15
September

An Unreached People in North America

Welcome back.

105 Minutes by air from Detroit.
Six hours by car from New York.

Perched on an island in the Hochelaga Archipelago where the Ottowa flows into the St. Lawrence, stands one of North America’s oldest cities.

Montreal.
Home of great jazz.
City of amazing cuisine.
Land of beautiful summer days.
And centre for the largest unreached people group in North America.

Yes, an unreached people group in North America.

Established in 1642 by the French, this city that bustles with jazz, cuisine and culture remains practically silent when it comes to the gospel. Less than half of one percent of French Canadians tend towards Jesus, the hope of the world.

Less than half of one percent. Out of two hundred — one person follows Christ.

Steve Norman and Beau McCarthy of Genesis the Church in Detroit and I met with Montreal Pastor, Lorenzo DellaForesta of River’s Edge Community Church, and spent an afternoon and evening discovering the city.

Lorenzo, who is most definitely not among the silent, knows what it is to start a church in the midst of an unreached people and see God work. More of his story later.

Shock.

That’s what I felt as the realization grew that there is within easy reach of the US a significant city (3 million when the universities are in session) with an unreached people group. This throws into a new light our conversation about the mission to reclaim our post Christian western culture.

Exhiliration.

Some of you know that I’ve been seeking to identify key cities in which to locate the International Mentoring Network. [I started the IMN earlier this year].

  • The Detroit area with Steve Norman and Mike Harris is at the top of the list.
  • The German speaking part of the world [ with my friends Marcus Wagner in Munich; Adaumir Nascente and team in Dusseldorf; and Derek Webster in Zurich ] is also at the top.
  • Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, Boston, New York, London and Barcelona all seem to loiter in the top twelve list.

Now that I’ve been to Montreal, I think it may be time to team up with my Canadian friends and lend them a hand in the exciting task of reclaiming an unreached city for Christ. What better context could exist for training future leaders?

What do you think?

into the mystic…

Alex McManus

27 comments

12
August

Following Christ or Culture? (2)

Welcome back.

Sam Rima is the Director of the Doctor of Ministry at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. [I'm an instructor there in the DMin cohort on Entrepreneurial Leadership].

Besides sharing his rather amazing story during his visit yesterday, we had a terrific conversation about emerging leaders that provoked a couple of questions. Here’s one of them:

Has there been a recent shift in recent years in the mindset of church planters and missionaries

  • from one of going where the need is greatest or the challenges biggest or the conditions poorest, far from family, etc …
  • to one of going to the places they’d enjoy living, where the quality of life is better and the conditions best, close to family or where they’d live anyway if they could…?

What do you think?

Photograph enjoying a meal at Santorini’s with (left to right) Sam, Alex, Niza and Octavio.

Into the mystic…

Alex McManus

23 comments

22
April

Hospitality III

Photo

Welcome back.
Paul writes, “Don’t let the world squeeze you into it’s mold…” (Romans 12.2). Living lives of isolation and exclusion is one of the directions towards which the world squeezes us. Hospitality is about rediscovering human connection, about remembering that “I” am not the only character in this amazing story of the human-kind. The story of human kind is a “we” story.

Photo

As I’ve felt my way forward in the way of Jesus, I’ve brought into my home the poor and homeless. But, even though that’s immediately where our minds and hearts go when we begin to think of hospitality, the love of strangers, that’s not the whole or the most of it.

Hospitality begins in us: why are we on this journey through time and space together? Years ago, my wife, Niza, and I began to make a series of decisions that shaped our home. The first of these was that our home would a center for world mission. Our mission? To help others discover and remember that there is a cosmic connection waiting to be made. To help others resonate with the most primal reality of the universe. To make the world a better place for others. Those of you who’ve prayed with me have probably heard me say this: “May everywhere our feet touch the ground become an intersection between heaven and earth. And may everyone who walks with us feel the primal essence of the universe.” Those of you who know me understand that that is one of the ways I speak about Jesus, who makes all things new.

