It’s been 3+ years since this photo was taken by a reporter for the Virginian-Pilot.
The White Horse Pub brings back a whirlwind of memories.
Every Tuesday night for almost a year.
Arrive at 4:00ish, and roll out around 9-9:30pm.
All because… we were a church, in a bar.

Well, we were a church who held services in 3 different locations.
In a bar at Pembroke Mall on Tuesdays, and Sundays at Ocean Lakes High School and Cinema Cafe in Greenbrier.
Over 3 years later, and after a great deal of prayer, we are back to a single location (Ocean Lakes on Sundays).
So, what did you learn from doing multi-site and church in a bar?

Multi-site:

• It’s extremely difficult. Take everything you’ve studied, read, and heard… then increase it by 45-50%
• It stretches you, but in a good way. You begin think anew when it comes to first time visitors, volunteers, teams, etc. This helped me so much.
• No matter how well you plan, problems will show themselves quickly. Our filming of the message was a love/hate relationship. Actually, the scheduling of speaking in general for three locations was just tough.
• I learned to pour a lot of love into volunteers. You have to since you cannot be at every campus, every week. Volunteers are what make things like this happen!
• You have to do multi-site out of growth, not to promote it. If you’re not busting at the seams where you are, & haven’t already exhausted every avenue of multiple services, and space- then don’t do multi-site. Because, if you aren’t growing rapidly now, adding another monster campus to the mix isn’t going to somehow make you’re church more attractive to people. The newness of it will, for a moment. But, it will fade quickly and so will their involvement with your church.
• Multi-site teaches patience. I learned so much during the multi-site years. With the new technology and resources available, it’s enticing to swim in the multi-site waters. The patience comes when you have to learn all new systems, concepts, technology, and strategies to make it work for your situation.
• Video teaching doesn’t work for everyone. It can work for some. It’s been done great all over the country by people. It just didn’t completely work for us. We had people who would come to the Cinema Cafe Campus, and then weeks later place themselves in the live setting at Ocean Lakes. They just preferred a live pastor. Personally, I love seeing someone live. I understand where they’re coming from.
• Multi-site isn’t for everyone. As God’s church moves here at Forefront, would I be totally against it in the future? No. Would God have to confirm it with our elders and leadership without a shadow of doubt, that it was the only route for us to take? Absolutely. God has to be the center. As much as we want to impact our community, we know God’s work through Forefront cannot be hindered by us chasing a dream of ours instead of His. We always have felt that way in leading Forefront, and will continue to in the future.

Church In A Bar:

