Lots of thoughts running through my mind this week! In five days, we will be full force into stitching two churches together in one common vision, direction, and mission with the intent to launch fresh on April 8, 2012. It seems overwhelming on one front, but on the other, we are miles ahead of where we could be. Here’s my thoughts about this crossroads:

We began to prepare for a multisite situation from Day 1 of North Creek Church. We have established key speakers, created a very large and united team, and developed processes that could be replicated in an instance. What should be a time of panicing and getting people onboard is not what we are experiencing at all. On one hand is a mountain of work, but on the other is a solid foundation to build on.

Our staff team is probably more emotional about the change than most other people. It has been interesting to navigate and walk through each person’s new realities. EVERYONE’S job is shifting and changing a bit, so it’s uncertainty on all fronts. We deeply love our staff, so it’s a fine balance of allowing them the time they need to process, but still moving the ball down the court. So far, so good!

I am also humbled by my inbox full of new volunteer applications…and that’s just from the Hazel Dell side of the fence! Battle Ground will get the opportunity to volunteer next week! Nobody seems to be waiting until the last minute to engage, but rather we can begin to train many new leaders this month so that next month is in full swing. There would be NO WAY to do this without the massive number of volunteers that are carrying the weight of ministry.

Our strategy is simple and very clear. Everything we do is through the lens of what a new guest will feel and experience in an hour at our church. We want people to be well communicated to about how we function, comfortable entrusting their kids to our care, clearly hearing the message of Jesus, experiencing quality worship, and to feel like they are welcomed. We look at everything through those parameters and fiercely protect our environments. As we attempt to replicate ourselves, this is our priority.

Work is coming. We have a timeline plan almost ready to unveil about how we will do a major advertising campaign and renovate a building over the course of the next few weeks. There is just a lot of physical labor…nothing new for our ministry!

So, that’s some of what we are facing as we stare into the face of a new future. I’m excited! Stay tuned for more information about how you can be a part!

Back to business at the Coffee Church! We loved our vacation, but we also love our lives, so it was nice to be home!

I got to lead a group of young girls in KidCity…man, their questions and comments are awesome! Although I used the word “Hell” (correctly in a sentence) and got lambasted by a bunch of second graders for swearing…lesson learned!

Met a family yesterday with 13 children under the age of 18. Yeah, I’m impressed as well.

Alissa and Nate Johnson lead worship yesterday! Great job to both of you! Alissa will be jumping over to Battle Ground in the next few weeks and we can’t wait!

Our newest baby, Noah Fletcher, came to visit us yesterday! He topped the scales just over 5 pounds, so you can imagine how tiny he seems! He came early, but healthy and whole, so we are glad to see him already. Congrats to Tony and Janelle!

Our team spent yesterday afternoon at the Battle Ground campus formulating our transition and renovation plan. So much fun to dream and scheme for North Creek Battle Ground. We will be having several work days scheduled and will let you know about those ASAP. We want both campuses pitching in to help as there is plenty to do and five weeks to do it! Not a problem.

Mark finished up preaching on Paul. Love everything about Paul’s journey. He was an all-or-nothing type of guy and I appreciate that very much!

If you are a good seamstress and have some free time for a fairly big project, would you email me at stacy@coffeechurch.com? I once sewed a pair of shorts with one leg…

Lots of questions about what our plans are with our new campus…here it is in a nutshell:

Make it esthetically look like our current campus. For those of you who haven’t gotten to visit yet, we look alot like a giant Starbucks…except with reclaimed materials.

Implement our systems and processes into Battle Ground…our Kid’s Checkin, Small Groups, etc.

Develop a preaching schedule with dual speakers by hiring another full time communicator.

Double our worship team using our current members, Maple Grove’s current members and new recruits…we really need two more drummers overnight.

Double our Kid’s Ministry Teams from KidCity to the nursery. Vanessa Thalhofer will be added as the Battle Ground Children’s Pastor. We need about 10 new volunteers between the two campuses in this one area.

To start, we will be bussing the teenagers to Hazel Dell on Thursdays, but that is with the agenda to create another youth ministry in Battle Ground as soon as it is feasible.

We also need to launch an advertising campaign in the next few weeks that let’s Battle Ground know we are launching.

Just a couple of things to do! 🙂 Here we go! We can’t wait!

Ready or not, we’re back from our trip to San Diego where we soaked up as much sun as we could! We had a great time playing with our kids and having fun at Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, the Safari Park, and a couple of beaches, too! We packed a lot of fun into six days. Here’s our highlights and insights from our trip:

1. If you don’t believe in God, spend a week looking at animals. There’s so much creativity and uniqueness! All of creation really does shout the name of God!

