Today’s post can be read at www.JasonMills.org

Today’s post can be read at www.JasonMills.org

It’s just come to my attention that the “donate” link on the Ministry Needs page was not functioning. I just fixed it and I want to apologize to everyone who has tried to use it to financially help my family and I, and Calvary Spartanburg.

Thanks to everyone who have already helped us meet some of our start-up needs. Thank you for being such cheerful givers!

That’s how long it is until Calvary Spartanburg’s first service. On November 8^th at 11 am we’ll be opening our doors for the very first time. We’ll be meeting at the YMCA in downtown Spartanburg and starting in the book of Luke.

When I think that we left Montreal less than three months ago, not knowing where we were going to live, much less how soon and where the church would start, I am amazed.

In less than three months the Lord has provided a home for us and a home for the church.  He has blessed us with direction and vision and resources…and soon He is going to put all of those things together to form a new body of worshipers in Spartanburg.

Whenever you think of us, pray for us.

Pray for helpers to come serve alongside of us.

Pray for wisdom and strength and vision.

Pray for the outreaches we will be holding in the weeks leading up to November 8th.

Pray that God will even today begin preparing the hearts and minds of those who need to hear the gospel and be saved.

Calvary Spartanburg is now on Facebook! Follow this link or the link at the bottom left of Calvaryspartanburg.com to go straight the new FB group. If you’ve ever visited this blog or the main website and wondered how to connect, this is a great way to do it.  I hope to see you there!

My desk is overflowing with paperwork. Among the tidal wave of documents are bylaws, board meeting minutes, insurance proposals, bank account information, articles of incorporation, donor receipts, and rental agreements. These forms are all that currently comprise Calvary Spartanburg. While they are all important steps in the forming of a church, I look forward to the day when this church is instead made up of living, breathing, regenerated believers.

Join me in prayer for the prospective location and start date for Calvary Spartanburg.

A reenactment

Tomorrow my family and I return to Spartanburg after a 4 week long trip to Albuquerque. So much has happened in the last month that I’ve wanted to talk about but it’s kind of a catch 22 because its those same events that have left me very little time to blog about them. There is a lot I want to cover, so with out further adieu I present the “Albuquerque Trip Recap”:

-The biggest piece of news happened the day after we arrived in ABQ. Calvary Spartanburg was officially incorporated. I used a great site called Leagalzoom.com that was very easy, inexpensive, and fast. The time between when I filed the paper work to the time I received the notice back from the Great state of South Carolina was only 20 days!

-August 1-3 I had been invited out to Re:generation in Oakland CA. I’ve talked about Pastor Albert and the Regen crew before but I just can’t pass up an opportunity to reiterate that this is an awesome church and I love how they reach out so effectively to such a unique and diverse community. I got to meet several people who were excited about the church plant in Spartanburg and even got to meet a few fellow South Carolinians (Nico and Betsy, you are awesome!). Most importantly I got to share with this sweet church from the Scriptures at both thier morning and evening service. This reminds me that teachings are now available at CalvarySpartanburg.com including that evening’s message from Luke 14.

-Calvary Albuquerque’s missionary weekend allowed me to reconnect with a lot of my friends, co-workers and supporters. Some of my goals during this trip were to retain some of our supporter and to share face to face with them the need for churches that teach expositionaly in the South. This missionary weekend allowed me to do just that.

-I got a chance to sit down with fellow southern Calvary church planter Kevin Miller. Kevin and his team are planning a church in Clarksville TN (yes, as in “the last train to…”) called Awaken Church. The start date is in mid September but he’s already doing a mid-week home Bible study and weekly events in area parks giving out free food and Bibles. I’ve known Kevin several years but I’ve never really sat down and talked ministry with him but I’m so glad I did. We picked each others brains for idea’s and I can’t wait to try out some new things. Pray for Kevin, his family, and ministry team if you think of it, would you.

The best/craziest thing about this last month is that it has sparked a few dozen other things I need to do. When I get back to SC tomorrow I need to hit the ground running.

Pray for the job interview I have this week, though I submitted 10+ applications before this trip, this is the only interview I have.

Pray for a meeting space. I have an opportunity to see a really great place this week that feels like God’s provision.

Pray that God would bring workers to the harvest field of Spartanburg!

Come by and See Us!

My Family and I are in Albuquerque for the next few weeks to visit family and talk with supporters. This weekend is Calvary Albuquerque’s “Meet a Missionary Weekend”. At all of their weekend services the congregation gets a chance to meet some of Calvary ABQ’s 25 missionaries, hear more about their ministries and  find out how to support their work.

Though our time as Calvary missionaries is coming to an end, they have allowed us to participate in the event and share our vision for a new Calvary Chapel in Spartanburg.  We’ll be handing out these postcards at the 6:30 service on Saturday and at 8, 9:30, & 11:15 on Sunday. If you are in the area come by and see us in the east foyer!

This weekend I’m in San Fransisco to teach the Sunday services at Regeneration (which I guess is technically in Oakland but still). Pastor Albert Lee has been a good friend and friendly ear over the years and is now a board member for Calvary Spartanburg. Albert invited me out this weekend to, pick his brain on a variety of subjects and share with his congregation about what I’ll be doing in SC and from the Scriptures.

Tomorrow I’ll be sharing from Luke 14:25-35 in a message I’m calling “Discipleship, you’ll hate yourself for it!”

Please pray for me this Sunday as I’m sharing at 9am and 6pm (pst). Pray that God would use me to deliver a message that He wants the congregation to hear.

Sunday's slide

I wanted to share about our recent move, but quickly realized that it would take too long to talk about all of it, so I’ll share this story about the border crossing.

I had originally planned to be headed to the US border by 2 pm on moving day. “At the latest,” I told my brothers, who looked more and more skeptical with each new box that was packed and stacked in the hallway. Well, they were right. We loaded the last box into the truck and did a walk-through in the apartment at 6:30 pm. I took a moment by myself to thank God for that apartment and the blessing it had been for my family and I, then locked the door for the last time.

After the obligatory visit to DQ, we prayed with our helpers Jodhan and Justin (who were simply awesome and kept everything moving along and fun) and said goodbye. I drove the first leg and by 8pm we arrived at the border. We had prayed a lot for the crossing. We had all our paperwork and we knew we weren’t doing anything wrong, but they could still have us unload the whole truck and look through it all. My older brother Mike said he would walk home in that event.

Maybe we were a little nervous because it had taken my wife 1 1/2 hours to clear customs in the airport.  As we arrived, I think I pulled into the wrong area, because the guard’s window was about 6 feet higher than our moving van and was clearly designed for 18 wheelers. The guard simply looked down at us with an expression I couldn’t clearly read and asked “What are you doing?” While trying to retain a composure that said “I’m not a drug runner, honest!” I quickly explained our situation and handed him our passports. After a moment of running them through his computer he asked us to pull forward a few feet and join him at the back of the truck.

The guard asked me to open the door, and after almost being hit by a mattress and a tricycle, he asked me to close it. Walking back to the cab he asked “So, driving all the way to South Carolina, huh?” My brother Michael replied “Yes sir” as I watched the guard’s eyes quickly read Mike’s shirt. It read: “I’m not just a legendary fisherman, I”m also a chick magnet.”

“You boys have a nice trip,” he said as he handed the passports back.

As we drove away laughing, I realized that the whole ridiculous thing had only taken 10 minutes. Praise the Lord!