• I loved it. The smell of beer and grease as the band would get into the music and people would bob their heads to songs that were about God and His love. It was such a cool thing to be a part of. Honestly, it felt like we were trailblazers (although many have done this very thing before). People were shocked that we would do such a thing in Va Beach. It revived many of us in leadership to know we were doing what God laid on our hearts.
• Many church leaders are scared to try things. Mainly because of what other Christians would think. If you make decisions based on other Christians as opposed to what God is calling you to do, you’re damned from the start.
• I learned to love and appreciate the speaking talents of Vince Antonucci. Also, while I’m not into the style of music (I like more hardcore/indie stuff), Joe Heilman knew how to move the room and connect with them. The chemistry between the service and people there was interesting. I had to stash those nuggets away and learn from them as I helped run the volunteer team behind the scenes.
• “Shock and Awe” doesn’t win people to Jesus, it simply fills seats. The barrage of media attention and calls we received was almost entirely what we expected. Christians telling us we were going to Hell, people far from God packing the place out to have a beer and see what it was about. But, when the novelty wears off, it’s still church. There’s nothing really all that “cool” or “hip” about doing church in a bar/pub. We still addressed sin (even about being drunk or addicted), and discussed life past the confines of a bar stool and the daily grind.
• Life change happens in relationships. We had people who came to know God and were baptized from our pub campus. Every single one of them happened because their was some type of involvement outside of the “weekly service.” Lunch. Hanging out after small group. An email. Phone call. Just simply attending a service (no matter where you have it), won’t change your life. The preaching of the gospel or “good news” is the starting point where the Holy Spirit moves people. It’s through that relational interaction that we see it go from a prompting to a life changing decision to accept Christ and experience as God turns us into a new creation. Essentially, raising us from the dead life we were existing in before Him.
• No matter how hard you might try, good things end too. The White Horse Pub on Tuesday Nights was bitter sweet for me. It was amazing to watch people come to God and be baptized, but in another real sense, it ran it’s course. I took karate when I was 9, you know the free lessons people could win from Chuck Norris Karate Studios. Well, I kept at it for a little while after, but… it wasn’t too long before it was just done. And that was alright. It had it’s time. And… the pub campus had it’s place. It reached people. It put us in a place to love others who many Christians would never find themselves in contact with. I mean seriously, how many churches are having baby showers for pregnant bar-tending, strippers? God put us there to love on her, the owner, the bar tenders and wait staff. It was God’s time to shine. He worked magnificently. It was amazing to watch.
• Having service in a place that has temptation, showed people’s struggles. When there’s plenty of brew flowing, things happen. We had to tell volunteers that they couldn’t be a part of the team there because they struggled with alcohol addiction. Some of them even left the church entirely. It was painful. As a team, we had to minister to them and look out for them. It taught us how to be more aware and present when it came to seeing people’s needs and struggles. We had to hold people accountable. People don’t always like it. Crap, sometimes they HATE it. But, just as we’re called to love everyone, we are told to hold our brothers and sisters in Jesus accountable. That’s tough. No way of getting around it. But, it has to been done in love. Even then, it doesn’t always end well.
• Maybe it was less about the service, and more about what God was trying to teach his people. People came to God, we ruffled some conservative feathers (not on purpose), and God was honored. But, looking back, I think Forefront learned a whole lot more than the community did. How we worship God matters. People, above all programs, ideas, and things, matter. Everything we do must first stem from His plan, and no matter what people might think, we must follow Him.

It was an exciting time then, and it’s an exciting time now.
Every week people are getting baptized and Heaven is celebrating.
God has some very tough, but amazing things on the horizon for His church at Forefront.
We’ve overcome odds that were completely stacked against us.
Why?
Because God is for us. His work doesn’t end.
It may take on different forms (i.e. Vietnam, Mexico, Haiti, Joplin, P.I.N., Crisis Pregnancy Center, etc).
But, His work in you, me, and our community is far from finished.

So thankful and humbled to be where I am.
Thank you for enduring the journey, God has some great things in store.

Joe Flanagan, of 13 News, came out to take a look at what Pa & VA churches were doing for the folks down south. With all the devastation that has taken place in the southern states, someone has to help them. As a church, our call is to respond.

We teamed up with Legacy Christian Church in PA. They rallied people up north and we rallied the area in Hampton Roads. It was a great collaborative effort. David Scott, a fellow Forefronter, asked his company (US Food Services), if they would donate a truck, gas, and comp his time. They agreed. On May 12th, 2011 we filled the 18 Wheeler with food, clothing, and supplies as it headed to Alabama for delivery.

Thank you to everyone involved in making this great.
You can read mention about it here.
Check out the news story embedded below.
We’ll have a video w/ the whole project and delivery, edited and out in the coming week or so.

Forefront in the News: Channel 13 WVEC from Forefront Church on Vimeo.

*Count how many times I blink. Ha.
**Oh, and I am not the founding pastor. Just a guy trying to lead as he tells me.

Jason

I wish I had the time and energy to create something like this.
Ronen V is pretty creative, check out this video:

Ronen’s Adventure: Trapped in an iPhone from Ronen V on Vimeo.

You ever feel like that?
Ever have that “I feel like I am completely trapped” kind of feeling?
You feel boxed in. Isolated. No means of escape.
For all intent and purposes, the end is all that’s left inside your head.

Well, the other day our family was at the Outlets in Williamsburg.
I hate the outlets. Seriously. I would rather lay on I-264 than be there.
But, what mamma wants, mamma gets. And mamma wanted a day at the outlets.
So we went.

