Leavin' on a jet plane...

So here's the deal...

God has provided an opportunity for me to share my gifts in worship and music with a group of people I never would have dreamed of. In May, my family is sending me on a missions trip to Armenia with a two-fold purpose. The first is to see hundreds of Armenians make a real connection to the living Christ, having their sins wiped away for ever. The second is to equip the worship pastors in that country with the tools they need to stir God's presence among the people they serve week to week.

I am amazed by the Father's plans and I am humbled to present myself to Him for a three-city tour of Armenia in the space of 10 days. I am leaving my two small children and beautiful wife, Cori for that time because I believe that God can use me dynamically to change lives in the power of the Gospel alive in worship and teaching...

...Can you believe with me?

If you have been blessed by my ministry over the years or you have a connection to me personally, I am asking you to consider partnering with me in two ways.

First, I am asking all of you to pray for me through the first two weeks of May as my team and I are gearing up for this intense time of ministry. Pray that many would have their lives transformed through God's grace at work in our team and that we would be safe, strengthened by the Holy Spirit to do every good thing we are called to accomplish.

Secondly, I believe that many of you would be willing to partner financially with me to reach my goal of $2200.00 to pay for my travel expenses. My family and I want to bear a large portion of this cost, but I know that some of you understand that when you sow seed into another person's ministry, you receive a harvest from their work as well. That is why I am asking each of you reading to consider a gift of $10, $100 or $1,000 to invest in God's work for the people of Armenia.

If you feel led to give to my work in Armenia, you can simply send a check (payable to Freedom Valley) to me and I will deposit them into an account for me at Freedom Valley. Be sure to write "Missions-Armenia" in the memo, but do not write my name directly on the check if you want the gift to remain tax-deductible. Simply add a post-it with my name with the check to make sure it gets to me.

You can hand the check directly to me or mail it to the church (address below) with my name on the front of the envelope. It's that simple. Please consider giving any size donation to move me where I'm needed, sharing the love of Christ with people a half a world away!!

Blessings to all of You!!
jeremiah


Freedom Valley Worship Center
c/o Jeremiah Herbert
3185 York Road
Gettysburg PA, 17325

Renewed and Ready!!

There is no replacement for renewed vision, focus and spiritual fervor! It can't be bought or sold but it must be released through time spent away from the everyday responsibilities we face. I am on my way home from just such a stretch of rest and dreaming, prayer and reflection.

I am so excited by what God has been whispering in my ear over the last week and I feel a renewed sense of focus and urgency in my personal life that will positively fuel every other aspect of my life and relationships! Look out! These times of refreshing inevitably bring new trials and greater power in my life and I can't wait to see what God does with it in 2011!

Let's grow deep!!

2011 is here!! So Now what?

Does it ever feel like it's easy to start the year with excitement and anticipation? Have you ever wondered where that excitement goes around the third week of January? For some of us, the dream of a great year may even get bogged down before then. I have experienced it time and again and I know that many of you can relate to losing the "I-Can-Do-This!" feeling that culminates in your New Year's resolutions falling flat.

A couple years ago, I realized that the reason I experienced the slump in the past was because I had failed to turn my resolutions into sustainable vision and goal setting for the entire year. Since that time, I have made it a high priority to put my (personal and ministry) goals and vision for the New Year into writing as quickly as possible each January.

This year I am going public with our vision as a leadership team at the Intersection. We believe that God has established 2011 as a year for us to grow deep in faith, family and community. As a church, we have set our faith on that same, larger vision which will manifest itself in 6 definable and measurable goals which include:

* Identify 8 new church system leaders
* Standardize the plan for Set-up and Tear Down
* 100 new decisions for Christ
* 35 confirmed baptisms in water
* To have a partnership class in place and working by the end of the year
* To get the Kids Mobility Center up and running by the End of May

I'd love to hear your feedback on this plan...or, if you want to share your own goals and vision for 2011, I would love to read about them!!

A Year to Grow Deep!!!

Hey everyone! What if I told you that 2011 was your year to grow deep? What does that even mean? This is my prayer aim for the new year and I want to help us all grow deeper in Christ through three events this weekend!

The first is our first EVER Intersection Vision Day! It will take place this Saturday, January 15th, from 9am-3pm. We will be meeting at Comfort Suites in Gettysburg, next to the Evergreen Cemetery and The Pike. Lunch will be provided, so come prepared to learn what God has in store for us in 2011 (a year to grow deep)!! We ask that you please find your own childcare for this day-long event.

The second event is our regular morning worship experience on Sunday morning @ 10am at the Gettysburg Middle School. If you haven’t been with us in a while, it’s a great time to jump back in! You don’t want to miss the worship time and continuation of the message series we are calling “Primal”.

Finally, come out for a time of refreshing and refocusing at the Catalyst Session being brought to us by our sending church, Freedom Valley. Join me and Pastor Gerry as we grow in leadership principals and team planning at Freedom Valley York Road starting at 6pm. Childcare will be provided!

So many opportunities!!

Religion is too complicated!!

Hey all you cool people!!

2011 has arrived and with it comes all of our hopes and dreams for “getting it right” in the New Year! Many of us make resolutions to get in shape and get organized. Others feel that we have let our love for God grow cold and so we look at the New Year as a chance to get our spiritual lives in order...that’s where The Intersection comes in!

We have begun a primal journey with a new message series that can help all of us take the complicated out of faith! If you feel that Christianity has become too “hard to get” causing you to become “lost in the weeds” of complex faith, we want to help you find a new, simple start to a relationship with God!

“Primal” will help us all get “back to the basics” of faith in Christ as we look at the prime commandments of Jesus to...love God and love people. It can be that simple!!

Join us at 10am on Sunday morning at the Gettysburg Middle School for this exciting new look at the simple message of Christ and YOU could find your hope and faith renewed for the New Year!

Blessings in the New Year!
jeremiah

If you had one chance to give...

Hey everyone! I want to thank you all for being such generous givers over the last two weeks. With God’s help we have managed to raise nearly $700 in addition to our regular tithes and offerings to bless ministries in the DR and Gettysburg. Thank you for giving. Its your generosity that makes The Intersection generous.

This weekend will be our last opportunity to give to a cause outside ourselves before Christmas. I’d like to ask each of you to pray about what your family can do to bless the mission work that will be highlighted this week.

Jacque Merine, of “Source of Life”, will be with us this weekend to share the vision and upcoming challenges faced by his ministry on the island of Haiti. An island that has been in the news recently because of earthquakes and disease outbreak. You can be apart of the rebuilding of the orphanage that was lost in the earthquake and you can help give the kids a new home.

Please pray generously and remember a life lived for others has the kiss of God. Love you all and see you Sunday at 10am!

jeremiah

P.S. If you would like more info on “Source of Life” go to www.source-of-life-ministries.org

It's a Wonderful Life!!

Giving isn't just for Christmas anymore!

Over the past couple of weeks at The Intersection, we have been working on what it means to have a "lifestyle of giving". Living with an open hand and saying goodbye to lack in our everyday lives. "It's a Wonderful Life" is becoming a message series with impact, redeeming the "Scrooge" that lives in all of us. There is a better way to live...

"A life lived for others has the kiss of God..."

This phrase is becoming our rally cry for the Christmas season and beyond at the Intersection. My prayer is that we will be more audacious givers on December 26th and 27th, than we ever were on Christmas day. Check out what we are doing by going to the "Media Online" section of our website at www.theintersectionchurch.net

Much love to all of you! Please comment back if you have been challenged!