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  • November 30, 1999

Archives For November 30, 1999

SoupMobile and Storyline Neighbors’ Cookout

Charles Kiser —  July 31, 2009 — Leave a comment

cookin up burgers

On July 18 we entered into a major partnership for the work of justice in Dallas. We partnered with SoupMobile, an organization that feeds 150,000 meals/year to our homeless and impoverished neighbors in Dallas, to host a Neighbors’ Cookout at the Dallas International Street Church in Fair Park / South Dallas.

We fed hundreds of our friends in poverty a nice meal of hamburgers, hotdogs, all the fixings, vitamins, fruit, cookies and drinks. Our neighbors were encouraged to go through the line as many times as they wanted until the food was all gone.

We also put out a bounce house and sprinkler to keep the kiddos entertained.

More than 40 volunteers from six different organizations showed up to make the event a tremendous (and smooth) success: 1) SoupMobile; 2) Dallas Junior Chamber of Commerce; 3) Skillman Church of Christ; 4) Richardson East Church of Christ; 5) Dallas Christian School; and 6) Storyline.

At the end of our Cookout, the SoupMan (David Timothy, director of SoupMobile), got on the bullhorn and we raffled off dozens of backpacks filled with goodies, McDonalds gift cards, a men’s mountain bike, and a women’s mountain bike.

I had the fortune – or misfortune – of drawing tickets for prizes. (Each person was given a raffle ticket as they came through the line.)

I heard the groan in the crowd when the SoupMan introduced me and said, “This is Pastor Charles Kiser of Storyline Christian Community. You can be sure he’s honest because he’s a pastor!” I’m afraid I disappointed a few people with my picks – and many of my new friends had a good time letting me know it. 🙂

But for those who were blessed to win – some of them two or three prizes – I’m not sure I’ve seen bigger smiles. It was a special day for them.

Regardless of winning or not, I believe that our work brought a glimmer of joy and hope to those who are often overlooked and discounted.

I particularly enjoyed meeting an intelligent man named Artis. He’s a musician (bass guitar) and a politician of sorts. We had a fascinating conversation about homelessness and “the system”. Apparently Artis is a spokesperson and consultant of sorts for the big dogs in city government and social services who serve the poor. I’m looking forward to spending more time with him in the future.

What’s also great is that this whole event was organized by Storyliner Deborah McClain, who came to us about nine months ago disconnected from Christian community. Since then she’s become a dear friend and co-worker for the gospel.

The event wouldn’t have happened without her tireless work, delegation and organizational skills. Thank you, Deborah.

Thanks, also, to everyone who volunteered, and to SoupMobile for providing us their experience in feeding the homeless of Dallas.

Our Neighbors’ Cookout was a small, but significant, glimpse into a different world – the new world that began to break into our world in the resurrection of Jesus. It is a foretaste of the social dignity, genuine relationships and provision that will come in fullness when God one day restores the world and makes everything right.

And so we continue to labor with God, because our work for the coming world is not in vain (cf. 1 Cor. 15:50-58).

Ella aka Big Birda line waveall lined upalmost therehey I got the ticketsAnd the Winners are

In Justice, Mission
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People Who Love Peace

Charles Kiser —  November 10, 2008 — Leave a comment

…the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If the head of the house loves peace, your peace will rest on that house; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for workers deserve their wages. Do not move around from house to house.” (Jesus, Luke 10:1-7)

We had a great time this weekend connecting with partnering churches. Richland Hills Church hosted their Harvest Weekend to raise funds for missionaries and several of us Storyliners worked a Storyline display there. On Sunday morning, the Kisers and Porches joined Mission Alive, our church planting resource organization, at one of its partnering churches – Riverside Church in Coppell.

We thank God for churches and organizations that have vision for church planting. We couldn’t do what we’re doing without them.

On Sunday morning at Riverside I had the opportunity to speak about “people who love peace.” Jesus instructs his followers to spend most of their time with such people as they’re sent on mission. People of peace are receptive to the Christian story and have significant influence in their communities.

Harold Shank formed the concept of “soul mining,” a play off the concept of coal mining, where miners find a vein of coal in a mountain and dig down it until the vein is exhausted.

