June 2008

Dear Friends,

 

SATUR08 (Pronounced “saturate”)
During May 1-10, we soaked the region in prayer as a united force once again! Natalia coordinated ten prayer tents and scores of volunteers throughout the county who touched hundreds of lives in 3 days time. Roy led two dozen Grace-In-Motion volunteers from 7 different fellowships to bless some single moms in the area, one of whom is very close to coming into the Kingdom as a result! Prayer and worship at City Hall got the week started on the eve of National Day of Prayer (our 4th birthday), and a praise celebration at the open-air end of the downtown mall was the culmination of the week as hundreds joined to lift up Jesus in the heart of the city. God blessed us with wonderful weather all week and a sense of peace and protection. Think about it: People being blessed and prayed for all over the county, the believers gathering as one to worship the Lord in the public spaces of our town as they filled the city with His message and grace! What more can you ask for? Connecting and mobilizing, joyfully walking out practical transformation, and seeing God’s favor upon all who engaged personally —it’s truly a new day! Thanks to all who gave of themselves this month.

AN “IN-TENTS” WEEK: a few reports
The prayer tent at the Redding courthouse reported having a line most of the first day! When I pulled up, I saw one of our young men huddling with another, scriptures open and hearts being shared. Another man was receiving prayer under the tent as yet another waited his turn. On the second morning, before I had finished setting up the canopy by Dairy Queen a man came up needing prayer. We used to say, “Ready or not, here we come.” Now they say, “Where have you been – we’ve been needing prayer!” The harvest is plentiful.
Whitmore truly came together to take prayer to their streets and make a statement that the Kingdom of God has come near! The effort was used of the Lord to connect and mobilize many like-hearted there. A community prayer meeting is next and hearts are hungry. One pastor in the area took the idea to his San Francisco seminary group and shared with them how it all works!
All three of Shingletown’s congregations were represented in their prayer tent on Highway 44. Many stopped to receive prayer or give greetings and encouragement. Those who were touched by the mere presence of the tent included visitors from out of state and even one from out of the country. One truck drove by 2 or 3 times just to confirm that their eyes weren’t playing some trick on them.
The reports of repentance, salvation, healing, reconciliation, provision, and more of how God touched people in our region through this simple act of obedience are still coming in. Fling wide the gates and let the King of Glory come in!

FINANCES
Amid all the hard work, payday came and went almost by surprise. The account was only able to handle a partial payday. Fortunately, many one time gifts came in this past week to bring us up to speed. Without the EXTRA "one time" gifts this month, we'd be over $3500 in the hole. We have walked by faith in this for 4 years, and God has proven Faithful! Thanks to our regular donors and to everyone who made a special effort to help this month in a generous way; all our bills are paid. Please continue to invest in this work through the summer months. We plan to advance the work and not let up. If you can increase your pledge or make a pledge at this time, or possibly share some stimulus package blessing with us, it will bear fruit!

INVITED, INCLUDED, INDICATIVE
This month we were able to help several local ministries like CareNet, End Times recovery homes, KVIP radio, PrayNorthstate, and Anderson Community Church, in their events, and many of them came alongside us in ours. The WeR1 Band played 4 times this month and is about to perform in the prime-time hours of the community’s three biggest events: Relay for Life on May 31 (8-10pm), Friday night at our County Fair (9-11pm) and the Freedom Festival on July 4th (7-8pm). Jesus grew in favor with God AND man - may the same be said of us!

DQ LOT for the KING!
Do you recall how we kept you ‘in suspense’ last month on an expanding idea for the DQ parking lot? Well, in the past few weeks, this tiny seed has shot upward! Something truly HUGE is afoot! Youth have been saying for years, “There’s nothing for us to do in Redding.” Many a youth pastor has put time and energy into the “youth center” dream, but nothing ever stuck. Now, however, a collaborative effort is in the works - here’s how it got rolling. Kary, the owner at Dairy Queen (DQ), was looking for a venue for a youth center because her daughter (age 14) was expressing a heart for her generation to have a safe place to gather. She had a real estate agent keep his eyes peeled, and still nothing came. Then, she prayed. The Lord answered, “Open your eyes to what I’ve given you.” She looked out across her parking lot at work and realized, “Most the businesses here close at 5pm, why not use this parking lot and do it open air style?” Apparently He wants stuff out in the public eye. After WeR1 played out there on Kool April Nights, Kary shared her idea with me. As I shared it with others, a team began to emerge. The lot owner and many youth pastors have shown extraordinary favor toward this. Here’s what’s cooking: 4 youth nights this summer unlike any other, one per month, to be held in the parking lot of the Shasta Center complete with bands, DJ’s, 3 on 3 basketball, skate park, games and fun booths - all put on by the local BODY working together! Jesus is the guest of honor and He will be on site touching lives all night long! PRAY as we connect and mobilize some more.

GOT A BAND-AID?
No, we didn’t get cut, but our BAND does need AID. This month we crafted a 16 x 24 foot portable stage to go along with our sound gear. We are in need of a roadie crew that helps us set all this up and tear it down. We call this team the “BAND-AID.” Agreeing that we need to take the message to the streets is one thing, but making it happen is quite another. It takes hours of labor - delivering stages prior to the event, setting up the sound equipment, tearing down and putting it all back! It’s a lot to ask of those who are also on that stage later, ministering to the gathered public. Our WeR1 band has been giving tirelessly of their time and money to achieve excellence, but we all sense that it’s time to bring in reinforcements. Things are ramping up, which is a good sign! We have prayed for this to come, and now that it’s here, we’ll gladly welcome help! It would be more than just rolling cables or lifting boards; it would be going with us into the highways and byways and ministering gracefully to people in need. Our next outings are May 31, June 7, 8 and 13, and July 4th. Want to be a Band-Aid? Write me at jon@reddingtransformation.com or call 222-9371.

Our family is on a week long break now, visiting friends and family in Oregon and Washington. On the return trip, we will have a chance to connect with a developing transformation movement in Grants Pass. Please keep us before the Lord in prayer during these key months.

Resolutely advancing the vision,

Jon & Natalia Thompson

Team Leaders, Redding Transformation and WeR1net

 

 

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