The Marana Project

Meet the people of Marana

brojbennett — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:42:47 +0000

As we are getting our ministry here in Marana, we are meeting some awesome people!! These people remind us why God has called us here to do his work. We would like to spend a few minutes introducing you to a few of these people.

Amanda and Kaylie – These girls are waitresses at a local diner where we eat breakfast a couple times a week. We go there to intentionally reach out to these ladies. Plus, it helps that their breakfast is $1.99. These girls have shown interest in attending our Bible studies which are starting very soon. God is building a connection here and we are thankful!!

Jermaine, Vanessa, & Jaiden – This is a family who lives very close to us in the apartments complex. Jaiden and Ava are almost exactly the same age. Jermaine and Vanessa moved here over 3 1/2 years ago and have not gotten involved in a church since moving out west. When we mentioned our Bible study to Jermaine, He said, “We would really be down with that.” In other words, they are interested in coming. Jermaine & Vanessa have been looking for other couples to hang out with and God has placed us right next door.

Tammy & Emma – Heather met Tammy while taking Ava to a Barnes & Noble reading program. Tammy and Heather have become great friends and hang out several times a week. NO doubt, God is building a special relationship there.

Lynn - Lynn is a co-worker of Ashley’s who we met at a school related party. They hit it off right off the bat. She is finishing up her masters program in Tucson while working at Ashley’s school. Ashley is continuing to to build a relationship there in hopes she will join our Bible Studies.

Curtis, Cassey, Sean, Carrie, & Kenny – This is probably our deepest connection here in Marana. Curtis & Carrie went to our church in Homerville in the late 90’s as kids. Now they live in Marana. We learned of this on our drive to Marana! Can we get an AMEN? Sean is Carrie’s boyfriend and Cassey is Curtis’ girlfriend. None of them are churched at all. We have had BBQ with this group, we have went out to eat as a group, we have had a guys outing for chili dogs, and most importantly we have made a spiritual connection. They are interested in being a part of a church who loves them and is real! They are excited about our upcoming Bible Studies.

These are just a few of the people who we have met in our short time in Marana. Please take some time to pry for the people listed here. Pray that God will draw them unto Himself and He will use us to be salt and light to them. Pray for our Bible studies that God will use His Word to change the lives of people all around us!

A World of Difference

brojbennett — Sun, 30 May 2010 13:39:43 +0000

One of the most plaguing questions for Christians, is how to interact with the World. We are obviously called to impact the world with the Gospel of Christ, but we are also instructed to be separate from the World. When Jesus prayed for us in John 17, he prayed , “14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.” Jesus wants us to be separate from the world, but at the same time he is sending us into the world. The answer to the questions, “How should Christians interact with the world?” may be the biggest division within the church! Some respond by having as little interaction with the world as possible. They remove themselves from every aspect of culture that is possible. They are separated from the world, but because they do not understand the world, they are not impacting the world. Others respond by becoming like the world; they do everything they can to look like the world. In doing so, they abandon the call to be separate from the world. In both approaches one of Jesus’ prayers is abandoned for the sake of the other.
Jesus gives us the answer in his prayer. The answer is to live like Jesus. This may sound like a cop out answer, however it is the right answer. Jesus was separate from the world. He was also able to impact the world in ways others have not been able. The Church has the power to impact the world by being different. We are to be in the world, but different from the world. The answer is found in how Jesus interacted with the sinners and the tax collectors. Jesus could not have been more different from these people. He was holy, perfect, and without sin. They were wretched with sin. However, these men were attracted to Jesus, and Jesus was able to minister to them. They were attracted to the fact that Jesus was different. Jesus was not like them, but he did not judge them. He was not one of them, but he understood them. The power Jesus had to impact this group was in the fact that he was different. The church must use that same power to impact the world around us today!
We are called to be with the world, but to not look like the world. Tullian Tchividjian says, “Becoming “all things to all people” does not mean fitting in with the fallen patterns of this world so that there’s no distinguishable difference between Christians and non-Christians.” We have to be different!! We also have to interact with the world. When we are friends to sinners who refuse to live like sinners, they will be attracted to the same difference the sinners and tax collectors saw in Jesus. So go, and make a world of difference!!

