With July and August behind us, another season transition is in the works and the heart of summer coming to a close. We hope you had an awesome 3 months! Living in the Fraser Valley, with our limited window of summer, you almost have to get a little obsessed and squeeze out every ounce that it has to offer. Many anticipate Autumn with all its splendor of trees turning golden, combined with warm days, in unison with the cool crisp air of mornings and evenings. This time of year also often brings the anticipation of other transitions with children going back to school, personal goals along with getting back into routine or new routines.
This is a major season of transition for Kristen and I. Both scary and exciting. For months we have been initiating change, realizing the course we were on required action in which we have been in process with our core team preparing. Being honest with ourselves, we are aware of how, with enough clever rationalization, we can extend a season for weeks, months and years.
This process has included asking our staff, “What do you really want to do?” At the same time, we have been asking our congregation, “What dreams and desires are in your heart?”; “What steps can be made to develop your dreams into a vision in order to see it walked out?” Some people would call it “stupidity” and others call it “courage” to ask questions like these, we just like to keep it real. With so many adventurers in our body the answers varied; like attracts like. Overall we began to realize that God had put so many dreams and desires in the hearts of our team that there wasn’t a lot of time or resource left to administrate a Sunday morning service – we’re all too busy LIVING the message! In the weeks that followed we began to take steps to help release our staff to take some practical steps towards following their dreams and hearts desires.
Kristen and I desired to take a two month break as we approached summer; to slow down and reflect, get off the hamster wheel and minister to ourselves as well as each other while searching our hearts for the next phase of our lives. As we gathered with our core team prior to summer we also shared our summer desire. With 18 of our core team present there was a unanimous response: no Sunday services for July and August giving everyone a break to enjoy and rest for the summer. There were a couple of noble ones on our team that were prepared to move ahead with Sunday Services for the summer, but after being released they are so thankful for it!
What’s more, as we have prayerfully been processing over the summer in which we came to another conclusion: Eastgate will be having no more Sunday morning services! I know it sounds insane yet we sense the season is finished for us with this model of ministry. Our community is moving into an exciting time of getting to walk out the message we’ve been preaching!
We realize many of you may have received a phone call about this big change. Our heart goes out to you if this comes as a shock. We deeply apologize. We consider it to have been such an honor to have served and ministered with you in our Sunday morning gatherings. And we look forward to continuing on with you in new expressions of our community. Those of you who desire to continue to worship on Sunday mornings, there are some great churches that would love to have you join with them. Simply fire us an email so we can send you some info or arrange for a time to talk.
What’s next?….to be honest we are not entirely sure….we just can’t keep doing the same thing. One thing we do know is: we enjoy relationships with you all very much. We also are privileged to have other genuine kingdom relationships in our region and throughout the globe. We will be gathering later this month for a Eastgate family potluck and will let everyone know details as we begin preparations for this joyous gathering.
With no gathering Sunday mornings, this provides each of us to be creative in ways to connect, reach out and fellowship with one another in an “organic” and diverse model. Free to connect with another church, free to practice diversity in community, free to be the church within various marketplace cultures, the list goes on…..HEY because of Jesus we are a Free and Loved Revived People!
Eastgate Ministries will remain a registered charitable entity to carry out ministry & mission projects, partner with other ministries as well continue to be a licensing body for ministers in relationship with us. We are believing & positioning ourselves for the flow of Holy Spirit to come forth from us for this ministry to be one of effectiveness and fruitfulness in the new chapter ahead. We will be keeping you abreast of all news as it unfolds.
Until we see you, thank you for participating with us at Eastgate. We do look forward to what is next and at the same time we are so grateful for all that has transpired.
Warmly,
Brian Olynick – On behalf of the Eastgate Team