On the 1.5 hour drive back, I hear from the back seat, “Daddy, I HAVE TO POTTY!”
Super.
We were about 30 minutes away from the house.
I cannot pull over and let a toddler do #2 on the side of the road.
“She doesn’t wear diapers anymore, so it could end badly,” I thought.
Maybe we could drive really fast?
Nope, I’d surely get a ticket.
We could get off on an exit and use a bathroom at a business?
Nope. HOV lane.
Now, I normally don’t pick the HOV. But, remember… what mamma wants, mamma gets.
Carrie is always asking me to get in the HOV for times sake.
This time I took the initiative and got in the HOV with out her asking.
Yep. I knew what was coming…
“Well, we could get off on an exit if you didn’t get us trapped in the HOV lane,” she said.

We were trapped. No where to go but straight down the HOV lane with a toddler crying about her imminent “movement,” a baby screaming for her afternoon bottle, a wife letting me know I could have made a different choice, and me (breaking down on the inside like a kid who got beat up and had his lunch money stolen). Although many different options were running through my head, I could only drive and pray things didn’t end badly.

But, I made the choice.
I’m the one who had picked the HOV lane.
I didn’t ask my daughter if she wanted to use the potty before we left.
I placed the diaper bag in the far back of the car, where the baby’s bottle was.
I did it to myself.
It affected the people around me. Badly.

We all experience things in life. Sometimes it is completely out of our control (it’s usually pretty clear when these times are). But many times, it didn’t just “happen to us.” Our decisions and actions led to the tale of being trapped and now we’re reaching out from the hurricane we created screaming, “I have no idea how I got here?!”
Well, you made choices. Good, bad, indifferent- choices.

When we feel trapped in our daily grind (job, soccer practice, choral rehearsal, kids behaving poorly, domestic issues, lack of communication, etc), it’s because more often than not, we neglect to make the choices that can remove us from the cell we’ve become trapped in. The point of difficulty is when we find comfort in the cell, the walls are all we know, and we fear getting loose because the unknown is scary and awkward. But, it’s in those storms that we encounter (created by us or not), that we move ourselves towards God.

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:6-8

I struggle heavily with anxiety.
It ravages me internally.
This passage from Paul gives me peace when I’m feeling trapped and confined.
When you’re feeling trapped, focus on this truth.
Allow God to free you from the trappings of this amazing life American dream you keep chasing.

Growing up, you never know what kind of lasting impression you’ll leave on people.
For many, you don’t get the chance to speak into the lives of your childhood friends, as an adult.
Fortunately, that chance came around.

Joe and I grew up together.
We ran with the wrong crowd. Wait, we were the wrong crowd.
Not all the time, but we were definitely far from perfect.
Your parents warned you about… us. Ha.
We grew up, and parted ways.
Just over a year ago, our paths crossed.
He was wrestling through a broken marriage.
I was fumbling through pastoring a church.
We sat down in the mall food court and talked about life.
He shared his mistakes, and his deep love for his wife.
Joe wanted to make things right.

Melissa had been coming to Forefront for awhile.
She was searching for healing in their marriage.
God eventually brought Joe along to experience God’s love, through His church.
A year later, this is what God is doing…

Forefront Baptisms: Joe & Melissa Hunter from Forefront Church on Vimeo.

“Love is when the other person’s happiness is more important than your own.”

H. Jackson Brown Jr.

“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.”

John Wesley

Disaster Relief in the Southeast U.S.

As we’ve seen on the news and in the paper, the Southeastern United States was hit hard with tornadoes and disastrous weather. Well, it’s our job to do something about it.

We have been invited to join a number of other churches from the Northeast (PA & MD) and our area to donate items to be transported to Capstone Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama to support the thousands affected by last weeks tornado’s. This has taken a lot of coordination within a number of organizations.

Here’s How You Can Help

Items needed include: Bottled water, sports drinks, diapers (various sizes), hand sanitizer, non-perishable POP-OPEN and eat items, and toiletries. Items donated should be boxed and labeled. Water and sports drinks that are packaged together in a bundle of a 12 pack or more can come as is. Having items boxed and labeled will make packing the truck so much easier.

Drop-Off date is May 12 at the Forefront Offices, 2697 International Parkway Suite 3-132, Virginia Beach, VA.
For directions, http://tinyurl.com/forefrontoffice
Drop off items directly behind the building from 8am-5pm.
If you need another time to get your material here, please contact jason@forefront.org or call 757-373-9171

Forefront People: You can drop your stuff off at church or at the offices during business hours.