“Planting Fast Growing Churches”

brojbennett — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:50:32 +0000

Last night, I had the opportunity to read “Planting Fast-growing Churches” by Stephen Gray and it was a delight. Stephen is the Church Planting Director for the General Baptists. This book puts some strategic research into what separates fast-growing church plants from successful church plants. In his research, Stephen defined a fast-growing church as one that reached 200 members and became self-supporting by three years. All other church plants were considered struggling. While, he acknowledges that there are many different factors that determine the success of a church plant, he had to create a line in the sand by which to compare fast-growing churches with struggling churches. The results of his research were very insightful! I am going to list a few of the things that separate fast-growing churches from struggling church plants. For a full look at his research, I would strongly recommend reading the book. (It is a quick read, it took me 2 ½ hours)
1) Church plants with a strong Leadership base were more likely to be fast-growing.
Some of the Leadership qualities best suited for church planters are:
- Creates ownership of ministry
- Committed to church growth
- Flexible and adaptable
- Spousal Cooperation
2) Full-time church planters were more likely to be fast-growing.
- Churches that received $10,000 -$50,000 in start-up money were much more likely to be fast growing than church plants that received less than $10,000 or more than $100,000.
- To little support makes the church anemic, and too much support gives the church a welfare mentality.
3) Church plants with conceptual freedom were more likely to be fast-growing
4) Church plants with encouraging support from denominational partners were more likely to be fast growing.
5) Church plants that are started by a team are much more likely to be fast-growing.
- For the study, 88% of the churches that were fast-growing were started by a team of full-time staff!
6) Church plants with more than 1 week of training were much more likely to be fast-growing!
7) Church plants that launched well were more likely to be fast-growing.
The following described churches that launched well:
- Churches that launched with a core group of 40 or more.
- Churches that had atleast 100 @ their public opening.
- Churches that had atleast 3 ministries when opening (Primarily children, teen & adult)
- Churches that had 4 or more preview services and used small groups prior to Launch.
8 ) Churches that were financially responsible were much more likely to be fast-growing.
The following describes churches that were financially responsible:
- Taught tithing in the first 6 months.
- Gave to outside missions. 80% of fast-growing churches gave atleast 10% to outside missions. God blesses outward focused churches!!
These are just a few insights from a great book!!

Sacrifice – Are you serious?

brojbennett — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 06:54:52 +0000

It seems like we hear a lot about sacrifice. People tell us all the time, about how they admire the sacrifices that we are making to become church planters. However, I must ask myself, “Who are we kidding?” I have recently begun thinking about this concept of sacrifice. What can I sacrifice for Christ? I could sacrifice the comfort and security of “home” to move to a distant land, but is that really a sacrifice? Leaving the comfort of home only causes us to gain a better understanding of our dependence on God. I could sacrifice T.V., but once again is that a sacrifice? Perhaps all my free time would help me to develop a deeper and more active scripture study.
The standard by which all sacrifices are measured is the Cross. Wow!! That should bring this concept of sacrifice into perspective. What could I sacrifice that would compare to the sacrifice of Christ? In the light of the Great Sacrifice, is there anything that I could really sacrifice?
Consider the Apostle Paul. He was flogged, persecuted, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and eventually martyred for Christ. What did Paul say about his “sacrifices”?

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:8

Paul considered all of his “sacrifices” as rubbish! He understood that all of the things that he gave up were means by which he was drawn closer to Christ. He even considered these “sacrifices” as joys. I believe that sometimes sacrifices are about us. When I focus on sacrifices, I focus on myself, my abilities, my desires. Then, I am reminded that it is not sacrifices that God requires, but obedience. Instead of focusing on sacrifices, perhaps I should focus on obedience. There will be times when obedience calls for us to give up things for the sake of our relationship with Christ, but I would be hard pressed to consider these sacrifices!!

