Archives For South Mac

Made in the Streets

Charles Kiser —  January 7, 2010 — 1 Comment

In 2008, we started a Storyline Christmas tradition as part of the Advent Conspiracy: taking up an offering for a global service organization that serves the cause of justice. In 2008 we gave to Touch A Life, an organization that helps liberate children from slavery in Ghana, West Africa.

This Christmas we decided to continue the Advent Conspiracy tradition by making a donation to Made in the Streets. Made in the Streets serves streets kids in Nairobi, Kenya. They provide shelter, food and education to kids who would otherwise be left to roam the streets.

Watch this video to hear a story about Laurent, a young teenager whose life was changed by the ministry of Made in the Streets. Charles and Darlene Coulston, founders of the organization, tell the story.

A special connection is that South MacArthur Church of Christ, one of our partnering churches, is heavily involved in supporting Made in the Streets. It’s exciting to me the way Storyline is now able to come alongside South Mac in mission in this small way.

All are welcome to make a donation to help God’s work through Made in the Streets.

Storyline is accepting tax-deductible donations until Friday, January 8, here. If you’d like to make a donation directly to Made in the Streets after January 8, you can do so here.

We have the special opportunity to present Storyline’s gift to Charles and Darlene Coulton this weekend at our January worship gathering.

In Justice, Mission, South Mac, Videos, Worship Gathering
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Life-Giving God

Charles Kiser —  November 18, 2008 — 1 Comment

We had a good time this weekend with South MacArthur Church, our primary partnering church, for Storyline’s New Church Shower. Supporters gave more than $1100 in donations and gifts to help us get the worship gathering up and running. Thanks to all of you who gave.

Mr. Ryan Porche is subsequently having too much fun this week buying speakers, storage bins, trailers (well just one), staging, etc. Admittedly, I’ve had a little fun myself in the moments I’ve been able to join him.

If you’d still like to give to the cause, you have three options: 1) buy a gift off the Storyline registries by the end of this week at www.storylinecommunity.com/new-church-shower/ (after which point they will close); 2) make a donation via PayPal at www.storylinecommunity.com/generosity-box/; or 3) mail a donation to 3523 McKinney Ave. Number 223 Dallas, TX 75204.

God continues to give life to Storyline.

Please pray for us this week as we finalize space for our first monthly worship gathering on December 14. We’ve had no small amount of drama trying to secure a location.

The two venues we tried to reserve in the last two weeks have fallen through!

I’m beginning to wonder what God is up to in the midst of all of it. Please pray that God will give us wisdom to discern how his Spirit is leading.

Please also pray that we will not forget what is most important in the next couple months—a very busy season for us and the life of this church.

Pray that God would remain our first thing, and that we would continue to cultivate relationships with our friends here in Uptown.

We thank God for your support in prayer. It’s really more important than anything else.

In Prayer, South Mac
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New Church Shower

Charles Kiser —  November 3, 2008 — Leave a comment

A couple years ago I heard a great idea for launching a worship gathering in Stan Granberg’s Church Planting class at Harding Graduate School: throw a baby (church) shower!

So that’s what we’re going to do.

We want to give our supporters a tangible way to help us start our worship gathering, much the same way friends would shower future parents with gifts to care for their new child. Our partners in mission will have the opportunity to purchase materials for Storyline that we’ll use in our monthly worship gatherings.

So we’ve registered with Target and Wal-Mart (absolute musts for baby showers) and are working with our primary partnering church, South MacArthur Church of Christ, to host the shower event. We’ll tell stories of what God is doing through Storyline, bring Storyline people to meet our partner churches, have a time of prayer, and enjoy some good dessert.

If you’ live in the Dallas area and would like to come – you’re invited! If you’re not in the area, but would still like to contribute to the shower, you have two options: 1) purchase an item through one of the online registries (see below) and have it shipped to Storyline Christian Community at 3523 McKinney Ave. #223 Dallas, TX 75204; or 2) donate to Storyline via Paypal at www.storylinecommunity.com/generosity-box/.

Further Details:

Where: South MacArthur Church of Christ, Fellowship Hall, 1401 South MacArthur Blvd. Irving, TX 75060

When: November 16th, 2-4 p.m.

