Inaugurating Missional Community

The Upper Manhattan Missional Community met for the first time last evening. What a wonderful time of experiencing God's presence in community. Twenty adults and one baby filled Melissa's apartment in Washington Heights to near capacity. The food was good, the worship was rich and the sharing was transparent and sincere.

For me it was an amazing day living in community. From worshiping on the Upper West Side and having the high honor of participating in Josh's ordination, offering up a prayer for him to trying to unclog the drain in Casey's apartment, but having failed, then enjoying a great meal with Charlotte and Casey at Dallas BBQ, to schlepping Subway sandwiches 22 blocks in our cart (that's right--cart not car!) to Missional Community and enjoying the warmth of Melissa's apartment while outside the weather was bitter cold--ahh!--life in Manhattan!

I am excited about Missional Community. We are but one of six communities flourishing to life in Manhattan through Origins Church. These communities provide a way for people to connect and interact with each other, pursue Christian discipleship, and work together to bring renewal to our city. In Upper Manhattan we believe we can have impact in our communities--building bridges across cultures and language--as we share the love of Christ with our neighbors. We are looking forward to partnering with other ministries in the community as well as offering beginner Spanish classes for English speakers to help us identify better with the majority population--following in the steps of Jesus!

Our icebreaker last evening as we broke up into two smaller groups was to state a dream, hope or wish. My dream is beginning to be fulfilled--to be part of a movement that is impacting Manhattan for Christ and bringing people together for the glory of God!