifeHouse and The Vine began meeting separately.  We still gather with LifeHouse once per month for our celebration services.

Currently, The Vine consists corporately of one house church usually consisting of 8-12 people.  We gather weekly on Sunday evenings at Paul and Julie’s apartment.  Since one of our core values is multiplication we try to keep things simple so as to promote reproducibility.  Our gatherings are simple and casual.  From Sunday to Sunday the flow and order of our time together can look very different.  However, every Sunday includes a meal, time spent together in the Bible, singing praise to God, prayer, and communion.  Midweek, we gather in small groups of 2-4 which we call Life Groups.  Life Groups provide a safe place to explore God’s word together, confess sin, and pray for one another and for friends who do not yet know Jesus.

From a corporate standpoint (meaning if you look at our times together on Sundays and mid-week) The Vine is still very much a small baby church.  However, we are still in the gathering phase as a young church, and it becomes very difficult to measure The Vine when you start looking at neighborhood connections.  Much of our work here in the first year and a half has been simply adjusting to a new country, city, and culture, and trying to network in our neighborhood.  If you were to measure community at The Vine by counting all the people in our neighborhood who have visited, served in service projects, or engaged in vision type discussions about The Vine the number would probably reach upwards of 100.  So we view ourselves as missionaries in our neighborhood whose job is to network, connect, volunteer, and vision cast in each pocket of people that we come in contact with.  In everything we do we are asking for God’s favor and looking for opportunities to plant seeds for His Kingdom.  At the same time we are trying to disciple the group of people that has committed to The Vine already.  This group consists of some mature Christians, some brand new Christians, and some who have not yet made faith commitments to Christ.

Well, I’ve been spending a lot of days lately working  at Al-Basma with my new mentally handicapped  friends. I’ve especially been helping make the  recycled paper from which they make notebooks and  Christmas cards. I also helped put up some curtains  in their guest house over the last week. Sharing in  the joy and the smiles has been incredible. I wish I  knew how to adequately put into words what it is  like to see music speak to them in such a powerful  way, or to explain how intensely the presence and  grace of Jesus is revealed here through these people.

I have also been working at the Paidia climbing  wall on the weekends. Many nights we go to the  park and watch the World Cup game that they  project onto a big screen each evening. It seems weird to think that something that is such a big deal here is hardly cared about in the US. It is a beautiful thing that this place, which was once a Jordanian military base and then an Israeli military base, is now such a nice park and a place where the community gathers to celebrate the excitement and participate in the atmosphere of the World Cup.

Last night I walked halfway down the valley that sits behind our apartment. Even after 4 weeks here, the view still takes my breath away. I haven’t yet gotten used to it or begun taking it for granted. The night before that, Paul and I walked down into the valley. We saw a shepherd leading his sheep in front of us. I told Paul I wondered how different this place looked in the time of Jesus. It is easy to imagine that it looked then quite similar to how it looks now. Perhaps the shepherds were here in this valley when they heard the announcement that Jesus had been born. It seems likely that 1000 years before that David may have brought his flock here, right outside of his hometown of Bethlehem. Maybe he sat on this very rock and wrote a psalm here, long before he ever became king.

I walk back there today. I enjoy the stillness and the quiet. Everything seems so peaceful. I look around and I can see so much of this great world. I see the houses up on the hilltops, the fields down in the valley. There are some children at the bottom, playing under some olive trees. I see a shepherd with his flock over on the side of the mountain. I close my eyes. And I simply listen.

What strikes me first is what I do not hear. I hear no cars, no traffic. Back home, when I try this exercise, even out in the midst of cornfields, it seems I can almost always here traffic in the distance. But here, it is different. I hear children laughing. I can’t even see them, but their voices carry from the hilltop on the other side. I hear a soccer ball being kicked. I listen to the sound of sheep and a dog is barking somewhere in the distance. Now I hear a bee buzzing around my head and music, coming from somewhere far off, reaches my ears. The sun sets. The moon is almost full. I see the Big Dipper and the North Star. The same moon and the same stars and constellations that I look at back home. I look toward Bethlehem and I see a particularly bright planet or star that seems to be resting right above it.

