Richard Sims

A Word of Thanks

• Roye & Lori Glass
• James Hall
• Jeff Jones
• Todd Putman
• Penny Sutton
• Josh Watson

Kim and I want to thank the people listed above for the HUGE help in moving Tapestry's equipment and supplies this weekend! We could not have done it without you! Starting with the preparation work on Friday night and continuing through the flood on Saturday, you gave it your all. Again, THANK YOU!!

Time to Show We Care

Some estimates show that nearly 5000 people in the Atlanta area have lost all of their possessions because of the recent flooding. Most of Bartow County escaped any problems, but our neighbors around us were not so fortunate.

It's time for the church to be the church and stand up and show we care. Please visit www.HopeATL.com and show the love of Christ to those who are hurting.

There are a number of ways you can help:

• Volunteer to help with cleanup, moving assistance, and with collecting, organizing and distributing donations.

• Donate care packages: clothes, diapers, socks, underwear, toiletries, and more.

• Send Cash & Gift Cards from places like Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, etc. Mail them to Courageous Church, 1330 West Peachtree Street, Suite 560, Atlanta, GA 30309

Visit www.HopeATL.com for more information about how you can make a difference in someone's life.

Messy Ministry

At Tapestry Church, we want to be a place "where people who are broken or frayed are woven together into the body of Christ." What do we mean by "people who are broken or frayed"?

Just what it says. All of us have sinned. All of us are broken and frayed in some way. The good news is that all of us are loved dearly by our Heavenly Father. But there are lots of people around us who haven't heard that incredible news. And that should break our hearts.

There are broken, frayed, messy people all around us. Many of them need to know Jesus. The truth is, lots of churches want these messy people to know Jesus, but they don't really want those messy people in their churches.

I do. I want God to send to Tapestry messy people who no one else wants. I want us to love them, and I want them to understand that God loves them.

This isn't an easy ministry. Messy people are, well, messy. But God loves them just as much as he loves me. He sent his Son for them, just like he did for me.

Here's where the church comes in: "And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others." (2 Corinthians 18b-19)

So let's tell others. Let's love people, even messy people. Especially messy people. Let's invite them. And let's make sure they hear the wonderful message that their Creator loves them and wants them to be reconciled with him.

We're On The Same Team

A few years ago my kids and I attended my parents’ church on Father’s Day. My home church has been a strong church for years, reaching people for Christ, developing believers, giving away lots of money to missions, and teaching English to the large number of foreign nationals in an Air Force town. Their worship service is also fairly traditional.

I knew what to expect from the kids, and I wasn’t disappointed. “Who are all those people?” “That’s the choir.” “What are they wearing?” “Those are called choir robes.” You get the picture. It was all just too foreign to three children who are used to loud guitars, drums, lots of clapping, you know,  a “cool” church.

And to be honest with you, I felt the way they did. I mean, I’m so past that traditional type of worship experience, and I don’t look forward to attending services like that. Ever.

But then came time for the invitation. After explaining to the kids what a hymnal was and showing them how to sing along to “Just As I Am,” I watched as an older couple went forward and shook the pastor’s hand. Then he introduced them as a couple he’d been meeting with...and they were coming forward to publicly give their lives to Christ!

I was ecstatic. When we got there that morning, these two people were lost. Now they were found. And I turned to my children and said, “This is why we should never make fun of a church who does things differently than we like. This church did things their way, and now these two people will be in heaven.”

That’s why I don’t understand when I hear Christians putting down other churches. Sure, there are lots of churches out there who aren’t doing anything for the kingdom and are just interested in getting their needs met. As far as I’m concerned, those churches should be called to task.

But I hear people talking negatively about other churches, not because of their ineffectiveness, but just because of the way they “do” church. What does methodology matter, if they’re impacting the world for Christ? And why do we have such a desire to belittle churches that don’t do things our way? What good does our slamming each other do for the kingdom?

There are all kinds of people out there without Christ. It takes all kinds of churches to reach them. We’re all on the same team. Let’s act like it.

Tea Parties and Tithes

I didn't get to attend a "tea party" yesterday, but I certainly was there in spirit. I don't want to get too political here, but I have always been in favor of smaller government and a balanced budget, regardless of which political party is in charge. I am totally against high taxes, big government spending, and a "redistribution of wealth" policy.

But here's my thought: as Christians, we are to take care of the poor. You can't seriously read the Bible and not come away with the understanding that God cares for those in need and expects his followers to help. I believe that God's plan is for the church to lead the way in serving the needy, and his desire is for believers to give 10% of their income so that the church can use a portion of that to efficiently take care of the poor.

But most Christians don't come close to a tithe, and too many churches spend too much of their income on themselves. God is most definitely going to take care of the poor, so he allows the government to take 30% or more from us and inefficiently take care of the poor. 

So as we call for lower taxes and less government spending, let's make sure that as individuals we're giving God what belongs to him. And as churches, let's make sure we're giving a lot of that away.

