Prayers and Plans for 2013

As we enter 2013, I am reminded of all that God has done for us.  We were reminded during The Coming King series of God’s gift of Jesus who came and is coming again. His first coming made a way for enemies of God to be made friends. But, there’s more. We are not just friends; we are also part of His grand mission in the world. We have a place in the Story—a part to play.  And we want Exodus to play its part well. We will seek to do this so that the Lead Actor—The Coming King—might take center stage in our lives, our church and our community.  Our King has done so much. Yet, we are hopeful for more. As the elders have prayed and discussed 2013, here are some things that are important to us.

Being a Healthy Congregation

A healthy church starts with a healthy understanding of the gospel that makes us a community on the mission of Jesus. So, we want to make sure that the gospel invades every part of our church’s life.  As the gospel shapes us, we will be pursuing the following:

• House Rules: A study of 1 Timothy—Our hope for this series is that we would emerge as a healthier church pursuing Jesus and His mission. You can learn more about this here.
• Leadership Summit—We will meet four times this year to celebrate what God is doing and anticipate what’s next. If you call Exodus home, we want you to be a part of this. Save the date for the first of four: February 4, 6:30–8:30 p.m.  Other dates:  May 6, September 9, and December 2
• Theological Training—We want to be a people who know and understand sound teaching. The following dates and topics are scheduled:  March 14, Bible Q&A; September 12, How did we get the Bible?; November 21, Church history

Planting a Healthy Congregation

What a joy to think about planting Exodus Northlake in just our fourth year as a church plant! This will require prayer and participation as we seek to assist the ENL Core Team as needed.

Plans

We try to keep our calendar simple. The following are some dates you will want to know for 2013.

• Praying—If we are going to be a healthy church, we must be a praying people. Last year, we talked through the Prayers for the Journey.  In 2013, we aim to have more people praying regularly for Exodus Church. You will hear more about this in the coming months.
• The PATH—Coming February 2013—We want to make getting connected at Exodus as easy as possible. The PATH will help us understand what that looks like. This is going to be a very important part of our journey as a church in 2013.
• New Community Groups—As we have new people join the mission of Exodus, we’ll need new groups in which they can be known and grow. Please pray for more Community Group leaders in 2013.
• Exodus Kids: Scavenger Hunt, January 18; Soccer Camp, June (specific dates TBD); Exodus Kids Extreme, July 15–17
• Mission Trips: Bronx Mission Trip, July 7–14; Echelon Mission Trip, July 24–August 1

Other Plans:

• Marriage Conference, February 22–23
• Women’s Retreat, April 19-20
• Parenting Conference, September 27
• Men’s Breakfast,  April 27, October 12

 2013 is going to be a great year for Exodus Church. We can’t wait to see what God has in store for us.