A few minutes later I stop at the store to buy some water. Right as I leave a shepherd brings his flock across the street and steps into the store to buy some things. As I make the short walk back to my apartment from the store, the shepherd’s dog walks beside me and about 60 sheep and goats follow us. The shepherd catches up in a few minutes, but apparently the sheep dog knows where to guide the animals entrusted to his care. I walk down the dusty road, carrying my groceries, I hear the evening call to prayer in the distance, the fifth and final call of the day, I exchange glances with the dog walking at my side, and look back at our unusual entourage. And we walk on together, under the bright moonlight, down the streets of Palestine.

Back in June I spent a two week period in Cap-Haitien, a  city on the northern coast of Haiti. After the earthquake  many of the victims were sent to hospitals in Cap-  Haitien to receive wound treatment as the Port-Au-  Prince area was basically reduced to rubble. While in  Cap, I worked in a Catholic Hospital and another small  clinic in the area. Dave asked me to do a small write up  on what I saw God doing in Haiti. The truth is it was  very difficult for me to decide what to write about. I saw  desperate people everywhere I looked, but finding God in  that place was not easy. The people of Haiti are  outwardly desperate for food, jobs, and clean water, but  most of them don’t even realize what they are truly  desperate for. They are desperate for Jesus Christ. While  there are many Haitians they do know Jesus, the  majority are engaged in the Voodoo culture, and this group includes the 80 % of Haitians that are professing Catholics. It’s difficult for me to wrap my head around, but while they attend mass almost every morning and proclaim Jesus, their ultimate authority is almost always a Voodoo priest or priestess.

I quickly realized that Satan’s stronghold over Haiti is greed and a lust for money. The few Haitians that truly know Jesus are free of this greed, but most Haitians are consumed by it. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to meet but a few Haitians that aren’t driven by greed, and for this reason I had a lot of difficulty trying to see God’s work. But the more I think about it, the more God reveals to me that He is at work in that place just as He is anywhere else in this world, though it may be a little more tainted in Haiti. I felt God pushing me to write about Shada, the other clinic that I worked at while in Cap-Haitien, so here it is.

On the first Wednesday that I was in Haiti, we gathered some supplies from the Hospital and made our way to Shada. Right in the heart of the city, Shada is more or less a picture perfect description of the meaning of the word “slum.” We stopped on the side of the road, grabbed our bags, and a young boy met us and walked us through a maze of cramped alleys back to the clinic. Many of the alleys were smaller than shoulder width, and we had to turn sideways in order to get through. We also had to be mindful not to step in the water that was flowing through every alley. This water, in which children with swollen bellies and reddened hair due to malnutrition walk barefoot through every day, is actually the sewage system for the community. The backside of the community runs into an inlet from the sea, and the shore is darkened muck literally covered in trash. The water directly off of the shore is black, and it’s not uncommon to see people bathing in it.

Madam Bwa, the overseer of the community, runs the clinic. Madam Bwa is a midwife who has delivered probably every baby in that community. She’s pretty much in charge of that area, and I heard from many people that we would not have been welcome in Shada without her permission. Currently, this clinic is funded by a group in Florida. They provide enough money to the clinic for one Doctor to come to the clinic one day each week. If someone is sick on a day other than when the doctor is in, they’ll have to wait another week for her to come back. It’s really a terrible situation, especially considering some of the patients that we saw. Tuberculosis is rampant in this area, and due to the close living quarters, more and more people are getting it all the time. Though we could write prescriptions for TB medication, we couldn’t actually give it to them and knew that they would never be able to afford it. That was a tough situation to get past considering we saw at least 3 children under the age of 2 that probably had TB. Since being back, I’ve gotten word that a few children that we saw have died because they couldn’t afford to go anywhere else and because it wasn’t the day that the doctor was in. Again, it’s a truly awful situation. I know this all seems very much like a downer, but like I said before I am now seeing how God is working in this area.