Hospitality does not mean automatially that we bring a street person into our home. It means that we begin to cultivate a sense of connection, a curiosity and a delight in discovering the human experience of those around us we do not yet know. [Just a note: some of us don't know our kids or our spouses and need to take steps -turn off the tv- asap to invite them into our lives.] Coupled with a craving to share how the story of Jesus intersects with the story of us.

Interestingly enough, I learned last night that my wife had posted without knowledge of what we’re talking about here, an entry on “hospitality.” Needless to say, it was a bit spooky. Here’s her blog: xanga.com/nizasings. Today she put up a second thought on this so you’ll hear it from her perspective.
Don’t let the world squeeze us…love strangers. Practice hospitality. By the way, you belong here.What do you think?

Photographs
Top: (Right to left) John Edgar Caterson, Pastor, Mosaic Rancho Cucamonga; Me and Bill Clark, Professor of Political Science, University of Michigan…having a terrific lunch today in LA and and an even better conversation.
Side: Bill and John discussing who’s going to pay for lunch. [Kidding].

Int the Mystic…

Alex McManus
Pasadena, Ca
© 2005

1 comment

21
April

Hospitality II


Currently Reading
Fewer: How the New Demography of Depopulation Will Shape Our Future
By Ben J. Wattenberg
see related

Welcome back

Hospitality is a key to evangelism in the 21st century.

Let’s distinguish hospitality from entertaining. Entertaining guests means that we put on a demonstration of our best to give a good impression. Entertaining is like our fine china. Nothing wrong with that. Hospitality, on the other hand, means inviting people into our lives. Hospitality is our paper plates.

Inviting others into our lives and homes is natural when we move from being strangers to becoming friends of God. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” said Lydia, “come and stay at my house.” (Acts 16.15)

Interestingly enough, sometimes it is often the prebeliever that has both the open heart and open home. My wife, Niza, and I are both seriously introverted and sometimes reclusive. When our first born was still small we lived in an apartment that shared a corridor with a second apartment directly across from us. Our neighbors, a young couple named Ernie and Rosie noticed we had a small child and provided us with extra diapers. I was traveling a bit in those days and my wife would tell me that whenever I was gone Ernie would always either come out or crack his door and peek out when someone knocked on my door. He was looking out for my family while I was gone. In fact, they served us so much and shared their lives so much that eventually we were able to lead them to faith in Christ. Yes, that’s a backward story. They served us and we were able to guide them to the kingdom. If you’ve ever seen Heaven’s Prisoner with Alec Baldwin, you’ve seen their daughter, Samantha. She played the little Salvador girl Baldwin rescues (even though she’s really half Filipina and half Mexican)

Hospitality is inviting others into your life …and sometimes inviting yourself into the lives of others. Evangelism can happen naturally when life is shared. Love strangers.

What do you think?

Photographs

Top: Friends and entrepreneurs Jaime and Belinda Puente visiting at our new place.

Side: Friend Dominic Massaro (graffiti61) performs at a house concert.

Into the Mystic…

Alex McManus
Pasadena, Ca
© 2005

3 comments

20
April

Hospitality I


Currently Reading
Fewer: How the New Demography of Depopulation Will Shape Our Future
By Ben J. Wattenberg
see related

Practice hospitality (Romans 12.3).

The essence of “hospitality” is found in the combination of the two words that make it up. The first part comes from the word xenos, “stranger”. Think xenophobia, fear of strangers or foreigners. The second part is from the word phileo, love. Think Philadelphia, “city of brotherly love.”

Hospitality is the love of strangers. I’ve always thought that one of things that makes the scriptures and the believing movement so unique is the orientation towards the alien, the stranger, the foreigner. I’d love to see a count of the number of times the words stranger, alien, foreigner appear in the Quran or in the Gitas and then to get a sense of what the attitude in those writings is towards them. Maybe they are as gracious as the scriptures. I hope so.

It is this love for the stranger that to me makes the Christ following movement the hope for the world of today and tomorrow. In a world of immigrants and xenophobia and terrorism, there is need for a leader who creates a culture and points to a kingdom that is open to anyone and everyone who repents and believes. Jesus is that leader. He makes Hindus, Muslims and Christians human. Those of us who have begun to walk in the way of Jesus are called to create this same culture and point to this same kingdom.

