The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released the results of a recent poll today that discovered that “the religious nones” are on the rise Continue reading
Author: kevinpounds
Raj
It all began during some downtime while loading furniture with the refugee move-in crew at the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program’s warehouse. A young Nepali guy had seen me pull up in my car and overheard that we’re heading to Burlington’s Old North End neighborhood which was also his neighborhood. Continue reading
Jesus’ Mission= Our Mission?
Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak at North Ave. Alliance Church in Burlington. I enjoyed speaking there so much, but the one part I don’t always enjoy is the accountability that comes with teaching. James writes, Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness (James 3:1).
So, here’s the big question I’m contemplating this morning for you, me, and anyone else reading this blog:
How does our functional mission as individuals and churches line up with the mission of Jesus? Continue reading
Do we know God’s story?
How can we as American Christians have so much access to the Bible yet not really know God’s story? Many of us know enough to recite specific stories, reference popular verses, and argue theological points. We may be well poised to win a trivia contest or theological debate yet we can often miss the greater narrative of scripture and its implications for both our personal stories and those of our neighbors. Continue reading
Mission: Family
Last night I returned from a five day getaway with my family. We did not go to Disney World or an exotic destination. We did not even leave the state of VT. We spent the week on a Christmas tree farm nestled between the rolling VT foothills and the Connecticut River. It was exactly what I and the family needed. Continue reading
Starting with the end in mind
The following is an excerpt from what Michael Ly, one of Burlington City Church’s pastors, shared this morning with our Gospel Community in Winooski. These questions are incredibly relevant to all of us involved in church-planting. Continue reading
reading maps vs. reading currents
If you tried to canoe the Mississippi River today from source to mouth you could find detailed maps describing every turn, obstruction, and current you’ll encounter on your route. You could research water depths, current speeds, and weather conditions with a simple google search. If we were to rewind to the 1680s when the Frenchman Sieur de La Salle was exploring the river from its confluence with the Illinois River to the Gulf of Mexico, the experience would be far different. Continue reading
BIG PICTURE, small steps
I’m a big picture kind of guy. I like to dream big and ask big questions about what God can do in and through our little church: Continue reading
launching new Gospel Communities
This Sunday marks another important milestone for Burlington City Church as we launch our first Gospel Community in Burlington’s Old North End on North Champlain Street. Continue reading
from Home Fellowships to Gospel Communities
For the past few weeks, the Burlington City Church Pastors/Elders have been discussing, praying and celebrating the current state of Burlington City Church and where God is taking us. It is a really exciting time in the life of the church and we’re excited to be on mission together. One of the topics of conversation has been the primary term we use for our communities of people on mission together: “Home Fellowships”. We wanted to be sure that the term we use for the primary expression of our church actually communicates what we are trying to say. Continue reading
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