I went to Haiti with Randy Moore, an RN from Atlanta. He’s been back and forth ever since the earthquake, working mostly out of the Catholic Hospital. Randy felt God’s call to go to Haiti, quit his job, and went with it, and I can see now that God is using people like him to bring the message of Hope to the Haitians. The greatest thing that God has revealed to Randy about why he should be in Haiti is not to just help people, but rather to teach them how to help each other. Most importantly, Randy is loving these people. He is kind and generous to them and actually tries to invest himself in their lives. That is something that shocks most Haitians, and it really only causes them to ask questions about why Randy is the way he is. The only answer Randy can give, the only answer any of us can give when good comes from us, is that it is from Jesus and not ourselves. And that is what God is doing in Haiti.

I do not believe that God caused an earthquake in Haiti. I do not believe that God was punishing the Haitians for their enslavement to Voodoo. I do believe that God allowed the earthquake to happen and is now using it to awaken His people to a part of the world that we have seemingly forgotten. He is using people like Randy. He is using people from all over the world to lift up these broken people. However, we can send food, clothes, water, and anything, but like I said before, the Haitians are desperate for Jesus Christ. They are desperate for His Spirit to flow through them and give them the peace, hope, and love that is Jesus. I have read articles talking about the “Hope of Haiti” being their resilient nature and drive to get back on the feet. In reality the Hope of Haiti is the Hope of all people and all nations. Their Hope is Jesus Christ. God is using His people in that place, and He is moving in ways that I couldn’t see until He opened my eyes to it. He is using ordinary people like you and me, just like He always has, to bring the Glory of Jesus to the Haitians and all peoples of the world. It’s really a beautiful thing. I am thankful to be a part of it.

God bless you all,

Burton Wood

Randy is heading back to Haiti in September, and he’s going to be working more closely with the clinic in Shada. He’s raising money so that they can expand their clinic and have doctors for several days each week rather than just on Wednesday. If you have any interest in helping out financially or even going down to be a loving presence to these people you can contact Randy at ramoo76@gmail.com. And if you have any questions about anything else feel free to contact me at woodcb@mail.lipscomb.edu or come find me at the 5:00 pm service!

Can you help? If so, please shoot an email to ethoschurch@gmail.com. Thanks!

The problem is, as Christians, we don’t live in Babylon. We live in Samaria. 

Babylon is far from Jerusalem and it doesn’t know much about its religion. What you believe or how you worship is of little significance to Babylon, so long as you keep the peace and contribute to civic life. This was the case with Daniel and the other Jewish exiles. They only got in trouble when the undermined the government or got caught up in petty politics. Babylon could have cared less about their religion.

But Samaria is different. The people in Samaria know plenty about Jerusalem’s religion (though some of the information may be distorted). And unlike Babylon where the people are indifferent to Jerusalem’s religion, Samaria holds a grudge against it.

If you read the story of Jesus sitting around the well with a Samaritan woman (John 4), you will remember that Jews and Samaritans had a long history of not getting along. They were like estranged relatives. They had a partly shared worldview (both studied the first 5 books of the Bible), they had a shared point of origin (both came from the line of Jacob), and they had well defined points of contention (where do we go to worship and be forgiven?). 

They knew each other…or at least they thought they did, so therefore they didn’t associate with one another. Their familiarity with one another led to suspicion and hostility. 

This often rings true for life in America. The problem is not that my religion is strange. The problem is that my religion in familiar. Like Samaritans and Jews, Christians and Non-Christians have a partly shared world view (Our Western Traditions, Our Southern Values, even the Bible and Prayer), we have a shared point of origin (after all America was born out of Christendom), and well defined points of contention (the exclusivity of Jesus). 

We are familiar with what one another believes. Or at least we think we are. This often leads to hostility, and at the very least…deep seeded grudges.

For us to move past this, we must respond the way Jesus did. Jesus sidestepped all of the classic arguments, using creative language (i.e. “living water”) to provoke curiosity. He pointed ahead to times when Samaritans and Jews would drown their differences in a newer, and deeper reality. 

