We are definitely in the throes of newborn parenthood but are still managing to keep moving forward on our call! Can you hear the notes of sleep deprivation? 😋
Garden
We are very excited that it is finally springtime. We have lots of plans for the garden this year including growing tomatoes, melons, and peppers. In addition, we have many fruit trees that are starting to put out buds. We may get some fruit from our pear trees, but we'll have to wait a few more years for our peaches and cherries. We are also excited to plant a persimmon, mulberry, and two apple trees this year. The goal of all of our gardening is to grow enough so that we can share with our neighbors as a ministry to them. Prayers for our trees and garden are much appreciated.
Church Plant
Service Trial
Along with the new growth of our garden, God is also growing things inside Victor Haven Ministries. On April 14th the Core Team will begin meeting and holding more formal gatherings to iron out what our church services will look like. For now, these are closed gatherings not open to the public, but we hope to be able to open them up quickly. Our heart in holding these gatherings is to begin establishing an intentional culture within our times of worship so that we steward the presence of God as we welcome people into the community. there is a strong and established expectation about what it means to worship God in our space. Please pray for continued wisdom and discernment as we hold these gatherings.
Structure
We are looking forward to sharing a little more about the mission, vision, and structure of Victor Haven Ministries over the next month or two. We truly believe that what we have is something special, and are so excited to begin sharing it in more detail. Practically, this means that John will be making more videos throughout April and May to start highlighting some of the unique elements of Victor Haven Ministries. The timing of these videos is subject to change based on John's availability as he is facing some large deadlines in his semester in seminary in April. Please pray for clarity of mind amid sleep deprivation and for the ability to write compellingly and quickly.
Small Group / Residency
Apart from official Victor Haven Ministries "business", we have been hosting a small group in our home as a part of Downtown Hope. Last month we had an excellent time of teaching people how to hear the voice of God. Several people who had never heard God's voice before were activated to quickly and accurately hear from God in the form of prophetic words. This month we are diving more into what the Bible says about healing and what the practice of praying for healing should look like for the church today. We have been growing in relationship with the members of this group and we would appreciate prayers for those people as we grow together.
Mentorship at GE
Finally, things at Georgetown East Elementary continue to go well. The relationships that we are forming with the kids are growing, which ultimately means more conversations with the families around the neighborhood. We are excited to see what God has in store as our roots grow deeper in Victor Haven.
Look at how big Ezra has gotten!
Most important prayer points:
Pray for wisdom and discernment for the core team as we start gathering on April 14th. Pray that we would hear what God wants to see in Victor Haven and that we would be faithful to his call.
Pray for energy, strength, and sleep for John and Chelsea. With the large number of things that we are juggling, there is a constant sense that we are running at max capacity.
Pray for our fundraising. We are still about 1/3rd of the way funded and would love to be 100% funded. We are actively working to identify new people who may be interested in giving. Please prayer for soft and receptive hearts as well as people who are willing to be generous.
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