tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9926207.post115532065774038661..comments2024-03-04T00:50:02.182-08:00Comments on KeithGiles.com: HOW TO EMPOWER OTHERS...Keith Gileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00328300571647154699noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9926207.post-1155584436015506492006-08-14T12:40:00.000-07:002006-08-14T12:40:00.000-07:00keith, great thoughts man....as a former youth pas...keith,<BR/> <BR/>great thoughts man....as a former youth pastor at 2 churches [one big and one small] I agree that at BEST we usually see the building as a necessary tool to reach the community.<BR/><BR/>about 1 year ago I left my local church and started a non traditional "community". It's focus was to simply Love God and people. We are called shema. [duet. 6-4-5 & Mark 12]...anyways...we decided to really push this concept.<BR/><BR/>We are not looking for a church building<BR/>We do not have a service.<BR/>We are not competing to get people to join us.<BR/><BR/>It has been so cool to watch people take responsibilty for the spreading of the gospel--knowing there is are programs or service to rely on.<BR/><BR/>We do focus people on three parts of their life.<BR/><BR/>CONVERSATION, COLLABORATION, and CONSPIRACY<BR/><BR/>meaning we encourage people to finds ways to talk have spiritual conversations, collaborating with others to serve the local chicago community, seeing themselves and others as part of a larger Kingdom....and conspiring to advance that.<BR/><BR/>The leadership of Shema sets up things to help people practice their faith. Studies, dinners, opportunities to serve. We do have office space in a house, where we have interns live for free in exchange for 20 hours of volunteer effort to keep the movement....uh.. moving haha.<BR/><BR/>We hold to the Apostles creed. no more no less <BR/><BR/>we are on the fringes..and we are finding so are a lot of others---<BR/><BR/>its so cool what God is doing..I'm so glad God has given me this opportunity to serve The Church<BR/><BR/><BR/>jimmy spencer<BR/>founder<BR/><BR/>www.shemamovement.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com