Fast Fire Updates

FFU - Auckland

Howard Webb

 
 

What's been our greatest Success?

Global Day of Prayer launch along with Love your neighbor.

 
 

What's worked well?

E-zine stories have told stories of church doing extraordinary things. Telling those stories is the job. Trying to create community and mentoring on the web site.

 
 

Consultations with many leaders.

 
 

What is stuck?

Ongoing expenses are thin. Also, the website is not well used yet.

 
 

What's been your biggest surprise?

Many people have offered to partners. Focus on the Family and others have come to us to partner.

 
 

 
 

FFU - Tampa/St. Pete

Daniel Bernard and John Anderson

 
 

What's been our greatest Success?

Carefest and food ministry continues to go well.

 
 

What's worked well?

Raise the Roof has been continued but we made it a stand alone event and got partners involved and it was a great time. The Back to School program continues to go very well.

 
 

What is stuck?

We're stuck in Carefest but its success limits us in some ways.

Also some pastors are not doing well.

Problems with the homeless are multiplying.

 
 

What's been your biggest surprise?

We have a 24 hours prayer line.

We have Neighborhood Transformation going well.

Pastors in St. Pete are doing "Call the Man Home".

 
 

FFU - San Salvador

Layo Leiva

 
 

What's been our greatest Success?

We put everything in hibernation except the campus ministry in order to develop young leaders. This has meant that we step back but it has produced leaders.

 
 

What's worked well?

Many have a heart for the campus so they ask us to come and help.

 
 

What is stuck?

We don't know how to develop young leaders who have a mindset for transforming the city.

 
 

What's been your biggest surprise?

Most students get their information from screens. We don't have anything for them.

  
 

 
 

FFU - Atlanta

Chip Sweney and Norwood Davis

 
 

What's been our greatest Success?

Part of a movement called UNITE. It's launching in the Northwest of the city and could launch in South and other churches spreading around the metro area. Many other sectors are hearing about this movement and there is multi sector collaboration happening.

 
 

What's worked well?

Public Schools have borne fruit. 50 schools have been adopted by at least one church with tutoring help and other ways of blessing. The "I just want to thank you for the work that the church is doing". This movement has been birthed in prayer.

 
 

What is stuck?

They are stuck at the senior pastor level. They are having a gathering to develop relationships among pastors.

 
 

What's been your biggest surprise?

They have had unusual favor among city and county leaders. The presence of the Holy Spirit through prayer is happening.

 
 

They are exporting the movement.

 
 

FFU - San Diego

Henry Tan and Geoff Hsu

 
 

What's been our greatest Success?

Establishing good relationships with the players in the city. This has gone well.

 
 

What's worked well?

They have seen effective seeding that has been received well and is starting to flourish. Different things are going on but it is still growing slowly and remains nascent.

 
 

What is stuck?

Things are still too new to be stuck. How do we move faster?

 
 

What's been your biggest surprise?

Everywhere that they talk about city reaching, their has been traction. People have a God given desire to reach the city.

 
 

 
 

FFU - Orlando

 
 

What's been our greatest Success?

Convening 50-60 church Govt and business leaders. We're moving toward a service model of ministry. Many of you have heard of Joel Hunter? The greatest success has been web based initiative called Resource Point. How o we take the resources of the church and apply it to the needs of the city? Building relationships mobilizing the city.

 
 

What's worked well?

 
 

What is stuck?

Working with mega churches is a challenge.

 
 

What's been your biggest surprise?

 
 

FFU - East Asia

 
 

What's been our greatest Success?

Partnership with Red Cross on character and morality of students and professors working with the Government

 
 

What's worked well?

Overlapping strategies have created synergy in partnerships.

 
 

What is stuck?

We have too many opportunities facing us. 2222222

 
 

What's been your biggest surprise?

The work has continued without our direct oversight

 
 

Jerry had deterioration of vision. Had four surgeries on his right eye. He could have lost his eye sight. But the prognosis is good.

 
 

FFU - Boulder

Rich Bledsoe

 
 

What's been our greatest Success?