A Whisper in the Ear

brojbennett — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 22:09:14 +0000

Encouragement comes in all types of ways. It may be a round of applause, a pep talk from dad, or a card from home. No matter what form encouragement takes, it usually brightens a dark day. I remember being in Bible College and having a difficult day when the perfect care package came. I remember working at Camp Caleb one summer and receiving encouraging notes every week from my church family. Encouragement is a true ministry and I want to pass along a great example. At our recent service at Blue Point FWB in Cisne, IL, we received a great encouragement from a small source. Gracie Conard is a 1st girl whose family attends Blue Point faithfully. After our service Gracie asked me to bend down so that she could whisper in my ear. She whispered, “I will be praying for your church!” WOW!! I am thankful for churches like Blue Point who emphasize the importance of missions in their church and especially to their children. So many of you have been a huge encouragement to us. May be it has been a vote of confidence at the back door, or a letter to let us know how you are doing. Sometimes, it is unexpected monthly support from our website, and sometimes it is a call. We thank you all!!!

A Crazy Ride

revgman — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:01:34 +0000

Being a Christian can be a really exciting journey, but that all depends on whether or not we are willing to join the ride. I must admit I am somewhat of a hypocrite when it comes to getting on a ride. I have always had a fear of theme park rides, and I get extremely motion sick on them. When I was in high school, I went to a theme park with my church youth group, and not wanting to be the wimp, I hopped on one ride after the next. That’s what led to my passing out on the bumper cars. Oh yeah, you heard right, the bumper cars. I had ridden three roller coasters and several other spinning rides; I was so sick I begged the guys to go ride the bumper cars. In my mind that would give me time to recover, but the last thing I remember is some older lady crying out “I killed him” as her car collided with mine. The next thing I know, I am in a wheel chair on my way to the first aid station. Church was a blast that Sunday! I remember my pastor Cliff Donoho, who is a church planter and had planted a church in Salem Illinois, where I attended. He got up in the pulpit that morning and said, “We only had one accident at the theme park -Jeff Goodman passed out on the bumper cars.” Never did live that down. Although I still do not ride those theme park rides, I learned something that day: What I had been missing out on, the thrill of the ride.
This journey into church planting is changing me, and there is this fire welling up in me. As I travel to raise support, I thought I would grow tired of telling the same thing over and over again. However, each time I share our vision, the passion inside of me grows. My resolve to be there becomes ever more intent, and I feel more focused on the task God has laid before me. Matthew 6:33 says “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” I would like to admit something; I almost did not get on this ride, this journey I now find myself on. I was comfortable, and very content having pastored the Homerville FWB church for 10 years. I really never saw myself leaving there, and to be honest, I didn’t want to. It was a great church with great people and I loved every minute of my ministry there. Josh, my teammate, began praying a prayer several years ago and it went like this. “Lord, stretch me, Lord, make me uncomfortable, and Lord do BIG things.” I began to pray that prayer and God has led me to where I am now. The ride has not been easy, and sometimes when I stop and think about all that has to happen, it scares me and even makes me a little queasy, but what a journey, what a thrill it is to be on this ride! All I can tell you is “Seek first the Kingdom of God” and don’t let your fears make you miss out on the ride of a lifetime.
I would like to say on behalf of the Marana Team we are thankful to each and every individual who is helping turn this vision into reality. Please follow us at www.themaranaproject.com or you can also follow us on facebook.

Free Will Baptist & Top Supporters

brojbennett — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:40:05 +0000

The last few months have certainly been a great experience. It is exciting to be in different churches every week!! We have been traveling now for 11 weeks, and we have learned several things. First, Free Will Baptists are good and generous people. We have met so many people that have embraced our vision and us. They have loved us, cared for us, encouraged us, and supported us. Secondly, we are surprised to see so many connections to Free Will Baptist around Marana. I just received an e-mail from a Free Will Baptist lady who lives near Marana and attends a Southern Baptist church. She wants to know about our ministry!! We have heard of many of these type connections. Thirdly, God is being faithful in spite of the horrible economic situation in our country!!!
We are extremely thankful for all of our supporters, but I would like to give a shout out to our top five monthly supporting churches. They are listed in order.

