CATALYST PROJECT

Serving People with No Strings Attached

2008-05-26T10:06:46-07:00

I can't take credit for the following words, though I totally resonate with them! The following was written by Roger Thoman on his blog at www.simplechurchjournal.com. Enjoy! (Shawn)

One of the unintended consequences of conventional churches and their focus to grow is the subtle, and sometimes not-so-subtle, message that unreached people are targets that need to be �??reached�?? and �??brought in.�??

I heard the atheist, Matt Caspar (Jim and Caspar Go To Church), speak at a conference and describe how he asked his new Christian friend, �??Am I your friend or your project?�?? His question reflects the way Christians have gone about relating to the world around them and the perception that unChristians have as a result.

On the one hand, there is the reality that the Father�??s heart is broken for children who are separated from Him. This is central to a Biblical worldview in which Jesus, who came to seek and save the lost, invites us to join Him in the missional adventure of taking His good news and compassion to a broken, truly-lost world. God is not simply a God on a mission, He is a missional God at His very loving core.

However, when this message is coupled with an organized church�??s �??vision to grow�??, it is so easy for our passion to love and bless people to take on a religious, weighty sense of performance that comes more out of �??earning points�?? by counting conversions, baptisms, and pew sitters than simply desiring to see people (from a place of love) truly blessed and transformed.

I realize this may seem like splitting hairs, but I think the implications are enormous. The fact is, Christians do want to love and bless people�?� genuinely. There is something in all of us that enjoys the prospect of simply being people who care, love, give, help, bless, assist, and really make a difference in the lives of people around us. We do not relish the idea of helping people for the sake of manipulating them or trying to get them to do something so that we can feel good about ourselves religiously. We really do want to love and bless people!

I share this because, for me, moving out of an institutional mindset into more of an organic one has freed me to fully enjoy the missional adventure of loving people. I am not feeling the pressure of �??results�?? or feeling that institutional �??shadow�?? lurking within me asking about specific, tangible outcomes. I am finding great joy in seeking and discovering ways to just encourage and love people�??no strings attached.

One might ask if that means I have lost my missional intentionality. I would have to say, that insofar as mission is about truly loving someone and wanting what is best for them, then the answer is �??no.�?? I might even suggest that, by moving into the realm of real relationships (love, care, a desire to bless) I might even be more �??effective�?? if one is looking at some kind of external indicator. But that, again, misses the point. More significant is the joy of being set free to naturally care about people and allowing God to work within that relationship super-naturally as He wills.

The bottom line is that one of the most significant aspects of simple/house church is a generation of believers who can step outside the walls and into the world with the mission of love on their hearts 24/7.

Compassion By Design

2008-05-22T11:25:10-07:00

When we did our first Care Project for Jackie Cassidy last Fall, we were just responding to a need we saw. We didn�??t know how transformative it would prove to be for her, how fulfilling it was going to be for us, or how this thing was going to take off in the future!

We are very excited about a new partnership we are entering into, that has outstanding potential for future growth! Compassion By Design, based in

Virginia

, is about helping new & existing churches weave �??community service�?? into their fabric in ways that are sustainable and transformative. We have always wanted to be more focused 'outward' than 'inward', and partnering with this national non-profit will help us take it to a whole new level!

David Mills, founder of Compassion By Design, was a church-planting pastor of 2 churches before investing the last several years as a federal grant-writer for faith-based non-profit corporations. He has been instrumental in funneling 40-million dollars into non-profit causes, and is now turning his attention to helping new & existing churches start �??public benefit�?? non-profits through which to access federal grant support while meeting needs in local communities. He and his team have witnessed great results in the redemptive ministry of Christ by prioritizing �??service�?? as a primary organizing principle. The goal is to literally help Christians get out of their church buildings & programs in order to engage society by meeting felt needs in their own communities.