2. The trainers at Sea World can get animals to do far more than most of us can train our children to do. I was most impressed at the trained cats. Seriously, if you can get a cat to do what you want it to at a moment’s notice, you’ve got talent.

3. If everybody getting off of the River Ride is soaking wet, it is foolish to assume that your family will be the one family to go through a waterfall and be dry on the other side. Wishful thinking and stupidity often go hand in hand. That is precisely why the human dryers at the end of the ride are constantly full at $5 a pop.

4. If it is in the 60’s and you are from Washington, your kids will go swimming in the pool at 9:00 am. The hotel workers wearing their sweaters will look at you like you are nuts.

5. Mark has always wanted to go to Chick-fil-A. We decided to go for lunch on Sunday. That is only made more funny by the fact that Mark has always been impressed because they are closed on Sundays to honor God. We honored God at Wendys instead.

6. It was awesome to stop thinking about everything and just have family time. We did a great job disconnecting and are now very much excited to get the job done! Here we go!

We’re still on vacation, but I wanted to share a blog that I loved. I hope you enjoy!

Good Idea. Now What?
By Charles Lee

Ideas are sexy.

They are attractive, unbridled, and full of inspired passion. There’s no doubt that ideas are fun to think about, share, and platform. Ideas have a unique way of injecting us with adrenaline, energy, and hope.

Ideas are wonderful. They help us innovate, problem-solve, and move into areas considered unfathomable by previous generations. History has shown us time and time again that ideas help shape our world’s future trajectory.

Unfortunately, many people with good ideas will never see their ideas actualized. In fact, many of them will end up taking their ideas to the grave (literally!). This is tragic indeed.

These individuals are lovers of ideas, not makers of ideas. You see, all idea-makers love ideas, but not all idea-lovers have the ability to make ideas come to life. Unlike idea-lovers, idea-makers are not satisfied with just having a good idea. They are committed to seeing their concepts actualized in the real world. In addition, they are willing to reframe their lives so that their ideas can be implemented well.

Yes, ideas are not enough.

Good ideas need things like intentional strategy, implementation processes, sustainable infrastructure, collaborative teams, viable networks, smart branding, and a deep commitment to hard work to see everything through. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart.

Nevertheless, it’s not impossible. Ideas can be implemented well by anyone who truly considers their concepts worth actualizing. Do you really believe in the ideas that run around your mind and keep you up late at night? The good news is that many of these elements needed for implementation have proven principles and insights you could leverage to help take your ideas to market.

Our world is framed in such a way that if you choose to pursue your passion, you can find ways to get there with people who actually care. Now, this will require honest self-assessment, an actual plan, and a commitment to develop skill-sets necessary to build a quality product or service.

In our world today, it’s not that difficult to get an idea out there. You can market your idea until you’re blue in the face and use all the tools out there to get your work in front of people. The difficult part is getting people to care about your efforts. This takes clear understanding of why you exist, unwavering commitment to quality, and an unending zeal to grow your tribe of loyal supporters one person at a time by providing remarkable products or services.
So, where does one start?

My recommendation is that you take a step back and breathe. I know that seems impossible given all that you’re juggling in life. After all, who has time to stop, right? As paradoxical as it may sound, one of the best things you could do for your idea is to slow down and assess your journey towards implementation.

Your ideas matter to our world. We need them. My hope is that you implement them well.

Good Idea. Now What?

The other night I was sitting with my girls and Delaney said, “Mom, I’m really worried about my wedding day. How am I going to kiss a boy in front of all of those people?”

I have to admit that I laughed out loud at her absolute cuteness. I reassurred her that she would figure all of these things out in due time. (I also told her that I would get pyrotechnics to light off indoor fireworks for her just like we did almost fifteen years ago. The shock of the fireworks will definitely stop people from focusing on the infamous kiss!)

With all of the transitions going on with the details of an additional campus and acclimating another church into our world, I am probably guilty of some similar moments with God. I’ve been pouring over the details in my mind, trying to make sure I’ve got a handle on everything. Needless to say, it can be overwhelming on a good day and hit us like a tsunami on a rough day. So, I pray and the only thing I ever get back from Heaven is, “We’ll figure all of these things out in due time.”

Ironically, that is the answer that I most appreciate from God. Just like the Sunday School song from years past, I know that He has the whole world in His hands. He’s got a handle on the big picture AND the details. Just as I know that Delaney will be MORE than happy to kiss her husband on that fateful day, all of our details will come with nervous joy in due time.

I’m sure you have things in your life that rush over you with panic and fear. We all do to one degree or another! And I hope that the still, small voice in your heart reminds you that most of what you are worrying about will work itself out for His glory…in due time.