1) Homerville FWB Church, Homerville, GA ($770/monthly support)
2) Pearce Chapel FWB Church, Smithville, MS ($365/monthly support)
3) Blue Point FWB Church, Cisne, IL ($260/monthly support) (We have not even had a service at Blue Point yet!)
4) Pine Level FWB Church, Alma, GA ($245/monthly support)
5) Community Fellowship, Clay, KY ($190/monthly support)

Our other faithful monthly supporting churches are (listed in no specific order):Ozias FWB; White Hall FWB; First FWB of Chipley, FL; New Home FWB; New Home #2 FWB; Bellvue FWB; Homerville United Methodist; Cross Creek FWB; Loyal’s Chapel FWB; Grace Chapel FWB; Corinth FWB; Cool Springs FWB; Fellowship FWB; Piney Grove FWB; Sneads FWB; Baxley FWB; Liberty Bible FWB; Patmos FWB; Cornerstone FWB; Cross Roads FWB; Dublin First FWB; Ryanwood Fellowship FWB; First FWB of Titusville; Arnold View FWB; Decatur FWB; Madison FWB; New Life Fellowship FWB; Oak Hill FWB; Spring Grove FWB; GA Union Association.

We would also like to thank all of the individuals who are supporting us!!

Christmas Special

brojbennett — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:30:15 +0000

Christmas lights and Christmas Trees, Christmas parties and Christmas treats, Christmas lists and Christmas gifts, they are all part of what becomes a very busy season. Most families are consumed with buying gifts that they truly cannot afford. Others are consumed with busy schedules that include family get to-gethers, Sunday School parties, work parties, and shopping trips. It is a fun season, but also a very busy season. It has been a busy time for us as we have made long trips and have longer trips to make in December. God has poured his blessings out on the Marana Team week after week. In Marana there are families just like you that have no understanding of why we celebrate the birth of Christ. Pray for these families and remember them as you send in your faith promises. They need Christ and we pray that this time next year they will know the reason for the season!!
Merry Christmas!

What a Wonderful Ride

brojbennett — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:21:42 +0000

When you answer the call to the mission field, it is almost a bitter sweet. God has given you a passion for ministering to people in a specific area, yet it will be sometime before you able to actually minister in that area. Welcome to where we find ourselves now. OUr passion for Marana, AZ grows every week, but we still face the reality that it will be almost a year before we are able to set sail for Arizona.
However, it is not all bitter. We were not sure what to expect when we begin to travel every weekend to Free Will Baptist Churches. We have been blown away with how much fun we have had traveling. It has been a great time of seeing old friends and meeting new friends. It is indescribable to see into someone’s eyes that you have just met as they are catching your vision for a place they have never heard of!!!
This week I (Josh) was able to be in the church where I got my feet wet in the ministry. It is a church where I worked with the youth while I was at ABAC for my first year of ministry. It was great to see old faces. They even had the first youth group banner I ever made hanging up when we got there!! Jeff was able to be a part of two great services this weekend and saw the LORD move in unusual ways.
This part of mission work has certainly been more enjoyable than we thought that it would be! It was great last week meetin the other Home missionaries that are about to start churches. It has beeenawesome to see God move when we thought we would get no resonse. God has been good and we cannot wait to see where the ride goes from here!!!

Transitions

revgman — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:24:10 +0000

Transitions are a part of each of our lives and sometimes they can take us by surprise. So, how do we handle them? Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (read these verses) talks all about transitions, “For everything there is a season….” In this life, things are constantly changing, and these changes often times turn our lives upside down. These transitions can be scary and even make us feel like we are losing control of our lives. I understand this because my life is going through a transition; over the last few months, I have transitioned from pastor of the Homerville F.W.B. Church to church planter. There have been times it has felt overwhelming. When everything is changing, and the life you held on to that brought you security seems to be fading away, what do you do? Psalms 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God.” When transitions come into your life, trust in the Lord. They are there for a reason. Transitions can remind you of who should be in control of your life. Transitions can bring a renewed spirit and a new fervor for the things of God. So when a transition comes your way, lean on the Lord and give it some time. God probably wants to shake your life up a little and remind you to trust in him. Please pray for The Marana Project as we continue to travel and raise our support. Also, pray for the hearts of the people in Marana, Arizona. Pray for our families as we make this huge transition and begin this exciting new work he has called us to.