Shawn Mitchell, co-director of Catalyst Project, has already started the coaching process of setting-up this new regional venture for the Portland-Metro area, in conjunction with NWCEA (Northwest Christian Evangelistic Association). NWCEA has a rich history of 50+ years of starting new churches in the Portland-Metro area, and is a primary supporting partner of Catalyst. Just last week NWCEA, led by executive director Tom Brown, invested partnership funding to get this new thing started with Compassion By Design. Also, the NWCEA staff and board will be going through training next month to activate this new approach for all new & existing churches in the Association. What a privilege and pleasure to be part of this movement of �??sending the church to the people!�?? Can�??t wait to see what happens next!

Care Project for Cullen Family - April 6, 2008

2008-04-09T06:47:08-07:00

Wow�?�what an exciting day! For so many reasons this day was perfect. We all worked hard to take care of much needed repairs & improvements for a woman who runs a daycare out of her home in Aloha. Several extended family members also live with her, and they were all involved with the projects! It stayed dry for most of the day, except, of course, when the Girl Scout troop was there working in the yard for 2 hours! That was when it all broke loose and poured rain!!! But they were not hindered in any way! They worked so hard regardless of their wet backsJ! What a joy to watch. Check out the before and after pictures of the front yard, and you�??ll see the difference they made! The family was so overwhelmed at all the volunteers pouring onto their property to do nothing but serve them and give them a ray of hope. They continued to say that they didn�??t know people like this existed anymore, and that this gave them hope. Not only did it give them much needed improvements around their house, but God poured hope and peace into their home that they said they haven�??t felt in a long time. What an honor for us to be a part of this. We look forward to a continued relationship with this family, and are so grateful to all the volunteers and financial supporters who make projects like this happen, truly making a difference in the lives of the recipients!

Projects Accomplished: Repairing broken roof section across entryway, cleaning & repairing leaky gutters, Massive yard work, installation of deck railing and safety lattice, fence repair, removal of old debris.

Number of volunteers: 40

Cost of project: About $1,000. Admittedly, we did go �??over budget�?? for this project. If you would like to help offset this cost, please send donations to:

Catalyst Project

P.O. Box 1922

Beaverton, OR 97075-1922:

Click HERE to see the Photo Album

Impressions:

Lots of volunteers all over the place �?? on the roof in the yard, in the house, everywhere �?? doing different tasks to change the world of a family who needed a boost of hope in action:
Watching Tom Brown take Shauna�??s delightfully disposed 12-year old granddaughter Breah under his wing to install safety lattice under the front deck
Seeing the front yard totally transformed by a dozen Girl Scouts and parents led by Judith McLean and daughter Paige
Laughing while one of my kids�?? school teachers Jim Hayhurst, with girlfriend Heather Fowler, uses the Catalyst van to pull a big junk trailer that carries a large couch & other household stuff to nearby storage
The all-day barrage of painters who came to do their part in completely repainting Shauna�??s day-care area in her built-out garage: Donna Erickson, Juli Lang, Heather & Nik Roberts, Renee Boucher, Fred Knudsen, Katy Elliott, Linda & Jacqueline Marino
Working alongside members of Shauna�??s family: Kristen, Gina, Phil, Breah, Jesse
Watching children grapple with & embrace the fulfillment of expending time & energy for the benefit of others
Appreciating the 6-hours Orvin Erickson dedicated to meticulously fixing the house�??s gutters
Watching my children, McKenzie (11) & Sawyer (8) roll-paint entire walls under Marina�??s watchful eye
Enjoying the sight of Jim & Josiah Boucher cutting & installing exterior trim to the door frames, and Jim�??s willingness and agility to come back in the afternoon to finish the roof project
Appreciating the opportunity Chris Marino took to teach 8-year-old daughter Alexis how to position and hammer slats into place on the newly installed hand railing
Admiring the giving spirit of licensed contractors Ryan Kerner and Jerry Zink, who each donated 3 hours of their time to our more difficult projects
Being encouraged by just about everyone who showed up about how cool it was to do this, and offering to help in future projects
My favorite was overhearing Marina Mitchell sitting & talking with Shauna and her family members about why we do what we do, answering their questions, and encouraging them with the words of God�??s love for them while volunteers are busy all around us.

: I can�??t think of a better way to serve as the �??Hands & Feet�?? of Jesus�?? love in our world today.