As we get ready to embark on a new adventure by moving back to Waterloo and into a smaller more intimate building, I can’t help but get excited about our future. The funny thing is… I’m not really thinking much about the building. I’m grateful that we will have a nice place to gather but I’m more excited about what God is doing through His Church right now outside of the walls… in this world that continues to grow darker and darker. I just met with a dear family of HVC who lost their 33 year old daughter to suicide over the weekend. My heart is broken for them. Such a tragedy. The enemy is on the prowl, taking people out left and right and loving it. We have to come against this. It feels overwhelming, but we have a secret weapon…  and we carry His love and His authority:)

If you are on the bench, you are missing out. God is calling you to more. God is calling you to a life bigger than yourself… a life for the sake of others in a society that is saying that life is about you and your happiness and security and comfort. It’s a lie and a trap. Don’t buy it.

If you are a teenager and feel that you are not able to to make a difference in your school, you are not thinking with the mind of Christ. You are chosen and set apart! Kids all over the Cedar Valley need to know that they are loved and accepted. Drug and alcohol abuse, pornography, violence, broken homes, depression and anxiety are rampant in our schools. Guess what… you’re the hope!

If you are retired or nearing retirement and feeling like your best days are behind you and that you have no value… you are sadly mistaken. The best days are ahead! Don’t let the lies of the enemy convince you otherwise.

If you are a recovering addict and feel inadequate because of your past… join the club. We all deal with brokenness on some level. Welcome to the team!

If you are sideways in your relationship with Jesus because of your struggle with mental illness, His grace and mercy covers all of that! He has great plans for you and wants to see you healed and set free. Come to the fountain all who are weak. Pursue wholeness and healing. WHOLE PEOPLE HEAL PEOPLE! Remember… we can’t give away what we don’t have.

The vision below is a call to a radical lifestyle… a lifestyle focused on the welfare of others instead of ourselves. We are in a time where the church can no longer sit on its hands. It is all hands on deck! I truly believe this. If you have said yes to Jesus, you have been invited into a new lifestyle. Our old self is dead. We are alive in Christ! World changers! Difference Makers! That’s who we are.

One of the great joys I have experienced while being on staff here at HVC is to be shouldered up with so many different types of people from all walks of life who have made a decision to follow after Jesus. We are a tribe of passionate, Holy Spirit filled college students, prophetically gifted kids, humble, God fearing business owners, radically saved ex-con pastors and healed alcoholics. I love the crew I run with:)

Everybody gets to play in this group! That’s what I love about our tribe. God is not looking for qualified people. He’s qualifying the called. And a news flash… we’re all called. I’ll be talking more about this in the coming weeks:)

Check out our vision statement below. I hope it excites you as much as it does me. Let’s get after it. Game on!

 

Our Vision

WE SEE A CHURCH that cares passionately for the least, the last and the lost, the oppressed, the abandoned, the addicted, the helpless, and those in spiritual, relational, emotional and physical need.

WE SEE A CHURCH turned inside out; a church that gathers to celebrate the victories of the past week and then goes back out into the world to draw the brokenness of the world into the love of God’s great Kingdom.

WE SEE A CHURCH of small groups, not just a church with small groups. We believe the church is where true Biblical community can be found and should be the best place to build honest and encouraging relationships. It is our desire to see all of our groups be Grace Filled, Relationally Driven, Biblically Rooted, Missionally Minded and Spirit Led.

WE SEE A CHURCH that multiplies! We are a part of a church planting movement and sensing a fresh calling from Holy Spirit for us to partner with Him in pursuing not just the Cedar Valley but all of Northeast Iowa and beyond. We believe God has laid on our heart that 30 new churches are to be planted out of this vision in communities like Oelwein, Tama/Toledo, Parkersburg, Charles City and Eldora/Grundy Center to name a few.

WE SEE A CHURCH that cares deeply for children and where Children are brought into discipleship through our programming in the church but more importantly, that the parents of these children become powerful disciple makers in their homes and that Moms and Dads step into their rightful place as the spiritual leaders of their children.

WE SEE A CHURCH which embraces young people and opens up their hearts and gives opportunities to young men and women to dream, test their wings and climb high as we hold their ladders. We see the older teaching the younger through mentoring relationships and we see many young leaders sent out into our world to make a difference for the King we love.

WE SEE A CHURCH that places a high value on and enters into the practice of all the spiritual gifts of the Bible. We see a “naturally supernatural church” that is unashamed and unafraid to exercise these gifts with a heart to lift, heal and encourage people around them.

WE SEE A CHURCH with an effective school of discipleship, teaching men and women, boys and girls to step into their rightful place as children of God and living lives that reflect the beauty, love and power of Jesus Christ.

WE SEE A CHURCH that is driven by God’s vision for unity to be bold and innovative in partnering across denominations with other churches, ministries,  organizations and city leaders. We believe that together we can share the good news of Jesus Christ with a hurting world regardless of social status, ethnicity or faith background.