When Harold planted a church, he discovered that one key person making a decision to follow Jesus would sometimes lead 25-30 other people in that key person’s relational network to make the same decision.

The idea of “soul mining”, then, is to identify a person of peace and release them to share the good news they’ve found with family, friends and co-workers they know.

We’re in the process of discovering our own people of peace. Some of them offer their organizational networks; others offer their relational networks; others bring their friends to our parties.

It’s really quite exciting to discover such people. It shows how God goes ahead of us in mission.

God calls us into mission. God sends us into mission. But God is also waiting for us in the places to which he’s called and sent us—not least through people who love peace.

Imagine the possibilities if all of us believed that people of peace were living in all of our neighborhoods or working in all of our workplaces.

May God open our eyes to those who love God’s peace.

In Mission, Mission Alive, Richland Hills, Uncategorized
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Sending vs. Multiplying

Charles Kiser —  October 6, 2008 — 6 Comments

We experienced our first house church sending ceremony last night. It was wonderful. Thanks to all of you who are praying for Storyline in this significant transition.

The basic movement of our gathering was: 1) celebrate God’s work in the first house church; 2) reflect on the way God calls the church to be a sending body; and 3) pray and anoint leaders to go and start a new house church.

The foundational text for our gathering was Acts 12:25–13:3:

When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark. Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

In the same way Jesus sent out his disciples, in the same way the early church followed God’s leading to send teams out in mission, we sought to send some out. Our house church commissioned Julie and I and the Cones to start a new house church.

The sending of the Twelve by Duccio di Buoninsegna

The Sending of the Twelve by Duccio di Buoninsegna (14th Century)

The approach we took was decidedly different than the traditional small group multiplication model where the group splits in half and goes in two different directions.

Our model—influenced by the insights of Jared Looney, Kent Smith and John White at the Abilene Summit just a couple weeks ago—looks more like the traditional church planting model: a church sends out a team of church planters to plant a new church.

Such an approach preserves the fabric of community in the sending house church and sends those who are called by God to go.

I have not had stellar experiences with the multiplication approach in the few times I’ve tried it. People are resistant and even resentful when they’re asked to abandon relationships they had come to cherish.

John White mentioned that in his experiences, after the third or fourth round of multiplication, participants refused to invite new people to their gatherings because they were so exhausted by constantly investing themselves in new people (only to be dragged away from them later).

The sending approach seems like a much healthier alternative and was affirmed by coaches, mentors and Storyline participants. Many of our Storyline people told us in one way or another: “I feel good about this.”

That kind of feedback is important. Sending shouldn’t be ominous, painful or scary. It should be inspiring, exciting and invigorating—because it is!

I think it is significant, too, the way this experience points to our value for adaptability. We were expecting up until just a couple weeks ago that we would be facilitating a multiplication ceremony and not a sending ceremony.

But after listening to Looney, Smith and White in Abilene (all of whom are experimenting in mission in ways similar to us) — the one class I attended while I was there, by the way — I began to sense God was leading us to do something different. So we processed, discerned and adjusted accordingly. God has his ways of getting our attention.

So, starting next Sunday, the Kisers and the Cones will begin to gather with new friends in hopes that God will bring another church to life in the midst of them.

God has done it before. He will do it again…

In Church Planting, House Churches, Mission, Reproduction
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Be Fruitful and Multiply

Charles Kiser —  September 15, 2008 — 9 Comments

Starting a new church is certainly full of challenge and struggle. In the words of Earl Creps: “Church planting is the art of surviving disappointment.” I’ve lived that statement on more than one occasion.

At the same time, new churches also provide times of intense joy and excitement. Just as we marveled when Ryan was born, so we find ourselves marveling at the way God is bringing Storyline to life.

Most recently we’ve been excited to anticipate and plan for our first house church multiplication. It’s been our dream from the beginning that Storyline would develop into a network of house churches: the first house church would start another, those would start others, and those would start others and so on.