What do you think?

Is looking and pointing outward beyond our own ethnic, socio-economic, cultural group with a view to advance the Kingdom of Christ a part of Christ-following leadership?

Photographs

1] from right to left: Johan Geyser, Lead Teacher, Mosaic South Africa; Octavio Martinez, Founding Pastor, Sojourn; Erwin McManus, Lead Navigator, Mosaic Los Angeles; Me.

2] Octavio engaged in conversation with Wilma (Mosaic South Africa).

Into the Mystic…

Alex McManus
Pasadena, Ca
© 2005

1 comment

13
March

Eyes For The Missing

My five-year-old son, Michael, disappeared.

OK. It was only for a moment eleven years ago, but I
aged twenty years in that moment.

Have you ever lost anything really valuable?

The scriptures tell us that we cannot understand the
world in which we live and the history we create
without understanding this: Something really
valuable is missing and God wants it found.

Do you come to worship with a grateful heart, but are
mindful of those who are missing?

Not the regulars, the believers who know their way, but
the ones who do not even know there is a God who
misses them? If you do, it is because the wind of
God has passed over you.

The WIND.

The scriptures tell us that,

In beginning…the earth was empty, a formless
mass cloaked in darkness. And the wind of God
was hovering over the chaos. Gen 1.2

The wind came first.

In the conception of Jesus the wind blew over the virgin.

At the birth of the Jesus movement the wind howled
in Jerusalem.

In the creation of the heavens and the earth the wind
hovered over the chaos.

Where there is chaos, darkness, and emptiness, the
winds appear. It has been said, “the church exists by
mission as fire exists by burning.” Wind is my
metaphor for mission.

God has given to us a mission to find the missing.

The fact that someone is missing is chaos, darkness,
emptiness. The fact that there are those who set out
to find them is wind.

Make no mistake, traveling into the emptiness can be
perilous, even for wind. But we
go because it is a mission motivated by love.

It’s true. God calls to action, some look for nurture.
God promises trouble, while others seek comfort
and safety. God demands attention, some look
around to see what others will do about it.

But, a growing few simply put on their battle gear,
without regard for their own reputations and safety,
put their eyes on Jesus, and, in an effort to rescue
those God misses most, follow him.
They find others like themselves on the way, and
join with them.

People of the wind they are.

into the mystic…

© alex mcmanus, 2005

1 comment

7
March

Mosaic Rancho Cucamonga

los angeles, ca

that’s my daughter, erica, with our friends who are starting a mosaic community in dusseldorf, germany.

i spent most of my yesterday (sunday) in the recording studio working on my cd project, but in the morning, i visited my friends john and kristi. they’ve started a new mosaic community in rancho cucamonga, a growing community situated about 45 minutes east of los angeles.

their first celebration was last week and over two hundred people showed up. i sat in on their second gathering and soaked up some good vibes. They had gobs of people come back.

they’re brand spanking new, but i sense that even though they’re near la, they’re gonna “make it” without headshots or demo cds. [if that last statement seems odd, read my post from friday].

mosaic in los angeles shifted this weekend from three celebrations on two campuses to six celebrations on four campuses. i visited their saturday evening celebration night before last. mosaic los angeles has been multisite since about ’96, but the way they move around, it’s amazing they keep anyone. they grew by over 40% in making the move… at least for this first weekend.

mosaic los angeles is the latest manifestation of a church that has been around for about sixty years.

what do these these three communities have in common? hard working leaders who know that believing communities aren’t supposed to be clubs for insiders, but communities of love for the world in action.

i have three kids that will one day live who knows where. i often submit a request through prayer for leaders like these mosaic pastors, that there be many of them. that they be working hard to create great culture shaping communities of faith in every city in the world.

i pray this out self interest. i don’t know where my kids will live.

imagine sending our kids into a world without great communities of faith, love and hope. not if i have anything to say about it. mosaic rancho cucamonga, mosaic la, mosaic dusseldorf, mosaic xyz. i’m a raving fan.

into the mystic…

© alex mcmanus, 2005

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