Today, our society is festering from increasingly hostile, divisive, and prejudicial attitudes. Divisions abound. Opinions serve as the haters volley.

And it is in such an atmosphere that the Church of Jesus thrives. For while culture descends into the morass and minutia of splintered loyalties and prejudiced affections – we become brighter still because we are the light of the world. Our luminary oneness becomes the brilliance of our light.

The Church is the manifestation of God’s love through the unity of the brotherhood. Ephesians 4 speaks of: One body, One spirit, One hope, One Lord, One faith, One baptism and One God. The importance of one word stands out, the word "one."

There is a new reformation taking place right now. There is a gathering of eagles. There is a calling of leaders. Schisms, strife, anger and suspicion are being offered on newly built altars of submission so that the “Brotherhood of Unity” becomes the tangible reality of Christianity!

Dear Friends, 
 
I am excited to report that God continues to prove Himself FAITHFUL by doing Great Things at our "Renaissance Gatherings" and beyond!  Almost weekly, as Mindi and I speak with those the Lord allows our paths to cross there is a marked interest in what we are doing with "Renaissance" and what is going on in our world.  Wednesday night we had a guest family with us, who has shown much interest in how we differ from their traditional religious background, and the Lord touched them in a deeply.  Last week Mindi began walking every morning with a group of ladies and one, who is a Mormon, began to ask her about our beliefs.  I believe the pattern for growth is simple - the ONLY method the First Church, in the Book of Acts, ever employed for Evangelism was PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS.

Watchman, oh’ how mighty are your anointed words,
 pealing like thunder through the hearts of people who’ve heard.

Watchman, you stand guard over night’s peril,
and escort dawn’s coming light as a faith-filled herald!

Watchman, your voice is a trumpet of hope to me,
sharing glories untold until I see.

Watchman, your revelation shouts of a soon coming day,
when prophets will again walk the bloody cobblestones of Jerusalem to say,
Jesus is the Messiah of God, His redeeming Lamb!

Watchman, how I praise God for you my Sentinel Shepherd;
for it is with great thanksgiving that I embrace God’s gifting me with you, 
lead me into Heaven. 

Watchman, it is by your obedience to God’s Word and Christ’s blood,
 that these magnificent words will surely be heard:
 “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

 © 2010 Rev. Wendell E. Hutchins II

The city swarms with holiday crowds. Every good Israelite has made their best effort to migrate to the City of David for Passover. The joy allied with this notable evening of worship-filled festivities and the Pascal meal is suddenly truncated by the bellicose chant of Pharisees spoiling for a fight. The pompous Sanhedrin quickly fills the streets of Jerusalem with inciting words of accusation, stirring the fears of Rome and the prejudice of the Jews.

I am challenged by so many things as I have this awesome privilege to work with people both in the Kingdom and in this broken world. But one of the greatest things that I am challenged by is the fact that so many people still dwell in the Sunday morning crowd and are not fully engaged followers (we call them disciples) of Jesus Christ!

The task before us as a faith community is overwhelming…we live in an urban area of over four million people. Four million people who are living their lives for the most part, totally unaware of the paths they walk toward eternity. The overwhelming part is that one or two or five of us do not have the capacity to reach so many, because we know that must people are going to be reached through the power of contagious relationships. That is why we must have every member of our church family fully engaged.

We must have every person who calls themselves followers of Jesus, fully engaged in His mission. What does that mean? It simply means this: the people of God partnering with Him in His redemptive mission in the world.