Advent Devotionals

You can read some of the great Advent Devotionals that Vicky Griffiths, a member of our church, has been writing this December by clicking below.

DECEMBER 20TH: THE STAR

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Lord, we worship you because you are a powerful God who brings out each and every star in the sky, calling them all by name, ensuring that not one is missing (Isaiah 40:26). Every time we look at the stars in the sky may we be reminded of your great works, and, like the wise men, may we be filled with great joy. Amen.

Moving to the Brighton Music Hall - August 25

Dear FenFam,

I have so appreciated the attitude with which you have greeted this big announcement. Your faith, genuineness, and willingness to join in with what God is doing inspires me to love Jesus more.

A few recurring questions have emerged in the last two weeks as we prayed for and discussed our move to the Brighton Music Hall. I want to answer them here and provide another context for us to be able to understand and run with the vision God is setting before us.

With you on the adventure!

David W.

Are we starting a new church in Allston?
No, we will continue to be one church pursuing a common vision and led and served by the same leadership team. We see our church as many community groups who gather together on Sundays to worship Jesus, hear gospel-focused preaching, invite others to see what God is doing, and encourage each other in a larger context. In the fall, we will become a church of many community groups who gather on Sundays in two different venues instead of one.

When are we moving?
We are moving our Sunday morning gathering to the Brighton Music Hall in Allston on Sunday August 25 with a new start time of 10:30AM.  We will re-launch a Sunday gathering with an afternoon start time in our current venue in Fenway on Sunday September 15.

Where should I go on Sundays?
Head to Allston! We want to launch at the Brighton Music Hall as strongly as possible. For a short season, we want our whole church family to gather together there to worship Jesus and help get the Allston venue humming. There is power in that type of unity and focus.

If you would like to be a part reaching out in the Fenway neighborhood specifically, please let us know at community@fenwaychurch.org and we can let you know how you can get involved with the Fenway re-launch.

What's my role? How can I get involved?
Sign up to join a Sunday serve team! Throughout the summer, we will be developing teams that will help us with the launch at the Brighton Music Hall - greeting, setup/breakdown, audio/visual, outreach/hospitality, worship and especially kid's church so we can welcome more families at the new Allston venue!

Join a CG.  Our leadership wants to equip you and your community groups (CGs) to be able to reach your neighbors and transform your neighborhoods. Much of that equipping takes place through sharing life together in our CGs and through our CG leadership training program. A great way to get involved and start getting equipped is to join a CG.

Give.  We will need to increase our giving to to cover the increased costs of going multi-site and reaching out into more neighborhoods.  If you consider yourself a member at Fenway Church, we encourage you to give regularly (monthly or bi-weekly) and move towards tithing (10%).

Why the move?
First and foremost, we believe God has spoken to us clearly and that this is his idea (see the video for that story). We are following him!

Second, the church is the people of God.  It is not just a Sunday gathering or event, but God's people living out their walks with Jesus Monday-Saturday as they gather in smaller groups, love their neighbors, and represent Jesus in their work places and classrooms. Adding the Allston venue will allow us to gather more people who want to be a part of this vision for church, allow our leadership to equip more members to reach their neighborhoods, and ensure more people in our city have an opportunity to meet Jesus.

FENWAY CHURCH - Loving Others, Transforming Neighborhoods, Serving Nations

For the extended version of this announcement that was given on Sunday June 9, visit http://www.fenwaychurch.org/media.php?pageID=5

Easter Sunday 2013 - Two Services

Two days ago, we finished our series Expect Great Things from God.  Over the last weeks, we’ve stretched forth in faith as a church family praying for the sick, welcoming those who have walked into our community, and watching God bring people to himself.

Much of what we’ve focused on has been about the work God has begun in us and how that work frees us to to love and liberate others.  In Luke 14:23, Jesus says: 

Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.

Easter Sunday the past two years in our church has been a time where the club is filled and people come to faith in Jesus.  This year we plan to invite as many people as possible to experience Jesus and the authentic relationships that exist in our church community.  Why?  

Because we know Jesus wants his house to be full.

We want to make it possible for every person who has been attending our church to bring a friend on Easter Sunday.  To accommodate that size of a crowd, we will be hosting 2 services at 11 & 1PM.