It is more than refining our conversation though, living in Samaria requires patience and love for the long haul. No one can change a grudge by direct assault. Instead we have to outlive it, and look for fresh opportunities to begin anew. We have to love the people on the other side of our grudges and presuppositions. 

After all, Jesus clearly did. He honored Samaria when he chose a Samaritan for his parable of being a good neighbor (who do we choose for our illustrations of virtue?). He sent his disciples to Samaria to announce his resurrection (Acts 1:8). If you remember the rest of the story, Phillip took Jesus seriously and amazing things happened.

What does it look like for you and I to follow Jesus in a place like Samaria? Do we have the patience and the love to outlive our country’s presuppositions about our faith in Christ? Do we have the ability to view Samaria the way Jesus did…not as our enemy, but as our neighbor?

Also, if you would be interested in helping volunteer for this event please email Bethany Haley (bethanyphaley@gmail.com). They especially need people to help the bands load in. Have a great day!

I thought it would be good to share a few of the things you guys did. After all, if you are involved in a house church, you are probably only aware of the way your house church served. Here are just a few of the ways you guys served:

* Made a meal and ate dinner with the men in a Half Way House
* Set up and played cards with the shut ins at Carestone Retirement Home
* Wrote encouragement cards to your friends and family members that don’t know Jesus
* Passed out blankets, hand warmers, and coffee to the Homeless Community
* Gave manicures and pedicures to the women living at Mending Hearts
* Made soup and visited elderly shut-ins
* Spent a week helping serve the needs of one of our Ethos Family Members who has been down on his luck
* and much more…

Proud of you guys. Keep being the church.

If you have been around Ethos for any time at all then you have probably met Katie Stevens, Lindsay Preston, and Matt Preston (note they are brother and sister not married). If you don’t know them, you can usually find them somewhere around the welcome table greeting visitors as people arrive, or during worship standing towards the back, playing with kids that aren’t theirs. If you haven’t gotten the picture, they are amazing people. This week, they really taught me a lot about what it means to just be the visible presence of Jesus right here in Nashville. I asked Katie to send me an email describing their day on Wednesday and asked her if I could post it here. I have changed some of the names involved, but I still think you will be challenged to live out the gospel after reading this:

——— (Katie’s Email)————————-

Today was an incredibly overwhelming day for Carol and her family.  Lindsay, Matt, and I went with Carol and her two sisters to court to possibly testify to the fact that Carol is a fit mother and is making every effort to provide a safe home for her children.  I completely underestimated the importance of our presence.

We were immediately introduced to her lawyer, a case worker, and the director of DCS (child services).  They talked to us privately about what we thought about Carol and what we felt like the best situation was for the boys. The Director of DCS said that he believed we were good people and that he could trust us.  It was really neat.  Carol’s court date got postponed until May, but we were all asked to meet in a conference room with Carol’s family, her lawyer, the folks from child services, DCS, and the children’s lawyer. 

God was so apparent in that room.  We were such a large part of the discussion, as was Ethos.  The Director of DCS kept asking us questions about why we were supporting Carol and her children — giving us a great opportunity to explain that we love her and we help her because of our faith. 

Everyone seemed shocked. (It was so unusual that the children’s lawyer said that she was suspicious of good people and that they usually want to kidnap the children that they get close to!!)  The Director of DCS said that it was very rare for a church do something like that and that as long as he’s worked for DCS he’s seen very little support for stuggling mothers and families.  He told us that he wanted to call us and to give us more people to support — an absolute unexpected blessing.

We were given an opportunity to share God’s love today in a completely unforseen way.  I am so encouraged by his great power and hopeful that through all of this, God will show Ethos many more people to support and to love.

Although it was great seeing old friends, the best part of the morning occurred towards the end of the worship service. After my dad got finished preaching (he really brought it this morning), a guy decided to get baptized. As Mike stood there giving his confession, a handful of men stood there with him…men that have been faithfully investing in his life, studying the word with him, and most importantly men that have consistently displayed the love of Jesus to him through their lives. It was really beautiful. As I looked at these three men (all of whom were very different from Mike), I was struck by the thought “this is church.” 

