What you may know about what we're doing is that we're attempting the impossible. We're starting a church outside of the beltway that will have a presence inside the beltway to bridge two distinctly unique areas of our region in an unprecedented fashion. I will not go into the many hurdles we will encounter or the interactions I have had with a few doubters along the way. What I will tell you is that Jesus has been proving himself time and time again. I'll also say that we continue to get amazing people to buy-in and partner with us.
Recently we've been faced with obstacles regarding our facility outside of the beltway in an area called Timonium. This location will become the hub for our future work so from my limited human perspective, it MUST succeed. And it will.
This is the backdrop for what I want to share with you.
We must succeed because of what is on the front page of The Baltimore Sun today.
The Sun reports that 18 people were shot in an evening of violence primarily resulting from feuding drug gangs. The most horrific of the shootings happened at a backyard cookout commemorating the passing of a young man last year. In that incident a 2 year old girl was shot as well as a pregnant woman shot 3 times.
In addition to that shooting there were several others in the same evening. All of these shootings happened in East Baltimore just blocks from the site of our inner city East Baltimore Church location. See Map.
What we are doing (we as Christian Pastors) must work. What we as people of God who want to share the love of Jesus with the world must work. Right now all across the city there are people mourning, angry and even moving away because of the violence. Many have lost trust of governing authorities and their ability to handle the situation. People all over this city are searching for answers and meaning and purpose. The gospel of Jesus is needed here as much as any war-torn area of the world.
It is my prayer that the 'Church' at large takes a serious look at their investment over the long-haul into reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus in urban centers around our nation. For too long we've been comfortable ignoring the front page of city papers. We have hundreds of thousands of people who need the gospel and we must give our best effort to bringing that message to them.
Please join us here by supporting TheBaltimoreProject.com. If God is speaking to you I implore you to act. Much depends on our (you and I) commitment to sharing the message of Christ.
As you pray for us please also pray for my friend Ellis Prince who pastors another new church in that area called "Gallery Church". Ellis is a great man of God who is also working to see Jesus made famous in that area.
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