We had 201 in attendance at FOTP Grapevine yesterday.  It is the first time in the history of the church outside of Easter that we have had over 200.  We started 18 months ago with 10 people in our living room. 

More importantly, we had three more adults baptized.  Like many others their lives are being transformed by what God is doing through the people of FOTP Grapevine.

Please pray for us as we are now looking at possible sites for a permanent location.  This would be early in the life of the average church campus but FOTP Grapevine is not average.  It is made up of some of the most amazing people I have ever met.

We are doing a series called “Prodigal”.  Most people do not realize that prodigal means recklessly extravagant.  We want people to know about God’s prodigal love for them and to see that love change them from the inside out.

May the people of FOTP Grapevine forever passionately follow the Jesus example.

It has been a while since I posted anything regarding our new church campus.  Today we had our all time high attendance with 193.  In about 18 months we have gone from a handful of people in my living room to this vibrant church that is reaching people with the good news of the gospel.  One couple that recently got saved told me today how amazed they are at the cahnges taking place in thier lives. 

One of the things I love most about FOTP Grapevine is that the people practice extraordinary generosity.  Last year we combined witht the Keller campus to provide over 460 pairs of new shoes for the 300 foster children in Tarrant County.  We also provided (who knows how many) teddy bears for the national adoption day.  We planted our fist ever community garden.  In addition, our contributions exceeded our budget and we gave $90,000 to our Live It Forward building fund.

Combined with the Keller campus we had well over 2000 people in attendance today.  Threee years ago on our first Sunday at FOTP, there were 1,200 in attendance.Read the following recently and it reminded me of FOTP:

"But when believers live in the power of the Spirit, the evidence in thier lives is supernatural.  The church cannot help but be different, and the world cannot help but notice." - Francis Chan author of Forgotten God

God's hand of favor is on FOTP Grapevine.  This past Sunday we had our highest regular Sunday attendance in the history of the church.  What is so unusual about this is that the average church usually has a peak in attendance in the August-September time frame but we have continued to grow through the fall.  Our Sunday morning youth program led by Jon and Cathy Brooks started with a handful of kids in Sept. and we had 17 youth this past Sunday.  God continues to bring some incredible families our way who are committed to reaching unchurched young families.  I remember the day when we only had a few children on a Sunday and this past Sunday we had 45.

All of this seems small compared to the many large churches in our area but considering that a little over a year ago, FOTP Grapevine consisted of a few couples in our living room, it is truly amazing.  More importantly, are the lives that have been changed.

I have never been a part of a more loving, committed group of Christ followers in my life.  Pat, Caroline and I love the people of FOTP Grapevine!

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of our fist weekly Sunday morning service.  We started our two public services.  OUr attendance was 179 which is the highest attendance we have had other than Easter.  To put it in perspective, there was a Sunday last fall when we had 88 in attendance. 

It was a great day as many new people stepped up to serve.  We also started our Sunday morning youth program led by Jon and Kathy Brooks.

This has been the most amazing and rewarding year of 27 years of ministry for Pat and me.  We cannot wait to see what the future holds for Fellowship of the Parks Grapevine.

I can’t really explain God’s hand of favor but having been in the ministry for over 26 years, I know when I sense his hand of favor.  At FOTP Grapevine, I sense it in a powerful way right now.  We are seeing people come to us who say they are broken and searching.  Some of those are coming to know Christ.  Pat and I both have had the privilege of seeing people commit their lives to Christ in recent weeks at lunch or as we met at a coffee shop.  In addition, we are seeing believers deal with issues in their lives that have been preventing them from moving forward spiritually.  It truly is an exciting time.

This past Sunday we began a new series, Homelife.  We are looking at the different rooms in a house and the Biblical principles that can serve as a guide for building relationships with the people in those rooms.   This past Sunday we had 165 in attendance which is amazing for the summer.  People genuinely want to know how to experience a more fulfilling home life.

On Sunday, September 13 (our official one year anniversary) we will move our service times and have two public services (9:30 and 11).  We have had a service at 9 for our volunteers and a public service at 10:30 but with the anticipated growth we will need to move to the two services.  We believe we could have as many as 200 people attending on a weekly basis this fall. 

Thank you for your prayers.

I am really looking forward to our next series at FOTP, HomeLife.  This series revolves around the layout of a three-bedroom house.  Each week we will explore what happens in each room of the house and how it contributes to the overall health and vitality of our HomeLife.

You may not attend FOTP Grapevine but if you know someone who could benefit from these messages please invite them to join us on Sunday mornings at 10:30.  We meet at 730 E. Worth Street in Grapevine.  That is the location of Faith Christian School.  Please be aware that two churches meet at that location.  They are both great Bible believing churches but we would love to see you at Fellowship of the Parks Grapevine so follow our signs.

I am reading a great book by one of my favorite authors, The Furious Longing for God by Bennan Manning.  More to come on that soon.

Our summer attendance has actually exceeded our expectations.  Based on what took place after Easter in the spring we should have 150 – 200 in attendance this fall.  As a result we are going to two full services and moving our service times to 9:30 and 11.

Right now, I just sense God’s hand of favor on the church.  Pat and I both have had the privilege of seeing individuals commit their lives to Christ during the last few weeks.  God continues to bring us people who are searching for Christ and people who want to help others find Christ.

It has almost been a year since we started Fellowship of the Parks Grapevine, and it continues to be the most exciting and rewarding ministry opportunity I have ever experienced. 

 “Nothing is more amazing to me than the spiritual transaction that takes place when we put our faith in Christ.  Somehow my spiritual debits are transferred to Christ’s account and His credits are transferred to mine.  There is no greater moment and greater feeling than all of our guilt meeting all of God’s grace.”  - Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson

I pray that FOTP Grapevine will always be a safe place where people can experience all of their guilt meeting all of God’s grace.

Tonight our two church campuses had a great celebration time at the Hurst Waterpark.  We began the night with baptisms.  One of our couples from Grapevine was baptized and three of the kids who attend.   Counting the people who were baptized last night at the Keller campus, we had over 20 people baptized this weekend. 

It is such a joy to see people who have made Christ Lord of their lives, proclaiming to the world that they have been forgiven.   I am so blessed to get to be a part of somehting that special.

As I visited with one of the young men who was baptized tonight, he shared with me that he had not been to church in 16 years when he started to attend FOTP.  He and his wife are both going to a Lifegroup.  God is changing their lives.  Please pray with me that in time we reach thousands of others like them with the message of God's reckless grace.

God continues to move at FOTP Grapevine.  I have to admit that I thought our attendance would decline after Easter but we have had three of our all time high attendance Sundays in this time period.  Sunday we had 174 which included 8 first time guests.  Our people are inviting lots of family members and friends to join us for our Sunday services.

For all of you who pray for us.  Thank you.  While the attendance has been encouraging, we are also very excited about those who are becoming devoted followers of Christ.  We have several to baptize at our Fellowship at the Waterpark event coming up on June 7.

We had 211 people at our Easter services.  God continues to move in a great way at Fellowship of the Parks. 

Once again I was amazed at our core team.  They are always willing to do whatever it takes to reach people.

Please pray for us as we have launched an emphasis called Live It Forward.  We are taking what God has done in our lives in these last six months at FOTP Grapevine and living it forward in the lives of others.  Our goal is to give $150,000 in a year over and above our budget in order to invest in our own facility.  Over $10,000 has been given in the first two weeks!  We are off to a great start and God gets all the glory.