Here 3 grown men, all very different from Mike, thought the story of Jesus was so important that they were willing to roll up their sleeves, and stick in there with Mike through the long haul. It was so encouraging to see a church, now 40 years old still getting its hands dirty in mission. 4o years after a handful of people met in a living room to unpack a vision God had laid on their hearts, thousands of lives have been changed, and day after day, week after week, men and women are still investing in the lives of people — some of whom look very different than them. 

Who knows where Ethos will be in 40 years, but I really pray that for those of us who got together in our living room a few months ago to unpack a vision God had laid on our hearts — I pray that we will still be rolling up our sleeves and investing in the lives of people, not to grow our church, but to change peoples lives and the world. 

Have a great Sunday.

First, get out your cell phone and scroll through the names in your contact list.
Second, who is a person in your contact list that is struggling with loneliness.
Third, call that person right now. Don’t wait until later. Just call them. Let them know you were thinking about them. Maybe you will go out for coffee one day this week.

How would it feel if you went an entire day realizing nobody had called you because they missed you? As people that follow Jesus, let’s make an effort today to let someone in our lives know that they are not alone. Love you guys.

Of course I said yes…so Todd started telling me this story. 

He told me about a time this summer when he was dog sitting for a friend. Of course it wasn’t a cool dog, it was a little dog with a big name, Tank. He started telling me about how angry this little dog was. No matter how hard he tried to make the dog like him, the more it seemed to hate him. He tried everything. He bent down slowly, talked in a soft voice, tried to pet it gently, even tried giving it food, but the dog would just snarl and snap at him.

Finally, Todd said he decided to just let the dog out of the cage, while Todd went and sat on the floor. After Tank had run around the house madly for a few minutes, Todd stuck his hand out and started calling Tank’s name again. After about ten minutes of investigating Todd from a distance, Tank finally came over, sniffed his hand, and jumped in Todd’s lap.

Then Tank peed all over Todd.

As Todd was telling me this story I was just laughing, and he said “I think that is a lot like sharing Christ with people.”

He said, “Usually people are kind of stand offish, they don’t know us, we seem strange. So if we can figure out how to just be in the same room with them…in ways that aren’t intimidating then we have shot. Of course, life is messy, and when we really start spending time with people that don’t know Jesus–things don’t just change over night. In fact, we usually end up getting peed on. I think it is worth it though.” 

I loved this story, Todd’s thoughts, and his heart. I hope you found it encouraging. Now, go get peed on.

On Saturday as I was watching football, I saw a wide variety of beer commercials, but they all had the same basic elements. 

First, every commercial involved some lame guy “stuck in an unfortunate situation.”

Second, every commercial involved the point of decision (i.e., the guy from the above mentioned “uncomfortable situation” choosing to get beer)

Third, after the point of decision is reached…the unfortunate situation mentioned earlier is corrected (i.e., Thousands of Hot Chicks wearing bikinis madly in ove with the lame guy enter the room, etc)

Four, the same general message is sold…”If you drink this beer then your life won’t suck and you will get the hottest chicks on the face of the planet. 

If you think I’m wrong, just use this little mental formula next time you watch a beer commercial. 

At church last night we continued our study in the Book of Acts. We spent the evening reading through Acts 12 where James is killed and where Peter is released from Prison. All week long I found myself longing to speak on Peter’s release while kind of ignoring James’ situation. It made me realize how tempting and easy it can be to preach a beer commercial gospel. 

Some times in our effort to share the love of Christ with people that don’t know him…we can easily find ourselves preaching a false gospel that sounds a lot like a beer commercial.

The problem is that this just isn’t the gospel. So when people come to know Jesus under false pretenses they blame Jesus for letting them down. Jesus calls us to obedience–not a better social outcome. So what gospel are we preaching? I pray that we will have the courage to share the truth about Jesus. I think the truth is pretty simple. Jesus has come to give us life to the fullest–despite the situation of our lives.

Lay aside the Beer Commercial Gospel, and make the most of your opportunities today to share the gospel story that Jesus wrote and purchased with his life. Love you guys.

