This last Sunday we had 284 in attendance – our highest attendance on a Sunday other than Easter!  We had many first time guests from our recent mailer and others invited by FOTP family members.  We have 10 people scheduled for baptism on Sunday, January 29.  In addition, we began work on our new future home.  Trees were cleared on our property on Hall Johnson.  All of this means one thing – God is at work at FOTP Grapevine.  He is helping us prepare a place where people can have a life changing encounter with his love.

“Some women want a passive man if they want a man at all; the church wants a tame man – they are called priests; the university wants a domesticated man – they are called tenure track people; the corporation wants a …sanitized, hairless, shallow man. But we addicts know that we need a wild man.  A man who will love us when we wander; when we drink too much, eat too much, spend too much…or try to drink our own urine.  The God-man who has gone to the absolute extreme for us.”  - Iron John: A Book About Men by Robert Bly

It has been a while since I updated our status.  This past Sunday our church family committed to give over $1 million dollars over the next three years so that we can begin construction on our future church home located on Hall Johnson in Grapevine.  It is hard to beleive all of this has happened in three years - we started with 10 people in my living room, nowrun well over 200, purrchased and paid for property and will have our own facility this time next year.  Most importantly, we have seen many, many lives transformed by the grace of God.

I want to thank all of you who pray for us.  God is doing a great work at FTOP Grapevine.  I am having the time of my life and have made some of the best friends imaginable!

We had our all time high attendance at our Grapevine campus with 388 in attendance.   Out total attendance at all three campuses was slightly over 4,100 as compared to last year of slightly over 3500.   God is truly moving at FOTP.  We praise God for every person that was able to hear about his love for them and the new way of life he offers. 

As this year comes to a close, it has been a great time to reflect on what God has done at Fellowship of the Parks Grapevine.   It has been a truly amazing year.

We moved to the Faith Christian School Dallas Road location in Grapevine this fall.   We now average over 200 in attendance with a high attendance of 236 which actually occurred this summer. 

We will be closing on our property on Hall Johnson Road before the end of the year.   The fact that we were able to obtain this property is a great God story and we definitely know that this is the location He had for us all along.

Most importantly, this has been a year of seeing more lives transformed by God’s grace.   I think the essence of what God is doing was captured in the life of Jerry Riddle.   I had the privilege of seeing Jerry come to know Christ in his living room 20 months ago.   He began attending our church driving from south Arlington each week.  He later told me that he had not been to church in over 40 years.  Jerry’s life was transformed physically, emotionally and spiritually.   Jerry was severely overweight when he began attending FOTP Grapevine.  He rode on a scooter.   In a matter of months he came in using a walker and sometime later he came in using a cane.   Eventually, Jerry had lost enough weight that he simply walked in.    He served with our media team and administrative team.    I don’t know that week ever went by that Jerry did not email me to ask me a question about the Bible.

In October, God called Jerry home.    While he is missed, he will forever remind the people of FOTP of the reason we exist – to reach others with the good news of God’s grace.    May reach hundreds more like him in the days and years ahead.

This is definitely an exciting time at FOTP Grapevine.   Last night the Grapevine City Council approved our request for a special use permit for our land on Hall Johnson.    Hopefully we will have our new, permanent church home there in 2 years or less.    In the meantime, our new church home in the Faith Christian school facility on Dallas Road has worked out great.   This past Sunday we had 230 in attendance!

Last week, the first FOTP family member went on to heaven.   Jerry Riddle came to know Christ 18 months ago.   He told me later that when he started attending FOTP Grapevine, he had not been in church in 40 years.    I have never in all my days of ministry seen a life more transformed spiritually, physically, and emotionally than Jerry’s.    At one point he weighed over 600 pounds.  He rode a scooter into church each week.    Three months after his stomach bypass surgery, he walked in on a walker.  A few months later he was using a cane and the last few months he simply walked in each week.   More importantly, Jerry fell in love with the Lord, his people, and his word.   Not week went by that I did not get a call or email from Jerry asking me a question about a verse he had read or a book I had recommended.

We are blessed to have many of Jerry’s family attending FOTP Grapevine.    Our goal is to reach hundreds of more like Jerry in the days ahead.   

