When: Thursday, July 15 at 6:30 pm at Jester Park north of Grimes (note new location due to flooding at Gray’s Lake).
What: Bring a side dish to share and yard games. Meat to grill and beverages will be provided.
How: Meet in Hope’s parking lot near the Chapel doors to carpool at 6:15 pm. Contact Jeremy Johnson if interested!

Last night was a huge night in the history of Immersion. It was bittersweet for me personally, but at the same time it was wonderfully exciting. I announced, on behalf of Immersion’s leadership team (Sarah Lubach and Matt McNeece), Pastor Mike and Pastor Richard, that this season of Immersion will be ending June 10, 2010.

For most of 2010, Immersion leadership has been in a discernment process. We’ve been asking God a lot of questions during this process and carefully listening for the leading of his Spirit. We’ve been asking …

• God, are we being as effective as we could be in reaching our mission field?
• Is this what you have in mind for Immersion?
• Where would you have us go? Do? Change?

As staff, we started to get the sense that God wanted to do something new. Something different to reach this new emerging generation of spiritual seeker here in Des Moines. But you can’t move into a new season unless the old season ends. You can’t have the warmth of Spring unless Winter releases it’s grip. In light of that, we made the decision to end this season of Thursday night ministry at Hope.

What does that mean?

It means that Thursday night ministry will take a summer break from programming (with perhaps one or two monthly gatherings thrown in) and re-start in the Fall during Hope’s Rally Weekend. June 10 will serve as a capstone celebration for all the amazing things that have been done through this ministry called Immersion. There will be stories, worship, testimonies and, most importantly … CAKE! If you have ever been a part of Immersion in any way, you will not want to miss what we have cooked up for the 10th.

Who will be leading Thursday night ministry in September?

I’m glad you asked. In light of the new direction for Thursday nights at Hope, June 10 will be my last night at Immersion. Now, I’m not going very far. I’ll be staying here at Hope to develop our online campus and online communication strategy. So I’ll be around, working hard, letting God lead, sitting in the mystery of who he is and where he’s leading. This is a good thing and I’m confident this is where God is leading.

Come September, Thursday nights will be lead by Jeremy Johnson. Jeremy is our current intern pastor, but don’t let the title fool you. This is a person who has passion, wisdom and insight. Someone who gets the culture, which is so vitally important for anyone who will be reaching out the 18-30 year-olds of Des Moines. Jeremy is a faithful guy who will lead the new season of Thursday night ministry at Hope. You’ll get to hear more from Jeremy on June 10th, and some of you may be familiar with his previous messages at Immersion. In the conversations Jeremy and I have had, I know he’s thinking big and I couldn’t be happier to pass the baton to him in this next, new season.

Final Thoughts

No doubt, these are some significant changes. To be truthful, we don’t have all the answers yet. There is mystery in this transition. But we do know that God is moving here in Des Moines. More specifically, he’s moving amongst the 30,000 (!!!) young adults that aren’t connected to Christ.

It’s been a joy to watch what God has done in and through you, the people of Immersion. Over the last several years, I’ve watched…

• Lives change.
• People exchange their self-centered reality for the reality of Christ.
• Watched people meet, fall in love and get married.
• Watch as Immersionites go on to make a life for themselves in God.

It’s been a joy, a pleasure, and an honor to serve alongside so many of you.

So spread the word, near and far. Let people who you know used to be a part of the Immersion community that we would love to see them on June 10. Send tweets, texts, update your status … Tell people! As always, you can check for the latest news here on BeImmersed.com and on Facebook.

Peace to you. See you on the 10th!

Justin

When: We will meet from 7-8 PM on Tuesday nights from  June 22nd to August 3rd
Where: Alicia Menefee’s house
What you need to do to get involved:

1. Let Alicia know that you are interested in taking the class. She will order workbooks for you. They cost $12.95.
2. During the 6 weeks, we will watch 15-minute videos from Beth Moore at our gatherings.
3. We will discuss what you have read, our homework, and share a yummy snack!

Hope you can all join us for this great Summer Bible Study!

From The Church by Hans Küng:

The Spirit works where he wills. The Spirit of God cannot be restricted in his operation by the Church; he is at work not only in the offices of the Church, but where he wills: in the whole people of God. He is at work not only in the “holy city,” but where he wills: is all the churches of the one Church. He is at work not only in the Catholic Church, but here he wills: in Christianity as a whole. And finally he is at work not only in Christianity, but where he wills: in the whole world.

I love this passage. It points out purely and simply that the Holy Spirit reigns wherever he chooses! He is not limited by the four walls of a church, but is indeed at work in all places, in all people, at all times.

Believe it.

NEW!  Spring Co-Ed Small Group!

Study:  SexGod by Rob Bell
Leader:  Christina Schmitt
Time:  Thursdays (in May and June) from 7-8 pm
Location:  Panera on Westown Pkwy (meeting room)
Contact:  Sarah Lubach – sarah.lubach@hopewdm.org

NEW!  Spring Women’s Small Group!

Study:  Ephesians
Leader:  Sarah Lubach
Time:  Thursdays (in May and June) from 6:30-7:30 pm
Location:  Hope (Room number TBD)
Contact:  Sarah Lubach – sarah.lubach@hopewdm.org

If you would like to attend, please click here to register online.

When: March – April

Stay tuned: We hope to plan a day to paint the room at Freedom for Youth as well in late April or early May

Contact: Steve DeHaan at steve.dehaan1@gmail.com

As of this afternoon, we are now pleased to announce another way in which you can watch Immersion LIVE! on Thursday nights.

1. Check out our Facebook fan page at Facebook.com/BeImmersed
2. Look at the tabs on the top and click “Immersion Live!“
3. Click the image and let the magic unfold!

Just another way you can stay connected to what’s going at Immersion no matter where you are!

The Wrecking is a Christian band from the east coast with a dynamic sound that appeals to a wide variety of audiences, from teenagers to young adults to the “not-so-young”. This band has been working with a variety of organizations involved in abolition activity around the world, including ChildVoice. They’re coming to Des Moines and you’ll have an opportunity to check them out.

Here are the details:

• A benefit concert for Haiti, sponsored by ChildVoice (we are covering expenses so that all money raised will go to Meals from the Heartland and Help for Haiti)
• Tuesday, Feb. 23rd, at Connxions in Urbandale (go here for link to map)
• Performance by The Wrecking
• Admission is $10 with tickets being sold at Lutheran Church of Hope and Connxions, as well as at the door

You can also go to the Facebook event page for more information on the concert.