What has God called the church to do?  In general, does the church in America resemble what we find in the New Testament?  How do the people outside the church view Christians, Christianity and the Church today?  Why is that?  Jesus told his disciples to “Go” into all the world and share the good news.  Why is it that the Church today seems to expect the world to come to us? Did Jesus really mean it when he said “whatever you have done for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you have done it to me”?  

In early 2007 God joined the hearts of two men who were asking some of these very questions.  As a result of much prayer and counsel, the dream of planting a new church was confirmed.  Because of a belief that the church should be about community and relationships we began with a small group of people fellowshipping around a grill in a backyard.  Those fellowships led to Bible studies where the core of Journey Church was formed.  It didn’t take long before there were twenty kids running around and we had outgrown the setting of a home.

From our homes, we moved to clubhouses.  We had reserved places for three weeks, but after that, we didn’t know what we would do.  So we began to pray, “Jesus, Your word says that You will build Your church and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.  Lord, Your church needs a home …”  And, God answered those prayers in short order! 

Through a God ordained appointment we met Andy Sanfilippo.  Andy, a follower of Christ and a businessman here in Jacksonville had received a dream from God.  In this dream, God told him to build a space that would be used as a place of worship and ministry to advance the Kingdom here in Jacksonville.  Out of obedience, he did just that.  He had just completed and dedicated the auditorium when we met him in March 2007.  

Words cannot describe what we felt when we walked into the room.  Upon seeing the space and hearing his vision for the rest of the building, which had yet to be completed, the comment was made “I think you may have just built our church” to which he replied “No, I think God did because He told me to do it.”  Should we be surprised?  Jesus did say that He would build His church…

Although it appeared obvious that God had arranged this meeting and provided the place, there was one lingering question.  How would a small group of people who had yet to even collect an offering, pay for a facility?  Once again it was time to pray.  We were sitting in the auditorium praying, asking God for wisdom, when Andy walked in.  He was coming to let us know that he was going to try to reduce the cost of the facility as much as possible.  Although this was an answer to prayer, the real answer was yet to come.

Even with the cost reduced, the facility was still going to stretch us beyond our comfort level.  Andy then went on to tell us about the International Learning Center, a ministry that had an interest in leasing space also but simply couldn’t afford it.  It just so happens that the director, Kim Carr, was scheduled to be at the building in an hour.  So we stayed and prayed.  

Upon meeting Kim and hearing about their ministry of teaching English as a second language to Muslims and the Spanish speaking community in Jacksonville, we began to see the wisdom of God.  Why should a group of people pay for a facility to be used a couple of days a week and then remain empty the majority of the time?  Why not share space and expenses and maximize God’s resources?

Not only did it make sense, it also gave us the opportunity to begin to practice one of our core values which is to partner with other churches and ministries in our city in order to advance God’s Kingdom.

As was said earlier, we had clubhouses lined up for three weeks and then didn’t know what were going to do, so we cried out to God. 

 

What you have just read is the testimony of what God did and on the fourth week, we found ourselves meeting in a wonderful, fully equipped facility with plenty of room for the kids!  

God is good and He is faithful to His Word.  He continues to build His church all over the world and what we are experiencing here in Jacksonville is only a snapshot of what God is doing worldwide.  As for Journey Church, the story continues as we move forward ... Loving God, Loving People and Changing the World!