Those are my thoughts. What are yours?

The Diaper Church?

Tapestry Church may become known as the "diaper church," and it's wonderful!

Now, it isn't wonderful that there is a need. That part is not good. But we've been contacted by one of our local school systems with a short-term need that was unexpected by them: diapers!

There are lots of local families with special needs children who are struggling right now, and the church has been called in to help. We've been asked to provide diapers for three different families. It seems to me that whenever Jesus went through a town, he tried to leave it a little better place. So shouldn't our community be a little better off with Tapestry here?

So here's the bottom line: bring the following sizes of diapers with you to any of our services or activities in the month of February (or, if you don't attend TC, send a donation marked "community ministry" and we'll use it strictly for serving the less fortunate in our community).

Every time a parent uses one of these diapers, they'll think not just about Tapestry, but the incredible Savior we serve.

Diaper sizes are:

• Diapers, size 6
• Depends underwear, size small
• Huggies Good Nite, size 60-125 pounds

Advent Conspiracy - Local and Global

This Sunday we get to place our focus on others, something we do regularly at Tapestry.

First, we'll receive a special offering at the end of the service as our part of the Advent Conspiracy. Every penny we receive will go to those in need, both locally and globally, as a portion will go to Living Waters International, a group that builds wells and provides clean drinking water to people around the world. Check out the Living Waters website!

And here's something else...we've been contacted by Hickory Log Vocational School and by one of our local school systems, and they've asked us to help provide Christmas gifts for some wonderful folks. Take a look at our Christmas tree in the lobby this Sunday and you'll find "ornaments" that have gifts written on them. Take an ornament, or two, or three, go buy those gifts, bring them back the following Sunday, and you'll help provide Christmas gifts for a total of 4 students. Cool, huh?

Attack the materialism of the season, join the conspiracy, and be a blessing to others!

Advent Conspiracy

Here's what Tapestry's focus will be this Christmas season...what will your focus be?
(If you can't see the video, click here)

Why Are We Here? Part 2

Yesterday we talked about the reason Tapestry Church is here, and we said that we're here to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ by creating environments in which people are encouraged and equipped to pursue intimacy with God, community with believers, and influence on those outside the faith.

But what are we talking about when we use the word "environment"?

Well, every ministry, program or event that any church has is an "environment." The location, atmosphere, the type of activity, all kinds of things come together to define a particular event's or ministry's environment.

At Tapestry, we've simplified things so that we only have three basic environments. Everything we do fits into at least one of these three environments.  And the terms we use for our environments are based on the parts of a house, which just helps us to explain them a little easier.

Your foyer is your welcome area for visitors and new friends. It's where you first meet. It's where you can help them want to come back. Not a lot of deep conversation here, but not a lot of pressure either. Our Sunday morning worship time is Tapestry's foyer. We want to be a church that unchurched people like to attend, so in our foyer, folks can come in, experience it, talk to a few people if they want to, and make the decision, hopefully, to come back. Oh, we worship here, and we learn here, but everything we do in this service is looked at through the eyes of someone who has never been to church. Will they find it enjoyable and helpful? And will you have the confidence to invite them in the first place?

In your home, your most intimate conversations often happen around the kitchen table. This is a safe place where you can share your life, open your heart, ask tough questions and have tough conversations. Coming soon to Tapestry, our small groups will be our kitchen table environment, where people meet regularly for Bible study and prayer, and where spiritual growth has the best opportunity to take place. That's quite a jump from the foyer, where you hardly even talk, so there needs to be a step in between...

That's where the living room comes in. There's more interaction than in the foyer, but not as much as in the kitchen. The living room is where you begin friendships. Along our journey as a church, we'll be hosting more and more living room events. The perfect example? Our Christmas Party, Sunday, December 14, 6:30 pm. This will be a great opportunity for us to meet each other and get to know the folks we worship with every Sunday but never get to talk to.

So there you have it. Everything we do fits into at least one of these environments: foyer, living room, kitchen table. And these environments are what help us to lead people into a growing relationship with Christ.

Next week: A closer look at the foyer.

A Long Overdue "Thank You" Post

After nearly 10 months of ministry (going all the way back to our June gathering at the pub) it's way past time for a big THANK YOU.

Each Sunday morning, the musicians and production crew gather at the church as early as 6:30.  After the final rehearsal and run-through, the entire crew is treated to breakfast. After all, by the time the service is over around 11am, they've worked for 4 hours or more.

Those breakfasts have been supplied every time by Lynne Bowers, Dawn Crane, Tammy Evans, and Kim Sims. These ladies deserve a great big THANK YOU for your tireless efforts in bringing great breakfasts to the crew!

If this "breakfast ministry" is something you would be interested in helping with (and we could certainly use some more folks in the rotation), e-mail me and we'll get you started.

Once again ladies, thanks!