“Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”
Isaiah 43:18-19
Hi friends!
If you haven’t heard, we have some exciting news! We are responding in faithful obedience to plant a church! Over the past two years, we have sought the Lord’s discernment concerning the next steps in my (Joe’s) call to pastoral ministry, as well as our family’s ministry journey. And after much prayer & discernment, we are excited/thrilled to share that we will soon be moving to Pinckney to plant a Nazarene church.
Our move will be just one stop on our journey over the next year. On Christmas Eve, we welcomed kiddo #4 (Lydia) into our family! In April, Joe will be ordained in the Church of the Nazarene (he was affirmed as a candidate for ordination last year, but our district’s annual assembly was canceled due to COVID). And in early summer, we will move to Pinckney as we prepare for the launch of our Nazarene church plant.
Why a Nazarene Church? What does it mean to be a Nazarene?
The Church of the Nazarene is a global denomination rooted in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition, with local churches worshipping in 163 world areas. Nazarenes are known for our commitment to personal holiness and Christlikeness, lived out through a devotion to social holiness. This is said best through the words of the Nazarene website itself, “We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts, cleanses, fills, and empowers us as the grace of God transforms us day by day into a people of love, spiritual discipline, ethical and moral purity, compassion, and justice.”
To be a Nazarene then, is to interpret life and faith through the lenses of Scripture, reason, tradition, and experience; and, to live holy lives through mutual support, Christian fellowship, and loving accountability. In the words of John Wesley, “God has given us to each other to strengthen each other’s hands.”
What is this new church all about?
Simply put, we’re all about following the ways of King Jesus holistically and in community.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve struggled throughout life with compartmentalizing my faith. It’s easy to box up the “church experience” and shift it to the back burner as we move from Sunday to Monday. Yet, Jesus calls us to reframe our entire view of life when we pledge to follow Him, stepping into the heart of His Upside-Down Kingdom. Church, then, is not something we go to, but something we become. We live out our faith in celebratory gatherings on Sundays, and in the mundane and menial tasks throughout the week. And as we live life this way, we come to know what it means to love God and our neighbors with all of ourselves, the entirety of our heart, soul, mind, & strength. We look not just to our own interests, but we commit to seeking the welfare of the community, culture, & creation where we find ourselves rooted.
We echo the words of Tim Soerens, who, in his book, Everywhere You Look, writes that, “[The church is] called to live out this good-news story not as isolated, well-meaning individuals but as a team that is publicly encountered in the ordinary context of particular places.” The church is much more than a collection of friendly acquaintances who cross paths on a weekly basis; it is a living, breathing body, composed of men & women from all backgrounds who walk through life together, speaking the Good News of redemption into the places and people they encounter daily.
It is for these reasons that we’re naming our church Pinckney Community Church of the Nazarene.
At Pinckney Community Church of the Nazarene (PCC) we’re committed to:
- Open Hearts to God and one another. We believe that God is constantly at work sanctifying us, refining our hearts as He shapes us to reflect His image to the world around us. As such, it’s essential for our hearts to remain open that we might see and hear the work God desires to do in us and through us.
- Open Hands to serve the communities and creation that surround us. Jesus modeled that everything we have is a gift graciously given to us by God to be used for His glory. And so, we commit to giving generously of ourselves, integrating our faith, life, & vocation as we partner with Jesus to bring about flourishing lives locally and globally.
- Open Homes to welcome all within our doors. We want our homes to be open as places of rest & refreshment, fun & fellowship. We strive to posture ourselves as hospitable neighbors, seeking the welfare of those we share life with. As we follow Jesus’ example and leading, we, too, ensure that all are welcome into our home and our lives.
How can you get involved?
Join a House Church
The vision of PCC is to be a collection of house churches that will one day dot the countryside from Whitmore Lake to Stockbridge, Hamburg to Ann Arbor. The Christian life is meant to be lived in community with the body of Christ, not alone and disconnected. As a good friend of mine articulated so well, the pandemic has taught us that, “the bulk of Christian discipleship doesn’t happen through large corporate gatherings, but throughout the week in neighborhoods, backyards, porches, and over meals.” Our plan is to gather all of our house churches together on the 1st & 3rd Sundays of the month for “big” church, and on the 2nd & 4th Sundays, we’ll scatter out into the community to gather in our house churches. On months with a 5th Sunday, we’ll convene out in the community, serving our neighbors with our time and talents. Would you consider becoming a part of our community as we follow Jesus together?
Partner with us Financially
We are raising funds as church planters, local missionaries to the greater Pinckney area. We have a goal of raising $3,000 of monthly supporters for a duration of 24 months, beginning in October 2021, to help us launch our church plant. This money will go to offset our salary so our church can use our tithes and offerings for local mission in Pinckney. If you are interested in partnering monthly or through a one-time gift, please donate here (https://fentonnazarene.com/give). Select “New Church Plant (Pinckney)” as the giving designation so that our mother church (Fenton Church of the Nazarene) knows how to categorize the funds. Would you consider partnering with us to provide our salary until our community is financially self-sufficient?
Pray for our Community
We believe that prayer is an essential part of our church plant, both for the church and for the Pinckney community. We believe that God hears our praises and petitions and moves by His Spirit in our midst. Would you consider being a prayer partner, interceding for our church plant, for our community, and for our family?
Pinckney Community Church of the Nazarene is called to be a community that is formed and shaped by holistic devotion to Jesus. We are called to love God and neighbor through opening our hearts to be redeemed and sanctified. We are called to serve creation and our community by opening hands generously and creatively. And, we are called to hospitality as we open our homes to be places of refreshment, rest, & shared life.
As we open our hearts, our hands, and our homes to God and to others, may we do so humbly, yet expectantly, that God will show up to redeem and transform lives and communities!
“Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”
Isaiah 43:18-19
We invite you to pray and discern if God is calling you to join us!
Blessings,
Joe, Maria, Abigail, Elizabeth, Ian, & Lydia
Interested in learning more? Contact us!
Email: wright.joe.a@gmail.com
Also, if you missed my most recent sermon at FCN where I shared about the vision of the plant, here’s a similar update video: https://youtu.be/f62pD4KCRFA.