Church/Community Leaders: We have a video below that you can play on Facebook, Twitter, etc. If you create a free vimeo.com account, you can download it from the vimeo site to play at church this Sunday.

Tornado Relief from Forefront Church on Vimeo.

Jason

UPDATE: Items added to the list of donations

- personal care items, shampoo, deodorant, feminine hygiene, toilet paper, tooth paste, etc
- baby items – diapers (all sizes), formula, wipes (big need!!)
- new underwear, sox all sizes (Big Need!!)
- tarps
- chainsaws, chainsaw oil
- air mattresses and cots
- sheets, blankets, pillows
- food items
- can openers
- hand sanitizer
- soap
- sleeping bags

I loved watching the Batman and Robin television show as a kid.
BAM! ZAP! POW!!
It was action packed from beginning to end. A challenge would arise, Batman and Robin would go to figure it out, one would always end up in peril, and the other would save him & save the day. The show always followed that same structure, but it never got old for me.

The thing I loved the most about the show though… Batman needed Robin. As savvy and heroic as Batman was, he could get himself in a bind like no other. It was always Robin who came to the rescue and bailed him out. We all need a Robin. As a matter of fact, it wouldn’t be bad to have a half dozen or so Robins in our corner.

As a pastor, I have the luxury of working with 6 other amazingly talented people. They’re my Robins. Dan, Becky, Lisa, James, Justin, and Barbara make me look better than I really am. You see, Batman is great, but he would be nothing if he didn’t have Robin right by his side every step of the way. He’s more than simply a sidekick, they are a team. A dynamic duo if you will.

At Forefront, we embrace this teamwork in every aspect of the ministry that takes place here. It’s not just an “Adult” “Children’s” or “Student” ministry project, it’s a staff/volunteer project. A team effort. One aspect that this could easily be overlooked in the church is with speaking, right? “I mean, c’mon! You’re the ‘teaching pastor’ so shouldn’t you be the only one to ever speak to us? Isn’t that your job?” Well, part of my job is teaching, but if that’s all I did, I’d be one lazy leader. On top of that, getting one voice all the time is never a healthy thing. It’s nice to hear from a different vantage point.

So during this series we’re in, you’ll hear from three other voices besides myself. Dan Pollard, our Executive Pastor, Becky Bruner, our Family Pastor, and James Davis, our Student Pastor. Our elders have the final authority over the church and think it’s healthy for the church family to hear from different voices from time to time. I couldn’t agree more. Not only are their voices and ideas from a G0d-centered perspective, but they have life experiences I’ve never been through. Things I have yet to encounter, because I’m not them.

Looking forward to the rest of this series”Paper House”, it’s going to be fantastic. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the first week on “Integrity”, check it out on the podcast or website here and below is the series trailer to get you pumped for next Sunday!

Jason

Paper House Sermon Intro from Forefront Church on Vimeo.

At Forefront, we embrace people’s stories.
Everyone has a story to share.
You might think it’s boring or uneventful, but you have one.
The amazing part, your story needs to be told.
It’s a part of the puzzle, a piece of the body, the scene in the movie.
Your story helps share this “good news” with others.
You telling your story matters.

We have a few people who are going to start a new chapter in their story this Sunday after church. They are taking the step to surrender to God and allow Him to transform their life. It’s another moment to watch the miraculous happen. I love it.

Here are a few recent baptisms that took place here at Forefront.
Awesome.

Forefront Baptisms: April 10, 2011 from Forefront Church on Vimeo.

Derek Smith’s Baptism from Forefront Church on Vimeo.

We had an amazing time during our visit & work with the people of Ta Phin, Vietnam. The doors opened over the last few years to do work with water, the department of education, and we’re praying for avenues with the department of health. To catch a bit of what we experienced, check out this video:

Vietnam Team: April 2011 from Forefront Church on Vimeo.

A big thanks to everyone who helped make this happen. When our June 2011 team gets on the ground, we’ll get some video/photos of the completed work.

Jason

Great new movie coming in Summer 2011.

Yes, my littlest girl rules.
Thank goodness Roxy is finally crawling.
She has taken terrorizing her sister Chloe to a whole new level.