Healthy things reproduce. Healthy plants bear seed that produce new plants. Healthy animals give birth to new animals. Healthy humans conceive new children. It’s the same in the kingdom of God – healthy disciples help to make new disciples and healthy churches start new churches.

Our first house church gathering has started to gain some traction in our community. New relationships have been formed. Unchurched and dechurched friends have started participating in the life of our church. New leaders are stepping up to the plate. This little community is already embodying in significant ways our values for dependence on God, mission, life change and genuine relationships.

So within the next few weeks we’ll branch out and start the second house church. We’ll have a special gathering where we reminisce about how God has been at work, commission the next generation of house church leaders and discern which house church God is calling each person to join in the future.

We’re also excited that later this fall we’ll start a monthly worship gathering that will draw our house churches together for times of worship, storytelling and vision casting. Larger worship gatherings will help to create a sense of synergy among house churches by helping them see that they are part of something bigger than themselves. These gatherings will also give us an opportunity for broader exposure in the surrounding communities of Uptown, Downtown and Oak Lawn.

We do not, however, envision that these larger worship gatherings will occur more than monthly, at least in the early stages of the church’s life. This is a strategic decision because to us the majority of church life and mission takes place in the context of smaller communities of faith. We don’t want our limited people resources to be wrapped up in planning for weekly worship gatherings such that we neglect to put most of our energies into developing house church life and mission.

Rejoice with us for the way God is at work in our midst. Pray for us as we seek to do the hard but rewarding work of multiplying.

In Church Planting, House Churches, Mission, Reproduction, Storyline
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Go! Evangelism Seminar

Charles Kiser —  August 27, 2008 — 5 Comments

Julie and I spent a great weekend with the Highland Church in Memphis. We have so many good memories of Memphis: dear friends live(d) there; Ryan was born there; we were shaped for ministry there both at Harding Grad School and at Highland Church.


Highland invited me to participate in a seminar called “Go! Simple Steps to Sharing Jesus with Others.” Leslee Altrock of Let’s Start Talking also came for a special emphasis on women’s evangelism. I talked about the nature of evangelism, engaging non-church spaces, and developing missional rhythms in life. Here are a few things I learned or was reminded of in my preparation:

  • In the words of Terry Rush, a minister in Tulsa: “God is at work, so relax!”
  • Evangelism is a community task, not an individual one
  • From Bryan Stone’s Evangelism after Christendom (awesome): Evangelism is first about faithful embodiment of the gospel by the people of God before it’s about results and conversions
  • Evangelism is much more holistic than verbal proclamation (though it certainly includes it): 1 Corinthians 11:26 speaks to how the church’s just and merciful practice of the Lord’s Supper is evangelism – literally the proclamation of Jesus’ death
  • God does the “growing”
  • Evangelism begins on the turf of people who are not a part of God’s people
  • Michael Frost’s weekly missional rhythm from the book Exiles, which he calls BELLS: Bless (people every week); Eat (with people every week); Listen (to God every week); Learn (about God and theology every week); Sent (engage non-church spaces with an eye for divine appointments).

Here’s hands-down the most challenging quote I came across:

It is important, therefore, to state and argue for the following premise as clearly and straightforwardly as possible so as to avoid any misunderstanding: while evangelism seeks to draw persons into the life of the church as a way of inviting them to a journey of conversion, the quantitative growth of the church is no positive indication whatsoever that God’s intention of creating a new people is being fulfilled or that God’s reign is breaking into history. It may be in some cases a negative indication, for even cancer may be characterized by rapid growth. It is quite possible to practice idolatry and to grow as a church at the same time. Likewise, the proliferation and growth of churches that perpetuate social divides can hardly be characterized as an extension of the missio Dei. Simply put, the quantitative growth of the church can tell us only that people are attracted to what they find in the church or are having some perceived need or want met by the church. It tells us nothing about whether the politics of God’s reign is being embodied or whether a conversion to that reign is taking place. (Bryan Stone, Evangelism After Christendom, 271)

Whoa. That kind of comment will send you back to the drawing board!

The great thing about a speaking engagement like this weekend is the way it personally enriches me, and hopefully the way it will enrich Storyline in the future.

In Evangelism, Mission
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