How: Storyline is registered at Target & Wal-Mart – click here for the Target registry, and click here for the Wal-Mart registry. Gift cards for audio equipment can be purchased at Musician’s Friend.com. There will also be a money tree available at the event.

In South Mac, Storyline
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Sent Ones

Charles Kiser —  January 30, 2008 — 5 Comments

We’re continuing to get settled in at the Dallas digs, and we continue to love it. I promise the pictures will come soon…unpacking is such a laborious task.

The events that took place this weekend were in some ways the culmination of six years of prayer and preparation.

On Sunday morning, we participated in a sending service at South MacArthur Church, our primary partner in church planting. Ryan Porche led worship; I preached. It was a reminder of our work together back at Highland Street Church in Memphis, and also a foretaste of the ways we’ll work together in Dallas in the coming months.

One of the South Mac elders offered a blessing for us; the Mission Action Team co-chair offered a charge; and a Richland Hills Church representative prayed on our behalf as the SMAC elders and staff, Mission Alive directors, and friends surrounded us.

It was a powerful moment.

We’re joining Abram, Moses, Isaiah, Jesus, Peter, Paul and many others in the sending of God for the sake of the world.

On Monday morning, Ryan Porche and I went with a group of five other ministers (a mentoring group led by Grady King, preaching minister at SMAC) to visit Lynn Anderson at his home in San Antonio. Lynn has been in the ministry of mentoring and equipping for the last ten years. For a seventy-one year old, he’s got the wisdom of a hundred-year old man and the mind and passion of a thirty-year old.

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We spent a day and a half sharing our stories and talking about leadership, strategic planning, family boundaries and spiritual formation. And we ate. A lot.

Perhaps the most significant question Lynn asked us in our time together was, “Who are you mentoring?” All of us could quickly mention people who were mentoring us, but we were slower to mention people we were ourselves mentoring . But isn’t that the essence of discipleship—mentored to mentor?

Who are you mentoring?

In Church Planting, Mentoring, Mission, Richland Hills, South Mac
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Curve Balls

Charles Kiser —  January 17, 2008 — 2 Comments

Two things have consumed our time in the last couple weeks: 1) relationship building at South Mac Church; and 2) the logistics of moving to Uptown Dallas.

On the first front, we’ve enjoyed being back around the staff, elders and members of the South MacArthur Church of Christ, our primary partnering church. Grady King, the preaching minister, and I are in the midst of tag-team preaching in a series on prayer last weekend and this weekend. It’s been a blast doing sermon prep and preaching with Grady. I’m also working through a story-oriented evangelistic curriculum, which I helped to create, with a class of people on Wednesday nights. We’re also developing a support team of South Mac members who will pray for us, visit us occasionally, and serve as our relational liaisons to South Mac.

Our last day at South Mac is January 27. Ryan Porche will lead worship and I’ll preach—on discernment in prayer, of all topics! It’ll be a great foretaste of the ways Ryan and I will get to work together in the future. We’ll have a special time of sending and blessing from the elders and staff as well. Beginning Feb. 1, we’ll be on the job in Dallas.

Speaking of Dallas, we’ve had no small number of curve balls concerning our housing situation. As I’ve mentioned in previous emails, we were pursuing a free housing option with Apartment Life. We heard the first week of January that there would be no openings for 4-6 months. So, after much prayer and fasting, we decided that if nothing miraculous happened with Apartment Life in the week that followed, we would move on to other options.

Almost immediately, we found a place we loved right in Uptown. We put in an application, were approved and decided to move this weekend. We’re ecstatic…except. Except is such a significant little word. Except…we got a call yesterday from Apartment Life saying they have a lead on a property in Uptown/Downtown that needs a CARES Team. It would require us to sign a 3-month lease at the prospective property in hopes of becoming a CARES Team there later.

The only catch is that we don’t know exactly what property it is. It could be studios or lofts, for all we know (not quite conducive for a family of three).

We hope to know the name of the property today or tomorrow, but who knows. What should we do? We’re asking God to make it clear.

Please pray with us that God will give us wisdom, discernment and a clear sense of leading from him.

In Family, Prayer, South Mac
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