Four years ago this past Sunday, Pat, Caroline and I attended FOTP for the first time as our new church home.  I remember leaving that day and sensing the excitement of the staff because of the attendance of 1,200 people.   We had no idea at the time, that four years later we would be a part of one of the three FOTP campuses and that our total attendance would exceed 2,200.  There is no way to describe the feeling of being a part of a vibrant, growing church that is reaching so many people who were disconnected from God and his church.  It is that feeling of knowing you are in your sweet spot and doing what God designed you to do.

For all of you who read this, thank you for your prayers.  Please continue to pray that we will remain focused on glorifying God and reaching the unchurched.

This Sunday we will celebrate our two year anniversary.  In those two years we have seen a group of 10 people in my living room grow to an average attendance of 200.  We have seen so many lives changed and transformed.   God has truly put together the most amazing leadership team made up of servant leaders who are willing to do whatever it takes to reach others.  

This Sunday we will move to our new location at 729 E. Dallas Road.  While we will miss our old home on Worth Street, we know that our new home will be a place of even greater growth.  We know that right now there are people out there who have no idea of the life transformation that will take place as a result of getting involved in FOTP Grapevine.

"Jesus understood His purpose was to save us not from pain and suffering, but from meaninglessness." - The Barbairan Way byErwin McManus

I pray that some day hundreds of people will say that they were saved from meaninglessness by Christ through His work at FOTP Grapevine.

We have averaged almost 200 people in attendance this summer.     Last summer we averaged 145.  That means we have grown by almost 45%.   This is all taking place in a building that was built in 1952, occupied by two churches on Sunday and located on a dead end street.

On Sunday, September 12 we will move to the new Faith Christian school facility located on Dallas Road in Grapevine.   We truly believe that this move will result in even greater growth due to our new facility and much higher visibility.  

On top of it all, I have never in my life experienced such a great sense of community and fellowship.  The people of FOTP Grapevine are a loving, caring group.

I am reading a book by a pastor in Tulsa, Ed Gungor.  The title of the book is “One Small Barking Dog – Living a life that is hard to ignore”.   Ed owns a small terrier named Frank.   He said that when other people are around Frank gets pretty excited and starts yelping.   Gungor  states that Frank is not big or ferocious but he is hard to ignore simply because he is there.   It is his ‘thereness’ that is hard to ignore.

It is the ‘thereness’  of the people of FOTP Grapevine that is hard to ignore.  The ‘thereness’ stems from their love, caring, and passion for the Lord and others.   The people of FOTP Grapvine are living lives that are hard to ignore.   Others are taking notice and wanting to know more.   They show up at our services on Sunday and eventually they too are living lives that are hard to ignore.

Wow!   We had another all time high attendance day with 227 in attendance.   We baptized 5 adults and 1 child.   Tonight we have two teens who will be baptized at our Fellowship at the Waterpark.

God is doing amazing things at FOTP Grapevine and we haven't even moved to our new location yet.  

God is good!

Lots of things have transpired over the last few weeks.  After months of praying and searching, we have a contract on 4.35 acres of land in Grapevine on Hall Johnson just east of 121.  The whole thing is a great God story!

We are praying that the city will give us permission to build there.  If so we could have a permanent church home in about 2 years or less.

In the meantime, we have received permission to move to the new Faith Christian School facility on Dallas Street this fall.  We are so very blessed to be able to meet at Faith and the new high visibility location should help us reach even more people.

Our weekly attendance continues to grow and in some ways defy what is the norm as far  church growth goes.  We have had several peak attendances since Easter including last Sunday with 192 in attendance.  Not many churches have ever had one of their all time high attendance days in the summer but that is just the way it is at FOTP Grapevine!

Two weeks ago we baptized two more people who have committed their lives to Christ.  This coming Sunday we will have two more people baptized at our Fellowship at the Water Park.  We have several more people scheduled for baptism in August.

In his book IT, author and pastor Craig Groeschel says that some churches experience the life changing power of God which he refers to as IT.  IT is hard to describe but most of us can tell when a church has IT and when a church doesn’t.  By God’s grace and at least for now, FOTP Grapevine has IT and I pray that IT never goes away.

To God be the glory!