Be the church. Don’t show up to critique the sermon, or consume the worship. Show up to share fellowship with people that Love God. Don’t just talk to your friends, but look for opportunities to welcome in newcomers. Don’t ask shallow questions to simply pass time, but talk with people like they matter. Take a moment to invite a friend that has never been to church. Don’t assume that they will say no, or hate it. Maybe they will, but it is still your responsibility to extend an invitation to them. 

Don’t go to church today, but look for ways in which you can participate in the Church that Jesus thought was worth dying for. See you guys tonight.

This morning we are going to take our challenge from Jesus himself. When asked which of the commands mattered most, Jesus’ reply was pretty straight forward. He gave a two part answer, and we will spend today wrestling with the first half of his statement. Jesus said, “the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind, and with all of your strength.” 

It really strikes me that Jesus doesn’t call this the greatest suggestion, or the greatest idea. He said this is the greatest command. It is not a suggestion, although we often treat it like it is. It is so easy for us to be consumed with doing Church really well, but if we fail to be people that are passionately in love with God, all of our efforts are meaningless. 

So many times, being around Christians is like being around a couple trapped in a loveless marriage. You know they are getting by, but there is nothing about their relationship that you want to emulate. In fact, there are times that being around a couple with a loveless marriage can even make you question whether or not you would ever get married. If we are simply going through the motions when it comes to God, then why are we surprised when our non-Christian friends want nothing to do with Him.

In order for you to introduce (insert your friend’s name here) to Jesus, you must be in love with God. 

Do you love God with every ounce of your heart, soul, mind, and strength? 

If not, then how are you planning to change that? This is where mission begins. It starts with you and God. Are you keeping the most important command? 

the term missional simply refers to a way of life that revolves around sharing the love of Jesus with people that don’t know him. I could give you a more formal definition, but hopefully you get the point.

So for the next several days, weeks, months or years…who knows how long this will last, I will provide a simple challenge or two for you and I to embark on together. Hopefully we can encourage one another to live lives that revolve around the mission Jesus has given us. I will keep the first challenge simple. 

I think one of our biggest challenges when it comes to sharing Christ with those that don’t know him starts with the fact that most of us probably aren’t friends with enough people that don’t know Jesus. Unfortunately usually the longer a person has been a Christian, the fewer friends they have that aren’t.

This is rarely an intentional decision. In fact, this tends to happen quite easily. You come to know Jesus. You find a community of people that love him. Together you and your church experience the joy of life together, and before you know it–all of your closest friends look like, act like, talk like, and believe the same things as you.

Sure, you know people that are different from you…but are they really your friends?  

So today we are going to start simple. Where ever you are, just take a few minutes to think about one person you know that does not love and follow Jesus. 

I want you to picture them right now. Their face, the sound of their voice, etc. 

From now on, when I talk about Mission on this page…when I talk about sharing Jesus with people that don’t Him, I want you to think of this person. That’s it. That is the challenge for today. If you want, I would encourage you to spend some time praying for this person. Really praying. Pray that God will capture their hearts the way He has captured yours. After all, nobody loves that person more than God. 

If for some reason you can’t think of a single person in your life that is not a Christian, then repent and simply start looking for ways to be with people that are different from you. Don’t beat yourself up, just change. Love you guys.

The problem is, as Christians, we don’t live in Babylon. We live in Samaria. 

Babylon is far from Jerusalem and it doesn’t know much about its religion. What you believe or how you worship is of little significance to Babylon, so long as you keep the peace and contribute to civic life. This was the case with Daniel and the other Jewish exiles. They only got in trouble when the undermined the government or got caught up in petty politics. Babylon could have cared less about their religion.

But Samaria is different. The people in Samaria know plenty about Jerusalem’s religion (though some of the information may be distorted). And unlike Babylon where the people are indifferent to Jerusalem’s religion, Samaria holds a grudge against it.

If you read the story of Jesus sitting around the well with a Samaritan woman (John 4), you will remember that Jews and Samaritans had a long history of not getting along. They were like estranged relatives. They had a partly shared worldview (both studied the first 5 books of the Bible), they had a shared point of origin (both came from the line of Jacob), and they had well defined points of contention (where do we go to worship and be forgiven?). 