As we stretch forth in faith as a church family, your expectation and participation are going to make this Easter a true miracle of God's grace.

Here are a few simple ways that you can get involved.

1)  Pray.  Pray Luke 10:2 that Jesus would send our church family out as his laborers into the harvest.  Ask God who he wants you to invite.  Make a list and pray for those people.

2) Plan ahead.  Know what service you are attending.  Your community groups will be helping to host a specific service.  Consider coordinating with your CG or other friends in the church you know to host luncheons after church.  Many of my own unchurched friends have enjoyed one of our services and a dinner after at our home!

3)  Volunteer to serve on Easter Sunday.  Ask your CG leader how you can help and/or email community@fenwaychurch.org to sign up to bring light refreshments for after the services.

4) Invite people.  Start inviting people now.  People tend to make their weekend plans in advance.  Let them know that there is something worth attending this Easter Sunday.

Love,

David W.

Great tips for inviting friends to church - http://confluenceblog.com/stirring-the-church-for-mission

If you know you will be away on Easter, we will have an Easter-themed service the Sunday before (March 24) that you may invite friends and neighbors to as well.

The Welcome

Last Sunday with Fenway Church, we looked at 3 priorities to embrace for the new year. You can listen to that message here. There is one more vital priority that I want us to embrace each Sunday and in our lives - the welcome.

The Welcome - Luke 10:20-24

And he (the prodigal son) arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And... said to his servants, "Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate."

The son was a long way off, wearing tattered, smelly clothes and ashamed of his past. He was uncertain of what kind of reception he would receive in his condition and with his history. The reception he received was not what he expected.

In this story, Jesus reveals the power of a welcome. The father in the story never needs to say the son is forgiven or accepted - the welcome communicates that; and with this welcome, Jesus portrays what every person should experience when they come "home" to His family (the church).

When people come to church they often hear they are forgiven and accepted, but they don't always experience what that feels like. They are left wondering if what the preacher says is actually true. This should never be experienced in God's church.

How we welcome people into our church gatherings signals to them who God is, what his family is like, and whether they belong in that family. The reception they receive when they walk into church should surprise them as much as it surprised the prodigal son.

What should that welcome look like? Here are some practical steps you can take based on Jesus' story.

1) Look for guests or people who are standing or sitting alone (while he was a long way off the father saw him).

2) Go introduce yourself to those people with warmth and love (he felt compassion and ran and embraced him).

3) Give them your best (bring the best robe). We often want to reserve our time and energy for our friends or the actual worship service. Instead, let's give our energy, time, and best to those who are new or feel isolated in our midst in the following ways:

• Listen to them. 
• Offer to sit next to them. 
• Introduce them to someone else. 
• Make sure they feel connected and welcomed.

4) Clothe and feed those who need it (put shoes on his feet and kill the fattened calf). God may bring and has brought those who are literally in tatters or hungry to our gatherings. Let's be the ones who go get them breakfast and find them a coat to wear.

5) Celebrate their lives (let us celebrate). People's lives are worth celebrating no matter how different they may appear from our own. Let's get to know their interests and stories and find ways to celebrate their decision to visit our church and the life God has given them.

To my awesome Fenway Church family, let's make "the welcome" a top priority this year. As we do, many more will experience the tangible reality of God's grace, forgiveness, and love.

With you on the journey,

David W.

Top Messages from 2012

These are some of the messages/moments from 2012 that have stuck with me the longest throughout the year and have shaped how I think and act and what I meditate on.  It may be worth listening to some of these messages again before we move to far ahead in 2013.  Let's not forget what God has spoken to us.

You can listen or download these messages on our Fenway Church media player.

Living to Finish - Tom Griffith    1/8/12

The Father's Heart - David W.   2/25/12

'You' Is Plural - Jesse Sudirgo    3/4/12

Young Lions - Jeremy Jackson   7/8/12 (definitely listen to the prophetic word at the very end of the recording)

Keep on Keeping On - Casey Marques        10/21/12 (Steadfastness)

Your Greatest Enemy is You - Jan Horjus  10/28/12

Also, my good friend, Charlotte, says every new attendee at Fenway Church should listen to this message.

A Chosen Family - David W.  8/26/12

http://www.fenwaychurch.org/media