Leaders in Post-modern contexts get blasted. One leader was demolished but is now either a believer or close to it. Another leader has great influence and is a good friend. He now says he's a believer.

 
 

What's worked well?

In modern theology liberals are Sadducees and conservatives are Pharisees. Many leaders in Boulder are trying to get back

What is stuck?

The visible presence of leaders in the city is waning.

What's been your biggest surprise?

One leader is leaving after our conversations.

 
 

FFU - State College

Dan Nold

 
 

What's been our greatest Success?

We brought lay leaders together and agree do a covenant. This year has been the most exciting than the last ten or twelve.

 
 

What's worked well?

Alignment is more important than saturation. Relationship isn't enough for unity, the alignment was missing.

 
 

What is stuck?

Assimilation is a problem to maintain alignment

 
 

What's been your biggest surprise?

In the last year 8 new churches have started, 4 more in the next year. God is creating a favorable climate for progress.

 
 

 
 

FFU - Mumbai

Viju Abraham

 
 

What's been our greatest Success?

 

Most encouraging was a national 15 member team that came together in October. The team represented 29 cities. They hope to meet again in March. They hope to have 400 cities represented in 14 years.

 
 

They have developed a network working with the urban poor.

 
 

What's worked well?

They have a sex health education program in schools. It's called "Dare to be Different". It is taken on in Hindu and non-Christian schools. They charge by the student.

 
 

What is stuck?

Some of our metro cities have urban prayer summits but they are stuck in the metro areas.

 
 

What's been your biggest surprise?

The AIDS ministry in Bombay experienced a revival among their patients. They were asking God in prayer for their needs.

 
 

FFU - LBC

What's been our greatest Success?

Started 4 task forces in city. The church with the community working together on difficult problems. 15-20% were not Christians. It was messy but successful. They have gotten to the table of conversation.

 
 

Also they began a Long Beach externally focused group.

 
 

What's worked well?

They have ended their first year of 30 under 40 to serve church planters. It builds a sand box to play nicely.

 
 

What is stuck?

They have reached the extent of their relationships but trust is built slowly. The class differences and ethnic barriers are slow to change.

 
 

What's been your biggest surprise?

The starfish and the Spider describe the power of leaderless organizations. They are trying to empower the city.

 
 

FFU - Oslo

Jan Sirevag

 
 

What's been our greatest Success?

Mentoring many new young people through Geir's influence. Geir has moved into another building with his church. They have moved into a mall with a playground. It's already too small.

 
 

What's worked well?

New Assignment with Norway Media Mission. They do TV and Radio to unite the "air force" of media with the "ground force" of meeting needs on the ground.

 
 

They are using the Strategic Planning Process to build focus and tactical action.

 
 

What is stuck?

The D. Min program. Jan is dropping out. Most people in the room have started a D. Min and then dropped out.

 
 

What's been your biggest surprise?

My best days are ahead? My best meals are behind?

 
 

FFU - Berlin

Axel

What's been our greatest Success?

August 31 they started a German network of city reaching. Leaders of 10 cities joined. Cities from all over Germany. They asked Berlin to lead the process.

 
 

What's worked well?

GFB has started an official corporation with African migrant churches. Integration is growing along with partnership.

 
 

What is stuck?

Mega church leaders don't want to cooperate.

 
 

What's been your biggest surprise?

In October last year the vice president of the German parliament became the patron of their Christian Volunteer Agency. He is a committed Christian from East Germany. He is Catholic, Eastern, and Social Democrat so he brings things that most evangelicalism doesn't have. This brought

 
 

FFU - Knoxville

 
 

What's been our greatest Success?

Relational Maturity is at an all time high. Senior leaders and city leaders have trust built for the first time in ten years.

 
 

Non-profit capacity has grown.

 
 

Pastors are starting to see beyond their church into their sector of the city.

 
 

What's worked well?

Large numbers of churches engaging the needs of the city. They are forming a training network.

 
 

What is stuck?

There are sectors of churches that don't want to partner.

 
 

What's been your biggest surprise?

They have had funding for non-profits and funding from his churches. Leadership Foundation in Knoxville has begun to take their organization to the next level. They will develop evaluation to determine whether the city is being transformed.