Houston CityFest

Got this note from Jim Harrington from Mission Houston

Yesterday I was deeply encouraged as I sat and listened to Pastor Robert Lewis, from Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, tell stories of the transformation of that city. God is using ShareFest, ((http://www.sharefest.com), as a catalyst for this transformation. ShareFest is an annual event in which the whole church works together to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ. It's one thing to hear transformation stories from another era in history or even from another part of the world. But, yesterday as I sat listening to Robert, I was so encouraged and hopeful. God is doing this now and in a city that is just a days drive away from the greater Houston area. I want to share with those in my data base some of what I heard - in hopes that it will encourage you too.
Robert was joined by Rick Caldwell, ShareFest Executive Director. They told stories of entire inner city schools being given "extreme make-overs." They told of at-risk kids receiving on-going, long-term mentoring. They told of partnerships being formed between congregations and the police department that was transforming the city. They said that the impact was so great that the secular news media and totally unchurched people were giving glory to God - and they had dvd clips and newspaper articles to prove it.
Beyond the encouragement that I felt in listening to these men, I heard them say three things that I believe were important for believers in the Greater Houston area to hear. I want to share them with you.
1. Getting congregations to focus externally is hard work. Robert said, "After 10 years of doing this, I thought it would be easier. But every year when it's time to gear up for the annual ShareFest experience, it requires a lot of effort to get our congregation (and others in the city) to focus outside ourselves." I've worked at this in Houston for nearly a decade and Robert's words rang true. Working together across congregational, denominational, and cultural lines - and getting outside of our own local congregational agendas - is hard work. Someone has to wake up every day seeing that as their assignment. Mission Houston (http://www.missionhouston.org will continue to serve the Body of Christ in that way.
2. Think so big that it requires even our largest congregations and ministries to cooperate. Rick said, "As we planned our efforts, we purposed in our hearts to do something big - - - not a little clean up job or a Christmas basket project - - - but something that would make a big, noticeable difference .... and that required us to work together." As we think post-CityFest Houston with Luis Palau (http://faithhouston.com), this is instructive. The city is taking notice of CityFest. When 250,000 people gather in downtown Houston, the news media will tell that story. When forty-two communities conduct compassion projects simultaneously to at risk children, the world with pay attention. In other cities where Luis Palau has conducted a Festival, the world gave glory to God. When CityFest is over, we need to continue working together on things that are so big that they require us to work together and that will result in the world praising our God..
3. A movement has emerged out of a catalytic event. Robert said, "As ShareFest unfolded, more and more people saw needs in the city and felt the joy of serving. Increasingly they began using their own resources to meet those needs - apart from ShareFest. We are learning that the church really is supposed to be salt and light in the dark and broken places. Congregation is the place where we come to get refreshed and equipped to go to the world to be the church." That's how we will know it is a move of God - when it gets outside of what we can control or plan. When it moves from a catalytic event to a movement that is fueled by the Holy Spirit.
When CityFest Houston comes to an end in October 2006, Mission Houston will continue serving the Church in the Greater Houston area by calling congregations and ministries together for an annual experience like ShareFest. We are sure that it will look different in Houston than it does in Little Rock - but the place that we are convinced it will be the same is this. Jesus words will become true here as well. He says in Matthew 5:16...In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Do you want to help our city become a place where the world sees the Church's good deeds and praises the Father in heaven? Reply to me and sign up as a volunteer for CityFest. Join your voice with thousands of others who are praying and serving for God to unify and mobilize His body in this city. We are enlisting teams to mobilize for prayer evangelism and to do compassion projects in every community across the city. And we need your help. As we work under the umbrella of CityFest Houston with Luis Palau, we are learning how to work together in the city. And when CityFest is over, with God's provision and guidance, we will continue to let our light shine before the men and women in this city so that God can be praised.