They knew each other…or at least they thought they did, so therefore they didn’t associate with one another. Their familiarity with one another led to suspicion and hostility. 

This often rings true for life in America. The problem is not that my religion is strange. The problem is that my religion in familiar. Like Samaritans and Jews, Christians and Non-Christians have a partly shared world view (Our Western Traditions, Our Southern Values, even the Bible and Prayer), we have a shared point of origin (after all America was born out of Christendom), and well defined points of contention (the exclusivity of Jesus). 

We are familiar with what one another believes. Or at least we think we are. This often leads to hostility, and at the very least…deep seeded grudges.

For us to move past this, we must respond the way Jesus did. Jesus sidestepped all of the classic arguments, using creative language (i.e. “living water”) to provoke curiosity. He pointed ahead to times when Samaritans and Jews would drown their differences in a newer, and deeper reality. 

It is more than refining our conversation though, living in Samaria requires patience and love for the long haul. No one can change a grudge by direct assault. Instead we have to outlive it, and look for fresh opportunities to begin anew. We have to love the people on the other side of our grudges and presuppositions. 

After all, Jesus clearly did. He honored Samaria when he chose a Samaritan for his parable of being a good neighbor (who do we choose for our illustrations of virtue?). He sent his disciples to Samaria to announce his resurrection (Acts 1:8). If you remember the rest of the story, Phillip took Jesus seriously and amazing things happened.

What does it look like for you and I to follow Jesus in a place like Samaria? Do we have the patience and the love to outlive our country’s presuppositions about our faith in Christ? Do we have the ability to view Samaria the way Jesus did…not as our enemy, but as our neighbor?

I will keep it short and simple today. I read a powerful verse this morning that really got the gears turning.

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away.” – Psalm 39:4 (NLT)

This verse made me stop to ask the question…

If today is my last day to live, have I spent today doing things that matter?

I pray that you lived life today on purpose. I pray that you took advantage of your time with friends, co-workers, and family. I pray that you slowed down enough to appreciate the things that God was doing all around you. Most importantly, I pray that you spent your life today living for the one that gives you life to begin with. 

I love you guys. If you didn’t live life on purpose today, repent and start new. I’m glad we get to do this together.

Yesterday as I was reading through 1 Timothy, a verse really jumped out and grabbed my heart. “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” – 1 Tim. 1:15-17

I really meditated on this verse yesterday, and it hit me that the reason we so often fail to join God in his mission is because of our failure to truly embody this verse. The times that I give up on people, get discouraged, or feel hopeless are the times when I have forgotten that I alone was reason enough for Jesus to come to this earth.  Jesus’ sole reason for becoming human was to save people like us. 

That is amazing. Have you lost sight of that? I know I often do.

I was also really challenged by the second half of that verse were Paul says that our new lives now serve as an example of Jesus’ unlimited patience to those who still don’t believe. As you go through your day today…getting ready for the weekend, ask yourself this question:

Is my life displaying the unlimited patience of Jesus to those that don’t know him?

God I pray that our lives will display your mercy and unlimited patience to those we come in contact with today. I pray that your word will transform our hearts, and renew our minds. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

How will this Monday be any different than the last one?

That question really hit me. Last night we had an incredible night at church, and as I am sitting here in my bed I have to ask myself the question…”So what does that mean for Monday?”

In theory, our time at church on Sundays should be the launching pad for the rest of the week. Sundays are a time for us to connect with God and other people that are searching for his heart as well. Sundays are a time for us to be reminded of our role in God’s mission.

I would like to challenge you today. As you drive to work, step back into the cubicle, eat lunch with your co-workers, teach math to your third graders, talk with the barista at Starbucks, or do any of the things you would typically do on a Monday morning…do them on purpose. 

Live life today with meaning. Live life today like the creator of the universe thought enough of you to humble himself to the point of death for your sake. Live a life today that is so full of grace, love, mercy, and truth that the people you come in contact with will know that God is alive and well.

How will this Monday be any different than the last one?