August 2007

Dear Friends:

REST.  In Mark 6:31, Jesus says to the disciples, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest."  We were blessed to rest the 2nd half of this month, in preparation for all God is about to do.  I was able to spend much time hanging out with my family and nesting the house (baby #4 is due in 5.5 weeks).  Toward the end of the respite, I was able to camp - by myself - and just get away with God.  He gave me this verse: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Spirit." Rom 15:13.  Our part is to trust in Him; the fruit is that we fill up with joy and peace and begin to overflow with hope (which, by the way, is key to transformation).  Are you rested?  Are you trusting Him?  Are you overflowing?

Prior to the break, we were blessed to speak in two area churches, one in Anderson, one in Redding.  A neighbor to whom the Meades had been ministering via grace-in-motion and prayer-evangelism was present at one of those services. She was going through a hard time and paid them a visit that afternoon.  One prayer led to another, and she asked if she could receive salvation right there with them!  PTL.

Our WeR1 Band was given the honor and blessing to re-present Christ through song at the City of Redding’s annual fireworks and Freedom Fest on July 4th.  One organizer thanked us (with a wink) for getting everyone into the “Spirit of the event.”  We hope to increase our future involvement in city functions through the music and sound avenues.  Our band plans to lead the worship at a region wide men's retreat in the fall also.  The doors are wide open!

Those called to minister in their workplaces are key to transformation and we have enjoyed encouraging them over lunch each month.  We were joined this last time by representatives from Sacramento who have a desire to be used of God to see a similar movement take root in their city.

The past 3 years have allowed us to express our heart in word and deed, and now we stand at yet another high point.  Our checking account may not reflect that, but it never did anyway.  We trust in the God of hope, and He fills us with ALL joy and peace, and causes us to overflow with hope.  We rejoice at the abundance in our experiential savings account. Let’s take a short glimpse into where we have been:  

1. 30 nights of worship in various public venues
2. 16 business lunch gatherings with marketplace ministers
3. 12 pastors and leadership connecting lunches
4. 9 dinners to share on deeper levels with partners and friends
5. 9 opportunities to preach in the pulpits of area churches
6. 8 prayer tent seasons
7. 7 or more Grace in Motion projects
8. 5 distinct seasons of prayer (Saturation, Inundate & 40 Days of Grace)
9. 2 Global Day of Prayer public events
10. 2 seminars on transformation
11. 1 downtown festival celebration
12. a Christmas parade, Kool April Nights praise event, July 4th participation
13. several radio appearances and TV shows
14. multiple campus prayer walks, prayer at the gates and a prayer drive CD

...plus hundreds of hours of weekly intercessory prayer gatherings, visiting with pastors, following up on relationships and open doors.

Our heart has been to not only connect with the leaders, but also with the laborers at the grassroots level.  We have paid attention to each hub, without favoring one over the other.  We’ve come alongside schools, business people, government leaders, students, neighbors and churches alike.  We’ve sought to be inspirational catalysts serving on a relational level with a song in our hearts.  Yes, it has been WORK, but seeing the Spirit in it all the way has made it worthwhile!  You see, it's always been about connecting believers and mobilizing prayer to fill the city with the grace of God. He has given us strength to build bridges and encourage the saints to believe for a transformed city through partnering with God.  Every event has yielded fruit and made a lasting impact on this region. We are grateful to you for your faithful support and partnership.

We are also grateful to God.  He has given us favor on all sides, north-south-east-west, and opened many opportunities to us.  A network of communities standing together for transformation is the next step for us.  It is about to expand to the region!  Many who live outside of Redding want to connect to Redding Transformation, only they want it to happen in their community.  We want to be of encouragement to them, and be teammates as the Lord allows.  Thus, a more inclusive name and some core components are being offered up so that a broader movement of transformation can arise.

In the month of August, we plan to shoot the "WeR1Net" DVD explaining the vision and the core components in detail.  People will know how they can personally and meaningfully engage in their own community.  We believe that this DVD will stir action in the right direction just as past events have born good fruit and that soon there will be united movements of prayer and action which are shifting and shaking entire communities along this I-5 corridor.  "Going for it," to be honest, scares me a little.  But, not going for it scares me even more.  (Ever been there?)  Pray for us now, as our team seeks the Lord's guidance for this upcoming year of expansion.  

Resting in His work,

Jon Thompson
Redding Transformation Team Leader

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